Swiss pianist and composer Lucca Fries is known for his hypnotic, rhythm-driven piano style that merges minimalism with emotional depth. With his bands HELY and Ikarus, he has performed across Europe, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa and Venezuela, appearing at festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Reykjavik Jazz Festival, Goa International Jazz Festival, EFG London Jazz Festival and Jazzahead! Bremen. Both projects have been supported by Pro Helvetia’s Priority Promotion Program and have released several albums on Ronin Rhythm Records and Traumton Records. In 2024, he launched FRI3SER - his most personal project to date.
Fries studied Jazz Performance at the Hochschule Luzern and Music Pedagogy at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. With drummer Jonas Ruther, he formed HELY in 2011, a duo that gained international attention for its immersive live performances, unique sound and focus on rhythmic flow and a trance-like atmosphere. Around the same time, he joined the Zurich-based ensemble Ikarus, founded by drummer Ramón Oliveras - a quintet built around a piano trio and two voices. The band is known for its interlocked polyrhythms and emotional depth, creating a sound that is both minimal and expressive. In 2024, Ikarus transformed into a quartet, beginning an ongoing, playful reinvention as a collective.
FRI3SER is Lucca Fries’ most personal project to date. His piano style, shaped by minimalist and rhythmic drones, meets the raw energy of alternative rock and club music. The extended pieces - built on immersive piano textures, dark harmonies, distorted bass and heavy drumbeats - evolve organically and unfold a hypnotic intensity. Inspired by rave culture, morphing beats and tension-filled breaks add an electronic edge, while subtle piano preparations transform the instrument's sound. Together with bassist Sarah Zaugg and drummer Luca Ramella, Fries creates music that is urgent, physical and emotional. Recorded in May 2025 with Grammy-winning New York producer John Davis (Jojo Mayer’s NERVE, Brad Mehldau), the debut album will be released in 2026, offering a distinctive fusion of jazz, rock, ambient and club music.
Beyond his band projects, Fries was a member of the ensemble of post-minimal composer Virgil Moorefield and worked with South African saxophonist Linda Sikhakhane in his quartet IsaMbulo.
In his hometown Winterthur, Fries founded the Salle Bolivar concert series for cross-genre improvised music and teaches piano at Musikschule Prova.
