Jozef van Wissem - Fritz Lang's ‘Destiny’

RIYL: Jim Jarmusch, avant-garde instrumentation, film noir, expressionism, Jean-Luc Godard, Guillermo Del Toro, Only Lovers Left Alive, Jonny Greenwood, Yann Tiersen, Six Organs of Admittance, Dark folk music, Coil, Nurse With Wound, psychedelic, Richard Skelton, Loren Connors.

Jozef van Wissem’s connection to the lute is profound, fueling his genre-blending career where Renaissance traditions meet drones, electronics, and minimalism. Known as, “probably the most famous lutenist in the world,” (The Quietus) he has collaborated with figures like the director Jim Jarmusch, scoring the acclaimed soundtrack for Only Lovers Left Alive. For this special event, van Wissem performs a live soundtrack to a screening of director Fritz Lang’s 1921 expressionist fantasy romance Destiny.

Jozef van Wissem “The lute feels like a part of my body,” says Jozef van Wissem of his chosen instrument. Its complexity drives him forward, revealing new possibilities with each piece. Across his career, van Wissem has crafted a rich body of work blending Renaissance and Baroque lute music with drone, electronics, and field recordings. His influences range from classical forms to minimalism, no wave, and industrial, creating a sound that’s meditative yet intense, ancient yet contemporary. Known as, “probably the most famous lutenist in the world,” (The Quietus) he’s collaborated with figures like Jim Jarmusch and Tilda Swinton and scored acclaimed soundtracks, including Only Lovers Left Alive and Un Prince.

van Wissem’s latest album, The Night Dwells in the Day, reflects on themes of isolation and duality, with tracks like “The Call of the Deathbird” capturing lockdown’s desolate streets. Inspired by the liminal space between darkness and light, the album is rich with drones and minimalist melodies, like the shimmering electronics in “The Devil is a Fair Angel and the Serpent a Subtle Beast.” This mix of medieval and modern elements gives van Wissem’s work an otherworldly, timeless quality. van Wissem also finds inspiration in antique texts, often using lyrics from old books to connect past and present. “The Day of the Lord”, for example, draws from a forgotten hymn book, giving the track an apocalyptic resonance.