* En anglais uniquement
Kreng is a dark ambient/modern classical/soundtrack project conjured up by Belgian musician
Pepijn Caudron, who is associated with theater group Abattoir Fermé.
Caudron's recordings combine ghostly operatic vocals, shuffling jazz drumming, eerie dialogue samples, and layers of acoustic instrumentation, producing dark, suspenseful soundscapes. Originally a sample-based project,
Kreng evolved to include more live instrumentation. The project has scored over 50 theater and film productions, in addition to producing three full-length studio albums for the Miasmah label.
Caudron began working on music as a teenager, combining sample-based production techniques with an interest in 20th century classical music. He graduated from performance school Kunsthumaniora Brussels and started working as an actor. He began producing scores for Abattoir Fermé in 2004, and started releasing music as
Kreng in 2007, beginning with The Pleiades EP on Dutch net label Fant00m, as well as appearing on
Badawi's album
Unit of Resistance. A second digital EP, Zomer, followed in 2008.
Caudron's work caught the attention of
Deaf Center's
Erik Skodvin (known for his "acoustic doom" solo work as
Svarte Greiner), who signed
Kreng to his Miasmah label.
Kreng's debut album,
L'Autopsie Phénoménale de Dieu, a haunting sample-based soundscape, arrived in 2009 and was a critical success. The album was followed by
Grimoire in 2011, which featured guest contributions by pianist
Nils Frahm and percussionist
Eric Thielemans. In 2012, Miasmah released Works for Abattoir Fermé 2007-2011, a limited vinyl box set containing
Kreng's scores for theatrical productions Tourniquet (2007), Mythobarbital (2008), Snuff (2009), and Monkey (2011), as well as music recorded for the television show Monster (2010).
German label Sonic Pieces released
Kreng's 7" EP ...And Then in the Morning in 2013.
Kreng's third full-length album,
The Summoner, appeared in 2015. Inspired by the loss of several close friends and consisting of pieces detailing the process of grief, the album was the first
Kreng release to be composed for live instruments rather than samples, and included a full string section as well as a collaboration with Belgian doom metal band
Amenra. Later in the year, Milan Records released
Kreng's score for horror/comedy film
Cooties, and
Kreng's score for the film Camino was released by
Lakeshore in 2016. ~ Paul Simpson