ANTOINE PIERRE

Brussels-based drummer and composer Antoine Pierre (1992) has become a key figure on the Belgian and European jazz & beyond scene.  Leader of the daring and diverse projects VAAGUE, Next.Ape, and URBEX, he is also an active sideman and member of several important international groups, including Mélanie De Biasio and TaxiWars.

Returning from New York in 2015, where he studied for a year after graduating from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Antoine received the Sabam Jazz Award. Later that year, he entered the studio to record his first album as a leader, URBEX. Released in 2016, the group toured Belgium for two years and then returned to the studio to record their second album, “Sketches Of Nowhere” (2018, Igloo Records). Acclaimed by critics (Choc Jazzman, Indispensable Jazz News, Must TSF, Octave de la Musique 2019, etc.), they embarked on their first international tour with different line-ups and guests such as Ben Van Gelder, Reinier Baas, and Magic Malik.

In January 2020, Antoine was artist in residence at the Brussels Jazz Festival (Flagey), where he was responsible for presenting three different projects: an all-star quartet with American saxophonist Joshua Redman, a completely improvised set with fellow drummers Lander Gyselinck and Mark Schilders, and an internationally expanded version of his band URBEX. The latter was recorded and resulted in their latest album, “Suspended,” released in September 2020 (Outnote Records). This third opus was wonderfully received by international critics, with articles in prestigious international newspapers such as Le Monde, Jazzism, Trouw, Culture Jazz, Le Gri Gri, Jazzwise, London Jazz News, as well as radio appearances in the US and rave reviews in Belgium. 
Another facet of Pierre's versatile artistic personality is evident in the creation of his trip-hop/alternative/electric group Next.Ape, in which he collaborates with Hungarian singer Veronika Harcsa, guitarist Lorenzo Di Maio, keyboardist Jérôme Klein, and multi-instrumentalist Cédric Raymond. In February 2019, they released their first EP and embarked on an international tour, sometimes with American saxophonist Ben Wendel as a special guest. Throughout 2019 and 2020, they regularly went into the studio to prepare their first album, “The Fourth Wall,” which will be released in March 2023 on Shapes no Frame, Antoine's brand new label, in collaboration with [PIAS] Belgium. 

In 2020 and 2021, Antoine Pierre worked on his solo project, VAAGUE, in which he fuses electronic sounds and samples with his drums, all played live using technology from the New York start-up “Sensory Percussions.” Over the course of several residencies (including at VOLTA and Botanique), the project continues to evolve. A first EP was released in September 2021 and the second, From The Ashes, in October 2022. A first full-length album was released in the fall of 2024: Oktopus Mekaniks. With it, he toured the coolest venues: at midnight at the epic DOUR Festival, at Gretchen in Berlin, at La Gare in Paris, at the Fêtes de la Musique and at the AB club in Brussels... but also in China: in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai!

In 2024, he also embarked on an adventure as VAAGUE, but with a repertoire composed specifically for a choreography by Isabella Soupart: Kintsugi.

Over the years and through various projects spanning several albums, he refined his approach and style, unafraid to tackle different genres and scenes. This has led him to stand out clearly and be welcomed by the best players on the music scene (Flagey, AB, and Bozar in Brussels, Reflektor and Jazz in Liège, Bijloke, HA Concert, and Gent Jazz Festival, Maison de la Radio in Paris, etc.). Pierre is a proactive sideman who has already played with various musicians such as Philip Catherine, Joshua Redman, Enrico Pieranunzi, Ben Wendel, Logan Richardson, Jacky Terrasson, Didier Lockwood, Stuart McCallum, Anna McLucky, and others.