After the hybrid gamelan ensemble of Nist-Nah during the Minorie edition of last October we welcome yet another unusual instrument in Vera, this time brought to us by Turner Williams Jr. He plays the shahi baaja, an electrified chordophone from the zither family that uses typewriter keys to alter the pitches of its strings. Invented in Japan, evolved in India, and sold secondhand in Alabama, this instrument is a transcultural mutation, merging Asian, European, and American roots with modern mechanical interventions.

After years of DIY touring across the world – and playing festivals like Le Guess Who?! and Kraak – Turner Willams Jr. has not only forged an original voice for the shahi baaja and his effect pedals, but also developed a unique feel for constructing splendid mosaics of his improvisations. His music unfolds like crossroads, where ancient and modern traditions intersect and attract each other. We hear traces of American Primitive Guitar, the trance of Indian ragas, melancholy of Celtic ballads and the experimental side of French folk revival.

His album ‘Vipérine’ is an absolute highlight of this year. Leaving behind the fuzzy landscapes of ‘Briars On A Dewdrop’ (Feeding Tube Records, 2022) and the post-psychedelic loops of ‘Ensoleillée’ (Les Disques Omnison 2023), Turner’s shahi baaja is now alone, more than ever. The nakedness of the instrument lays bare its fragility and intensifies the experience. On ‘Vipérine’ simplicity is a path, not through desolate landscapes but toward a gentler horizon, its ethereal atmosphere carrying more solace than threat.

The second wanderer of the night is Woordenvangenincijfers, the alias of local musician Mathé Többen. Having spent countless hours at home making music, improvising just by himself, he now steps outside of his own walls to share his sounds in front of an audience. Using electric guitar, effect pedals and a looper, Woordenvangenincijfers constructs improvisational ambient compositions, building further on the foundations laid down by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno on their collaborative albums No Pussyfooting (1973) and Evening Star (1975). There are also hints of mystical krautrock and glitched out electronics but captured through the lens of The Durutti Column’s gentle and dreamy 80’s guitar music.

Turner William Jr. | Bandcamp

Woordenvangenincijfers | Bandcamp