Picture: © Jon Wozencroft/Touch

1982-2022, British label Touch has been around for 40 years and that’s something we’re going to celebrate. After events in the likes of Los Angeles, Berlin, Chicago and London, this unique label will also present a number of its artists in Brussels.

Touch and AB have already had a long love affair, one perpetuated in recent years with a number of superb events around this fantastic label: there was the expo with the artwork of co-founder Jon Wozencroft, we celebrated their 30 year existence at the Feeërieën, there were several label nights in the AB Salon, we organised together with Touch the Jóhann Jóhannsson tribute in 2018 involving the 2nd live performance ever of Virðulegu Forsetar, there was the legendary evening with Mika Vainio, Thomas Ankersmit and Hildur Gudnadóttir at Domino ‘11, Chris Watson performed his El Tren Fantasma live in Train World, Bana Haffar recorded her debut album in AB….

And of course there were Fennesz, BJ Nilsen, Philip Jeck, Biosphere, Jana Winderen, Zachary Paul, Ipek Gorgun, Yann Novak, Simon Scott,… all unique artists that the label had given opportunities early in their careers, had established long-lasting relationships with, and who we have been able to present in AB at just the right moments in time.

Aside from a Q&A with Mike Harding, who has been helping run the label since the early days, at this celebratory edition we will also be presenting:

Fennesz (AT)

We hardly need to introduce this Austrian guitar- / laptop-artist who creates “shimmering, swirling electronic sounds of enormous range and complex musicality”. With the likes of ‘Endless Summer’, ‘Venice’ and ‘Black Sea’, he has delivered a number of classics in his genre. He’s also worked with the likes of David Sylvian, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jim O'Rourke, Sparklehorse…

Simon Scott (UK)

“Sound ecologist” and multi-instrumentalist from Cambridge (UK) who has explored the creative process of active listening, the implications of field recordings, and the manipulation of natural sounds.

Simon Scott also plays drums in Slowdive and has recently collaborated with artists like James Blackshaw, Spire, Taylor Deupree (Between), Isan ...

Razen (B)

Brussels collective Razen – with the exceptionally creative duo Kim Delcour and Brecht Ameel at the helm – has now been around for 12 years. Their output has been very high in recent years, with – aside from ‘Robot Brujo’ (’20) and ‘Blue Rot’ (’21) (both on Hands In The Dark) – the release of their latest album ‘Regression’ (Marionette) in June and, by the end of September, a new album on Important Records.

The band has established a unique status in Europe within the experimental improv scene and all who have ever seen them perform live know that every concert by the band is a unique experience. During this Touch-evening, the band will perform as a trio with Ameel on strings and Delcour on pipes & flute, as well as Berlinde Deman on the serpent.

Valery Vermeulen (B)

Valery Vermeulen is a Belgian musician, producer, mathematician, new-media artist, author, guest professor and researcher. In 2021, on Ash International (a Touch sublabel), he released his concept album ‘Mikromedas AdS/CFT 001’. He produced the music on it with the help of data from black holes in space. On this album, Vermeulen fuses electronic music, art and science in previously unexplored ways.