Inwolves Karen Willems

Karen Willems is a restless seeker.

Willems’ quirkiness has become her trademark in the meantime, and it is probably also one of the main reasons why she turns up in such different surroundings (Jan Swerts, Pascal Deweze, Eric Thielemans, Aidan Baker, Jean D.L…). Her spontaneous, organic approach to playing has always been able to avoid clichés. Endless turning patterns often form the basis for her musical coloring pages, they are the glue that keep these many temperaments and atmospheres together.

'Color In The Zoo' is every inch as elusive as its predecessor, (Air+, Involves) but earthier and turned outwards. You still get the rather introverted moments, the melancholy, the quietness and thoughtfulness, wrapped in dreamy sound waves and repetitive rhythm patterns, but the tone became somewhat lighter. The ever-restless instinct remains at the steering wheel.

With a cartload of instruments and field recordings, and supported by a cast of kindred spirits (Nils Gröndahl, Barkin Engin, Hellvete, Stijn Dickel and Maarten Flamand), Willems once again succeeded in recording an album that feels like an expanding, but coherent trip. From her hometown Adegem to Istanbul and back. Ethnic grooves, cinematic excursions and unheard sounds are joined at the hip. Color In The Zoo is sprawling, psychedelic, searching and most of all free. Free from self-imposed restraints, free to let imagination run its course.