Wim Claeys

Category:muzikant
Genre(s):Europese folk, hedendaagse folk
Instrument(s):diatonische accordeon
Actual/previous member of:Tref, Göze, Ambrozijn, Rumtown

Biography

Who’d start a career as a musician when he’s 19 ? As a bagpipe player in a folkdance club, say what?
Ladies and Gentlemen: Wim Claeys.
The bagpipes were quickly changed for a diatonic accordion and the playing for folk dancers was replaced by jamming, a lot of jamming. And practising, a whole lot of practising. After a few years of studying, Wim left his hometown Ghent for Hudiksvall in Sweden, to be a fulltime folk music student.
When returning home, he founds the group Ambrozijn, together with Tom Theuns and Wouter Vandenabeele. Two years later, Tref is born: a explosive cocktail of three accordions with Didier Laloy and Bruno Le Tron, and the odd non-accordionist Frédéric Malempré on world-percussion.
In 2000, Wim starts the Boombal, beginning as a part of his accordion lessons, but quickly becoming a national phenomena that attracts thousands of dancers and musicians, thanks to the collaboration with Muziekburo.
In 2001, he meets Maarten Decombel, master-guitarist, with whom he forms duo Göze.
From then onwards things start to develop for the 3 groups: app. 15 cd’s, some tours abroad,  some very big stages and some house concerts, but most of all: a lot of concerts and bals in Belgium and Holland.
In 2008 things change: Ambrozijn stops as a group and Wim leaves the Boombal organisation and takes another path: in the summer of that year he presents his first cabaret show Test Eu Gents: a course in social behaviour when speaking the Ghent dialect.

waaim.be - 2009

Selective discography

20 jaar Wim Claeys20 jaar Wim Claeys (2018)
Folk
Wim Claeys
Een schuune bendeEen schuune bende (2016)
Contemporary folk
Wim Claeys
De zwanenzang van Karel WaeriDe zwanenzang van Karel Waeri (2013)
Traditional folk
Wim Claeys