On the 18th & 19th of April, Lieven Martens will take his label & platform Edições CN to the Permeke library in Antwerp for a two-day showcase full of classic compositions, exotic field recordings & experimental soundscapes. Spencer Clark, Floris Vanhoof, Christina Vantzou, Jan Matthé & Roman Hiele are just a few of the artists who will do a performance. WAV will also be streaming some parts of the event.
Prior to his radioshow on WAV & the event, we had a small chat with Lieven about the label & more.
‘Hi Lieven, your label Ediçoes CN has been around since 2013. Could you give us a small introduction?’
Lieven: ‘On ECN I produce records, tapes, and sometimes other formats. We have a series based around field recordings for which Spencer Clark, Gonçalo F Cardoso, Christophe Piette and Christina Vantzou already created works. Furthermore I released more “pure musical” stuff by Francesco Cavaliere, Orphan Fairytale, Berko (Andras Fox), and Antti Tolvi. I say “pure musical” but all the albums have in common that there’s a clear concept. “Music just for music” is not something ECN should touch ….
Furthermore I use the label as a vessel to release archival stuff by myself.’
‘You have been travelling quite a lot to different exotic locations, how does this influence the sound & progress of the label?’
Lieven: ‘It depends. I like travelling since I like the sound and rhythm of various places. Next to this I’m also happy that I sometimes get these invitations to present my music on “exotic locations”. It’s surely not escapism, but immersing my brain in a strange and different environment makes it more active sometimes.’
‘The artwork and layout of the Ediçoes CN releases really stands out. Who are the people you work with for this?’
Lieven: ‘Jeroen Wille is our head of design. He’s the best of the best, both as a professional and as a human being, and it’s thanks to him that I really like running ECN.’
‘Let’s talk about the upcoming event at the iconic Permeke library on the 18th & 19th of April. You invited artists like Spencer Clark, Hiele, Floris Vanhoof, Jan Matthé & many more. What can we expect on those 2 evenings?’
Lieven: ‘Expect music, poetry, good drinks, some things to look at, and good company. Excited to hear Roman Hiele perform new music that I’ll be producing on ECN, and for instance hear Lizzy Vandierendonck dj’ing. She’s a very good young artist from Ghent. Also on Friday we’ll be witnessing the stage debut of Jan Matthé’s solo poetry in Antwerp. And my favorite dj Amy Faust will be present. Not sure if you heard her dj’ing at Het Bos for the Avatar event, but rarely in my life a dj made me smile so intensely. Furthermore you should definitely see CV and JAB who recorded a gorgeous album for Shelter Press last year (“Thoughts of a dot as it travels a Surface”), and Andrew Pekler who creates this super interesting “nu exotica”. Ken Verhoeven will create a book, an “uitleenbaar kunstwerk” for the public library. Etc etc.’
‘2019 is almost halfway, what are the next projects to look out for?’
Lieven: ‘The Belgian Play Off’s are coming to an end and I’m praying for a new championship by Club Brugge.’
‘Finally, can you share one of your favourite library music tracks with us?’
Lieven: ‘Difficult to choose. Maybe a track from “Children, Pets and Clowns”, by John Tender and Mladen Franko?’
