Ozark Henry reveals new single 'We Will Meet Again'
27 May 2020
Newsdesk
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Ozark Henry is one of many alter egos of Belgian artist/producer/composer/pioneer in immersive sound- Piet Goddaer. Over the years ‘Ozark Henry’ has produced music ranging from avant-garde electronica, to pop, to a symphonic album with the National Orchestra of Belgium. Now he releases a very timely and poignantly titled single ‘We Will Meet Again’ on 22nd May 2020.
Ozark Henry is considered one of the most influential “voices” in immersive sound, his universe is defined by a blending of craft with experiment, audio with visual and heritage with technology. His ground-breaking work in 3D immersive sound has been featured in TEDx and Google NY talks. He insists: “If stereo is a drawing, 3D sound is a sculpture.” Henry is also a united Nations Goodwill ambassador against human trafficking for the United Nations Office On Drugs And Crime. He puts his success down to true dedication to his art. He says: “Early in my career, I met David Bowie. He taught me that ego doesn’t matter. It is the work connecting us – the music we leave behind – that matters most. I never forgot this lesson.”
Since David Bowie praised Ozark Henry’s debut album in 1996 as one of his favourites, the Belgian artist has very successfully produced music ranging from avant-garde electronica to pop and classical music. Collaborating with legendary artists like Jah Wobble, Jackie Liebezeit, Martin Glover, Martina Topley Bird and Toots Thielemans - to mention a few - and renowned orchestras like the Metropool Orchestra and the National Orchestra of Belgium. His work gets applauded and recognised internationally, and he has been certified gold and platinum numerous times.
New single ‘We Will Meet Again’ came to life not for the sake of keeping busy during self-isolation during the Covid-19 crisis, but was intended to capture, like a photographer, the pivotal moment in time we are all living through. Early in January Henry was preparing for an international tour that would start in April and would take him to New York, Tokyo, Paris and London. That all changed in early March with the Covid pandemic lockdown in his small coastal village. Not only were the tour dates cancelled, but everything scheduled for 2020 was put on hold indefinitely. Henry and his family were thankfully together and healthy in their confinement but, outside his little community, people he knew were fighting for their lives- some tragically passing away. Seen from the beauty and peacefulness of his village the crisis is as invisible as it is real – but in real terms it will devastate the economy of the area which relies on it’s holiday-maker income. However, Henry insists it will not destroy the morale of the people who live there: he wrote this song to highlight their resilience and strength and hope over adversity. He says :
“...people are struggling, businesses are going down. The village is in survival mode. But people around here are tough and have a communal pride. Togetherness has never been more present and so we keep hope: we will meet again!”
