Belgian formation Ão’s debut album ‘Ao Mar’ is Portuguese for ‘to the sea’. It’s hard to imagine a more apt way to describe their enchanting, constantly unfurling music. Ão’s songs are texturally rich odysseys where electronic music, dream pop, saudade, ambient folk and neojazz constantly shape-shift, habitually in the most surprising, emotionally resonant ways.  

Brenda Corijn, Siebe Chau, Jolan Decaestecker and Bert Peyffers hold a field of tension as if playing with a ball of yarn: warm-blooded, ethereal dreamscapes fluctuate with more spine-chilling dissonant spells, leaving listeners constantly on edge and/or in complete awe. Singer Corijn – who has roots in Mozambique and Portugal – channels themes of womanhood, distance vs. closeness, nostalgia and longing.

Ão has turned plenty of heads already at showcase festivals like Reeperbahn and Eurosonic, as well as beloved Seattle platform KEXP. On stage, they use non-conventional instruments like bandoneon, charango, udu, cookie jars, pans and mix them with broken effects pedals and even a glass container (!). 

Returning last year with the remix EP ‘Barco Sem Mar’, Ão promise to show us a little more of their artistry at MOMO.