René Baptist Huysmans is not a professional musician, but rather a linguist specialising in one of the languages of Nepal, who divides his time in Europe between Amsterdam and Berlin – though listening to his compositions, one would not know it. On the contrary, his works (he’s only recently begun to post them on Soundcloud) are quite accomplished, eliciting the interest and approbation of no less than Michael Bonaventure, Bart de Vrees, and Luiz Henrique Yudo.
It’s a sort of musique concrète that he makes, utilising found sounds that are submitted to extensive alteration by his preferred instrument, the computer, and modulated into the material of his compositions.
My favorite percussion instruments turn out to be trains in stations, my favorite ensemble construction workers at a site, he writes. A train journey from Amsterdam to Berlin can be a six-hour-symphony.
Here are several of his pieces (when the work is so good, being selective can be difficult).
“Versuch eines Techno Hits.”
“Coelacanth.”
“The Netherworld.”
“Où est Lávosis?”
“Original Folk Tunes for Shopping Carts.”
“Tamahagane.”
“Glasbak.”
“La Girouette rêveuse/The Dreamy Wind Vane.”
“An Epitaph for Greed.”
And “Tamahagane iii.”
(During the last month or so, Huysmans has also been uploading samples of Sampang music as well as the sounds of everyday life in Nepal onto his Soundcloud page, so perhaps he’ll find a way to bring his profession and his passion together after all.)