BL!NDMAN [sax]

BL!NDMAN [sax] was founded in 1988 by saxophonist and composer Eric Sleichim. For years, this saxophone quartet was the beating heart of BL!NDMAN. With open ears and a rebellious skill, Sleichim explored the boundaries of how a saxophone could sound. Non-conventional techniques such as the use of screeching springs, thuds, smacks and sounds of valves alternate with the instrument’s tonal qualities. Named after Marcel Duchamp’s eponymous magazine The Blind Man, Sleichim guides audiences through unprecedented and challenging worlds of sound. From 2006, BL!NDMAN [sax] begins to share 20 years of stage experience with other quartets BL!NDMAN [drums], BL!NDMAN [strings] and BL!NDMAN [hybrid]. It opens up a cross-pollination between two generations and four quartets.

BL!NDMAN [sax] breathes adventure by collaborating with various art disciplines. Their multidisciplinary approach gained international acclaim. From the start, the quartet received commissions from the world of theatre and dance. They worked together with Jan Fabre, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Heiner Goebbels and Ivo van Hove. Sleichim’s love of images and film led to the development of many multimedia performances commissioned by various organisers. For instance, silent films by Buster Keaton and Teinosuke Kinugasa were adapted with live music and provided with an original soundtrack for saxophone. Opera, musical theatre, art videos and other performances have also been accompanied by the quartet with an innovative touch over the years.

In his search for untapped potential for saxophone, Eric Sleichim has since 1999 also focused on early music. Often in collaboration with specialised ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Gent or the Huelgas Ensemble, BL!NDMAN [sax] picks out music by the old grandmasters and rediscovers forgotten sound magicians. The groundbreaking arrangement of J. S. Bach’s four chorale partitas became an instant success and tours the world. An extensive repertoire of early music emerges over the years, transformed for a contemporary saxophone quartet. Numerous projects around the works of Gesualdo & Buxtehude (Stylus Fantasticus), Orlando di Lasso (Chromatic Variations), Schütz (UTOPIA: 47), Handel (WATER & FIRE / Handel Revisited ) and Petrus Alamire (MORGEN!) with one of the highlights being the release of the album 32 Foot / the Organ of Bach which was awarded the Klara for best CD production on the 25th anniversary of BL!NDMAN [sax]. The dialogue between old and new music also takes centre stage with BL!NDMAN [sax]. The quartet brings ancient masters of sound into conversation with composers such as Jonathan Harvey, John Cage or Helmut Oehring. In Multiple Voice, even polyphonic works from the 12th to 16th centuries are given a place alongside contemporary compositions.

More recently, BL!NDMAN [sax] is also exploring new paths by focusing on arrangements of current musical icons. BL!NDMAN plays MOONDOG is a dazzling tribute to a man who sparked a wonderful dialogue between jazz, classical, pop and ethnic music. Together with the other quartets in the BL!NDMAN collective, ICONS, the American Minimalists gives a sparkling ode to the triumvirate of minimal music: Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Philip Glass.

With the transfer of artistic leadership from Eric Sleichim to Tomas Serrien, BL!NDMAN is entering a new phase: alongside its familiar core values, new collaborations are emerging that expand both the collective’s sound and its horizons. The first in this series is DRONES, a collaboration with the metal band Wiegedood, in which drone-inspired works from 20th- and 21st-century music are blended with the immersive soundscapes of contemporary experimental metal, resulting in an intense and timeless listening experience.

Other boundary-pushing partnerships are also on the programme, including VULTURES, a new creation with composer Jamie Man 文珮玲, which will premiere in 2026 — a performance where musical rituals, drone elements, and theatrical imagination converge in a reflection on life, death, and human connectedness.

The tradition of composing original music for existing films is also being given a fresh interpretation during this artistic transition, with the project BL!NDMAN & DONNIE DARKO, featuring original music by Eric Sleichim.

Through BL!NDMAN’s initiative Parliament of Angels (2023–2027), the collective seeks to build bridges with a new generation of artists worldwide through collaborations and residencies. In 2026, BL!NDMAN [sax] will take centre stage. Under the guidance of IRCAM Academy, young composers will create new works for saxophone to accompany a selection of dance films, under the direction of Thierry De Mey.