John Ghost (Ghent, Belgium) is the sextet led by guitarist/composer Jo De Geest. As a group, they draw influences from jazz, rock, and contemporary classical music. Minimalism, electronics and an overall cinematic quality characterise their instrumental sound. The sound of the ensemble is often described as a symbiosis of Steve Reich, Nils Frahm, and Jaga Jazzist
Setlist
00:00 Black Chamber (Escape To The Sun)
07:14 The Dimmed
17:03 The Flies
Line-up
Jo De Geest - guitar, Rob Banken - sax/clarinet/flute, Wim Segers - vibraphone/marimba, Karel Ceulenaere - keys, Lieven Van Pée - bass, Elias Devoldere - drums
After the critically acclaimed “Airships Are Organisms” John Ghost released “Thin Air . Mirror Land”, in 2023. In this session, recorded at the Transition Festival in Utrecht (2024) the band performed two songs from their new album.
During the creative process, Jo drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Hans Zimmer, György Ligeti, Magma, The Residents, Disasterpeace and James Holden & The Animal Spirits. The album title “Thin Air . Mirror Land“ and the song titles are driven by a fascination with the artwork of Edvard Munch. Jo found inspiration in Munch’s painting “The Storm“ (1893) as a catalyst for the writing process, exploring a dystopian backdrop and the intriguing interplay between comfort and unrest.
Editors: Melchior Huurdeman, Aad van Nieuwkerk, Sakti Khedoe
Camera & lighting: Ramon de Boer, Marijn Zurburg, Leon Jackson
Sound: Vera Kraaijkamp
Producer: Jorinde Hiddema/Pippa Harris
Director/Editing Reinier Bruijne
This video was recorded at Transition Festival TivoliVredenburg 2024 for VPRO Vrije Geluiden: music program made by the Dutch public broadcast organization VPRO
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