The Stories of Little Jane - Chapter 1: Alec Ilyine + Kawol SamarQandi

Alec Ilyine / guitar
Kawol SamarQandi / guitar, voice                                                                                             

Alec Ilyine, who is well-versed in jazz, Indian music, flamenco, and Arabic music, and who has invited listeners on a journey into their inner selves through improvisational performances that draw on a wide range of musical styles—from the blues to minimalist music—is visiting Japan for the first time.
What is the music born from the encounter and dialogue with the stumbling, poor sounds of Kawol SamarQandi who also releases albums on the same Australian label—the stories of Little Jane


biography:

Alec Ilyine /
Alec Ilyine (b. 1981) is a Belgian musician, sound engineer, and multi-instrumentalist, known for his exploration of diverse musical traditions. He plays a wide range of stringed instruments, including 6- and 12-string guitars, Ud, Cavaquinho, Charango, and bass guitar.
Alec holds a Master’s degree in Music for Jazz Guitar and a Teaching diploma from LUCA School of Arts, Campus Leuven. He has pursued further studies in Indian music, Flamenco and Middle Eastern music. In addition, he has spent many years studying blues and contemporary fingerpicking. His live looping is influenced by ambient music and Classical minimalism, blending all these elements into both his performances and compositions.
As a musician he tries to create an environment where analog meets digital, where acoustic sounds (both environmental and instrumental) coincide with an electronic eco-system.
At present Alec is using a minimal setup of acoustic steelstringguitar and iPad, using electronics and fieldrecordings to create experimental sonic landscapes that take an audience on a complex inner journey via fingerpicking compositions where improvisation is key. 

Kawol SamarQandi /
he was born in the port town on October 7. 
as a child, the first music he listened to was the noise of shortwave radio and hymns.
he began writing poetry at the age of 6.
he began to playing guitar and singing at the age of 12. 
he began composing at the age of 14.
he joined the fringe of the Tokyo new wave music scene at the age of 17. then he has performed as a odd singer-songwriter in a variety of venues.
mid-20s, he wandered about North Africa (Tunisia) and the Mediterranean region and studied Arabic traditional music under Mr. Ali Sriti. 
After performing theater solo concert, festivals, TV appearances, etc. there, returned to Japan,
he did a lot of commercial work (e.g. “City pop”) as a guitarist, arranger, composer, lyric writer and vocalist in recording studios, on the airwaves, and on tour.
in 1997, he launched his private label PLAKA for EARDRUM.
As the 21st century began, gradually distancing himself from the commercial music “business”,
he began his lifework of creating non-nationality “poor” music by improvising with only his faltering guitar and trembling voice.
and he collaborates with musicians across borders (sometimes face to face, sometimes on the Internet) to make works and to perform in various places.
in 2007, he formed REFUGEES with Mary Meacha Goldfish.
in August 2021, Ramble Records released vinyl record album “silence, notes and structures 1”.
in April 2024, he was invited by the Sharjah Art Foundation to perform solo and REFUGEES concerts and workshops in UAE.
same month, Ramble Records released CD album “Noli me tangere”.
in October 2025, he and Meacha were visit to perform in Athens, Greece.
in December 2025, he will release a brand new vinyl record album called “energeia” recorded in a historical place in Sharjah, UAE.
in July 2026, he and Meacha are scheduled to perform in Wellington, New Zealand.

the will to keep listening attentively to the world through the austerely and beautiful silences, notes and structures of improvisation.