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Makam
Makam is putting his own unique take on house
music, which can be infectiously pumping &
raw, carefully mixed that sweet touch of old
school, but also truly soulful, slow moving &
sexy. Guy Blanken started producing in 2002.
In 2006 Guy started his Makam project and
this is where he currently stands. Releasing
music on Soweso and Sushitech and an album
planned for late 2009, Makam is ready to
show his distinct perception of house music.
A makam, more than simply a selection of
notes and intervals, is essentially a guide to
compositional structure: any composition in
a given makam will move through the notes of
that makam in a more or less ordered way (in
this, it resembles a tone row à la Schoenberg
or Weber).
Valerius
Adriaen Valerius was a famous poet and
composer at the time of the Eighty Years War,
which he also wrote Sea Beggars songs for.
So, a hero, after whom the Valeriusplein in
Amsterdam was named, the square where the
boys of Valerius got their band name from.
Thus, also heroes a little bit, and no wonder
that the young foursome around the Nambiar
brothers were lucky prize collectors ever
since the start of their musical career: literally
as recipients of awards like TMF Superclip and
3FM Serious Talent, figuratively as support act
of the Jonas Brothers and Van Velzen. Makes
sense, with such perfectly crafted radio pop,
and even funky too!
Valerius
Rigby
Destine
Dutch emo bands are a rare breed. Not so
strange, because emo’s a dirty word in the
Netherlands. Not in America, where they very
well know where emo comes from. And even
if emo-pop bands like Fall Out Boy, Paramore
and All-American Rejects sound far from
emo’s origins, they are treated with respect.
So all will turn out well for our own Destine,
who didn’t replace Fall Out Boy for no reason,
last summer at the Lowlands festival, and
who already went to Florida to record their
forthcoming debut album. Meanwhile, their
cheerful, catchy pop-punk has spread across
Western Europe like the plague, because the
boys like touring a lot, and long, without caring
for borders. High time for Noorderslag.
Rigby
He probably doesn’t want to remember, but
without his earlier experiences in showbizz
(a finalist in Idols and member of successful
Dutch-British hit makers XYP), singer/pianist/
songwriter Christon Kloosterboer wouldn’t
have been so determined as he now is with his
own band Rigby. Only the best is good enough
for the erstwhile conservatory student, and
that has brought grist to Rigby’s mill. Not yet
two years old, the group already’s got a pack
of hits and a good selling debut album in its
pocket, with its solid, super catchy pop rock.
Plus, this season they’re the house band of
popular tv-program ‘De Wereld Draait Door’.
Last year they already played EuroSonic, now
they’re promoted to Noorderslag!
Go Back To The Zoo
Go Back To The Zoo
When, as a young band, you let yourself be
influenced by both The Beatles and the Stones,
you already did good before you actually
started. That’s not to say this Amsterdam
quartet, centred around the hiply bearded,
curly wurly brothers Cas (vocals) and Teun
(guitar) Hieltjes, is a retro band. In fact they’re
a modern rocking indie combo, above all
guided by the music of more contemporary
heroes such as The Strokes and Kings Of
Leon, while aforementioned classic influences
primarily translate into a catchy britpop edge.
Their single ‘Beam Me Up’ already figured in
an international Nike commercial, so the zoo
can forget about it!
Want Want
One would almost believe that these days only
hip hop is being made in Zwolle, but nothing is
further from the truth. The former Hanseatic
city is in fact also the base for Want Want, a
young quartet that takes its inspiration from
nineties power pop in the tradition of bands
such as Weezer and Fountains Of Wayne.
Granted, with Dutch lyrics, a feature that
makes Want Want stand out from the crowd
in advance, although the quality of the songs
gives them every reason to. Live the band also
plays hard, tight and fast, like a power pop
band should. But not so fast that you can’t
sing along at the top of your lungs.
The Mad Trist
Yes, it is mad and sad that bands from
Maastricht never before enjoyed a nationwide
breakthrough. High time for The Mad Trist,
young rockers who have everything in them
to show the world a trick or two. They are
well under way, amongst others through their
participation in the Popronde and by achieving
second place in the international Emergenza
Drive Like Maria
band competition. And of course their music
with catchy melodies and mesmerizing vocals
into addictively good songs with the correct
reference points (Cream, Masters Of Reality)
and an exciting dose of rock & roll madness.
With their debut album on the shelves the week
after, Noorderslag will be the moment of truth
for The Mad Trist. Make sure you’re there.
Drive Like Maria
To drive drunk isn’t allowed, but Drive Like
Maria is. Fortunately, otherwise Noorderslag
had to make do without the most exciting rock
trio that underlined the relationship between
the Netherlands and Belgium this year. Young
musicians, including a singing drummer and a
lioness of a guitarist, who create rudimentary,
blues-based hard rock, following in the
footsteps of peers like Wolfmother and The
Answer. In doing so they call big boys like Led
Zeppelin and Queens Of The Stone Age in
mind, but thanks to a velvet coating and its
supple flow, Drive Like Maria mostly reminds
of cult legends Masters Of Reality. You can’t
praise them any higher.
Promo (live) & Guests
Sometimes it’s time for something else. After
17 years of only gabba, celebrated hardcore
dj Promo gave in to his old love, hip hop.
He signed with biggest Dutch hip hop label
TopNotch and went live at Lowlands 2009,
with TopNotch guests, including, in addition
to rappers like The Opposites and Zwart
Licht, gabba punk act Aux Raus, who is also
incorporated by the label. An EP, ‘Boombox
Op Duizend’, was released, and in April 2010
a full-length will follow, ‘Stijlloos’: freedom for
all, no boundaries. We can expect the same
now. Promo live is a musical cross-fertilization
of unexpected proportions, taking the man’s
trademark kick drum to get reinforcement
from ... that’s a surprise. One thing is certain:
this is gonna be hard!