Wim Mertens

After working as a music critic and radio producer, Wim Mertens began creating music in 1980. His first release, For Amusement Only, consisted exclusively of sounds from pinball machines.

This was followed by the albums At Home-Not at Home (1981), Vergessen (1982), Struggle for Pleasure (1983), and Maximizing the Audience (1984).

Over the past 40 years, he has developed his musical creativity into a carefully constructed personal language, writing for various ensembles. He has also created works for vocals and symphony orchestra.

To date, Mertens has released more than 70 albums. In 2019, he released Inescapable, a limited edition overview of four decades of his work. This was followed by The Gaze of the West (2020), Heroides (2022), Voice of the Living (2023), and Ranges of Robustness, released in June 2024.

In his latest composition, Ranges of Robustness, Mertens explores the numerous forms and degrees of the concept of "robustness." The nine pieces discuss all the options, "as our times demand," according to Mertens himself. The contemporary symphonic approach reflects the current challenges of today. The first single was Polytics.
He regularly releases solo and ensemble albums, performing his melodic and lyrical compositions with ever-changing lineups of musicians.

Mertens' key achievements include: Struggle for Pleasure (1982), Maximizing the Audience (1984), Time Passing (1987), Often a Bird (1996), Iris (1991), The Scene (1997), Old Katarakt (2007), and Polytics (2024).

His current performances feature music from his latest album, Ranges of Robustness, as well as his most famous compositions.