Raf Vertessen
Raf Vertessen is a Belgian drummer, percussion player and composer based in Brooklyn.
He is involved in New York’s avant-garde and improvised music scene. Vertessen has performed and/or recorded with artists such as Ingrid Laubrock, Joe Morris, Joe McPhee, Ches Smith, Anna Webber, Nick Dunston, Will Greene, Elias Stemeseder, Dan Pencer, Jesse Heasly.
Shortly after his move to Brooklyn in 2016 he founded the Raf Vertessen Quartet with Anna Webber, Adam O’ Farrill and Nick Dunston. They toured and recorded in Europe in September 2018 and their debut record was released in 2020 on el NEGOCITO Records followed by a European release tour in 2022. This quartet uses Vertessen’s graphic scores, characteristics and modules as a means of structuring improvised music.
Vertessen is also active as a solo artist where he focuses on his own projections/figures, no input mixing, contact mics, and objects.