Is there something typically Liègeois about their music? The fire, they unanimously agree. The Brums' debut album debut will only be released in the autumn, but nothing is stopping you from going wild to their untamed mix of brass, drums, and electronica right now already.
Interview
All thumbs for The Brums
Also read: STUFF. waagt zich aan muzikale scifi
The latest exploit by the flourishing Liège music scene was created to make you dance. Check the music video that was filmed to accompany the exhilarating “Kimberley” and you will know what we mean. To the band members, this girl's name symbolizes a character who enjoys partying and going nuts. That's all there is to it. “We recorded the video live in a small club, with the audience in a circle around us,” saxophonist and synth player Clément Dechambre says. “We wanted to feel our fans close by. Making them move and forget everything for a moment gives us an extra shot of adrenaline, which in turn boosts the energy and spontaneity of our shows.”
North of the language border, Lander Gyselinck and Fulco Ottervanger, fellow jazzmen with a penchant for electronica, have also presented similar constellations that evoke the atmosphere of a nightclub. “But there's only the two of them in BeraadGeslagen, which makes things easier technically,” drummer/electronica specialist Alain Deval says. Along with Dechambre, he writes The Brums' stomping compositions, as well as being a member of the Liège improvisation group L'Oeil Kollectif.
“I have never wanted to choose between jazz and electronica. That makes The Brums the ideal outlet for me. Our music is driven by beats, but it is not measured and is thus not predetermined.” Moreover, with three brass wind instruments – sax, trumpet, and trombone – and a drummer who simultaneously mix electronica with their acoustic base sound, the band has a unique palette. The energy of punk rock, the spirit of free jazz, and the hypnotic power of dance will likewise be the central sources of energy on their album debut, which is slated for release in October.
From the moment that we allowed electronica, everything changed, and we discovered our purpose
Due to closer linkages with their live sound, the band members say that the record will be even more open, wilder, and more intense than their untitled EP debut that appeared in the autumn of 2018. “We've never really had any examples to follow,” Deval continues. “Moon Hooch, the band with which we will appear at Atelier 210, mixes two saxes, drums, and beats, but our melting pot of electronica and free jazz results in a wilder complete package.” But is it really possible to combine all those wind instruments with playing synthesizers? “It's incredibly difficult,” Dechambre admits. “Our trumpet player can play the trumpet with one hand and play a synth with the other, but that is impossible for a saxophonist. I suppose I could use my elbows. (Laughs) But even if the combination remains a tremendous challenge, it produces an incredibly rich sound. From the moment that we allowed electronica, everything changed, and we discovered our purpose.”
11/3, 19.30, Atelier 210, www.atelier210.be
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