Alec De Bruyn
Alec De Bruyn creates and captures strange sounds. As a musician, composer, and sound designer, he divides his different interests over diverse projects. Once he is a musician and performer in bands, then he is a composer for theater or a sound designer for film and audiovisual projects. Usually, these different roles tend to overlap.
Theatrical noises
In theater spaces Alec appears as a musician and sound designer, using instruments, toys and objects, often amplified through specific microphones and series of sound effects and granular loopers. With Made In Kwakkaba (on the right, ROESTgroep/Zonzo Compagnie) he made music and soundscapes for an audiovisual theater piece for children of four and up, using nothing but toys. Mother (on the left, kunstZ) explored different layers and textures of sound, combining acoustic elements with heavily processed signal of contact microphones. Young Brides (middle) was an independent production by Alec, hiding four musicians within and behind continuously changing scenography by Amber De Saeger, doubling and transforming but never showing the people performing a concert.
Some more info on recent and important work below!
ROESTgroep is an Antwerp based collective, consisting of Silke Melis, Gwen van Erp, Deniz Polatoglu, Anton Geerts, Amber De Saeger, Reindert Swaegers and Alec De Bruyn. The group usually works together in smaller packs when making standalone theater productions, but they are all together when assembling a piece about, for, and with certain neighborhoods. Alec brought live music and sound design for the performances Made In Kwakkaba, Polly & Esther, Elders Anders, and the series ROEST in in the neighborhoods of Merksem, Borgerhout, Schilderswijk.
All info on http://www.roestgroep.be
KunstZ was an organization that made theater pieces and performances with a very diverse group of people. It was a beautiful project that came to an end a few years ago. Alec made music, gave workshops, worked as a technician or sound engineer. He did this during a period of eight years, working on more than fifteen productions with performances in Belgium and Warsaw.
All info on https://www.kunstz.be/over-kunstz
Bakeneko is a movement theater piece by Charlotte Goesaert, in coproduction with KAAP, Dans Brabant, and C-takt/Beyond The Black Box. Alec assisted as sound engineer in the creation process, edited and mixed the sound for the performance, and joins Charlotte on stage as a helping technician for scenographic changes. The music was made by Jochem Baelus.
All info on https://www.charlottegoesaert.be/bakeneko
Concerts and records
Alec plays in bands as songwriter, front singer or musician on guitar, bouzouki, keys, bass synth, and vocals. His own project The Payola Kid is a four-piece indie band, dancing and stumbling around the theme of failure, not trying to be perfect, but to fail better. He released several records with Undskyld, performing across Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. In Fisherman he adds rhythm and melodies on the bouzouki, searching for a lively acoustic atmosphere for the folk songs of Simon Van Brandt. The new band Gianna Relli brings noisy synth pop, with Alec on heavy bass synths and surprising noises. His bands played at many amazing venues and festivals, such as Botanique (Brussels), Het Bos (Antwerp), Trefpunt Stage (Gentse Feesten), Dranouter, St. Paulusfeesten (Ostend festival), and Gebouw T (Breda). Alec publishes his own records and digital releases under his own label, Moonsick Records.
Here are some selected projects:
UNDSKYLD released two full albums on vinyl, as well as a two-song 7 inch. The band was known for a slightly weird sound, odd measures and a very DIY approach to touring and releasing music. The band organized their own concerts to fund the recordings and pressing of the vinyls before arranging and promoting their own tours through Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and Czech Republic. Undskyld is Alec De Bruyn, Menno Buggenhout (BIJT), Saar van de Leest (Capsule) and Egon Loosveldt (Gnome). The artwork for the records was made by Amber De Saeger.
Find all music here: http://undskyld.bandcamp.com
The Payola Kid is a four-piece band of Alec De Bruyn, together with sidekicks Simen Wouters, Aline Verbeke and Frederic Evrard. They bring us music full of electrified finger pickings, alien saxophone solos, a boomy bass player with the highest falsetto voice, and drunken drums. The band is growing steadily and the shows are standing strong, with concerts at Dageraadconcerten, Botanique, Het Bos and Dranouter.
Find all music here: http://thepayolakid.bandcamp.com
Fisherman tells stories of love, longing, and french kissing in the morning. This folk band is plucking a whole lot of strings, with a combination of Simon Van Brandt on banjo and guitar, Anton Geerts on upright bass, Gorik Elaut on violin, and Alec on bouzouki and tenor banjo. Together, they bring original songs with a modern take on old instruments and genres.
Find all music here: http://fisherman3.bandcamp.com
Sound and Art
Along the way, many of Alec’s captured sounds were turned into temporary or permanent installations. With Antwerp city poet Maud Vanhauwaert and Rooftoptiger, Alec worked on the project of Toren van Babel (left). Aside from building and making recordings of the many translations of one poem, he wascapturing the ambient musical sounds and conversations in many languages during the two month building period of the tower, to be cast from the top of the tower in different directions. Giving workshops to children in Stormkop with ROESTgroep during covid times, Alec created an interactive sound installation (middle). The kids could try to locate a lost whale with this echolocalisator, manipulating and amplifying sound from different oscillators. At Rataplan in Antwerp, Alec built a permanent installation called Biljaardedju (right), where the sound of a game of billiards is instantaeously transformed into atmospheric sounds coming from above.
As a co-founder of Dingen die niet verkopen, he organizes, supports and sometimes co-creates all of the projects and events that happen in this space. You can find all info of the artist-run initiative, the artists and collaborations on this website.
Alec continues to record and manipulate musical sounds, creating many ideas for site-specific or public-space sound installations. In 2027 he will focus on far-away sounds, exploring different techniques of long-distance recording and amplification.
