Pablo's Eye

Formed in Brussels in 1989, Pablo’s Eye began as an open-ended international collective rather than a conventional band. The project was founded by producer and musician Axel Libeert, who wanted to bring together people from different artistic backgrounds, allowing new contributors to join whenever the opportunity arose. Making music was important, but sharing a common artistic attitude and an interest in experimentation were the main principles behind the project. Their approach centred on mixing musical forms, cultures and ideas, with an emphasis on creating atmospheres that suggested journeys through time and space. 

The collective's musical direction moved between ambient, experimental electronics, downtempo, trip-hop, tribal rhythms and more abstract soundscapes, combining programmed elements, sampled sounds and acoustic instruments. Alongside Libeert, regular contributors included Marie Mandi, whose voice became an important part of the group's identity, guitarist Thierry Royo, sound artist Luc Laret, sound processors Erwin Autrique and Uwe Teichert, violinist Patrick Hanappier and English writer Richard Skinner, responsible for many of the project's texts. The flexible lineup also allowed other musicians and artists to become involved, depending on the nature of each recording or collaborative project. 

Their first releases appeared on the Belgian label Celsius Blanco, beginning with the self-titled debut album in 1989, followed by 'Barcelona (Architects Of)' (1991) and 'Devotions' (1992). Throughout the 1990s, Pablo's Eye continued exploring different electronic textures and rhythmic approaches, releasing material through labels including Extreme and Swim\~, with albums such as 'Prepare For The Others To Follow' (1996), 'All She Wants Grows Blue' (1998) and 'Realismo' (1999). Their activities also extended beyond record-making into collaborations involving architecture, video, theatre, dance and graphic design, as well as commissioned music projects for organisations including CBS/Sony, ZTT Records and Pioneer.

 After a lengthy period of relative inactivity, their back catalogue received renewed attention when Belgian label Stroom, curated by Ziggy Devriendt, began revisiting their work in 2018. The resulting anthology series comprised 'Spring Break' (2018), 'Bardo For Pablo' (2018) and 'Dark Matter' (2019), bringing together different aspects of their extensive recordings from the 1990s. This renewed interest also encouraged the collective to perform live for the first time in almost three decades, with appearances at Brussels' Listen! Festival and Berlin Atonal in 2019. Further releases followed, including 'Southlite' (2017), 'A Mountain Is An Idea' (2022) and 'The Light Was Sharp, Our Eyes Were Open' (2024), while 'Everything You Give Away' appeared through Stroom in 2026.