aki + Merope feat.Shahzad Ismaily
BRAND! DAY 3
On the third day of BRAND! we resolutely seek intoxicating wonder from our own region. The collective aki around Anke Verslype makes audio cinema full of beauty and melancholy, while the duo Merope with multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily goes in search of a transcultural sound that is as original as it is impressive.
AKI
aki is an extraordinary jazz collective led by drummer Anke Verslype, with music that explores uncomplicated melodies and warm waves of melancholy. Meanwhile, improvisation subtly creeps into the ensemble's playing and gently touches their ideas. Thus, aki plays dreamy music on the axis between audio cinema, nostalgia and minimalism.
In 2022, the band surprised with first full-length album Nader and a stunning concert during BRAND! The quartet had expanded to include reed player Joachim Badenhorst, who added a new dimension to the band's sound. For the second longplayer het tij aki expanded into a sextet with the arrival of euphonium player Niels Van Heertum as an additional guest. The band's poetic sound thus becomes ever richer and more addictive.
Anke Verslype - drums
Willem Heylen - gitaar
Marjolein Vernimmen - harp
Ruben De Maesschalck - basgitaar
Joachim Badenhorst - klarinet, elektronica
Niels Van Heertum - eufonium
MEROPE feat. SHAHZAD ISMAILY
Merope’s roots lie deep in the soil of Lithuania's folk songs, connecting them with ideas from across the cultural map. Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė's kanklės and singing are the foundation of their celestial folk reinterpretations, joined by ornate, experimental guitar and electronics from Belgian multi-instrumentalist Bert Cools, creating an intimate soundscape and guiding the duo towards the unknown. Diving into ancestral words and melodies, they present a contemporary vision of ancient Baltic music. Tangling elements gleaned from jazz, traditional, ambient music, 20th century minimalism and kosmische into their moving, humanist compositions, they provide a soundtrack for today's international landscape.
There's a sense of spontaneity and playfulness hanging in the air around Merope's fifth album (out on 5 Nov) that's palpable from the very beginning. The duo is kissed by the winds of change on Vėjula, a self-styled musical rebirth that confidently fosters their ongoing narrative. It's their most experimental full-length to date, spreading its arms to embrace collaborations with like-minded artists Shahzad Ismaily, Laraaji and Bill Frisell. And while Vėjula still roots itself in Lithuanian folk forms, it sprouts out spiritedly from that point into unfamiliar landscapes, muddling ancient themes with contemporary philosophies, concepts and technologies. For this concert, they will be joined by Shahzad Ismaily (Marc Ribot, John Zorn, Chantal Acda...)
In collaboration with Cultuurcentrum Mechelen.
Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė - voice, kanklės
Bert Cools - guitar, electronics
Shahzad Ismaily - bass, keyboards, electronics