Alex The Judge

Alex the Judge & The Forbidden Fruits is a genre-defying musical collective led by South Tyrolean MC and vocalist Alexander Richter, known as Alex the Judge. Emerging from the borderlands of Italy and Austria, the band crafts a vibrant fusion of hip-hop, neo-soul, funk, jazz, and R&B, delivering a sound that's both fresh and deeply rooted in groove. With multilingual lyrics in English, German, and Italian, and a sound inspired by artists like Mac Miller, Anderson .Paak, Still Woozy and Loyle Carner. The project was born from the creative partnership between Alex and producer-guitarist Fabian Pichler, who began collaborating in 2020 through the "Fruity Sessions" series. They later expanded into a full live band — The Forbidden Fruits — featuring Valentin Gasser (saxophone, keyboards, and composition), Valentin Taschler (bass), Manuel Pichler (drums and production). Their debut EP, Shapeshifter, released in October 2023, showcases their eclectic style—from laid-back jazz-rap to funk-infused bangers and introspective trap beats. The EP earned them first prize at the UploadSounds 2023 competition, a major stepping stone that led to performances at renowned festivals like SZIGET (Hungary), Kufstein Unlimited (Austria), Suoni di Marca (Italy), and Rock im Ring (South Tyrol). Alex the Judge & The Forbidden Fruits are now working on their first album.