I've made a mix for Graham Duning's 'Fractal Meat On a Spongy Bone' show on NTS, with all-exclusive tracks by Mitzi Beesemer, Gareth Davis, Berlinde Deman, Lucija Gregov, Roel Meelkop, soccer Committee, Gagi Petrovic, and myself. First half is tracks by me, second half is by the others.
Tracklist/info:
01
Rutger Zuydervelt
Tranen in Addis Abeba 1 (for VPRO documentary series ‘Frontlinie’)
For a few years I’ve been making tracks for the Dutch documentary Frontlinie, in which Bram Vermeulen travels to places of turmoil to report about injustice, corruption, discrimination, and other not so cheerful things. By now, I’m well aware of what works and what doesn’t. There’s sort of a signature sound, or at least a signature modus operandi for the series, and for each episode I’ll spend a week in ‘musical pressure cooker mode’, to create a load of tracks, so the rest of the crew ha plenty of material to work with in the editing process.
02
Rutger Zuydervelt
Hopscotch / Mami’s Solo (for ‘Alphabets of Flesh’, a dance performance by Roshanak Morrowatian)
I’ve been working with Roshanak Morrowatian (and her partner in crime Mami Izumi) for quite a few projects. Alphabets of Flesh is the latest full show I did, which premiéred October 2024. It’s an intense duet by Roshanak and Mami, reflecting on uprooted diaspora. The score hasn’t been shared outside of the performance context, so this mix presents a good opportunity to share some of the music.
03
Rutger Zuydervelt
Fleeting Presence (for a short dance film by Vladyslav Detiuchenko and Ciska Meister, for the Korzo project Embodied Freedoms)
Korzo commissioned me to make the scores for four two minute dance videos. To commemorate 80 years of freedom in The Netherlands, four different makers were challenged to translate their vision on freedom into a short performance video, Ukranian choreographer/dancer Vlladyslav Detiuchenko being on of ‘em. His film, directed by Ciska Meister, shows him interacting with a giant soap bubble. But you’ll have to imagine all of that (until the video shows up online), and enjoy its soundtrack here.
04
Rutger Zuydervelt
Choreo (for ‘Alphabets of Flesh’, a dance performance by Roshanak Morrowatian)
(See track 2)
05
Rutger Zuydervelt
Meander Outtake (discarded score for a performance by Marta & Kim, Knot on Hands, and Felix Zech)
Like Roshanak Morrowatian, Marta & Kim are regular collaborators of mine, and I never have to think twice when they ask me for a new project. I’m actually working on a new one (with Lucija Gregov, see track 12). Meander is a collaboration they did with circus trio Knot on Hands, and Felix Zech. It’s a playful show, using the metaphor of a flowing, meandering river for the piece’s arc. And as with most projects, there was music that didn’t survive the final cut. A nice opportunity to revive this killed darling and give it a new purpose. Enjoy!
06
Rutger Zuydervelt
Superradiance, Chapter 2 (music for a multi-screen video installation by Memo Akten and Katie Peyton Hofstadter)
Memo Akten is a multi-disciplinary artist and computer scientist, and his partner Katie Peyton Hofstadter a writer and dancer. Together they created the huge, immersive (an overused term, but very much true in this case) video installation Superradiance, involving hyper-realistic computer animations based on Katie’s movements. The lush score was made by me (duh). I didn’t have the chance (yet) to experience the installation myself, but on its own website, there’s loads of videos and background information about the project.
07
Rutger Zuydervelt
Tranen in Addis Abeba 2 (for VPRO documentary series Frontlinie)
(See track 1)
08
Rutger Zuydervelt
Cabane à carrelet (for a hand stand act by Johanna Gorzellik)
A score for a hand stand act! Why not? Cabana à carrelet was Johanna Gorzellik graduation act at Stockholm University of the Arts. Like with the other tracks here, this music hasn’t been shared outside of its original context before.
09
soccer Committee
frozen tide (from forthcoming album ‘eye’, Morc Records)
I'm glad to be able to share a preview-track of Mariska's upcoming album on Morc Records. Keep an eye out for it, it's her best one yet!
10
Berlinde Deman
Hum of Bees (from forthcoming album ‘Plank 9’, Relative Pitch Records)
Michel’s pergola. Two friends. Bees hum their fleeting choir. One note, held for one week.
The piece is part of my ongoing research into the serpent – an ancient wind instrument made of wood and leather, played through breath. With its six tone holes, notoriously difficult to cover evenly, and its idiosyncratic tuning across 1,590 frequencies, the serpent resists perfection. But that resistance is exactly where I find music. Silence, too, is never just absence – it lingers between notes, in glances, in breath held. Through this instrument, I seek a tone that holds, that stays, and asks to be heard slowly. (Berlinde Deman)
11
Gareth Davis and Irena & Vojtěch Havlovi
princupium (exclusive)
Gareth Davis: bass clarinet, recording and production
Irena and Vojtěch Havlovi: viola da gamba
For perhaps two or three years I was in conversation with Irena and Vojta Havel about recording an album together. Towards the end of 2024 we found time, and to prepare I asked them for a short sample of material to work with. What I started with was not meant to serve as a track but rather a tool, yet that being said, I could not resist to continue playing with their recorded material. On the 21st of October 2024, at the age of 62, Vojta Havel died, a month before we were due to meet. This short recording became the only document of a possibility. A starting point and finishing point in one. As a narrative it is somewhat short, finished unexpectedly, but it still tells its story and gives hints of what might have been. (Gareth Davis)
12
Lucija Gregov
Solo (exclusive)
This piece is a fragment of my (almost) daily cello diary in which I record improvisations inspired by my current and immediate environment, mood, thoughts and sensations. I think of these sonic entries as something that’s already present before it’s even noticed; music deeply rooted in the simplicity of the everyday. (Lucija Gregov)
13
Mitzo Beesemer
A sparrow pretends to be a hare (exclusive)
A Sparrow Pretends to Be a Hare is a short sound piece built from fragments of bells, toy piano, drum kit, and digital textures. It imagines a sparrow attempting awkwardly but earnestly to become a hare. The bird stumbles in its mimicry, tries again, and fails again, reshaping its efforts each time. (Mitzi Beesemer)
14
Roel Meelkop
xtrml xclsv (exclusive)
Roel recorded this track especially for this mix. What an honour! Please check out his Rest In Space album, which is a masterpiece.
15
Gagi Petrovic
Caged Flight [version 2.6] (exclusive)
'Caged Flight' is a work in progress of a piece for the upcoming EP 'Veneer'. Three songs show different perspectives in masking and unmasking.
