VAN WISSEM, JOZEF
NOSFERATU (INCUNABULUM RECORDS)
label:
INCUNABULUM RECORDS
Jozef Van Wissem- Lute, Electronics, Beats, Electric Guitar, Found Bird Sounds. In 2013 van Wissem won the Cannes Soundtrack Award at the Cannes Film Festival for Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive ".
In December 2017 Jozef van Wissem was invited to perform the madrigal depicted in Caravaggio's painting The Lute Player (1596) at the Hermitage museum of Saint Petersburg.
In 2022 three of his works were used for in the soundtrack and trailer of Irma Vep (HBO).
His completely unique musical world can be easily verified by his collaborations, especially that these relationships are also strengthening his own musical character.
He worked together with Zola Jesus, Tilda Swinton, Jarboe as well as with his long-time collaborative partner, also his friend, Jim Jarmusch.
"La Cinémathèque Française in Paris commissioned me to write and perform the score at the presentation of the restored version of Nosferatu.
I was a bit overwhelmed by its success. It was sold out. I wasn't going to repeat it. But people kept asking.
In the beginning the soundtrack was more improvised and reactive to the images but after a few times the audience kind of showed me the way.
To start with a few notes and building the score slowly to a dense slow metal ending. I found an old 7-inch single with recordings of extinct birds on a market, I electronically processed and added them to the score .
" Manipulating the sounds of electric guitar in alternate tuning he manages to create the feeling of fear, equal to the experience of the victims of Count Orlok.
"To me Nosferatu personifies this Death Bird of the Plague. The Black Death depicted in the film offers a timeless parallel with contemporary society.
The vampire Count Orlok infests the city with rats and people are infected with the plague.
They must quarantaine. This provokes hysteria. Much like nowadays".