Julien Tassin, Erwin Vann & Jean-Marc Butty Unveil New Collaborative Project

The trio share meditative first single 'Northern Light', produced by PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish, ahead of November album 'Inner Forest'.

Three of Belgium and France's most distinctive instrumentalists have joined forces. Julien Tassin, Erwin Vann and Jean-Marc Butty have announced a new collaborative project with 'Northern Light', out now, the first single from forthcoming album 'Inner Forest', due 27th November and shaped by producer John Parish, best known for his long-running work with PJ Harvey and Eels.

'Northern Light' sets the tone for what's to come: a meditative, ethereal opener built on delicate instrumental interplay, evoking cold northern landscapes with a contemplative pull. "This song serves as a lasting memory of a profound, contemplative connection with nature," says Tassin. "It evokes magical, cold northern landscapes and, as the album's opening track, establishes its meditative atmosphere."

Each musician brings a distinct voice to the project. Tassin's unconventional prepared-guitar techniques draw on blues, jazz, classical, Eastern and African influences; saxophonist Erwin Vann channels a mindfulness practice into a contemplative sense of serenity; and drummer Jean-Marc Butty, whose CV includes decades with PJ Harvey and work with The Raincoats, brings a rhythmic sensibility shaped by sound bath therapy. Under Parish's production, that combination leans into analogue textures and organic minimalism, sitting somewhere between jazz, ambient and contemporary classical, in the same orbit as GoGo Penguin, Portico Quartet and Talk Talk's Mark Hollis.

The trio will play a run of Belgian dates through to early 2027, including release concerts in Ghent and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw this December, ahead of 'Inner Forest' landing in full on 27th November.