The Belgian composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Dienne builds songs and soundscapes which portray the images and stories that play behind her eyes. Combining analogue instruments like the oboe, the piano, and the flute with reverb-drenched vocals and shimmers of processed electronic sources, she creates hazy pieces of music full of the melancholy of remembrance and loss.
Her debut album Addio (2022) was released on Nicolás Jaar’s Other People imprint. Following the passing of her grandmother due to COVID-19, and being unable to properly say goodbye due to travel restrictions, Dienne set out to give her farewell in musical form. The result is a deeply intimate work that channels classical instrumentation through foggy electronic experimentation. Memories, biographies, and family histories merge in this simultaneously sombre and optimistic work which plays out like a universal and comforting ode to loved ones lost.
© Hugo Emmerzael
© Dienne