Every fortnight, BIRD takes a peek into the record bag of a musical soulmate. This time, we spoke with our Flemish neighbours from Nordmann. Dive deep into the fusion-loaded record bag featuring the likes of Miles Davis, David Bowie and Nick Drake, and check out the band on Friday 15th October at BIRD.

Name a song that you think describes the current state of the world.

‘Heroes’ by David Bowie. The song was recorded in 1977 at Hansa Studios in Berlin. There's a certain optimism in the lyrics and the song: a stark contrast to the dark, depressing times and place where it was created. Even in the current circumstances – a global health crisis, political unrest, growing extremism – we must dare to be optimistic about the future and look ahead. Even if just for one day.

Which artist (or song) is a great inspiration to you?

‘Weird Fishes / Arpeggi’ by Radiohead. There are many artists from whom we draw inspiration. It could be because of their sound, the lyrics, or how a specific song emotionally triggers you. We are all huge fans of Thom Yorke's work and Radiohead: a band that always manages to reinvent itself and stay relevant in the music scene. Perhaps they are the best band in the world.

Which song did you play together for the first time, and what do you remember from that moment?

‘The Lizard Game’ by Bart Defoort. Our band emerged from the Ghent jazz scene. One particular evening, someone asked us if we wanted to play together. Naturally, we did. We rehearsed twice and played our first gig in a basement café in Ghent. Fun fact: we all took lessons from Bart Defoort at the Conservatorium in Ghent!

Which track (aside from your own songs) could easily be one of yours?

‘Snake Eyes’ by Trouble. This track no longer quite fits the sound of In Velvet, but it would have fit perfectly on our previous album The Boiling Ground. We have given our version a permanent place in our live set during The Boiling Ground tour.

Which song do you wish you had written yourself?

‘Riverman’ by Nick Drake. A very beautiful melody, lyrics and arrangement (although that can be said about many of his songs) but simultaneously melancholic and exciting.

Which song, that you haven't played before, would you like to perform live someday?

Once, Ancienne Belgique asked us to play a concert with only covers, which we performed in our own way as a tribute to Adolphe Sax. We played songs from the likes of Wilco, The Beatles, John Zorn, Mingus. We once did a version of '21st Century Schizoid Man' by King Crimson. Perhaps we could cover an electronic song, like 'The Man With The Red Face' by Laurent Garnier. The track has a cool vibe and saxophone solo.

What is your hidden gem?

On the Corner by Miles Davis. One of the most controversial albums by Miles Davis and a clear signal from Miles to both his record label and the African-American youth of the USA. The sound of the album is experimental, electronic, jazz, punk. Miles often broke away from his own artistic past, but in this case, it was perhaps the most extreme.

If you could bring back one artist from the past, and have them play one track (or album) at BIRD; what would it be?

On the Corner - Miles Davis. One of the most controversial albums by Miles Davis and a clear signal from Miles to both his record label and the African-American youth of the USA. The sound of the album is experimental, electronic, jazz, punk. Miles often broke away from his own artistic past, but in this case, it was perhaps the most extreme.