The Belgian / Dutch electric guitar quartet ZWERM was founded in 2007. The starting point of the four musicians of ZWERM is a shared interest for new music: composed, improvised, experimental and performative. The awareness of the similarities between these different elements and the challenge of presenting them in a meaningful way is very important. The electric guitar has proved to be the instrument of twentieth century 'low culture' and underground music. Only recently it has found its way to composed music. The gap between these two fields is still big, however. ZWERM operates between these fields. Connecting, using and abusing traditions, ZWERM navigates between all the styles and concepts that constitute the unstable landscape of contemporary music. Musicians: Johannes Westendorp, Bruno Nelissen, Matthias Koole, Toon Callier Since 2008 ZWERM is professionally supported by the Antwerp based centre for contemporary music Champ d’Action.