Tristan Driessens & Robbe Kieckens
"Danza del Sol Pt. II"
Tristan Driessens: composition & oud
Robbe Kieckens: bendir
Audio live recording and mix by Dries Van Ende
Camera by Emre Gültekin and Malabika Brahma,
Zinnema, Brussels, 2019
Edited by Niko Himschoot
Tristan Driessens & Robbe Kieckens are the beating heart of musical ensembles that are as diverse as they are authentic. Throughout their musical career, the duo have immersed themselves in the world of classical Ottoman music and other Eastern musical traditions. They have performed side by side in a number of musical ensembles, including the Lâmekân Ensemble, Soolmaan Quartet, La Compagnie d'Elias and more recently, Refugees for Refugees. In November 2018, the duo released their long-awaited and critically acclaimed debut album "Blue Silence", dedicated to the interplay between oud and percussion. Tristan Driessens’s compositions are a crossroads of the musical paths the duo has traveled, from Turkish-Persian music to European folk and modal jazz.
Tristan Driessens was educated in Istanbul where he studied makam and oud with legendary master Necati Çelik and had the privilege to be surrounded by the most prominent masters of Turkish-Ottoman music scene. Throughout his journey, Tristan found a loyal companion in Robbe Kieckens, a multi-instrumentalist with a remarkable knowledge of oriental percussion. Robbe studied with bendir virtuoso Zohar Fresco and Turkish riqq master Fahrettin Yarkin, among others. Tristan Driessens & Robbe Kieckens provide living proof that traditions can travel across borders without sacrificing depth or finesse. (Seyir Muzik)