**500 copies** After "Mars II" and "Fortune de Mer", the album Frederik made together with Timo Van Luijk, Croene releases "Cul de Sac": a record where he explores the boundaries and limits of the piano. A mind-blowing journey through his soul and his past. After graduating from Conservatories in 1999 Frederik Croene embarked on several projects in which he would reflect on the ever-changing and multi-layered identities of the classical pianist. As the Gestalt of his instrument is grounded in 19th-century Romanticism, he still uses virtuosity to communicate about what it is to be a pianist. He has performed and recorded the classical repertoire and worked intensively with composers such as Michael Beil, Johannes Kreidler, Simon Steen-Andersen, Michael Finnissey, Alexander Schubert and Stefan Prins. In 2010 he reached a turning point in his career as a composer-performer with the formulation of the concept of Le Piano Démécanisé ('The De-mechanised Piano') in an article and LP release.

Croene composes almost exclusively for piano or dismantled piano, using extra-musical tools such as video, text and choreography (Roll over Czerny, Piano Hero Parasite, On Education, Eagle Finger). To realize these often complex setups he founded Pianoguide, a piano duo/think tank with pianist Elisa Medinilla (Nadar Ensemble). He established an enduring collaboration with underground musician Timo van Luijk, which has given rise to many live performances and two LP releases ("Voile au Vent", "Fortune de Mer"). He has been invited to perform recitals at Holland Festival, Transit Festival Leuven, Time of Music Festival in Finland, Huddersfield Contemporary Festival and Festival van Vlaanderen. In addition to his career as a performer, Croene also curates a piano series at PostX, a small venue in his hometown of Merelbeke. He teaches piano and founded the Vinim atelier, where he coaches youngsters in experimental composition and improvisation.