Der an vielen Instrumenten bewanderte und bewährte Jozef Dumoulin, der im Duo Lilly Joel Hildegard von Bingen interpretierte und mit seinem Orgelspiel zuletzt in den La’but-Kontext einbrachte, bringt seit 2014 erstmals wieder ein komplett im Alleingang produziertes Album heraus. Während damals im schnell zum Kult gewordenen “A Fender Rhodes Solo” tatsächlich nur das titelgebende Vintage-Keyboard zu Wort kam, wartet der in Frankreich lebende Belgier auf “This Body, This Life” mit einer ganzen Reihe an Instrumenten auf. Neben dem auch hier wieder verwendeten Fender Rhodes kommt ein Konzertflügel und Synthesizer zum Einsatz, aber auch Gitarren, Gesänge, Digitales und ein ganzer Sack voll Field Recordings. Ebenfalls abgerundet wird die Arbeit durch den Gastauftritt seines Sohnes Ayaan Dumoulin, der bei einem Track Vocals und Keyboard beisteuert und für das Coverartwork verantwortlich zeichnet. “This Body, This Life” erscheint am 26. Mai in den bekannten Formaten beim Label Carton Records Crox-Croix.

“A couple of years ago a producer and label-owner proposed to me to make an album where I would mix piano and Fender Rhodes. At the time I was thinking of recording a second Fender Rhodes solo and was reluctant to the idea of adding the piano to the equation. I feared it would drastically change the focus, pulling the Fender Rhodes back to that uninteresting position of ‘electric piano’. However, I liked the idea of making a record as an answer to a challenge, so I accepted to play the game. Very soon after I started the first sketches the producer pulled out due to artistic differences; I guess he had some genuinely nice and soothing music in mind that I wasn’t ready to deliver. Still, by then I was too hooked up to the enterprise to just leave it so I decided to move forward on my own. My method has been as simple as it has been time consuming: I recorded a lot of Fender Rhodes improvisations and a bunch of piano improvisations.

I made pre-selections for both recordings and then took the time to see what piano would fit what Fender Rhodes. Once I established a certain number of compatible pairs, I considered that everything was allowed to make them into self-sufficient, working pieces of music. After all, I had to reunite water and fire; or at least that was the feeling I got.” (Jozef Dumoulin)

Foto: Julian Torres