ABOUT
MISTER W
Classically trained Belgian composer, Mister W combines his experience as a film composer with his love for electronic music.
The impact of two genres colliding has emerged in the shape of his latest album ‘Liberation,’ a record created for the sake of creativity. With no boundaries in place, this album has been a gateway for Mister W to explore his selfexpression in unknown territory.
“At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, all my film orders were canceled. So I sat in my studio wondering what to do. I decided to just ‘make’ music for fun and for Liberty.”
explains Mister W, embracing the liberating feeling of creativity.
In the bustling heart of Brussels, a city where cultures collide and the aroma of waffles fills the air, Mister W was born. A blend of contrasting heritages, his father brought the legacy of German Jewry, while his mother carried the Catholic traditions of Brussels. Mister W's story began against the backdrop of the 1930s, marked by his grandfather Ernst's escape from Germany to Belgium, a move mirrored by his brother Felix's journey to Brazil. This split in paths proved fortuitous for Felix, whose descendants now span Brazil and the U.S., a living testament to the whims of destiny.
The year 1943 marked a pivotal point in Mister W's family saga. Ernst, a man of principles, refused to lend his engineering skills to the Germans, a decision that led to his arrest and the near capture of Mister W's father and uncle, Dan. Fortune smiled on Mister
W's father, who was grounded at home, but Dan's fate hung in balance until their teachers heroically hid him from harm.
Darkness descended as Ernst faced execution, and Sonia, Mister W's grandmother, along with young Dan, were sent to the abyss of Auschwitz. Sonia's survival through the Nazi death camp is a tale untold, her silence on the horrors she witnessed echoing the unspoken tragedies of many Holocaust survivors.
In these turbulent times, Mister W's father, Léopold, found refuge with a Belgian family. Yet, the innocence of childhood eluded him as he undertook dangerous missions for the resistance, a stark image of courage in the face of adversity.
Post-war, Léopold's pursuit of knowledge led him to Columbia University, but the McCarthy era's paranoia cut his American dream short, sending him back to Belgium for speaking his mind.
Mister W entered the world in 1968, navigating the complexities of identity in Paris and Brussels. Music became his sanctuary, a journey that began with classical piano and evolved into electronic experimentation with his first synthesizer, a Roland JX-3P. His band, “Born in Furnes,” marked the beginning of his foray into music that resonated with an audience.
University life brought a crossroad: engineering or music? Mister W chose the latter, leading to the birth of Musicom, a venture destined to make waves in huge events.
Mister W's path intertwined with various artists, from the comic strips of Peter Pluut to the cinematic endeavors of Olivier Van Hoofstadt. Their collaboration with Luc Besson on the film DIKKENEK highlighted his flair for the dramatic arts. Mister W's musical journey with the band Airlock, though fulfilling, eventually led him to seek new creative avenues.
The allure of Los Angeles, a city where dreams are chased and sometimes caught, called to Mister W. There, among the stars and ambitious dreamers, he carved his niche, though the fiercely competitive landscape proved challenging for the 45-year-old artist. Personal tribulations, including a divorce, drew him back to the comfort and responsibilities of family life in Belgium.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic marked a turning point for Mister W. As the world grappled with the virus, he watched with growing unease as governments exerted control, often at the expense of personal freedoms. This period of confinement and reflection catalyzed the emergence of Mister W, a persona that encapsulates his quest for a world where liberty and balance reign supreme.