S musicianship of Sandrine, our new keyboardist. She helped write the piano and cello lines for a new acoustic version. For the remixes, which are a bit of a tradition at Alfa Matrix, I called on three musicians I admire: Luca Bandini from Shad Shadows / Schonwald, Sébastien Carl from Hørd and Patrick Codenys from the legendary Front 242. I gave them carte blanche and the result is perfect. It was Patrick’s version that impressedme the most.He completely reconstructed the piece and appropriated it to do something different, but with the same spirit. Many people thought it was Jean-Luc De Meyer singing on this remix, but it is indeed my voice that we hear! And now there is the new single ‘Digging’, which came out mid-September. I see again that the composition is intelligent and consists of different sections. How does composing songs work within The Ultimate Dreamers? Do you use guidelines, for example for the complexity of the song or the variation in different sections? Thank you so much.‘Digging’ is a piece I wrote in the summer of 2023, while on vacation in the area around Lübeck, Germany. It was a very enjoyable and productive two weeks, from the point of view of composing. There are no precise rules for composing and even fewer guidelines. Most of the time it’s me who comes up with proposals that are already quite elaborated, and then they evolve with the input of the other musicians. Sometimes I let the song mature for a few weeks or months before starting over again.Other times Bertrand (guitar) and Joël (bass) come up with ideas that I then work on in my corner before bringing them back to the group where everyone adds their own touch. The final phase takes place in the studio of Len Lemeire,who brings a new perspective with his production and mix, which makes the piece evolve further. Len’s background is different from mine, but our collaboration gives a typically Belgian connection in my opinion.At least that’s what people pointed out to me during our mini-tour in England. We can modestly compare this mix to the music of The Neon Judgement,with a good balance between post-punk and electro. With ‘Digging’ you announce the new album ‘Paradoxical Sleep’, which will be released in January 2025. Can you already tell us something about this new record? The vinyl version will contain ten new compositions, and a newversion of‘Envoler’.It’s a song that was already present on ‘Live Happily…’ and that the public really likes. We thought it was worth a rework. It’s our only piece in French, but I sometimes sing it in Dutch also... The CD version will have two bonus tracks: a second rerecorded old song, and an instrumental that we already play regularly on stage. The album is quite varied, with heavier parts and more intimate parts. In general it is dark, both in sounds and in the themes covered. Kelly O’Hara, a Scottish friend, co-wrote the lyrics. Two songs have two singers that I really like.They are very pleasant collaborations. I think you will see a clear evolution if you compare ‘Paradoxical Sleep’ to ‘Echoing Reverie’, but the few people Read the full interview on http://www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be/en/interview/ who have heard it still consider it The Ultimate Dreamers. Besides Len’s work, I have to emphasize the important contribution of Patrick Codenys,who gave me valuable advice for the mix and structure of certain pieces. For‘Digging’and for a number of other songs,youmade very professional videos, for which you called upon talented directors. What is your goal when you decide to release a clip for one of your songs? I read somewhere that fewer videos are made these days than in the past. However, I believe that the image remains an important vehicle for music. I like to work with directors who bring their own sensitivity to the music. For ‘Echoing Reverie’ we mainlyworked with Thomas De Moor (son of the cartoonist Johan).He produced four original videos.For ‘Paradoxical Sleep’ we work with Nele Vereecke from Ghent-Brussels, alias Amanita Noir, who has worked with many metal bands. Her creation takes ‘Digging’ to another level. It is a real success because the images give another dimension to the song. You are also known as the organizer of Fantastique.Nights in Brussels, a series of concerts that I have always enjoyed very much. You announced that you would stop your activities as an organizer when The Ultimate Dreamers started to give a lot of concerts. However, I see that you continue to organize concerts from time to time.Howdo you plan to combine these two activities in the future? For more than 20 years I put all my passion into these events. I thought about it morning, noon and night. It was almost obsessive and addictive, but the COVID pandemic freed me. Organizing concerts is an exciting but also very thankless activity.I had a lot of fun and met a lot of nice people,but I am relieved that I (almost) stopped.Nowadays I still organize one or two events a year,mostly to please friends,but I do not plan to return to the rhythm of the years 2015-2020. I am sure that your activities as an organizer have also opened doors to obtain gigs. When I see your concert schedule, it is always full. Howdo you respond to this? Many people think so, but it is not really true. With my activities as an organizer I have certainly built up a well-filled address book and a few people even returned the favor in the beginning, but there are many more who have a very short memory... However, these activities gave me a good understanding of how things work. Finally, I would like to thank the whole Dark Entries and Peeka-boo teams for their support to the Belgian underground scene and to our project in particular. Your work and passion are very important.Thank you, really. You're welcome. Xavier KRUTH - 25 - www.the-ultimate-dreamers.com/ www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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