Wavemakers
Alex Ventling (nz/ch) – piano, synth, composition, visuals
Tuva Halse (No) - violin
amund stenøien (NO) – vibraphone
august glännestrand (SW) – drums
Tuva's violin floats with ease, Amund and August give grounded momentum, and Alex leads in the midst of the ‘wave’ with his warm keystroke. As the name suggests, Wavemakers is a quartet building large momentum, to form a groove-organism. As Alex’s long-term developing compositional concept, the music is defined by meticulous uncovering of singular ideas and precise interweaving of each voice. Within the textures float sensitive hymnic melodies – a sometimes intriguing mixture of fragility and power.
Their first Album (see below) in 2018 featured Swiss singer, Yumi Ito. Now the current Nordic ensemble replaces the voice with violin and introduces the vibraphone and prepared piano as a further rhythmic elements. Wavemakers tour with visual projections, filmed by Alex. Videos and photographs were made in an abstract series, capturing macro movements of light on the river Rhine by night.
“Alex Ventling is a very talented piano player with great musicality and a voice of his own. With his Wavemakers, he creates evocative landscapes that unexpectedly shift between delicate melodies and powerful grooves.” – COLIN VALLON (ECM)
Wavemakers - Album (Switzerland)
