Stijn Hüwels is a Belgian musician and sound artist, mainly using processed guitar, loops and field recordings. His instrumental work is often characterized by a profound fascination for minimalism. Shortly after releasing his first album, 'Untitled', in 2011, Yukitomo Hamasaki of mAtter contacted Hüwels to inquire if he would be interested in making an album for his label. Even though the Belgian had been making music for several years, he didn’t feel the urge to release it. But things change and after a few they got in touch again. Yukitomo was still into the idea of releasing an album and so it happened after all.
While the album has a title (Six Pieces For Guitar), the separate pieces themselves don’t. It’s not that these instrumental ventures don’t have any trademarks that distinguish themselves from each other, of course, but Hüwels wanted to accentuate the creative listening process. Even though the music is created in fairly solitary circumstances, by a musician who may or may not have had a preconceived idea of what he wanted to convey, the kind of music Hüwels makes never smothers the listener’s freedom.
The inclusion of field recordings, something that has always distinguished the musician’s releases, is of course something entirely personal (just like the tools used) in the music’s conception, but this is not necessarily the case anymore once it finds its audience. This is not the kind of music that is based on prefixed ideas, obvious pointers and tight construction motifs. Instead, it follows a flow of ideas and an exploration of sound and textures that are not only about the thinking process, but also about the qualities of the material itself. As such, it allows for multiple interpretations.
The soothing guitar waves, dreamy looping technique and ghostly sounds are already descriptions that might reveal a certain attitude towards the music, but it can get more personal. And what might sound melancholic and meditative to the first listener, might have different, even divergent associations for the next one, depending on the identity, mood, age, experience and even geographical location. And that’s what it was about for Hüwels: finding that delicate balance where his approach can be identified as his own, but where the music can still function as a trigger. Like any other art form music can leave a lot unexplained, in the middle, to be filled in by the listener.
While the album has a title (Six Pieces For Guitar), the separate pieces themselves don’t. It’s not that these instrumental ventures don’t have any trademarks that distinguish themselves from each other, of course, but Hüwels wanted to accentuate the creative listening process. Even though the music is created in fairly solitary circumstances, by a musician who may or may not have had a preconceived idea of what he wanted to convey, the kind of music Hüwels makes never smothers the listener’s freedom.
The inclusion of field recordings, something that has always distinguished the musician’s releases, is of course something entirely personal (just like the tools used) in the music’s conception, but this is not necessarily the case anymore once it finds its audience. This is not the kind of music that is based on prefixed ideas, obvious pointers and tight construction motifs. Instead, it follows a flow of ideas and an exploration of sound and textures that are not only about the thinking process, but also about the qualities of the material itself. As such, it allows for multiple interpretations.
The soothing guitar waves, dreamy looping technique and ghostly sounds are already descriptions that might reveal a certain attitude towards the music, but it can get more personal. And what might sound melancholic and meditative to the first listener, might have different, even divergent associations for the next one, depending on the identity, mood, age, experience and even geographical location. And that’s what it was about for Hüwels: finding that delicate balance where his approach can be identified as his own, but where the music can still function as a trigger. Like any other art form music can leave a lot unexplained, in the middle, to be filled in by the listener.
text by Guy Peters
