Concert
Dorian Dumont + Mirek Coutigny
Tue 22 Mar 2022Reinventing Aphex Twin on Solo Piano
On "APHEXions", the Brussels pianist with French roots Dorian Dumont – key member of the electro jazz band ECHT! – is expressing his love for one of his greatest musical heroes: Aphex Twin. Contrary to what one would expect, there are no electronics involved in this album, but he carefully transcribes a wide selection of Richard David James' music to grand piano, giving the songs a whole new dimension. Rave classics like Polynomial-C and Xtal are being stripped to the core while on tracks like Nannou, Kesson Daslef or Fingerbibb he stays truthful to the minimalistic aesthetics from the original tracks. As an accomplished jazz pianist, he improvises on the various themes and injects it with a tinge of blues here and there. As a result, this homage record captures both the simple beauty and the unruly complexity of Aphex Twin. But above all, it sounds like refreshing new music that immediately puts Dorian Dumont on the map as a solo pianist.
I really want to play these songs live,” Dumont says. “The aim is then to be sufficiently free and to be able to improvise. It's like turning a jazz standard all the way to your liking.” - BRUZZ
To see Dorian Dumont’s project is like watching two worlds colide, where classical meets electronic! It is also a message to people who still think in boxes, well guess what, it’s 2022 and there are no boxes anymore for this new generation of musicians who have no intention to stick to the regular program. Playing Aphex Twin is the right introduction to electronic music and if that’s Dorian’s choice I can only look forward to what will be his next project!” - Lefto
Mirek Coutigny
In recent years, pianist and producer Mirek Coutigny has worked on his own world of sound with electronic and acoustic instruments. He improvised on sketches that he wrote over the last 10 years and reworked them for piano, strings, percussion and electronics. This culminated into the release of his first EP in 2018, 'Revisions #1'. After the first album, a live set was created with Jonathan Bonny (percussion) and Jolien Deley (cello). In this formation they won both the audience prize and the jury prize for “Fresh Fish 2019”, a competition for young talent from the Leffingeleuren festival.
Mirek Coutigny describes himself as a “pianist turned composer turned electronic” and with his instrumental music he places himself in the same ranks as pianist-producers Nils Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds. - Indiestyle
Frederik Beyens
His second album sounds a lot more intuitive and organic: where debut album “Revisions # 1” was a record of thoughts, “The Further We Ventured” is a record from the heart. Sometimes complex, sometimes amazingly accessible; comparisons with Jóhann Jóhannsson or Ólafur Arnalds are never far away. And so is the first full album; 2023 will be the year in which we can expect beautiful piano playing from Mirek Coutigny again.
Fun Fact
Our exhibition ‘Hello there, I just wanted to ask how you’re doing’ is open for a visit from 7-10 pm during every activity that’s planned in Pilar Box. Feel free to treat us with a little visit!