Jozef van Wissem - presented by Eleven Empire

Since studying the lute with Patrick O’Brien in New York in the 1990s, Jozef Van Wissem has created works rooted as much in the classical forms of Renaissance and Baroque lute music as in contemporary sounds ranging from drones and electronics to field recordings. His formative influences include the No Wave and industrial scenes, as well as his deep engagement with minimalism. Over the past decades, he has created a distinctive and singular body of work whose sound often brings together opposing qualities: meditative yet intense, forward-looking yet touched by a sense of mystery. His ability to constantly uncover something new and explore uncharted territory is evident throughout Van Wissem’s extensive back catalogue, right up to his latest album, The Night Dwells in the Day. Perhaps his best-known collaboration is with Jim Jarmusch: the renowned filmmaker and Van Wissem met by chance on the streets of New York, leading to their collaboration on the soundtrack for Only Lovers Left Alive, starring Tilda Swinton.