Under The Reefs Orchestra

All eyes on Under the Reefs Orchestra, the Brussels-based power trio operating at the crossroads of experimental jazz and post-rock.

With Williwaw, their third album, the trio returns more cinematic and virtuosic than ever. Through Clément Nourry’s radical compositions, Martí Melià’s bass sax and Jakob Warmenbol’s infectious drums, the band unfolds widescreen themes somewhere between Ennio Morricone and Angelo Badalamenti, carried by rhythmic trances that echo both Sons of Kemet and Tortoise. Their music moves like a fever dream, constantly shifting, unpredictable as a Belgian sky. At times dense and saturated, at times suddenly luminous, each piece unfolds in perpetual transformation, evoking the exploratory spirit of Jim O’Rourke or Jeff Parker, while embracing the raw poetry of Moondog and Ben LaMar Gay.

Drawn from an ocean of compositions and improvisations developed over the past years, and shaped through collaborations with Alejandra Borzyk, Catherine Graindorge and An Pierlé, Williwaw opens a space for unspoken emotions and unexpected encounters. Originally used to describe violent descending winds in coastal regions such as the Strait of Magellan, the word “williwaw” evokes something elemental, sudden and uncontrollable. Just like this music. Don’t set expectations. Just be ready.