Not So Difficult #8
250 x 345 mm, 192 pages (unbound)
Brussels, Belgium
Biannual
First published in 2021
Editor: Max Bogaert
Designer: Emile De Geyndt
Not So Difficult is an independent music-focused art and culture publication based in Brussels, brimming with cultural essays, interviews, satirical features and plenty of photography. Its large-format unbound pages also double as pull-out posters.
This latest edition uses the theme ‘Duet’ to explore an increasing level of distrust and polarisation in contemporary social life, as the team asserts in their editorial: ‘A duet is intimate, but it can still hold tension.’ Inside, Otis Verhoeve investigates the phenomenon of the remix, reflecting on the origins of the genre and its unfortunate AI–slopification; seven up-and-coming musicians—including Helmond Lang, Susobrino and Olan Monk—reflect on the art of the duet; and New York-based ventriloquist Ronnie Woods and her other half, puppet Sophie Becker, sit in conversation with Nicolas Vamvouklis to debate the nature of sentient objects, fighting on stage, and creative risks. Plus, Koen Galle pens an ode to Antwerp’s DJ scene spanning over three decades of iconic record store USA Imports.