Press Kit
Lieven Martens / Dolphins into the Future (°1981, Turnhout) lives and works in Antwerp.
Lieven Martens works with sound as both composer and recorder. For him, sound, or music, functions first and foremost as a conceptual framework rather than a fixed medium. His practice explores ideas, methods of thinking, and ways of questioning perception, moving fluidly across field recording, ambient composition, and musique concrète.
Working both under his own name and as Dolphins Into The Future, Martens is a distinctive voice within the contemporary ambient and composition landscape, driven by process, context, and speculative listening.
Martens holds a Master’s degree in Social Work and Welfare Studies. In his widely praised thesis on the social dimension of the urban soundscape, he developed an innovative analytical tool that actively involves underrecognized groups, reflecting his interest in sound and listening as social and political constructs.
His works appear on recordlabels such as EM Records (JP), RVNG (USA), Not Not Fun (USA), Fonal (FI), Ultra Eczema (BE), and Kraak (BE). He also curates the imprint Edições CN, known for its carefully assembled catalogue of adventurous international artists shaped by strong conceptual identities.
Beyond his artistic practice, Martens builts communications for a Belgian NGO active in Eastern Congo, extending his belief that artistic thinking can operate as a form of social engagement and advocacy.
> Lieven Martens E-mail
> Lieven Martens Onesheet
> Lieven Martens Artistic CV
> Live Photo 1 2 3 4 5
> Portrait 1 2 3 4 5
> Edições CN Logo
> Bandcamp Lieven Martens
> Bandcamp Dolphins into the Future
> Bandcamp Edições CN
Selected Albums
(Download folders with WAV/MP3, artwork, text) > 2025: Chamber Music for Lawn Mowers w/ M. Sage
> 2023: Katharina AW w/ Miaux
> 2022: Riding Fences w/ M. Sage
> 2021: Kagiroi w/ Sugai Ken
> 2021: The Habu
> 2019: Songs of Gold, Incandescent
> 2010, 2011, 2020: Insular Monographs
Streaming Music
> ’This is Lieven Martens’ mix on Spotify
> Dolphins into the Future on Spotify
> Chamber Music for Lawn Mowers
> Insular Monographs
> Serrisme
> Three Amazonian Essays
> Songs of Gold, Incandescent
Video
> Live videos Dolphins into the Future
> Live videos Lieven Martens
> 2019: Trailer for the documentary Kev, with music by Hiele Martens
> 2017: Live @ Schiev Festival, Beursschouwburg, Brussels, Belgium
> 2014: A song, Ilha da Culatra
Press Quotes
Lieven Martens is well known for his work as Dolphins into the Future in which he was a leading figure in the noise boom of the early 2000s and was associated with Exotica using early synth and electronic music and new age influences. I hope we will hear a lot more of his music on UK Radio in the ensuing years. He really is a major talent. BBC Radio 3
Martens is a prominent figure in the international post-noise network. (…) has fastened on one rivulet in the torrent of ex-Skaters output and developed it into a distinct and more fully realized sound-stream. Dolphins Into the Future is a significantly more electronic proposition, touching on just about every decade of its history. Simon Reynolds
Field recordings are often more about listening than recording, and nobody listens like Lieven Martens. As Dolphins Into The Future, he blended new age, early synthesizer music and tropical field recordings making one-of-a-kind soundscapes during the noise boom of the mid-2000s. Now, under his own name, his music is even more poetic. FACT
And that’s part of the allure and brilliance of his work here. “The Habu” could be a soundtrack to any number of genres and fit in just fine. Lieven Martens work continues to be an important touchstone and with “The Habu”, he shows there’s so much more to come. Foxy Digitalis
'Idylls' is a stunning work of art, and one that solidifies Lieven Martens Moana's place as one of the most important and innovative musicians working today. Highly recommended for anyone who loves adventurous music that challenges expectations and expands the boundaries of what's possible. The Quietus
Martens’ (...) cast a blissful spell over a late afternoon crowd in the chandelier-encrusted environs of the Teatro Micaelense. Cushions were scattered across the floor and many attendees kept their eyes shut throughout Martens’ bizarro set of sonic curios. Weaving found sounds and field recordings – from birdsong to crashing waves – into his synthscapes, Martens tuned into the island’s wild natural frequencies, in spite of his performing inside a formal theater. FACT
Press Clippings
> https://joshbokor.wixsite.com/thepeachpitch/post/album-review-sage-martens-chamber-music-for-lawn-mowers > https://acloserlisten.com/2025/05/21/sage-martens-chamber-music-for-lawn-mowers/
> https://stereogum.com/2303376/sage-martens-announce-chamber-music-for-lawn-mowers-hear-two-tracks/music
> https://boomkat.com/products/katharina-aw-the-pels-organ-and-hemony-carillon-of-hoogstraten-recording-of-the-unveiling-of-an-artwork-by-joris-martens
> https://foxydigitalis.zone/2022/07/19/stories-of-the-sea-with-lieven-martens/
> https://www.gonzocircus.com/kagiroi/
> https://boomkat.com/products/kagiroi
> https://luminousdash.be/reviews/album-reviews/lieven-martens-musica-azul/
> https://www.factmag.com/2019/05/05/tremor-festival-2019-review/
> https://www.factmag.com/2017/04/06/lieven-martens-moana-dolphins-into-the-future-interview
> https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/lieven-martens-moana-idylls
> https://www.humo.be/nieuws/lieven-martens-moana-dolphins-into-the-future-songs-of-gold-incandescent~bef25533/
> Simon Reynolds about Dolphins into the Future
> https://ra.co/reviews/8225
> https://boomkat.com/products/on-sea-faring-isolation