A lot depends on what the actual purpose of the music is. Music that needs to be purely functional (music that needs to enhance the atmosphere of an actual setting) is not supposed to be about structure. I simply follow the visual & emotional structure of a scene. When it comes to music being autonomous (music that is intended to be listened to as a thing in itself), structure becomes a vital ingredient of the composition. For example: the 10" "Monster" is not concerned about pleasing the listener. It's all about enhancing the visuals for which it was made. The good thing is that it forces me to think about structure in a different way. Sometimes the visual cut comes in at a very unpleasant moment (music-wise) and that way I am forced to abort certain melodic lines or structures I had in mind. The unpredictability of a montage makes my music go into very unexpected directions. I like that kind of exercise.

When I am composing music that is supposed to be autonomous, I work in another mindframe. It's hard to explain how this works. Words like 'structure' and 'emotion' seem to merge in a way that is not conscious. I just keep working on a piece until it feels right. Or wrong.

I have no idea. These are the sounds I have been listening to for as long as I can remember, It was always John Zorn, John Cage, Duke Ellington, Diamanda Galas, Yma Sumac, Les Baxter, Martin Denny, Ennio Morricone, Bernard Herrmann, Coil, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Scorn, Aphex Twin, Autechre, J.S. Bach, Danny Elfman, Alan Lomax, DJ Shadow, John Barry, Godflesh, DJ Vadim, Tortoise, Jerry Goldsmith, Billie Holiday, Amon Tobin, Dmitri Shostakovich, Throbbing Gristle, Pan Sonic, Kevin Martin, Brian Eno, Morton Feldman, Charles Mingus, Art Blakey, Max Steiner, Thomas Newman, Mike Patton, etc... I have no idea what unites them, but I think it has something to do with shying away from doing what is expectable. Reaching for something that is unknown to mankind, taking a risk and putting your vulnerable self out there.

I do not use sheets and I do not compose electronically. Mostly it depends on what I am looking for: a certain scene needs a certain atmosphere. The first thing I do when I start working on a score is ‘the casting’: choosing the right instrumentation in terms of colour, atmosphere, timbre, cultural reference and history. I scan my records, looking for the right musicians, composers & recording methods. That's the most important job. When that is done I start building a sample-library. From this point it becomes a very time-consuming job: trial and error, hit and miss. I listen to combinations of sounds (for a very long time) to see if they work together. They might not make any sense at first listen, but sometimes it helps listening to two very non-corresponding loops for more than 2 minutes. Your brain starts to hear connections between the sounds and before you realize it, there is a symphony unfolding in front of your ears. I consider it as a privilege to observe the chaos and organize it into something that becomes listenable…

Hmm… It’s interesting that you’re asking me this, because they are not… Most 'contemporary' scores for theatre are electronic-based-laptop-soundscapes. They have a tendency of being quite pretentious and arty.

I use a lot of 'classical' instrumentation: strings, piano, vocalisations... I am doing this because I am an avid soundtrack-buff. I love the way music (and sound) is deployed in cinema, because this is, according to me, the place where it works best. I kind of like to think about myself as someone who is working within this tradition. Soundtracks are composed to enhance the storytelling, whereas music for staged art always has a tendency of being 'inventive', which is not relevant to me. When composing for theatre I do not consider myself to be an artist in my own right, I rather play the part of being a humble servant to the story and the atmosphere.

The most rewarding thing of working with these guys is the inspiration I get from their creations. Writing music for a performance is very different from sitting at home and trying to come up with something out of nowhere. I am given a certain atmosphere, characters, development, storyline, timeframe. For me it is about creating an environment for the actors and the audience. It is not about psychology or analysis. The sound and the imagery have to create a certain universe in which they can experience their horror. This means that I hardly ever try to illustrate the psychological state of the protagonist, I think it's a lot more rewarding to create an environment. The audience will identify with the actors, but it is the environment that will scare them. This is a good thing because it allows me to work with the spectators on a subconscious level. Most of the time the audience is focused on the actions being performed on stage, so all the other parameters of theatre (lights, sound, staging, etc.) can crawl under their skin unnoticed, like a slow-spreading poison. I want the music to be purely functional on an immersive and subconscious level.

There is not much to say. I know that Belgium has a thriving underground-scene, but I hardly have any contact with it. There's Eric Thielemans, a percussionist, but I consider him more to be a shaman. We have been trying to set up a full blown collaboration for a long time now, but our schedules never seem to be able to make it work. Then there's also Bram Bosteels (Kaboom Karavan), he was in my live-band when I was touring my Arcanum-live-set. We're good friends and I really value his opinions about my work. There's no doubt that we will eventually work together again.

I am a bit reluctant in answering these kind of questions because I don't like to be pinned down on having a certain look at how we should live our lives. To tell you the truth: I don't know. I'm 37 years old and there has never been a constant idea about religion in my life. I think that this 'searching for the truth' is kind of a religion in itself. We all know that there is no truth to be found, but I do believe in the universal character of certain feelings: Love, Loss, Friendship, Fear, Greed, Lust, Excitement, Pain, Joy, etc... These are religious signifiers to me. By analyzing them, an individual should be able to make a distinction between right and wrong. Some of us manage to live their lives according to what they have learned along the way. I don't know if I am one of them, but I am trying...

What can I say? I love Jodorowsky's work, and I adore the fact that he is so decisive. Violence is an endless inspiration. It shows mankind beyond indoctrination. It brings us back to our primal self and it creates an intriguing insight in how we are designed. Man has a dark side, and I consider it to be of utter importance that you face this dark side. If you accept it you will be able to become a better person. It is a blast to enjoy life side by side with your demons and your fears.