Aranis are a

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

acoustic

avant-rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

and neo-classical chamber music group led by composer and contrabass player

Joris Vanvinckenroye Joris Vanvinckenroye (born 1977), also known by his solo moniker BASta!, is a Flemish avant-rock and experimental double bass musician and composer. He is best known for Aranis, a neo-classical chamber rock group he founded and leads, and for h ...

. Their music has been described as a blend of "chamber classical and rock", "Chamber Music Rock", and "Belgian chamber rock" with elements of East and Southern European folk music. Aranis have recorded six albums, and have performed live at a number of European venues, including the

Rock in Opposition Rock in Opposition or RIO was a movement representing a collective of progressive bands in the late 1970s united in their opposition to the music industry that refused to recognise their music. It was initiated by English avant-rock group Hen ...

festivals in

Carmaux Carmaux (; oc, Carmauç) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. Industries The Compagnie minière de Carmaux has its origins in a coal mining concession granted in 1852 to Gabriel de Solages, which became the Compagnie minièr ...

, France. They made their American concert debut at

NEARfest The North East Art Rock Festival, or NEARfest for short, was a multi-day event celebrating the resurgence of progressive and eclectic music in the United States and around the world. The event was held annually in early summer in Bethlehem, Pennsy ...

Apocalypse at Zoellner Arts Center,

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

in June 2012. A biography of the group at

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

said that " concert, Aranis creates an unforgettable atmosphere. Variation and expressivity hold the audience riveted. Chaotic structures and virtuoso crescendos alternate with serene intervals."

Biography

Aranis are based in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, Belgium, and their music, composed by Vanvinckenroye, features contrabass, violin, accordion, flute, piano and guitar. Their first live performance was in

Heist-op-den-Berg Heist-op-den-Berg () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Heist-op-den-Berg proper (including the hamlets: Heist-Goor, Heist-Station, Zonderschot, Heist-Centrum and Bruggeneinde), the villages of ...

in 2002, and their debut album, ''Aranis'' was released in 2005. Aranis' third album, ''Songs From Mirage'' was released in 2009 and their sound was augmented by the inclusion of three female vocalists. Also in 2009, Vanvinckenroye created a solo bass project called BASta! and recorded ''Cycles'', an album featuring him on solo multi-tracked double bass. Aranis released '' RoqueForte'' in 2010 and included drummer

Dave Kerman David Kerman (born August 24, 1959), better known as Dave Kerman, is an American experimental rock drummer and composer, best known as the founder and member of the Los Angeles avant-rock group 5uu's. He is also a member of the Belgian progressi ...

of the 5uu's and

Thinking Plague Thinking Plague is an American avant-garde progressive rock group founded in 1982 by guitarist/composer Mike Johnson and bass guitarist/drummer Bob Drake. Based in Denver, Colorado, the band has been active off and on since 1982, taking on a ...

, departing from their hitherto "signature drummerless acoustic sound". In 2011 Aranis joined forces with Belgian groups

Univers Zero Univers Zero (also known as Univers Zéro and Univers-Zero) are an instrumental Belgium, Belgian band formed in 1974 by drummer Daniel Denis. The band is known for its dark style of progressive rock, heavily influenced by 20th-century chamber musi ...

and

Present The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perception, perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is ...

to form a 17-member ensemble called Once Upon a Time in Belgium. They premiered at the fourth edition of the Rock in Opposition festival held in

, France in September 2011, where they performed "New York Transformations", a work composed by Kurt Budé of Univers Zero. Once Upon a Time in Belgium appears in the documentary film '' Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock in Opposition'' (2012); Aranis also features in this film, and the companion '' Romantic Warriors II: Special Features DVD'' (2013). In 2012, as a

sextet A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...

and without a drummer again, Aranis departed from recording compositions by Vanvinckenroye and released ''Made in Belgium'', an album of interpretations of works by other Belgian composers, including

Wim Mertens Wim Mertens (; born 14 May 1953) is a Flemish Belgian composer, countertenor vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and musicologist. Life and work Mertens was born in Neerpelt, Belgium. He studied social and political science at the University of Leu ...

, Daniel Denis of Univers Zero, and Roger Trigaux of Present. In 2014 Aranis released ''Made in Belgium II'', another album of interpretations of works by Belgian composers, including

Peter Vermeersch Peter Vermeersch (born 1959 in Waregem) is a Belgian composer, clarinet player and producer. He is a main character in several Belgian bands such as X-Legged Sally, A Group and the Flat Earth Society. His compositions, balancing between cl ...

and

Walter Hus Walter Hus (born 2 July 1959) is a Belgian composer and musician. He studied at the music conservatories in Ghent and Brussels. In 1984, he graduated with excellence (''Diplôme supérieur'') for piano with Prof. Dr. Robert Steyaert and soon bec ...

Discography

;Studio albums *''Aranis'' (2005) *''Aranis II'' (2007) *''Songs from Mirage'' (2009) *'' RoqueForte'' (2010) *''Made in Belgium'' (2012) *''Made in Belgium II'' (2014) *''Smells like Aranis'' (2017) ;Compilation albums *''Vinylplaat'' (2008) – contains selections from ''Aranis'' and ''Aranis II'' ;Singles *"Hidden Soundscapes" (2007) – collaboration with flutist Toon Fret Source: Aranis homepage

Film appearances

* Romantic Warriors II: A Progressive Music Saga About Rock in Opposition * Romantic Warriors II: Special Features DVD

Members

– composer, contrabass *Linde de Groof – violin *Liesbeth Lambrecht – violin *Marjolein Cools – accordion *Axelle Kennes – piano *Ward De Vleeschhouwer – piano *Stijn Denys – guitar *Jana Arns – flute Source: Aranis homepage

Guest musicians

;On ''Songs From Mirage'' *Els van Laethem – voice *Anne Marie Honggokoessoemo – voice *Herlinde Ghekiere – voice *Linde de Groof – violin *Els Vrints – piano ;On '' RoqueForte'' *

– percussion *Stefan Wellens – viola *Pierre Chevalier – piano Source: Aranis homepage

References

External links

"Chamber Music Rock" – the Belgian form of R.I.O.
at psychemusic.org – includes reviews of all Aranis' albums {{Authority control Belgian progressive rock groups Chamber music groups Rock in Opposition Musical groups established in 2002