About Ignatz

Ignatz is the alter-ego of Belgian musician Bram Devens. In 1910, the illustrator George Herriman created the Krazy Kat comic strip. Ignatz, a vicious mouse, was Krazy Kat’s arch enemy, and his favourite pastime was to throw bricks at Krazy Kat’s head (who misinterpreted the mouse’s actions as declarations of love). Bram Devens uses Ignatz as his alter-ego, and comes armed with his own pile of bricks; sparse, emotive songs, wrapped in effects, corroded by tape, driven forth by improvisation and spontaneity.

Ignatz’s songs stem from a stripped folk framework, being compared to the primitivism of V.U. or Henry Flynt – but these songs sound inverted, cast adrift, from beneath the surface. Where Devens’ fretwork is adorned, it is executed with a refined coarseness. Autonomous loops entwine each other. Songs brush past percussion, bass notes, or a scant keyboard motif. A voice recedes from the heart of the song into a dislocated, cracked drawl.

Apart from working solo, Ignatz played with a band “de stervende honden”, after a friend (being tired of Ignatz’s solo concerts) suggested playing with a band. De Stervende Honden stopped playing live shows early 2023.

Contact

If you are looking to book Ignatz, want to inquire for a composition or just in need of more information? You can send an e-mail to: info@ignatz.be.

To keep up to date with concerts and releases, keep an eye on the live-page or follow Ignatz on mastodon, Bluesky and follow on bandcamp.