Life and career
Van Nueten began playing the piano at the age of four when his mother enrolled him in the local music school. He learned to read music before learning to read words. In his teenage years, he developed an interest in pop and rock music, and after completing his studies in mathematical economics, he fully committed to a career in music. [1]
In the early years of his career, Van Nueten was a member of the band The Sands, [2] whose self-titled debut album was produced by Bill Janovitz of the American band Buffalo Tom and released worldwide by Universal Records. The band toured Europe, including performances with John Cale. In 1990, Van Nueten wrote The Sands' notable track "April and June", which became a staple on Belgian radio and frequently appeared on "Top 100 Belgian Songs of All Time" lists.
In 1998, Van Nueten decided to shift his musical focus and enrolled at a conservatory to study composition and harmony. Under the guidance of internationally renowned pedagogue Jacques De Tiège, he refined his piano skills. [1]
Van Nueten has composed music for film directors, theater productions, and choreographers. His compositions have been featured in productions by prominent Benelux theaters, including Toneelhuis, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Les Ballets C de la B, and HETPALEIS. In 2005, he composed the musical Soepkinders. He has also composed for films by directors such as Koen Mortier ( Ex Drummer [3] ) and Alex Stockman (Eva, [4] Pulsar ).
The music magazine OOR described his work for Les Ballets C de la B's dance production Bâche [5] as a masterpiece, noting the unique combination of modern electronic soundscapes with emotive Elizabethan music. [6]
In 2016, Van Nueten was recognized as a Fellow at the Sundance Institute for his work on the dance performance Verveling (Boredom), a collaboration with dancer Sheila Rojas and choreographer Amar Al-Bojrad. This fellowship is part of the institute's international cultural exchange programs to support independent artists from the Middle East and North Africa. [7] [8]
As a performer and arranger, Van Nueten has contributed to albums by artists such as dEUS, Admiral Freebee, Zita Swoon, Magnus, Tim Vanhamel, and DAAN. Two of his songs have been included in the "Top 100 Belgian Songs of All Time" by the Belgian magazine Knack. His collaboration with Tom Barman, the double album Live, featured piano arrangements and was released across Europe, appearing on several best-of-the-year lists in 2003.
In 2009, Van Nueten released Merg, a contemporary classical solo album with influences from Baroque music and composers like Johann Sebastian Bach. [9] In 2013, he followed up with Pacman, [10] which was described by VRT Canvas' cobra.be as "timeless and free from trends". [11] The Pacman trilogy concluded in 2018 with the release of Contact, [12] [13] marking Van Nueten as the first Belgian artist to release an album on Sony Classical. [14] In Humo, Tom Lanoye praised it as the most captivating album of the COVID-19 pandemic year, 2020. [15]
In the fall of 2019, Van Nueten released the EP Night Has Come, featuring music from the soundtrack of Peter Van Goethem's film Night Has Come. The following years saw the release of the EPs As Played By, Wired, and Pulsar, which are part of Decent Music, a collection of works composed by Van Nueten between 2002 and 2022 for theater, film, and dance. [16] [17]
