“I am very young, I have just finished my studies in fine arts at the ERG in Brussels, and I am doing a replacement job in a contemporary sculpture workshop with people with intellectual disability. It’s love at first sight. I immediately wanted to create a musical project with artists like them, who have such rare and powerful talent and open-mindedness, and who were completely absent from the field of experimental music at that time.” (Damien Magnette)
In 2007, sound artist Damien Magnette had a decisive encounter: Luc Vandierendonck, director of vzw wit.h, invited him to Kortrijk to experiment with outsider artists who wanted to make music. This is how Damien met Linh Pham, Rudy Callant, Kim ‘2 face’ V. and Johan Geenens.
Linh is a talented poet, a magnetic performer with a vivid imagination, a penetrating gaze and formidable improvisational skills. Her voice is incredibly sensitive, shifting from a whisper to a violent scream in the blink of an eye. Also a talented visual artist, she created the drawings that served as the basis for the cover of the album ‘Tout va bien se passer’ (Everything will be alright). She sang in the band until 2022.
A visual artist who works with looms, Rudy is a powerful improviser with a wild, atonal and uncompromising voice. Also a trumpet player, he brought his abstract and psychedelic touches to the band until 2016.
Kim was the band’s guitarist until 2018. Nourished by a ‘classic rock’ culture, he loves riffs and structured songwriting. He brings a punk-rock touch to the band with his simple and effective riffs and his unique, fragile and sensitive guitar playing.
A powerful painter, Johan plays the flute and sings as he paints. He has his own rhythm and his own rules that defy all logic. He brings his colourful abstract touches when he sees fit. His completely unique playing style continues to play an essential role in the band to this day.
All these musicians exude an artistic force that Damien has never seen anywhere else: brutality, joy, raw emotions, impressive improvisational skills, authentic stage presence and no pretensions.
Damien, passionate about all kinds of sound research (training in electroacoustic composition, free improvisation, sound and radio creation, amplified wild instrument making), was galvanised by these new musicians he met. As rehearsals progressed, he naturally took on the role of drummer and artistic director. The inspiration was enormous, and uncharted territories opened up.
In 2008, the group formed as such. It quickly made its mark on the Belgian scene with the power of its free, punk and wild improvisations.
In the same year, WCME released its first eponymous album, recorded at La S grand atelier in Vielsalm and released by the Brussels label Sub Rosa.
In 2012, Sébastien Faidherbe joined the band, which was then at a real turning point.
He plays a DIY two-string bass, a unique instrument designed especially for him by Damien. The rhythm section is reinforced by the power and creativity of his groove.
He also adds his unique, sensitive and furious singing, carried by his crooner’s voice. His humorous and lively contributions, as well as his joyful anger, transform each WCME performance into wild musical celebrations that leave no one indifferent.
Tapping Is Clapping was released in 2015 on Born Bad Records (France) and Humpty Dumpty (Benelux). This second album is more rhythmic, structured and polyphonic.
WCME’s memorable performances are praised in the press and concerts follow one after another in France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands…
At the same time, the band collaborates with the Ghent contemporary music ensemble, Spectra Ensemble, on the creation of two pieces programmed at the Festival van Vlaanderen.
In 2016, guitarist Kim V left the band, while Wim Decoene (vocals and synth) and Wout Wittevrongel (guitar) brought a new solid foundation. Wim’s vocals – a creator of chaos – are an improvised flow with an intensity that can be felt right down to the bones. Wout brought his guitar skills to the band and encouraged them to develop increasingly accomplished compositions. At that time, Damien began to push further the idea of creating DIY instruments tailored to the needs of each member and collaborated with artist and inventor Val Macé to design new instruments. The band, rockier than ever, released their third album in 2019 on Born Bad Records: Tout va bien se passer / Het komt allemaal wel goed.
For the artistic event Blood Test (Guislain Museum, Ghent, 2019), Wit.h invited legendary American guitarist Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) who, together with WCME, embarked on a journey of total experimentation in the heart of sculptor Johan Tahon‘s studio. Together, they made the art film HellGate. In 2022, the recordings from this session will be released on vinyl by LA BELLE BRUTE.
In March 2023, the WCME will tour with Lee, from Kortrijk to Brussels, via Paris, Metz, Lyon, Nancy, etc.
During the Covid period, the group created a series of ‘lockdown’ tracks. The conditions for creation were not easy, as the members were unable to meet up. Damien finally obtained permission to see each of the musicians individually, in their institutions, and composed tracks with them on a computer, where each member could express their feelings about this unique situation.
The tracks were sent via the Internet to musician friends of WCME, who each made their own contribution: Fabrice Gilbert (Frustration), Ava Carrère (Sages Comme des Sauvages), Wim Opbrouck, Shht, Arthur Satàn, Nathan Roche, and Julien ZLDR. The album, entitled Wild Classical Music Confined, was released by Born Bad Records in 2023.
At the end of 2023, Wout Wittevrongel and Wim Decoene left WCME. The band bounced back by bringing in Nathan Ysebaert (guitar) and Nathan Copienne (synth). Nathan C. brought his talent as a keyboardist with formidable rhythm and his inspiration for new song lyrics. Nathan Y., a talented guitarist, raised the bar by accompanying the band with sensitivity and accuracy.
The group is now taking on a new dimension, with a series of concerts in London, Prague, Maastricht, Ghent and… La Réunion, where they are also recording a studio session with a dozen local musicians.
This project is currently underway and will be the group’s next album, scheduled at the end of 2026 on Born Bad Records (France) and Bongo Joe (Switzerland). In the wake of this, WCME will tour with three additional musicians from Réunion. Several dates are scheduled for 2027 (festivals on the island of Réunion) and a European tour is being planned with this new project.
wildclassical.com 