Cover artwork by Jürgen / Drawing Untitled#5, © Dorothea Dejonckheere
ODG108 : Jürgen Augusteyns / Das ewige Ende (Diptych)
Jürgen Augusteyns (Ghent, 1972) is a Belgian musician.
"Inspired by guitarists such as Amy Brandon, David Torn, Loren Connors but also composers the likes of Hiroshi Yoshimura and Fennesz to name but a few, I am constantly searching to refine and redefine my musical voice. Whether improvising or composing, contingencies play a major role in my work.
Coming from a mainstream rock and pop background, I found it difficult to let go of what has shaped my approach to music and my instrument, the guitar. At a certain point, I became tired of my own playing, finding it compromised by the preoccupation of what music should be.
I believe the only thing music should really be is sincere, and a reflection of what the creator refers to as beauty.
While evolving from “playing” to “creating”, the instrument itself has become more of a tool for expressing myself. I no longer refer to myself as a “guitarist” but as a musician. Never before have I experienced such joy in playing and composing since I embarked on this journey. The ultimate goal of playing freely without being hindered by a stack of cue cards is not easily accomplished. Accidents happen, but that’s where the fun starts."
On composing “Das ewige Ende // Dyptich”:
"Both pieces began as improvisations using analog synthesizers fed through effect pedals and manipulated live. Only at a later stage did I apply structure and used these ingredients to actually compose, much like dropping a bucket of paint on a canvas and using the splatter as the debut of a painting.
Auch ich in Arkadien // edit (Pt 1) and Auch ich in Arkadien // redux (Pt 2) were originally recorded as one piece. After a while, I felt there were two very distinct parts, which led me to create two separate tracks.
I added additional layers where needed but the improvised parts remain unaltered timewise. Apart from a few minor details no cuts/copies/pastes were performed.
Joachim Badenhorst co-composed and played bass clarinet on Auch ich in Arkadien // redux (Pt 2).
His tone, style and sensitivity suit the piece perfectly. I learned a lot just by listening to him. His phrasing, control and dynamics are world class and it was a privilege to work with him. This is also an improvised single-take recording.
At the time of composing these tracks, I often listened to one of my favorite albums So red the rose by Arcadia. Apart from the music being hugely inspirational, the band’s name eventually pointed me to the paintings of Poussin and Guercino, in which “Et in Arcadia ego”
features as an inscription on a tombstone, and consequently to Goethe’s Italienische Reise, in which “Auch ich in Arkadien” is his motto.
Goethe’s Auch ich in Arkadien roughly translates as “Even I managed to get into paradise”, implying that we could all get there if we chose.
If death is universal, the possibility of paradise might be universal too."
Auch ich in Arkadien // edit (Pt 1) composed, recorded, mixed at home by Jürgen Augusteyns.
Guitars, synthesizers and programming by Jürgen Augusteyns
Auch ich in Arkadien // redux (Pt 2) composed, recorded and mixed at home by Jürgen Augusteyns and Joachim Badenhorst.
Guitars, synthesizers and programming by Jürgen Augusteyns
Bass clarinet by Joachim Badenhorst
Theremin by Yonat Hafftka
Mastered by Uwe Teichert at Elektropolis
Drawing Untitled#5, © Dorothea Dejonckheere: 2016 - Charcoal on cotton 29 x 28cm
Courtesy of Dorothea Dejonckheere/Loodwit 2018
Jürgen
Digital release on the 19 of July 2019.
Track listing:
1:Auch ich in Arkadien, Pt. 1
2: Auch ich in Arkadien, Pt. 2
And on Bandcamp:
