Kontuur

*2026 stock* Kontuur is a duo exploring improvisation in the space between acoustic and electronic music. It consists of Juri Jansen (drums) and Adriaan Severins (electronics), but is often expanded with fellow artists/musicians. Starting point of every Kontuur project is finding new ways to sample and re-sample existing audio/sounds in an (as-live-as-possible) electronic environment, mostly beginning from the acoustics of a drum kit.

During a two year period (2019 - 2021) Kontuur recorded several improv sessions at De Houten Zaal (Warande, Turnhout). With a specific set of rules each session was fully documented, creating an extensive library of new sounds.

A continuous merging of electronic and acoustical elements resulted in two working methods. On the A side, there’s a selection of raw live material. With no edits (only a cut at the beginning and end of each track), A comes very close to what a Kontuur live performance could be. B shows two improvisations with more applied rules, automations and resampling of past material. B tries to balance the somewhat more conscious decision-making which happens in a studio, while maintaining the same experience of time and spaciality.

A/B is a first record, a starting point. It bundles 5 possible outcomes that, when combined, give an insight in Kontuur’s frequency spectrum. After the recordings and studio sessions, Kontuur went back to the Houten Zaal to conduct visual improvisations with film maker Ans Mertens. Mostly playing with mirrors, lighting filters and reflections from the sun, a suitable visual language emerged. The images from that moment echo the same creative process Juri and Adriaan undertook with A/B.