Karen Willems - A Fool's Guide To Reality

Karen Willems
A Fool's Guide To Reality
permanent draft
Belgium/UK, 2025
LP

The latest on Valentina Magaletti & Fanny Chiarello's experimental all-womxn label permanent draft is the first I've heard from Karen Willems. Like Magaletti, Willems is a drummer who isn't limited by her chosen instrument. Some inspired drumming is just one component in this mazy collection of experimental sound design, with its cryptic architecture and hall-of-mirrors aesthetic.

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FROM THE LABEL:

Karen Willems is a Belgian drummer/percussionist active in various fields. Started as a drummer in rock and pop bands. With a number of musicians she built up a tradition within improvised music and sound art. Since 2020, with ‘TERRE SOL’ Willems is searching for personal modifications within her play of instruments and objects, with the focus on solo work and compositions.

"When I make music, there’s no plan. I draw my inspiration from everyday life. Small encounters, people, and the greatest source, of course, is nature. There we find all the beauty, all the sounds we need. With my solo work I try to stay far away from my familiar drum set. Only then I can create a special universe. Eccentricity and playfulness go hand in hand with exercises in tension and release, and calls for connection in antisocial times. It's difficult in this world obsessed with productivity and results, and you really have to be crazy to release music these days. So ‘A Fool’s Guide to Reality’ is a fitting title." Karen Willems