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LP
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BORNBAD 177LP
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The Wild Classical Music Ensemble is a Belgian experimental rock band formed in 2007 by artists with mental disabilities within the social-artistic non-profit organization Wit.h in Kortrijk. Their unique sound is a blend of punk/rock riffs, fanatical rhythms and soaring flutes and fiery synths, over which gravitate multiple, multilingual voices that scratch harshly as much as they comfort. There's something very Belgian about this harshness and noisiness. During the Covid crisis, the disabled members of the Wild Classical Music Ensemble were undoubtedly subjected more than others to the harsh conditions of confinement, alone in their rooms. Damien Magnette was still able to visit them with sound equipment. This was one of their all-too-few windows onto the world. Forbidden to meet, let alone play together, the members of Wild were nevertheless able to compose songs in tandem with Damien. The tracks were then sent to musician friends -- Fabrice Gilbert, Ava Carrère, Wim Opbrouck, Shht, Arthur Satàn, Nathan Roche, and Julien ZLDR -- who added their artistic touch. Jean Lamoot and Carl Roosens joined the adventure, one as mixer, the other as video director. Leader Damien Magnette says: "For over a year, we were all confined. But what about when you're a mentally handicapped person? Well, it's very different from you and me. We have the right to choose, the luxury of deciding for ourselves what rules we want to follow or not. We have free will. They don't. This series of confined songs is dedicated to all the people who have gone through this crisis, deprived of their free will. We send them our thoughts, hugs and kisses full of true love!" The songs respond to a deep desire to look out for each other in adversity (the so obvious 'Comment ça va?' by Johan Geenens and Wim Opbrouck, or 'Waarom ben je boos' by Sébastien Faidherbe with Wim Decoene, the latter full of empathy). A sense of loneliness is logically present on the album ('Dat is mijn verdriet' by Linh Pham, a very real, very concrete and particularly touching poem, or 'Loneliness,' whose text was improvised by Wim), if not an understandable rage ('Je ne veux pas' and 'My Frustrations'). It worth noting that on "On reste heureux", Sébastien Faidherbe composed all the parts in one go, with an optimism that stands out from the anger expressed in his other songs.
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BORNBAD 115CD
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In current times, how should mental disability be dealt with in an unrestrained, open-minded way? How can society take on this difference not as a barrier but as an opportunity? By directly confronting its creative force and abounding energy. And what better place for this than on a stage, where disability ceases to be a "negative" and becomes a "positive", finally revealing exceptionally strong human beings, without any blinders or artifices. From experimental group Les Harry's, to hip-hop collective Choolers Division, to the multifaceted projects of Atelier Méditerranée (now Brut Pop), many are the initiatives that have explored this channel in recent years. The Wild Classical Music Ensemble is: Linh Pahm, Johan Geenens, Wim Decoene, and Sebastien Faidherbe, four mentally disabled persons, led by the Belgian musician and violin-maker Damien Magnette. The group's first album, released in confidentiality on Sub Rosa (SR 274CD, 2009), had gone under the radar and no one seemed to know how to approach it. Yet, no less than six labels (including Born Bad Records) grappled to put out Tapping Is Clapping in 2015 (BORNBAD 071LP), a new LP full of fire and fury, a record of an "other" category. And if in 2019 you still haven't dared to let yourself be hammered by the Wild Classical Musical Ensemble's steamroller, rest assured: the time to catch-up his here with Tout Va Bien Se Passer (Everything Will Be Alright), the ensemble's third record together and from far its most accessible yet. But careful, this isn't a sort of lull, far from it -- as evidenced by the exceptional "Bande De", a furious symphony of curses on which Fabrice, the singer of Frustration, stirs up an already stifling atmosphere. It's rather a convergence, a rebalancing of flows, and more accessible material. Making your trip to this parallel dimension more colorful and hallucinated. Orchestrated by Magnette's original instruments (percussion bass, melodica from outer space, devious microphones, effect pedals transformed into a Theremin), specifically designed for each member of the group. A trip full of dizzying earthquakes and triumphant storms, populated by jelly-like Talking Heads ("Trainstation") and damaged Devos ("Autofile"), where you will dance to lunar punk ("Carapace"), and screaming robot-rock ("Ik Ben Blij"). CD version comes as a digipack.
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BORNBAD 115LP
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LP version. Includes insert and download code. In current times, how should mental disability be dealt with in an unrestrained, open-minded way? How can society take on this difference not as a barrier but as an opportunity? By directly confronting its creative force and abounding energy. And what better place for this than on a stage, where disability ceases to be a "negative" and becomes a "positive", finally revealing exceptionally strong human beings, without any blinders or artifices. From experimental group Les Harry's, to hip-hop collective Choolers Division, to the multifaceted projects of Atelier Méditerranée (now Brut Pop), many are the initiatives that have explored this channel in recent years. The Wild Classical Music Ensemble is: Linh Pahm, Johan Geenens, Wim Decoene, and Sebastien Faidherbe, four mentally disabled persons, led by the Belgian musician and violin-maker Damien Magnette. The group's first album, released in confidentiality on Sub Rosa (SR 274CD, 2009), had gone under the radar and no one seemed to know how to approach it. Yet, no less than six labels (including Born Bad Records) grappled to put out Tapping Is Clapping in 2015 (BORNBAD 071LP), a new LP full of fire and fury, a record of an "other" category. And if in 2019 you still haven't dared to let yourself be hammered by the Wild Classical Musical Ensemble's steamroller, rest assured: the time to catch-up his here with Tout Va Bien Se Passer (Everything Will Be Alright), the ensemble's third record together and from far its most accessible yet. But careful, this isn't a sort of lull, far from it -- as evidenced by the exceptional "Bande De", a furious symphony of curses on which Fabrice, the singer of Frustration, stirs up an already stifling atmosphere. It's rather a convergence, a rebalancing of flows, and more accessible material. Making your trip to this parallel dimension more colorful and hallucinated. Orchestrated by Magnette's original instruments (percussion bass, melodica from outer space, devious microphones, effect pedals transformed into a Theremin), specifically designed for each member of the group. A trip full of dizzying earthquakes and triumphant storms, populated by jelly-like Talking Heads ("Trainstation") and damaged Devos ("Autofile"), where you will dance to lunar punk ("Carapace"), and screaming robot-rock ("Ik Ben Blij").
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BORNBAD 071LP
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The Wild Classical Music Ensemble is a musical project launched by the association vzw.with in November 2007. Thanks to vzw.with, Damien Magnette, sound artist and drummer, had the chance to meet Linh Pham, Johan Geenens, Rudy Callant, and Kim Verbeke, four artists with mental disabilities. These four artists work in different fine art media, but they also showed a will and talent for making music. Originally the band focused on free improvisation -- sound and object experimentation tied together with orchestration signals and experimental music notations. They have since begun incorporating punk rock riffs from guitarist Kim Verbeke, broadening their sound into a free-punk-noise-rock hybrid. After a several-year trip in that formation, they welcomed Sebastien Faidherbe. He plays homemade bass percussions and sings with great energy and inspiration. As a sextet, the band has developed a tighter, stronger energy and sound. The Wild Classical Music Ensemble collaborates from time to time with other groups, including the SPECTRA ensemble, with which they have worked on a more contemporary music-oriented project.
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SR 274CD
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This is the fourth volume in Sub Rosa's Musics in the Margin series. Faithful to their concept, Sub Rosa searches out self-taught musicians -- people who make contemporary music outside the customary production and distribution channels, with the determination and creative gifts that stem from unmistakable artistic talent. Some of these musicians operate in mental or social isolation and make their music in special workshops, while others can be classified as spiritualist or visionary artists. This particular relationship with the creative process is a fundamental characteristic of outsider art. Sound is an energy, a power. The ability to handle that power is perhaps what so many musicians, artists and writers lack -- they are too referential, have no universe of their own, are pushing to get their particular insights recognized (through art-historical criteria). Whereas here, everything is marked by the spirit of a chaotic intelligence. Four mentally-challenged musicians, Johan, Linh, Kim and Rudy jam together with their artistic mentor and drummer, Damien -- there are drums, trumpets, violins, melodica, samplers and an electric guitar. Concentration, suspense, beads of sweat, a sigh, a cough, and then -- the scream. For over 40 minutes, they pour a sauce of punk, rock, noise and free music all over the audience. There's no beat, no biz, no schmalzy popular songs here. This music is neither contemporary, nor popular. It can't be labelled as subversive outsider nor as avant-garde. This music is the fantasy and emotion of five musicians, directly translated into sound and color. Their exploration of their musical instruments and the way they deal with sounds is inspiring and contains a hidden structure -- a new rhythm. It is just a simple must to encounter this group.
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