Photo: Olympe Tits
A rising star in the music firmament, Vitja Pauwels has made a name for himself playing with bands and artists like Naïma Joris, Bombataz, Warm Bad and Lara Rosseel, and also as a solo artist, releasing his debut album, Day at Half Speed, in 2019, and the critically acclaimed follow-up Drift By, Sink In in 2022. Pauwels has unearthed Early Life Forms, his new quartet also comprising Frederik Leroux (baritone guitar), Laurens Dierickx (Hammond organ) and Casper Van De Velde (drums). Following an invite by the BRAND! Festival in Belgium, the multi-instrumentalist put together his “dream” band, including his hero Marc Ribot. Ahead of the festival, Pauwels wrote a few songs for the show with the caveat that there would be no rehearsals in advance, only a brief soundcheck with Ribot. “The music was played and heard for the first time, and it felt like a birth of something that needed to be alive”, Pauwels explains. “We felt connected in the right state of mind – relaxed and focused – and it all happened in a rush of shared energy. No ego’s or fear, only connection and the music”. Speaking about the collaboration with Ribot, he comments:
“Marc’s commitment in the music was better than I could have hoped for. What he played was with 200% intention, putting the rest of us in a state of hyperfocus. Given the fact that it was a one-time thing and a recording, we took risks without ‘overplaying’ or overthinking it. Right before the gig, we felt an urge to play, Marc said, “Let’s rock!!” and we hit the stage”.
Their one-off performance was recorded and comes January 26th, it will be released as a self-titled record marking their debut album. A melting pot of sounds and influences, Early Life Forms fuses together musical genres such as latin, jazz, cuban, and rock with a touch of exoticism and cinematic explorations, and other than Marc Ribot, the quartet cites Ry Cooder, Henry Mancini, Los Lobos and Ennio Morricone as influences.
To tease the release of the upcoming album through W.E.R.F. Records, Early Life Forms have just shared ‘Groove Encore’ and we can’t stop playing it. Listen to it below, and check out the previously released single, ‘Latin Dancer’, straight after.