Under the credo “Stephen O’Malley presents Ideologic Organ”, BRDCST welcomes one of modern drone’s key architects into a setting that feels made for his universe.
Known worldwide for pushing (black) metal into the avant-garde with Sunn O))), Stephen O’Malley is also a respected graphic designer and the founder/art director of Ideologic Organ: a label devoted to avant-garde, drone and contemporary composition, where sound and visual language are treated as one.
Fifteen years after launching the label (together with the late Peter Rehberg of Editions Mego), O’Malley celebrates its anniversary by spotlighting Ideologic Organ at VanhaerentsArtCollection: an impressive contemporary art space in a former industrial warehouse, a stone’s throw from AB. He said yes to our invitation at a coffee bar during the Le Guess Who? Festival in Utrecht.
As an extra extension of the curation, blow-ups of Ideologic Organ artwork will also be on display at AB VITRINE (Steenstraat 23–27) throughout the festival period.
The line-up curated by Stephen O’Malley
Lucy Railton presents Blue Veil
Railton (UK/DE) may have released her solo debut Blue Veil only recently, but her track record is already formidable: longform drone collaborations (including with Kali Malone), a decade of curating London’s Kammer Klang at Café OTO, running the London Contemporary Music Festival, and even reworking Bach for ECM. Pitchfork summed it up in one sentence: her debut is “rigorous, austere and breathtaking.”
The Wire goes deeper, describing Railton as “one of the day’s most spellbinding cellists,” with work that feels “mesmerizingly sculptural.” Expect a performance where every stroke matters, with music that feels meticulously sculpted.
Golem Mecanique
Golem Mecanique is the project of French multi-instrumentalist Karen Jebane, operating on the fringes of contemporary folk while carrying “the ashes & fibres of black metal and the DNA of gothic music.”
Her recent album Siamo tutti in pericolo (2025) is a profound tribute to Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini – a title borrowed from the final words of his last interview: “We’re all in danger.” Jebane’s own relationship to Pasolini is intensely personal: a teenage encounter with films like Accattone and Teorema that opened doors to “silent violence, erotism, desire… ancient myth and wrath.”
Boomkat placed the record “somewhere between sacred minimalism, church music and medieval folk,” and Jebane herself adds: Maria Callas and Scott Walker are in the room too.
Jessika Kenney
Vocalist Jessika Kenney (US) is internationally regarded for her spellbinding timbres and her deep study of oral traditions. A practice that moves between sound installation, talismanic scores, film work, electronics and choral writing.
Her long-running creative partnership with viola player Eyvind Kang has yielded multiple releases on Ideologic Organ, and her collaborations stretch from Sunn O))) (Monoliths & Dimensions) to Sarah Davachi, Tashi Wada, Wolves in the Throne Room and Avey Tare. A perfect BRDCST detail, from Kenney herself: “I think I may be a little bit strange in the sense of tending to like sounds that bother most people.”
Timothy Archambault
Miami-based composer/architect/flute player Timothy Archambault (US) explores the Native American flute, more specifically the Pibigwan (Algonquin flute), which, in Algonquin tradition, represents the essence of wind. His latest work Onimikìg sits at a striking intersection: contemporary avant-garde and minimalist folk, ritual texture and meticulous restraint.
A detail worth sharing: the opening track features no flute at all, but the sound of a ritual rattle made from animal bones, an object gifted by an Algonquin Elder setting the tone for music that feels both ancient and forward-facing.
VanhaerentsArtCollection: BRDCST in a hidden gem
VanhaerentsArtCollection is one of those Brussels places that still feels like a secret: a contemporary art collection inside a refurbished industrial building in the Dansaert area. The collection has grown into one of Europe’s major private collections, with work by artists ranging from Ai Weiwei to Olafur Eliasson, Cindy Sherman and Bill Viola.
The space itself is part of the experience: the “Viewing Depot” concept – sculptures sometimes still in crates, paintings on storage racks – turns the building into an active, living archive. During BRDCST, you’ll be able to experience the art before, during and after the concerts, letting O’Malley’s curation resonate inside a room already designed for attention.
