With a career spanning six decades, Joel Vandroogenbroeck witnessed nearly the entire development of western pop music’s lesser-known backrooms—from the early days of jazz singers in smoky bars to soul crooners to kosmische-inflected Fusion and the rise of New Age soundscapes. Rising to recognition in the 21st century as sonically adventurous listeners began deep dives into the cosmic landscape of European jazz-rock, the Vandroogenbroeck-led Brainticket existed on the same plane as Between, Bob Downes, and Xhol Caravan.