Ko Shin Moon is a French musical project formed in Paris in 2017 by Niko Shin and Axel Moon, emerging from a shared vision of sonic exploration and cultural hybridity. The band’s name is a homage to an exotica album by Japanese experimentalist Haruomi Hosono, reflecting their deep admiration for boundary-pushing artists who blend global sounds with avant-garde sensibilities.

The project was born when Axel Moon returned from a four-year journey across India, where he collected traditional folk instruments, and reunited with Niko Shin, who had been developing a studio rich in analog synthesizers and vintage recording equipment. This convergence of acoustic heritage and electronic experimentation became the creative foundation for Ko Shin Moon’s retro-futuristic sound.

Their music fuses traditional Eastern string instruments with analog electronic machines, crafting immersive soundscapes that merge psychedelia, space disco, cold wave, and ethno-musical elements. Inspired by a diverse lineage of innovators—including David Byrne, Bill Laswell, Jah Wobble, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ilaiyaraaja, and Patrick Cowley—the duo creates a cosmopolitan and eclectic aesthetic defined by contrast, eclecticism, and respectful sonic fusion.

Ko Shin Moon’s live performances are dynamic and transformative, designed as both listening and dancing experiences. They have performed at major avant-garde and world music festivals across France and internationally, including Trans Musicales, Nuits Sonores, Paléo Festival, Francofolies, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Montreal International Jazz Festival, and Beirut and Beyond. Their tours have spanned Europe, the UK, North Africa, the Levant, and Canada.

Over the course of three albums and numerous live collaborations, Ko Shin Moon has developed a series of “miniature” releases featuring artists such as Greek singer Mélina Vlachos and Turkish chanteuse Melike Şahin, born from creative exchanges during residencies in cities like Cairo and Jaffa.

With a credo rooted in cosmopolitanism, exploration, and hybridity, Ko Shin Moon continues to forge a unique path at the intersection of tradition and futurism, creating otherworldly yet strangely familiar dreamscapes that transcend genre and geography.