Cover art by Luis Yary
OUI048 : Sarcastic Fringehead / Dive Into It
Sarcastic Fringehead emerged from a shared interest in improvisation, sound, texture, and transformation by the four band members
The quartet moves between diverse musical worlds such as jazz, improvisation, rock, drone, and others. Difficult to summarize under one term; it’s eclectic, quirky, and boundary-pushing. Raw, growling textures give way to more immersive sounds, only to land through bowed guitar and bass in a still life, with cymbals tolling ominously, while the harmony distorts until only repetition remains.
About Dive Into It:
Dive Into It was recorded and mixed by Dries Vanende and mastered by Pierre Vervloesem.
The pieces are all free improvisations. The first three tracks form a suite that was recorded in one take. This is followed by a rougher track without a fixed time signature, transitioning into a bowed drone piece. The album closes with a composition that spontaneously arose on the day itself, written by Emanuel Van Mieghem.
Dive Into It presents a series of specific sounds that Sarcastic Fringehead wanted to capture, and it offers a clear view of the versatility of the tonal colour by the band.
Nicolas Van Belle - Guitar, FX, Voice
Emanuel Van Mieghem - Double Bass
Gionata Gardina - Drums
Mastered by Pierre Vervloesem
Artwork by Luis Yary: https://luisyary.myportfolio.com/
Eternal well composed by Emanuel Van Mieghem
Emanuel Van Mieghem:
Emanuel Van Mieghem is a Belgian double bass player and composer, primarily active in jazz and improvised music. He began playing electric bass at age 15, teaching himself by playing along with records. After studying with Janos Bruneel and Wouter Berlaen at Kunsthumaniora Brussel, he was inspired to switch to the double bass. He earned a Master of Arts with Magna Cum Laude from the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp in 2020.
Emanuel has performed at notable festivals such as the Jaffa Jazz Festival and Gent Jazz Festival, and has studied under various renowned musicians. In 2023, he won the ‘Prix de la meilleure composition’ at the Avignon Jazz Festival for his project Mojo Jojo. He has performed at prestigious events like the Flagey Jazz Festival, Brussels Jazz Weekend, and many other European venues. Now based in Brussels, Emanuel is a sought-after bassist in the jazz scene.
Joseph Nowell:
Joseph Nowell, born in England in 1994 to an Italian family, began playing piano at age 4. He studied at Pimlico Academy in London and performed in Paris and Prague. At 14, he moved to Siena, Italy, winning third prize in the “G. Burrini” classical competition the following year. He completed his Master of Arts in classical piano at Conservatorio “Rinaldo Franci” in Siena in 2015, while also studying jazz piano at Siena Jazz. In 2019, he earned a Master of Arts magna cum laude in Jazz Piano at Koninklijk Conservatorium Antwerpen, performing at the Jaffa Jazz Festival and with the Antwerp Jazz Orchestra. Joseph was a finalist in the “Concorso per Solisti Jazz” in 2021 and participated in the final of Umbria Jazz’s “Conad Jazz Contest” in 2022. In 2024, his band Iqnovara was shortlisted for Jong Jazztalent Gent.
Gionata Gardina:
Born in 1987 in Bergamo, Italy, and resident in Brussels since 2018, Gionata Giardina is a drummer and teacher of jazz, rock and its derivations. He has collaborated with important artists on the Italian and Belgian jazz and rock scene and has recorded over the years more than a dozen albums and participated in several festivals (Klara Festival, Brussels Jazz Weekend, Bergamo Jazz Festival, Berchidda Jazz Festival, JazzMi, Blue Flamingo Festival etc.). His education includes a bachelor diploma from the Conservatory of Brescia in Italy, an Erasmus year at the Conservatorium Maastricht in the Netherlands, a master's degree at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel and numerous masterclasses along with summer workshops.
Nicolas Van Belle:
Nicolas is a guitarist and composer, active in sound-improvised music, jazz, rebetiko, noise rock. He completed his master’s degree 2019 from ‘The School of Arts’ Ghent, studied one year at the Royal Academy of Music, Denmark and also met different Norwegian artists in Oslo which led him to develop his own music palette. Nicolas seeks unconventional playing possibilities, resulting in compositions that capture specific sound colours. As a sideman, he is involved in various projects such as Suura, Erem,, Yarès, Ever Present, Baljuw and others. His work combines acoustic and electronic music, experimental sounds, and influences from various genres, often using effects to bring his sounds to life.
Digital release on the 28th of February 2025.
Track isting:
1: Suite - Something in the water
2: Suite - Movement by the lake
3: Suite - Sunbathing on a peeble beach
4: Try something different
5: The sea is as oil
6: Eternal well
Itunes, Spotify, etc.:
https://bfan.link/dive-into-it
And on Bandcamp:
