The son of the late painter Joris Ghekiere honours the art of serene beauty

One of the most remarkable Belgian albums of the last few years is without a doubt Voor het Verdwijnt, en Daarna (2021) by Abel Ghekiere (BE), son of the late painter Joris Ghekiere. Interestingly, Ghekiere has mastered the art of using his music to slow down time. Nonetheless, his album flew almost entirely under the radar, even though fans of Alabaster DePlume’s To Cy & Lee would be won over by it immediately. 

The Belgian multi-instrumentalist’s sound has its roots in minimalist jazz, traditional folk and field recordings. His debut album resounded with traces of grief and loss, and in his newer music he plays with more openness, softness and euphoria. The inspiration for this intuitive, stripped-down songwriting came from Nils Økland, Sufjan Stevens and Caroline, among others.

His latest album In de verte, dit uitzicht will be released in spring 2025 through Rotkat records. He plays live in a quartet alongside Tobias Vockaert (sax), Orlan Ghekiere (drums) and violinist Hendrike Scharmann. Immerse yourself in a bath of tenderness and serene beauty.