Hip hop samples of Cortex songs in tracks from artists including MF DOOM, Madlib, Tyler the Creator, Flying Lotus, Lupe Fiasco, and Suicideboys have brought newfound interest in the band since the early 2000s.

The band members found each other when Alain Mion responded to a poster on a bulletin board at the Centre Américain in Paris, in which a guitarist and bassist stated that they were looking for musicians to play with.

[2][3] Cortex reunited as Alain Mion & The New Cortex in 2009 and 2010, with the singer Adeline de Lépinay taking the role of Mireille Dalbray on vocals and Hidehiko Kan on drums for performances in Europe at New Morning, Monaco’s Note Bleue, The Jazz Cafe, and Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Winners Festival.

In 2022, Cortex toured the U.S., performing at The Music Hall of Williamsburg in NYC, LODGE Room in Los Angeles, and the Desert Daze festival at the Lake Perris State Recreation Area in Riverside County, California.

[4] In June 2024, Cortex began a North America summer tour with band members Virginie Hombel (vocals), Loïc Soulat (keyboard and alto sax), Mohamed Ouaraz (bass), and Victor Dubois (drums), entitled "Jazz is Dead", with shows at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, Howard Theatre in D.C., Revolution Hall in Portland, OR, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival.