Unless you have been living under a rock for the past thirty years, the name Dirk Serries will probably ring a bell. The good man has been leading the way in ambient-drone land for decades and now he slowly makes the transition to jazz, in which he is already quite influential. So yeah, Dirk Serries is a talented man who has delivering intrinsic soundscapes for decades.

Perhaps, living under that same rock, you will have never heard of Consouling Sounds either. Founded by Mike Keirsbilck ten years ago, this record label has put our little country on the alternative music map again. During those ten years, Mike and Nele have been working their asses off to deliver some exquisite musical goodies from Amenra, Wiegedood, CHVE, Maudlin, A-Sun Amissa, Barst, Inwolves... The list goes on and on. And on.

So when the people from BRDCST festival invited Consouling Sounds to have a little birthday celebration, Mike quickly agreed and decided to put Dirk Serries in the spotlight. In his turn, Dirk called-up some of his henchmen and wrote down names like Stratosphere, Scatterwound, Fear Falls Burning and Yodok III. For such a line-up, I was willing to travel to Brussels, taking my own henchwoman with me, especially to witness Yodok III. She had never experienced them before. She'd be in for a wild ride.

​(p.s. read my review for 'Epitaph')

We left our apartment somewhere in the afternoon. It was warm. The sun was shining. The tulips were opening up and the mating call of the many birds in our neighbourhood provided us with a joyful mood. It's a thirty minutes walk from the house to the trainstation, over the much feared Antwerp-Ring and through two sunlit parks. Once arrived, we quickly grabbed something to eat before embarking on the train to Brussels. There, a continuously talking American was annoying the rest of the passengers. Some were trying to nap in the sunlight, others were live streaming their train ride on facebook or instagram. We? We just looked outside, trying to locate buzzard nests. 

Anyway, about an hour later, we arrived at the AB, one of Belgium's most respected venues. Young rock bands dream of playing at Rock Werchter. Young dance producers dream of Tomorrowland. But here in Belgium, every musician dreams of playing at Ancienne Belgique. Stratosphere did it for years and Dirk Serries made that dream come true. Rightfully so, too, but I'll get to that soon. I met Ronald inside the AB Club. He was nervous, just a tiny bit. Most of all, obviously, he was excited. "AB. I'm playing at AB". He handed me a copy of his "Collaborations 1" CD (read our review and listen to teasers) and we had a little chat. Then it was time for the event to start.

(oh, sorry about the either absence or the quality of photos. I didn't bring my camera.)

The buzz inside the AB Club faded away when Stratosphere sat down and picked up his bass guitar. Spontaneously, the people in the first two rows sat down on the floor. I was one of them and I really wished they had put down a bunch of chairs. But, nonetheless, my back pockets met the floor when Stratosphere's first soundscapes started filling the room. 
Soon it struck me. I didn't know the song he was playing. Or in other words, it was not 'Desolation', the track he had been playing live for the past several years. In fact, Ronald had decided to showcase the new Stratosphere, away from the post rock and shoegaze influences and deep into immersive ambient soundscapes. 
This was a remarkable gig, one that clearly shows the next step in the evolution of Stratosphere. It was also a bit short but perfectly performed.

By the end of the Stratosphere performance, Dirk and N (Hellmut Neidhart) walked up and took their place behind Ronald. While I crawled to the back to get a drink, Scatterwound replaced Stratosphere. One's drones faded out, the other's fuzzy soundscapes faded in. With this duo, the evening gained a noisy, gritty sound, like sitting in a bobsled that goes 300 kilometers per hour on a rocky slope. It was harsh, intense and pulsating. It was brilliant too, just not very friendly for people's ears. Nonetheless, this was a perfect example of Dirk's evolution. From these mesmerizing drones to the overwhelming madness that was yet to come, the evening couldn't have been better. It certainly couldn't have started better. I high-fived Ronald in an effort to congratulate him with his convincing performance and fully enjoyed the rest of Scatterwound's impressive concert.

After a brief break, in which the floor in front of the stage was being cleared, it was time for the much anticipated resurrection of Fear Falls Burning. I had seen this act once before, with Dirk fronting three drummers in one of the most impressive performances I have ever seen. Now, here in AB, the band appeared in a new incarnation, with one drummer and a saxophone. Although different, this was yet another sweet piece of music in which ambient, jazz and almost industrial drumming created a whirlpool of noise. 

The soundscapes reappeared and so did whatever it is that Tomas Järmyr does. To clarify, Tomas plays jazz, rock, metal, grindcore and black metal, plus solo cymbal sets, and with Yodok III, he does it all in one song. Supporting Dirk's drones and Kristoffer's tuba sounds, Tomas carefully explored the possibilities of his drum kit. First quiet and introvert, the music gradually built up. I, still watching the "newbies", was excited. I saw the look in their eyes, they had no idea how to feel about this stuff. The music became louder, and Tomas moved from incoherent tapping on cymbals and tripods to equally incoherent banging on toms. Some heads started to nod in approval.

Then the band decided that it was time for hell to break loose. Louder and fuller in sound still, the performance suddenly blasted off in brutal, repetitive drums and a tsunami of drones, reminiscent of pummeling death metal concerts. Now there was no stopping Yodok III as they raged on with a never seen before intensity. By now, there were people headbanging, including me. Even the die-hards were impressed and the "newbies" were simply awestruck. With their mouths open in disbelief they willingly underwent the most intense ambient/jazz performance in history. 

And then they did it all over again with a second track.

So, the verdict? Well, apart from the absence of chairs, this evening was simply perfect. We saw a new Stratosphere. We saw Dirk as central artist giving the very best of himself. With great ease, his enthusiasm radiated through the AB Club and infected everyone inside. On the way back home I wondered why I didn't have a Yodok III t-shirt yet, probably because they don't have merchandise like that. So congratulations Dirk and congratulations Consouling Sounds. This was perfect.

Oh, while we were carrying Stratosphere's equipment to his car, some bloke yelled "respect pour des musicièns". I couldn't agree more...


​Serge

Peter had invited me to this evening. He added the launch of my book, 'Cecilia's World' to the event, along with a launch for Thisquietarmy's 'Conqueror' book and Urall's tape release. Ashtoreth, Stratosphere and Thisquietarmy appear in my novel, something Eric Quach apparently did not know yet. He seemed pleasantly surprised when I showed him the passage but he also seemed tired. Thisquietarmy tours a lot and somehow that is something that just happens to him. Maybe he doesn't realize it, but I think that his drone-superstar life is simply the result of Eric being talented. 

But, first things first. We grabbed a bunch of books and took the tram to Peter's place. Or better, to near Peter's place. It's not like there's a tram running through his living room. The front door was open, it was open the entire evening. When we arrived, Urall was setting up. There was delicious soup and the dark jazz tunes of Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore. At this point, it almost felt like the usual group reuniting. Stratosphere, Ashtoreth, Anja, Björn, my wife and I... There was something familiar about that little group of people, something easy going. I handed out books and immediately did my very first autograph session. I wrote "Björd" instead of "Björn" and my handwriting was awful but I did see some happy faces when these people finally received their copy. I was happy too because I could finally show the end result of seven months of work. Gradually, some more people walked in and in the end a total of fourteen people were there, including the artists. It was time to begin.

I think it's safe to say that Urall is a relative newcomer in the scene. He took his place behind an impressive array of pedals, tape recorders and whatnot, seemingly somewhat nervous. But soon the noises and soundscapes started flowing through the speakers and this time I was pleasantly surprised. It had been a while since I had listened to some good ambient noise and this was some very good ambient noise. Old Cold Meat Industry acts came to mind, but also Cisfinitum, Aghiatrias and so on. Suddenly I became overwhelmed by a form of musical nostalgia and now I can't wait to get my hands on one of Urall's upcoming tapes. In all, this was an excellent opener from an artist that is definitely worth following. I hope to see him again soon.

Stratosphere is currently the artist I have seen the most. It must now be six, seven or eight times and his track 'Desolation' appeared on at least half of those. I know Stratosphere as the methodical one, meticulously building his drones and soundscapes. His set was the same as in Antwerp Music City but, and here is my whole point about Stratosphere, it sounded completely different. Over the past few years, Stratosphere has gained a lot of self-confidence as he dares to improvise and experiment. Here, in this living room, I suddenly watched him open up, go all out and go beyond the methodical approach. He seems to get better and better and what he does, more varied too as he drags in elements from post rock and shoegaze. The addition of drums is a huge plus and the whole thing has become so immersive and enjoyable. This was an awesome Stratosphere gig, probably the best so far.

What could I say about Thisquietarmy that has not been said before? He has been around for years. He's constantly touring, recording or working on another creative outlet. There is a term for people like Eric Quach: "creative generalist". His book is a marvellous ​enchiridion, covering his career so far. I'll get to that later, when I finish reading it. His gig was just as marvellous and overwhelming. Obviously, since he played the loudest gig, his tunes were the most impressive. At several moments I expected the cops to enter and shut the whole thing down. The neighbours must have heard this. Hell, MY neighbours must have heard this and I live two kilometers away from Palazzo. 

It felt like Eric gave us a nice overview of his career during the concert. He picked elements from his earlier drone ambient work, combined it with the doom and black metal inspired period and the recent, somewhat more melodic approach. His gig peaked numerous times, quite often blasting heavily distorted guitars through the speakers. In the end, he allowed the massive array of soundscapes to slowly fade away and at five past ten, Palazzo was silent again, except for a warm and well deserved applause.

Over the past few months, I have been talking to people from several scenes. Some say that there is already so much to do in Antwerp while others claim that this city needs at least one new venue. This event suffered from the success of other ones, including a concert by Ulver. Yet, I do think that Antwerp could use a venue for this kind of music. An old cinema or theatre somewhere in the city would be perfect for ambient, drone, cinematic and noise acts. It's time we start thinking about something like that. But for now, I will attend as many gigs in Palazzo as I possibly can. I could advise you to do the same but maybe better not. Stay away, leave those unique events to us, the chosen few. Fourteen people is enough to fully appreciate the splendor of ambient music. If there would be more, they would just be yapping throughout the entire thing anyway. So yeah, stay away...


​Serge
Photos by Stephan Vercaemer

Zo'n zeven maanden geleden, in een review voor het concert van Kuro in Palazzo, schreef ik: "Als Ashtoreth je in zijn living uitnodigt, dan ga je." Die woonkamer is al jaren het decor voor drone-, ambient- and noiseconcerten. Die avonden zijn unieke belevenissen, iets voor de "chosen few", vermits er zelden veel publiek is. Deze keer was het zeker een unieke belevenis. Peter had me immers uitgenodigd om mijn debuutroman, 'Cecilia's World', te komen voorstellen. Dit leek me een uitgelezen moment om dit te doen, vermits zowel Palazzo, Ashtoreth, Stratosphere als Thisquietarmy een plek hebben in het boek. De meesten waren daarvan op de hoogte maar Eric (Thisquietarmy) blijkbaar niet. Hij leek aangenaam verrast toen hij zichzelf in een boek zag staan. Misschien beseft Eric het niet, maar zijn status als drone/ambient superster is voornamelijk te danken aan zijn talent. 

Eerder die dag hadden mijn echtgenote en ik ons uiterste best gedaan om een aantal boeken klaar te maken voor het evenement. Elk van de tweehonderd exemplaren moest manueel genummerd worden en op volgorde weer de doos in. Zelf ploeterde ik met mijn fiets en Nomad fietskar naar de drukker om de laatste lading op te halen. Ja, 'Cecilia's World' is een ecologisch verantwoord boek. We sjouwden enkele dozen mee richting de tramhalte en enkele minuten later werden we begroet door Peter. Urall, de openingsact, was zijn set-up aan het klaarmaken, er was de heerlijke geur van uiensoep en de duistere jazz van Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore sijpelde door de luidsprekers.

Het had iets gezelligs, iets van een reünie. Peter, Anja, Ronald, mijn Merchants Of Air spitsbroeder Björn, Eline en ik keuvelden over koetjes, kalfjes en duistere muziekjes. Eric hing zijn prachtige foto's op in de hal en ik begon boeken uit te delen. Meteen daarna deed ik mijn allereerste handtekeningsessie. Ik schreef "Björd" in de plaats van "Björn" en mijn handschrift leek nergens naar. Toch zag ik alleen maar blije gezichten terwijl de bijhorende handen in de boeken bladerden. Ikzelf was ook blij want ik kon eindelijk het resultaat van bijna een jaar werk laten zien. Er kwamen meer mensen binnen, totdat we uiteindelijk met zijn veertienen waren, inclusief artiesten.

Urall

Ik vermoed dat Urall een relatieve nieuwkomer is in de noise en dark ambient scene. Dat was hij in ieder geval voor mij. Hij zette zich achter een indrukwekkend aantal pedalen, tape recorders en andere apparaten. Hij leek lichtjes nerveus toen de eerste soundscapes door de luidsprekers galmden. Af en toe verraade zijn gezicht een foutje. Niet dat iemand anders daar iets van merkte. Wij zaten te genieten van een heerlijke brok met noise doorspekte ambient. Het voelde een beetje als de begindagen van Cold Meat Industry en het deed me denken aan muziek van Cisfinitum, Aghiatrias enzoverder. Op die manier had het ook iets nostalgisch. Het was alweer een tijd geleden dat ik deze vertakking van de experimentele muziek nog eens had verkend. Kortom, Urall was een prima opener, eentje die ik zeker opnieuw wil zien.

Stratosphere

Van alle artiesten ter wereld heb ik Stratosphere het vaakst gezien. Zes, zeven, acht keer misschien. Zijn track 'Desolation' kwam in minstens de helft van die concerten voor. Ik ken hem als zijnde een methodisch werker die nauwgezet zijn soundscapes, drones, bas- en gitaarlijnen opbouwt, altijd volgens een vast stramien. Zijn set was dezelfde als in Antwerp Music City een tijdje geleden, maar toch klonk Stratosphere plots helemaal anders. Redelijk recent, pakweg twee jaar geleden, leek het alsof hij plots meer zelfvertrouwen kreeg en durfde te improviseren. Hier, in Palazzo, waren we plots getuige van een vlammend Stratosphere concert waar het speelplezier van af spatte. Roland kwam helemaal los en leefde zich volledig uit. Wij ook. Laag na laag galmde door de luidsprekers en toen hij de geprogrammeerde drums tevoorschijn toverde, ontstond er een kleine feeststemming. Zo had ik Stratosphere nog niet gezien. Wat een optreden.

Thisquietarmy 

Wat kan ik over Thisquietarmy schrijven dat nog nooit geschreven is? Hij toert al jaren de wereld rond, soms alleen, soms in het gezelschap van bands zoals Labirinto. Hij brengt vrijwel aan de lopende band materiaal uit op labels zoals Consouling Sounds en met mensen zoals Aidan Baker. Ondertussen heeft hij ook een boek uit, 'Conqueror (2009-2017)', een prachtig naslagwerk van jaren Thisquietarmy. Er is een soortnaam voor mensen zoals Eric Quach: creatieve generalist. 

Zijn concert was het luidste van de drie. Wellicht ook dat het net daarom het meest indrukwekkende was. Er waren momenten waarop ik dacht dat de politie zou binnenvalen om de hele boel stil te leggen omwille van geluidsoverlast. De buren moéten dit gehoord hebben. Half Antwerpen moet dit gehoord hebben. Niettemin, Eric ramde een knap overzicht van zijn carriere door de getormenteerde installatie. Van ambient tot doom en black metal geïnspireerd kabaal boorde zich een weg door de huiskamer om uiteindelijk zachtjes uit te sterven en plaats te maken voor een verdomd verdiend applaus.

Het verdict

Tijdens gesprekken die ik in de loop van dit jaar had met mensen uit de muzikale onderwereld viel het me op dat er toch een gebrek aan locaties voor dit soort muziek is in Antwerpen. Er is al veel te doen met Het Bos, Antwerp Music City, Kavka en Trix. Bovendien, Ulver speelde ergens ten velde. Dus zat wij daar met ons veertienen, gezellig te genieten van drie brokken muzikaal talent. Palazzo is een heerlijke plek om te vertoeven. Ik zou het iedereen kunnen aanraden, maar toch maar niet. Blijf weg uit Palazzo en laat deze unieke evenementen over aan ons. Veertien is genoeg om van de pracht van ambient muziek te genieten. Met meer mensen zou de helft toch maar doorheen de muziek staan te lullen.

So next time I'm telling you that something is going to be good, you better show up, even if you are suspicious and not sure if you're going to like what you hear. I am the Nostradamus of the underground music industry, and I fucking proved that last night. Or better, three highly talented acts proved that for me. But enough with the self indulgence, it's time to relive that fantastic evening, an evening that was way more than three bands playing for one another and a handful of people. This was an evening that showed what the underground music business is all about.

The evening started as most evenings I think. I got there early to help Jan from Ondergronds with the hot meal and to welcome the artists. Bark was making a lot of noise in the rehearsing room, people were talking and laughing and I was cutting vegetables. Little later, all the artists walked in. I set up the time schedule, wrote down the entrance fee and socialized to my best attempt. Then, while the acts set up their equipment, the first paying audience members came in. They would also be the last, but that's the risk we had to take.

Around eight, Sitka took his place behind his pedal rack and started filling the room with drones and soundscapes. It had been quite some time since I saw him perform in Mol, so I was extremely curious about his progression. His performance started out in a similar way but gradually I began to notice Sitka opening up. He dared to experiment, searching for his own sound in the drone ambient scene. He is getting there too. What I heard last night was an excellent step in the evolution of a young, talented artist. His drones are still cold and dreamy, perfectly suited to enjoy while viewing over a wintery landscape and drinking a grand cru by the fireplace. Sitka gracefully built his set to the point where an almost overwhelming array of soundscapes rolled through the Music City, and then he abruptly stopped.

They had a little surprise for us, a short improvisation session with Sitka and Stratosphere. What it sounded like? Like the beginning of something beautiful. I love seeing how our scene cooperates and develops. This was another delightful example of that. They barely even looked at each other but you could feel the connection, you could feel the magic happening. The set lasted for only a few minutes but it surely tasted like more.

At most, Antwerp Music City is known for booking heavy bands. Black metal, grindcore, sludge doom, Antwerp Music City usually blasts like a madman. Now, suddenly, there were two drone ambient acts and an unusual Swiss act that does odd things with shoegaze, psychedelic rock and electro. This was truly one of the most unique things we have witnessed and that undoubtedly counts for the metalheads in the audience too. 

Lord Kesseli and the Drums opened their set with a mystifying, ritualistic intro. Candles and incense sticks were burning, filling the room with a church like scent. Then, the first song, perhaps a bit hesitant at first. After all, it can't be easy to convince a bunch of metalheads. But when 'Waiting For Arnold' pierced through the speakers, Lord Kesseli suddenly had all eyes on him. People were looking surprised, pleasantly surprised, even though they might rather have listened to Slayer.

Me? I was singing along, just like my wife. Both of us applauded loudly after, and we were not the only ones. Lord Kesseli and the Drums were on their way to becoming a trustworthy headliner for this already fine evening. Then, electronics, techno beats, more surprised faces. Suddenly, the punky 'MDMA' blasted through the speakers and the words "wow" and "yeah" were shouted. Manu, the driver gave me a big smile and a thumbs up. The energy was wild.

It was brilliant set and I almost felt like an ancient king who had gathered the finest bards in the land to play just for me and a few of my fellow men. Afterwards, someone said "this surely was not my thing but it was brilliantly executed". People started checking out the merchandise, which went surprisingly well. No doubt that Lord Kesseli and the Drums made a damned good first impression in Belgium.

This was the first thing I organized in over ten years and I regret nothing. Even though there were only a handful of people, the evening was a lot of fun. I'd like to thank Jan from Ondergronds for his help and the great people at Antwerp Music City for making this possible. Another massive thanks goes out to the bands who gave it their very best. And finally, I'd like to thank the people who were there. We will be back and next time we will bring Ashtoreth to the Music City. Now it's time for me to do some useful things like cleaning the kitchen and making more coffee. Guess what record I will be playing while I do the dishes?


​Serge