Machinefabriek, Soccer Committee & Wouter van Veldhoven - Zeeg (Digitalis, 2007)

1 Zeeg (37:07)

Mariska Baars à la guitare, Wouter van Veldhoven au tape recorder et Rutger Zuydervelt aux drones pour un morceau épique....

Although Rutger Zuydervelt, a Dutchman better known to the world of crunchy electronic experimentation as Machinefabriek, really doesn't need much of an introduction, you might need a little info about his two gifted colleagues. Mariska Baars is a singer and guitarist who performs under the unusual moniker soccer Committee and treated us to the incredible 'sC' album earlier this year, while Wouter Van Veldhoven is a veritable master of the reel-to-reel tape machine with an album promised on Type Records in the new year - both have worked with Zuydervelt countless times before. Now the astute among you will have noticed that Miss Baars collaborated with Zuydervelt on the crucial 'Clay' 3" cd, but where that collaboration saw a distinct Machinefabriek manifesto including just a snatch of her ethereal vocals, 'Zeeg' is a fully fledged ensemble piece giving each member the focus they need to shine. A glorious forty-minute epic of a track, we begin with Baars' subtle fingerpicking which is slowly accompanied by the tape recorded clanks and taps of Wouter Van Veldhoven's buzzing reel-to-reel and a selection of growing ebow drones from Zuydervelt. As usual with anything bearing a connection to the Machinefabriek constellation, there is a dynamic and command of space that's just breathtaking, and for the first half of the record the chiming bells, plucked guitar and light drones could have tiptoed from the bowels of any more recent 12k release. The charming simplicity doesn't last too long, however, as it melts into gut-churning bass drones and a dense brick-wall of hissing, reverberating sound. All this is slowly piped through the tape machine again and again before the calmer elements start to wade through the fog and calm is restored. Shockingly, the disc was recorded live in the comfort of Wouter Van Veldhoven's home, but from the measured preciseness of the recording and the complete sonic narrative it seems like a carefully sequenced studio arrangement rather than something mixed on the hoof in a live environment. What I think might come as a surprise to Machinefabriek followers among you is how different this album is from most of his output, it's a separate, unique work and shows both an evolution of sound for the artists involved and for the excellent Digitalis label. Cracking work all round and housed in a gorgeous textured card digipak it's just simply an essential purchase. Highly Recommended.
Boomkat

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Machinefabriek, Leo Fabriek, Wouter van Veldhoven & Mariska Baars - Live Edits (Digitalis, 2008)

A Machinefabriek, Leo Fabriek, Wouter van Veldhoven & Mariska Baars 08•03•08 (15:21)
B Machinefabriek, Leo Fabriek & Wouter van Veldhoven 29•03•08 (12:56)

Cette cassette rassemble deux sessions différentes réalisées en mars 2008, de beaux drones utilisant une multitude d'instruments (harmonium, piano, guitare, voix, taperecorders, etc) mais qui restent simples, le tout dominé par les notes du piano...

An all-star line-up of dutch artists convene to make this very special, infuriatingly limited cassette for Digitalis. Rutger Zuydervelt, Wouter Van Veldhoven, Mariska Baars and Leo Fabriek are the players in question, between them representing Machinefabriek, Soccer Committee and Julie Mittens. The cassette draws together two distinct live sessions recorded separately in March 2008, each edited into side-spanning drone pieces assembled from guitar, harmonium, tape machines and voices. The end result is predictably epic in scope, sounding like some distant orchestra tuning up across the vast, droning A-side, while once flipped over the cassette reveals a more overtly detailed, more conventionally musical persona, with hazy remnants of piano melody taking form, establishing a corroded melodic sensibility augmented by fractious electronic elements. Despite the abundance of contributors there's never any real sense of clutter, and the outcome of these edited sessions is a music that sounds supremely patient and somehow unassuming in its minimalist tactics, yet listen carefully and you'll hear a body of work whose clarity and sophistication goes far beyond the usual parameters of the conventionally murky world of cassette music.
Boomkat

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Wouter van Veldhoven - Ruststukken (Slaapwel Records, 2007)

Stoffig Stuk (6:27)
Stukke Rust (19:34)

Wouter van Veldhoven utilise sur ce disque des enregistrements de guitares, melodica, xylophones et bien d'autres choses encore. Contrairement à ces deux premiers disques, il choisit ici de ne livrer que deux titres. Le premier, Stoffig Stuk, est basé sur le titre Stofstuk de Machinefabriek mais si celui ci est un drone, ici Wouter van Veldhoven le transforme en une véritable forêt enchantée de sons. Le second morceau, plus long, se construit très graduellement, pendant que chaque instrument ajoute à la palette de sons....
Fortement recommandé pour les amateurs de Machinefabriek et de Colleen...

Hailing from Utrecht, the Netherlands, Wouter van Veldhoven is the musician behind the first slaapwel record. His tape-experiments provide listeners with beautiful decaying sounds, bathing in a sweet swirling hiss. I find those sounds and loops so soothing and gentle that I thought Wouter would make an excellent artist to record an album to fall asleep to. Wouter seemed to really like the idea and within a week or two he made "Ruststukken", a beautiful EP compromised of two long sleep-inducing songs. The first song is called "Stoffig Stuk" and is basicly Wouter re-interpreting the infamous "Stofstuk" by Machinefabriek. It is followed by my favourite piece of him; "Stukke Rust" a 20 minute epic that builds up with a melancholic melodica, hiss, acoustic guitars and other otherworldly sounds. I can only describe it as if Yann Tiersen and William Basinski decided to record together. I suppose it's not hard to imagine for you how awesome that must sound. The artwork for this one is extremely special. All boxes are handpainted with glitters and a sparkly star. An Vandesompele designed them and I must say she did an incredible job. It's probably the most beautiful box I own in my record collection.

Slaapwel Records

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