Belgian electronic duo schntzl return with Fata Morgana, their fifth album, due out on February 13. Known for their fearless live improvisation and playful fusion of jazz, Dadaist absurdity, and Belgian ’90s trance kitsch, schntzl once again defy genre and expectation.
Alongside the album announcement, the duo have released the new single “Fanta Merino,” accompanied by a spellbinding video directed by Benjamin Ikoma. The track follows the previously released “Magicland” and marks the second single taken from Fata Morgana.
Fata Morgana unfolds as a hyper-visual, trance-driven journey through fleeting realities and shifting emotional states. Trance appears not as a fixed genre but as a state of being—an energy and urgency that recalls the emotional pull of club music while articulating a language entirely its own. Kitsch loops, distortion, and live improvisation collide to create sonic mirages that dissolve and reassemble, resisting repetition or comfort.
Drawing from the euphoric melodic builds and arpeggios of ’90s Belgian trance, schntzl approach this legacy with both affection and implosive force, shaping a sound that feels distinctly futuristic rather than nostalgic.
Reflecting on the video for “Fanta Merino,” director Benjamin Ikoma explains:
“The horse is an archetype of freedom, instinct, and movement. It embodies the unconscious forces that propel us forward—the pure life drive, the intuitive energy that carries us even when we don’t fully understand it.”
Fata Morgana is the fifth studio album of schntzl and will be released on vinyl and digital February 13, 2025 via VIERNULVIER Records. Pre-orders are available now on Bandcamp, with lead single Fanta Merino out today on all streaming platforms.
Live dates
- 13.02 We Are Open - Trix - Antwerp, Belgium
- 21.02 Artefact Night - STUK - Leuven, Belgium
- 25.02 Beurschouwburg - Brussels, Belgium
- 27.02 Festival Kortrijk - Kortrijk, Belgium
- 26.03 Club Wintercircus - Ghent, Belgium
- 04.04 Nona - Mechelen, Belgium
- 18.04 Brugotta - Bruges, Belgium
- 08.05 Shifting Sound - De Singel - Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
- 05.06 N9 - Eeklo, Belgium