Wim Mertens
Encyclopedia
Wim Mertens is a Flemish
Belgian
composer
, countertenor
vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist.
, Belgium
. He studied social and political science at the University of Leuven
(graduating in 1975) and musicology at Ghent University
; he also studied music theory and piano at the Ghent Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
.
In 1978, he became a producer at the then BRT (Belgian Radio and Television, now called Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
). For Radio 2 (Radio Brabant) he produced concerts by Philip Glass
, Steve Reich
, Terry Riley
, Meredith Monk
, Urban Sax
and others, and hosted a program called Funky Town together with Gust De Meyer (with whom he recorded the experimental album For Amusement Only).
Known primarily as a composer since the early 1980s, Mertens is best known for his opus "Struggle for Pleasure
". He is also well known for his piece "Maximizing the Audience", which was composed for Jan Fabre
's play The Power of Theatrical Madness, which premiered in 1984 in Venice, Italy.
Mertens' style has continually evolved during the course of his prolific career, starting from downright experimental and avant-garde
, always gravitating around minimalism
, usually, however, preserving a melodic foundation to the forays that he makes into the worlds that he is exploring. His compositional quality has often overweighted the "labelling issue" and reached wider audiences although stemming from a far-from-mainstream musical context (see section In popular culture). One can follow three separate threads of musical styles throughout his work: a) Compositions for ensemble, perhaps his most accessible and "commercial" material; b) Solo piano and voice compositions, which features haunting keyboard melodies accompanied by Mertens' unique high-pitched tenor voice singing in an invented, personal language; and c) Experimental minimalist "cycles" for single, dual, and sometimes more instruments.
Mertens has released more than 50 albums to date, the majority of which were issued by Les Disques du Crépuscule from 1980 until 2004. Mertens also produced a number of Crépuscule releases and consulted with the label on its choice of works by contemporary composers such as Michael Nyman
, Gavin Bryars
, and Glenn Branca
. Mertens also curated a series of releases for a Crépuscle imprint, Lome Armé, that featured works from the classical era as well as contemporary jazz.
Mertens' music was used in the 1987 Peter Greenaway
film The Belly of an Architect
, along with that of Glenn Branca
also in the Dutch-British film Shadow Man
(1988), directed by Piotr Andrejew
, as well as in the Brazilian documentary Nós que Aqui Estamos por Vós Esperamos (Here We Are Waiting for You), directed by Marcelo Masagão.
Mertens is the author of American Minimal Music, which looks at the school of American repetitive music and the work of LaMonte Young, Terry Riley
, Steve Reich
, and Philip Glass
.
In March 1998 Mertens became the Cultural Ambassador of Flanders
.
Mertens can be heard on the CD Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses
of Glenn Branca
, which published an interview of Mertens with John Cage
.
In August 2007 Mertens signed a contract with EMI Classics for his entire catalog. The label re-released his entire back-catalog beginning in January 2008. EMI Music Belgium has also released Mertens' new work, beginning with the 9-track album Receptacle on 24 September 2007. For this album Mertens decided to work with an orchestra consisting of only women, 17 in total. It is not the first time that Mertens has worked together with EMI. Already in 1999 Mertens released the soundtrack to the Paul Cox film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
via EMI Classics.
New work released in 2008 includes the CD L'heure du loup which, similar to some of his experimental works, contains a series of tracks based on variations around one composition, the previously released Hors nature. Mertens also released a box set of six volumes from his live Years Without History series, the sixth volume of which (The Promise Kept in Advance) is only available with the box set. A seventh volume, Nosotros, was also released in 2008. It contains a recording from July 2002 at the Kasteeldomein van Gaasbeek in Belgium, the live premiere of material that would later be released on the Skopos CD. Other live albums and a DVD concert performance have been released as well.
In April 2010 Mertens released his first new compositions in several years on the CD Zee Versus Zed.
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, countertenor
Countertenor
A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...
vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist.
Life and work
Mertens was born in NeerpeltNeerpelt
Neerpelt is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006 Neerpelt had a total population of 16,117. The total area is 42.78 km² which gives a population density of 377 inhabitants per km².-Famous inhabitants:...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. He studied social and political science at the University of Leuven
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is a Dutch-speaking university in Flanders, Belgium.It is located at the centre of the historic town of Leuven, and is a prominent part of the city, home to the university since 1425...
(graduating in 1975) and musicology at Ghent University
Ghent University
Ghent University is a Dutch-speaking public university located in Ghent, Belgium. It is one of the larger Flemish universities, consisting of 32,000 students and 7,100 staff members. The current rector is Paul Van Cauwenberge.It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands...
; he also studied music theory and piano at the Ghent Conservatory and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels
Royal Conservatory of Brussels
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels is a drama and music college in Brussels, Belgium. An academy for acting and the arts, it has been attended by many of the top actors and actresses in Belgium such as Josse De Pauw, Luk van Mello and Luk De Konink....
.
In 1978, he became a producer at the then BRT (Belgian Radio and Television, now called Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep
The Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie , or VRT, is a publicly-funded broadcaster of radio and television in Flanders ....
). For Radio 2 (Radio Brabant) he produced concerts by Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
, Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
, Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
, Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk
Meredith Jane Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, Monk has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.-Life and work:Meredith Monk is primarily known for her...
, Urban Sax
Urban Sax
Urban Sax is an ensemble founded by the French composer Gilbert Artman made up of massive numbers of saxophones, accompanied by percussion and sometimes voices...
and others, and hosted a program called Funky Town together with Gust De Meyer (with whom he recorded the experimental album For Amusement Only).
Known primarily as a composer since the early 1980s, Mertens is best known for his opus "Struggle for Pleasure
Struggle for Pleasure
"Struggle for Pleasure" is the name of a song released in 1983 by Belgian composer Wim Mertens. It is the theme song used by the Belgian phone operator Proximus. It featured in the Peter Greenaway movie The Belly of an Architect. Energy 52's song "Café Del Mar" features a main melody based on...
". He is also well known for his piece "Maximizing the Audience", which was composed for Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist, playwright, stage director, choreographer and designer.He studied at the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp...
's play The Power of Theatrical Madness, which premiered in 1984 in Venice, Italy.
Mertens' style has continually evolved during the course of his prolific career, starting from downright experimental and avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
, always gravitating around minimalism
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
, usually, however, preserving a melodic foundation to the forays that he makes into the worlds that he is exploring. His compositional quality has often overweighted the "labelling issue" and reached wider audiences although stemming from a far-from-mainstream musical context (see section In popular culture). One can follow three separate threads of musical styles throughout his work: a) Compositions for ensemble, perhaps his most accessible and "commercial" material; b) Solo piano and voice compositions, which features haunting keyboard melodies accompanied by Mertens' unique high-pitched tenor voice singing in an invented, personal language; and c) Experimental minimalist "cycles" for single, dual, and sometimes more instruments.
Mertens has released more than 50 albums to date, the majority of which were issued by Les Disques du Crépuscule from 1980 until 2004. Mertens also produced a number of Crépuscule releases and consulted with the label on its choice of works by contemporary composers such as Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
, Gavin Bryars
Gavin Bryars
Richard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
, and Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
. Mertens also curated a series of releases for a Crépuscle imprint, Lome Armé, that featured works from the classical era as well as contemporary jazz.
Mertens' music was used in the 1987 Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, CBE is a British film director. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular...
film The Belly of an Architect
The Belly of an Architect
The Belly of an Architect is a 1987 film drama written and directed by Peter Greenaway, featuring original music by Glenn Branca and Wim Mertens....
, along with that of Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
also in the Dutch-British film Shadow Man
Shadow Man (1988 film)
Shadow Man is a 1988 film about a Polish-Jewish refugee during a fictional war in Amsterdam. Like a `Walker between two worlds´ the famous Shadowman comics hero, created some years after this film, he partly belongs to the unseen world of darkness. Tom Hulce as the Shadow Man, created an...
(1988), directed by Piotr Andrejew
Piotr Andrejew
Piotr Andrejew is a Polish film director, now living in the Netherlands with his son, Victor Andrejew. He is sometimes credited as Piotr Andreyev or Piotr Andreev....
, as well as in the Brazilian documentary Nós que Aqui Estamos por Vós Esperamos (Here We Are Waiting for You), directed by Marcelo Masagão.
Mertens is the author of American Minimal Music, which looks at the school of American repetitive music and the work of LaMonte Young, Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
, Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
, and Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
.
In March 1998 Mertens became the Cultural Ambassador of Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
.
Mertens can be heard on the CD Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses
Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses
Indeterminate Activity of Resultant Masses is a CD release by Glenn Branca from 2007, recorded in 1982. The CD also features an interview by Wim Mertens with John Cage who gives a very negative opinion about the music of Glenn Branca...
of Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca
Glenn Branca is an American avant-garde composer and guitarist known for his use of volume, alternative guitar tunings, repetition, droning, and the harmonic series. In 2008 he was awarded an unrestricted grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts.-Beginnings: 1960s and early 1970s:Branca...
, which published an interview of Mertens with John Cage
John Cage
John Milton Cage Jr. was an American composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and artist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading figures of the post-war avant-garde...
.
In August 2007 Mertens signed a contract with EMI Classics for his entire catalog. The label re-released his entire back-catalog beginning in January 2008. EMI Music Belgium has also released Mertens' new work, beginning with the 9-track album Receptacle on 24 September 2007. For this album Mertens decided to work with an orchestra consisting of only women, 17 in total. It is not the first time that Mertens has worked together with EMI. Already in 1999 Mertens released the soundtrack to the Paul Cox film Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien is a 1999 biopic of Father Damien, who was a Belgian priest working at the Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement on the Hawaiian island of Molokai...
via EMI Classics.
New work released in 2008 includes the CD L'heure du loup which, similar to some of his experimental works, contains a series of tracks based on variations around one composition, the previously released Hors nature. Mertens also released a box set of six volumes from his live Years Without History series, the sixth volume of which (The Promise Kept in Advance) is only available with the box set. A seventh volume, Nosotros, was also released in 2008. It contains a recording from July 2002 at the Kasteeldomein van Gaasbeek in Belgium, the live premiere of material that would later be released on the Skopos CD. Other live albums and a DVD concert performance have been released as well.
In April 2010 Mertens released his first new compositions in several years on the CD Zee Versus Zed.
Discography
- 1980 - For Amusement Only - The Sound of Pinball Machines
- 1982 - At Home - Not At Home
- 1982 - Vergessen
- 1983 - Close Cover
- 1983 - Struggle for Pleasure
- 1984 - The Power of Theatrical Madness (Limited Edition Single)
- 1984 - A Visiting Card
- 1985 - Usura (under the band name Soft Verdict)
- 1985 - Maximizing the Audience
- 1986 - Close Cover (2)
- 1986 - A Man of No Fortune, And with a Name to Come
- 1986 - Hirose
- 1986 - Instrumental Songs
- 1987 - Educes Me
- 1987 - The Belly of an Architect
- 1988 - Whisper Me
- 1988 - After Virtue
- 1989 - Motives for Writing
- 1990 - No Testament
- 1990 - Play for Me
- 1991 - Alle Dinghe Part III: Alle Dinghe
- 1991 - Alle Dinghe Part II: Vita Brevis
- 1991 - Alle Dinghe Part I: Sources of Sleeplessness
- 1991 - Stratégie De La Rupture
- 1991 - Hufhuf (Single taken from Stratégie De La Rupture, including previously unreleased material)
- 1992 - Houfnice
- 1992 - Retrospectives Volume 1
- 1992 - Shot and Echo
- 1993 - A Sense of Place
- 1994 - Epic That Never Was
- 1994 - Gave Van Niets [Promo] [1994-11]
- 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part IV: Reculer Pour Mieux Sauter [1994-11]
- 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part III: Gave Van Niets [1994-11]
- 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part II: Divided Loyalties [1994-11]
- 1994 - Gave Van Niets Part I: You'll Never Be Me [1994-11]
- 1995 - Jeremiades [1995-04]
- 1996 - Entre Dos Mares [1996]
- 1996 - Lisa [1996-04]
- 1996 - Jardin Clos [1996-10]
- 1996 - As Hay in the Sun [1996-10]
- 1996 - Piano & Voice [1996-12]
- 1997 - Sin Embargo [1997-10]
- 1997 - Best Of [1997-11]
- 1998 - In 3 or 4 Days (Single taken from Integer Valor, including previously unreleased material)
- 1998 - Integer Valor
- 1998 - And Bring You Back
- 1999 - Father Damien
- 1999 - Integer Valor - Intégrale
- 1999 - Kere Weerom Part III: Decorum
- 1999 - Kere Weerom Part II: Kere Weerom
- 1999 - Kere Weerom Part I: Poema
- 2000 - If I Can
- 2000 - Rest Meines Ichs (Single accompanying Der Heisse Brei, not sold separately)
- 2000 - Der Heisse Brei
- 2001 - At Home - Not At Home
- 2001 - Aren Lezen [Promo]
- 2001 - Aren Lezen Part I: If Five Is Part Of Ten
- 2001 - Aren Lezen Part II: Aren Lezen
- 2001 - Aren Lezen Part III: Kaosmos
- 2001 - Aren Lezen Part IV: aRe
- 2002 - Years Without History Volume 1 - Moins De Mètre, Assez De Rythme
- 2002 - Years Without History Volume 2 - In The Absence Of Hindrance
- 2002 - Years Without History Volume 3 - Cave Musicam
- 2002 - Wim Mertens Moment Box set featuring Vergessen, Ver-Veranderingen (Previously recorded 1981 but unreleased), The Belly of an Architect, Struggle for Pleasure, Motives for Writing, Maximizing the Audience, Instrumental Songs, If I Can, For Amusement Only, Educes Me, At Home - Not At Home, After Virtue, A Man of No Fortune, And with a Name to Come
- 2003 - Years Without History Volume 4 - No Yet, No Longer
- 2003 - Skopos
- 2004 - Years Without History Volume 5 - With No Need For Seeds
- 2004 - Shot and Echo/A Sense of Place (including previously unreleased material)
- 2005 - Un respiro
- 2006 - Partes Extra Partes
- 2007 - Receptacle
- 2008 - Platinum Collection
- 2008 - L'heure du loup
- 2008 - Years Without History vol. 1-6 boxset (vol. 6 available only in this boxset)
- 2008 - Years Without History Volume 7: Nosotros
- 2009 - Music and Film (3-CD boxset with over 20 unreleased tracks)
- 2009 - The World Tout Court
- 2009 - QUA (37-CD reissue of the complete cycle previously known as Alle Dinghe)
- 2010 - Zee Versus Zed
- 2011 - Series of Ands/Immediate Givens (2-CDs, two separate albums released together)
In popular culture
- With that same title, the collection of electronic music Café del MarCafé del MarCafé del Mar is a bar located in Sant Antoni de Portmany, Ibiza. It is known for its sunsets and chill-out music.- Beginning :The Café del Mar was founded by Ramón Guiral, Carlos Andrea, and José Les on 20 June 1980.- Decoration :...
features in its 5th volume "Close Cover", one of the most melodic and, in a way, classical pieces of the author. - "Struggle for Pleasure" was directly covered by Belgian dance music project MinimalistixMinimalistixMinimalistix is a trance project from Belgium, consisting of members Dave Lambrechts, Janus De Decker, Johan Casters, Peter Bellaert and Steve Sidewinder ....
in 2000 and reached the Top 40 in the charts in many European countries including the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The group also did a successful cover of, again, "Close Cover". - A cover appeared in 2001 on Gatecrasher Digital. Elastica presents Jesus Elices 'Maximizing the Audience'.
- The James BondJames BondJames Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
novel High Time to KillHigh Time to KillHigh Time to Kill, published in 1999, is the fourth novel by Raymond Benson featuring Ian Fleming’s secret agent, James Bond . This is the first James Bond novel copyrighted by Ian Fleming Publications...
(Raymond Benson, 1999) contains a passing reference to the music of Wim Mertens, in which characters in the novel comment on the music playing in a cafe. Benson, the fourth official James Bond novelist, is a fan of Mertens' music. The reference is somewhat ironic given the interest in James Bond culture shown by Michel Duval, the founder of Les Disques du Crépuscule. - "Struggle for Pleasure" also inspired one of the most influential Electronic dance musicElectronic dance musicElectronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
tracks - Energy 52Energy 52Energy 52 was a solo project comprising Paul Schmitz-Moormann and Harald Blüchel. The 1993 track "Café del Mar" became one of the most heard trance songs in the world; its dozens of remixes have appeared on hundred of compilation albums. In April 2011, the song was voted number one by BBC Radio 1...
's trance musicTrance musicTrance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
project called "Café Del Mar", firstly released on Eye Q Records in 1993. It became a successful hit in 1997 with Three 'n One remixRemixA remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
, and Nalin & KaneNalin & KaneNalin & Kane are a German production and remixing team, comprising Andry Nalin and Harry Kane . Their international breakthrough came with the Ibiza anthem, "Beachball", in late 1996.-Origins and "Beachball":The duo began working together in 1993 as Nalin Inc...
remixes in 1998. In April 2011, the song was voted number one in Pete TongPete TongPeter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
's Top 20 Dance Tracks of the last 20 years.
External links
- Wim Mertens at WimMertens.be (official website)