Bellows and Buttons

Will's work on the melodeon stems from his love of folk and roots from morris to the breathless sounds of his current ceilidh band Relentless. His playing defies the limits of the 'keyed' instrument and its traditional genres - taking it from gospel to blues and jazz.

He released two albums as half of the melodeon and viola duo Haddo (Homecoming 2013, Borderlands 2014), receiving four-star reviews in The Scotsman, Songlines and The Daily Telegraph . Their arrangements and pieces were firmly based on traditions of the UK, as a reviewer for Spiral Earth emphasised:
'Jigs from Scotland, Morris tunes from Oxford, fresh takes on trad tunes and reworkings of contemporary classiscs ... an interplay of two strands of the same musical tradition that stretches from Shetland to the Scilly Isles.'

Melodeon is an instrument of heritage for Will, a morris dancer with a strong sense of his roots, as he celebrates in the album and Arts Council funded collaborative project Through the Seasons: A Year in Morris and Folk Dance (2018).

Hartwin is an accordionist and composer, born and based in the Northern part of Belgium called 'Flanders’; The heart of Europe. The name ‘Hartwin’ is old Germanic and means 'strong friend', a role he endeavours to fulfil in his personal life and his presence as an artist. His instrumental songs serve as the medium through which he shows his most authentic self, his connection with the divine, and offer hope, joy, inner peace, and emotional support during challenging times. Over the years, he developed a unique style of playing the diatonic accordion combining melancholy and simplicity, creating a cinematic and atmospheric universe. His music has a certain softness that can be best experienced firsthand during live concerts where the listener finds himself in a safe space for emotional connection and healing. In a world where authenticity resonates deeply with listeners, Hartwin’s music speaks to the heart and offers the accompanying soundtrack for the listener’s inward journeys and reflections.

As a teenager, Hartwin discovers the circuit of traditional music sessions based on the principle of learning to play by ear and is home to soulful musicians who pass on the fire to a younger generation. These sessions form the base on which Hartwin’s journey as an autodidact is shaped. Quickly embraced as a young wolf in the traditional and folk music scene in Belgium he finds himself surrounded by master tune writers such as Maarten Decombel and Toon Van Mierlo. Inspired by the modern touch of their uplifting and beautiful self-penned instrumentals, Hartwin feels the urge to create his instrumental pieces. In 2018 this resulted in the publication of his first sheet music book ‘Out of the box’, of which he sold hundreds of books often used in music education.

His creativity and modern vision of folk and traditional music didn’t go unnoticed. They rapidly evolved into several successful collaborations with many talented musicians and concerts at some of the circuit’s most iconic festivals and venues such as Celtic Connections, Underneath the Stars, Shetland Folk Festival, Rudolstadt Festival, Kings Place London, Walden Festival, Odegand, A twenty-day-long tour through Austria, Switzerland, and Germany and several successful UK tours from 2018 onwards.

Between 2015 and 2021 Hartwin lived on the Island of Saaremaa in Estonia marking six of the most important years in his career as a composer. The island’s stunning landscapes and untouched nature inspired him to write new songs that reflect the many moments of solitude and traveling inward during his time there. Even though Hartwin is currently living back in Belgium he carries inspiration and wisdom, gathered in Estonia forever in his heart, and finds beauty all around him wherever he travels which gets distilled into a constant flow of writing new music. His solo debut ‘Waterman’ and trio record ‘Valge Valgus’ have been written and produced in Estonia and have been well received by a wider audience and the press. ‘Waterman’ was listed in the top 20 of the World Music Charts Europe and ‘Valge valgus’ was reviewed and listed in the ‘Top of the World’ section of Songlines magazine.

Fascinated and inspired by the wave of minimalistic classical music and cinematic soundtracks Hartwin takes a new turn in 2022 and starts working on instrumental pieces for accordion, strings, and samples. Together with conductor Gabriel Hollander (Etesiane orchestra), producer Jeroen Geerinck (Studio Trad), and composer/producer Mick Pedaja he is currently working on a new album that will be released in February 2025.

Join Hartwin on his musical journey as he continues to inspire and connect with audiences around the world!

Helena is a keen advocate for adults beginning their musical journey, teaching Absolute Beginner melodeon workshops at melodeon events and folk festivals since 2018. Helena is a regular tutor at Melodeon Playgroup, and has taught at folk festivals including Towersey, Sidmouth, Shrewsbury and Chippenham, working solo and alongside Ed Rennie as part of their Squeezebox from Scratch project. A lover of folk dance and music, Helena runs supportive steady-speed sessions, with a particular focus on English tunes.