In just a few years, Volta has developed into a key organisation within the fabric of Brussels where the development of young musical talent is concerned. The music centre offers a place where musicians can receive high-quality, long-term mentoring and support on their artistic journey. Volta’s unusual approach, fully synchronised to the musical heartbeat of the city, makes it a natural ally of AB.

It is currently difficult to embed residency pathways into the running of AB. Nevertheless, such an approach is crucial to the supply of young talent to AB’s stages. Therefore, it is with some pride that the two music centres have emphatically joined hands for the brand-new residency pathway, ABVolta. In this programme, a number of Volta residents are given additional support in their creative processes by the AB team. This is tailored entirely to the artists, and focuses on areas that are more difficult to cover within the regular operation of Volta (such as production support for a complete Club show, help with recording videos or livestreams, support with the release of a debut album etc.). Offering these artists the best possible support in their career is the core objective.

The role Volta plays, the connections we seek to make, the "grassroots" dynamic of the organization,  we see as crucial within the current music landscape, in which the possibilities to make music in a professional way are socially and economically constrained. We see it as our mission to support and strengthen the vulnerable position of emerging musicians and to build an sustainable environment for our operations together. Within this environment, they can work on their artistic projects in the longer term. This new partnership with Ancienne Belgique allows the talent we wish to support to resonate on the supra-local level,” explains Arne Huysmans from Volta

As AB, our mission is to support and recognise young talent. We find it very important to build relationships with young Belgian artists. It is therefore a great added value to be able to offer support from the very start of an artist's career. We want to do this not only by giving them a stage, but especially by listening to what is important to them. We want to give them space to determine their own trajectory. Volta's expertise plays a crucial role in this. We believe that, thanks to this cooperation, we can support artists in the most sustainable way possible," says AB's Astrid De Sterck.

The first cohort of artists to join the ABVolta pathway includes Bombataz, Stace and Uwase. They will be mentored throughout the year by the full AB and Volta team.