Van Hove collaborated with a number of his fellow Belgian musicians, and in 1996 was given the title of Cultural Ambassador of Flanders by the Belgian government.
He composed music for film and theatre, and taught local musicians in Berlin.
He began an association with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann in 1966, playing on his early quartet and sextet recordings including 1968's Machine Gun album, and then as part of a trio with Brötzmann and drummer Han Bennink.
In the 1960s and 1970s he performed with saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and drummer Han Bennink.
He was a Belgian jazz musician and a pioneer of European free jazz.