This evening is curated by none other than AB’s In-house Photographer Daria Miasoedova. On September 15, after a two year residency, she will pass her camera on to a successor and depart in style. This musical event is also the kick-off for Daria’s expo: her photos will be hung in AB and remain on display there. More info soon!

Daria: "It's a really happy moment for me to invite the amazing musicians Emma Hessels and Valentina Magaletti to celebrate my photography exhibition, marking the end of my time as AB’s In-house Photographer. To me, their work really captures what AB is all about at heart: enabling artists the freedom to experiment and share their unique musical visions.”

Valentina Magaletti

Italian drummer/composer and multi-instrumentalist Valentina Magaletti has an outright impressive CV. Her highly personal approach to percussion has frequently involved her with international names like Thurston Moore, Lafawndah, Mica Levi, Kamasi Washington and Nicolas Jaar. She operates under the names Moin, Holy Tongue, Tomaga and Vanishing Twin. Magaletti was present at BRDCST both in 2017 as well as earlier this year. Now she brings her solo project to AB Club for an intimate concert.
As a solo-artist, Magaletti often explores texture. In Batterie Fragile (unjenesaisquoi, 2022) the percussionist plays a ceramic drum kit designed by Yves Chaudouët. Magaletti uses wire brushes, wooden reeds and rubber beaters to evoke unusual sonic qualities from the porcelain. In a similar spirit, on A Queer Anthology of Drums (bié Records, 2022) – originally released on Cafe OTO's Takuroku label – she reflects on her queer identity, the ritual aspects of improvisation and the oppressive reality of living in a confined space. She does that by blending low-fi drones, field recordings and modulated percussive objects. The result is a melancholy montage with influences from visual art movements such as dadaism, surrealism and Art brut.

“I first fell in love with Valentina Magaletti's music when I heard her album A Queer Anthology of Drums, a brilliant experimental work by a masterful percussionist. Since then, I've seen her perform live several times, notably at AB’s BRDCST festival, where she left us in awe. Having her join us for this event is a wild dream come true!", Dario adds.

Emma Hessels

23-year-old singer Emma Hessels commutes between Antwerp and Brussels. Armed only with her voice and guitar, she won the prestigious Sound Track in 2023, the music contest for up and coming talent. In her bedroom, she creates small songs in which she sings of grand, universal emotions such as love and loneliness. Her music is a search for identity and recognition. She translates that into an entirely own sound that is difficult to categorise in one genre. Her soulful voice is the only – stunning – constant.

Daria on Emma: “I've had the honour of following a part of Emma Hessels' journey, from capturing her winning moment at the Sound Track finale to shedding a tear through my viewfinder during her first show with Porcelain ID at AB. I'm excited to see what the future holds for Emma”. 

Concert pictures © Tone Verswijvel