THOMAS OLBRECHTS - WESTRAND - HUIS001
Recorded at Westrand in Dilbeek, just outside of Brussels.
The Westrand building is set in a nature reserve and was designed by Alfons Hoppenbrouwers ( + 1930 - ° 2001) in 1968 and was completed in 1973. Hoppenbrouwers was an engineer, architect, painter as well as a teacher and is often associated with brutalism in architecture. The Westrand building functions as a cultural center, theatre and library and has open and publicly accessible spaces which have different polyvalent functions. There is a concrete childrens playground with a pond, tunnels and ramps, a fireplace and viewpoints onto the nature reserve ( which is also accessible and in return offers views on the building).
Thomas Olbrechts is a rare musician who can truly be called an instant composer. His Alto Saxophone playing is informed by a highly disciplined practice which deals with space and acoustics in a very direct way. I've known Thomas for nearly 20 years and besides playing music together we have had a lot of long conversations about many subjects amongst them, architecture. I'm very happy to have spent a day recording with him and to see him engage with this incredible building and it's surroundings.
The recording aims to be a true document of this: the liberty of the musician to perform, move and project sound freely.
released October 16, 2020
Thomas Olbrechts : Alto Sax
Recorded by Christophe Albertijn
Graphic Design by Thomas Campaert
Oktober 2020
thank you :
Dries Robbe and CC Westrand, Dilbeek
Mark Etchels
The Westrand building is set in a nature reserve and was designed by Alfons Hoppenbrouwers ( + 1930 - ° 2001) in 1968 and was completed in 1973. Hoppenbrouwers was an engineer, architect, painter as well as a teacher and is often associated with brutalism in architecture. The Westrand building functions as a cultural center, theatre and library and has open and publicly accessible spaces which have different polyvalent functions. There is a concrete childrens playground with a pond, tunnels and ramps, a fireplace and viewpoints onto the nature reserve ( which is also accessible and in return offers views on the building).
Thomas Olbrechts is a rare musician who can truly be called an instant composer. His Alto Saxophone playing is informed by a highly disciplined practice which deals with space and acoustics in a very direct way. I've known Thomas for nearly 20 years and besides playing music together we have had a lot of long conversations about many subjects amongst them, architecture. I'm very happy to have spent a day recording with him and to see him engage with this incredible building and it's surroundings.
The recording aims to be a true document of this: the liberty of the musician to perform, move and project sound freely.
released October 16, 2020
Thomas Olbrechts : Alto Sax
Recorded by Christophe Albertijn
Graphic Design by Thomas Campaert
Oktober 2020
thank you :
Dries Robbe and CC Westrand, Dilbeek
Mark Etchels
