Johan Vandermaelen (°Brussels 1962) is a composer, improvisor, maker of instruments and installations.

Meeting Hugh Davies in the late 70's triggered the interest for making electro-acoustic instruments.

In the early 80's he attended the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp where he studied electronic music under Joris De Laet. As an improvisor you could find him in several groups and combinations. Furthermore he composed music / sounddesign for films (several for Magnum Photo Agency) and played music by and worked with Alvin Lucier, George Crumb, Phill Niblock, Tom Johnson a.o.

He teaches 'electronic instruments' at the Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent.

Recent work – installations and concerts – focus on slow natural processes which often remain unseen/unheard because of their slow evolution.

“The Thickness of Air” –  about acoustic properties from airlayers, “Singing Stones” – about ressonances in stones, “Birds, part of the weather” about logic but complex systems within a non-linear or metric timestructure. These are evolving projects – sometimes installation, sometimes concert- where listeners are part of a spatial environment.