ANDRIES BOONE a biography

Andries Boone has been a stalwart of many Belgian renowned artists for almost 3 decades and has been among the cream of the Flemish folk scene for years. Both with the band The Ballroomquartet, the mandolinquartet MANdolinMAN and with his solo trilogy C.O.L.O.R.S (2019), T.I.M.E.L.A.P.S.E (2021) and C.O.N.V.E.R.S.A.T.I.O.N.S (2023), he has crafted surprising, eclectic and experimental albums that effortlessly pushed the boundaries of folk and received widespread attention from international press and radio.

In 2019 Boone released his first solo album, called C.O.L.O.R.S: Music for Mandolin & a Modern Consort. C.O.L.O.R.S is an instrumental record, built around the sound of the acoustic mandolin and inspired by contemporary big bands, music from the baroque era and movie scores.

In 2021, his second solo album was released, called T.I.ME.L.A.P.S.E. The sound of the album is determined by the accordina, mandolin & piano.

In 2023, his third solo album was released, called C.O.N.V.E.R.S.A.T.I.O.N.S. With "C.O.N.V.E.R.S.A.T.I.O.N.S", Boone delivered his most rooted solo album to date. A progressive but accessible folk album, floating between folk rock and filmic acoustic music. Once again the acoustic mandolin took center stage, this time engaging a conversation with the electric mandolin, embedded in an orchestral universe.

On November 13, 2026, Boone will release his fourth solo album, Rhagium Inquisitor. The title Rhagium Inquisitor refers to the greyribbed longhorn beetle, a small beetle that lives under the bark of dead conifer trees and symbolizes the layered soundscape of the new album. The sound of Rhagium Inquisitor is inspired by Scandinavian and Breton folk music and by the hunting horn tradition, but also by 80s electronic music (including Depeche Mode) and Eurodance and trance influences from the 90s. On his new album, Boone blends acoustic and electronic worlds and brings together old and new musical traditions. Traditional instruments like violin, octave violin, mandolin, nyckelharpa, Hardanger fiddle, and the baroque musette meet the sounds of rock, modern chamber music and electronic music. Synths and sequencers are an integral part of Boone’s layered and immersive sound universe.

With Rhagium Inquisitor, Andries Boone explores once again the borders between tradition and innovation. This album confirms his place as one of the most inventive voices in contemporary folk.

All of Boone's new compositions are inspired by the local fauna and flora. The tracks were given the Latin name of a plant or animal, such as Viscum Album (the mistletoe), Accipiter Gentilis (the goshawk) or Lamprohiza Splendidula (the glow-worm).

Rhagium Inquisitor was made in collaboration with Wesp/Merodefestival and with support from the Flemish government.