Trains & Tracks

In the framework of Europalia Trains & Tracks comes a podcast accompaniment to the Oostende-Eupen line. Compiled and mixed by Ziggy Devriendt, aka Nosedrip of the Belgian and quintessential Stroom record label, it features music by musicians, producers and composers that live or have lived in the cities on this iconic train line. From the royal seaside resort of Oostende in the West of Belgium to the industrial river valley in the East, the Oostende-Eupen line is a feast of sights, influences and landmarks. Suspended between the many destinations on the line, the podcast will inspire travellers to contemplate the amalgam of spheres that is Belgium. From the drab to the sublime, Belgium is a paradox that materialises in everything one sees on the journey from Oostende to Eupen and back. From decay to grandeur, from nature to industry, from the pastoral to the absence of urban planning, Belgium’s sights have always inspired and disheartened. The podcast touches upon this dichotomy in elegant and eloquent fashion.

This podcast was developed by Meakusma from Eupen, Les Ateliers Claus from Brussels and Stroom from Oostende. It enjoys the vital support of the Europalia Arts Festival and Ostbelgien.

All participating artists were given free rein to write music that interprets their experiences of having an intimate connection to the train line. Some toasting on top has been provided to explain or further mystify some of the landmarks along the train tracks. Travellers can download the podcast through …

With the dizzying rush of landscapes, perspectives and credos flashing past, traveling on the Oostende-Eupen line is a thrilling escape into what makes the diversity of Belgium so eternally attractive yet complicated.