Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

To present his new album Fordlândia, Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhansson will tour with four strings, a piano, electronic instruments and visuals by Magnús Helgason, only performing in a limited number of churches and cathedrals. Luckily, Ghent is among the places he will visit.

Jóhannson, who is also the frontman of krautrock combo Apparat Organ Quartet, mixes minimal electronica with contemporary classic piano. Intimate passages blossom as electronic touches are interwoven with melancholy ambient. His debut, 2002’s Englabörn, was reissued last year, making it to De Morgen’s top 10 best albums of 2007. Its successor, Virðulegu Forsetar, was widely considered one of the best albums of the year by the music press, and his dance project, IBM 1401 – A User’s Manual, earned him quite some success as well. He has already performed at Vooruit several times, one of the occasions being Vooruit’s 25th birthday party.

“Extremely nuanced, a collection of ever-changing moods moving beyond words while maintaining a profound simplicity.” (bbc.co.uk/music on Englabörn)

ATTENTION! This concert doesn’t take place in Vooruit, but in Sint-Barbarakerk (Savaanstraat 33, in Ghent).