with Goncalo Almeida

Ruina 1 - Ruina 12

download/3-inch cdr on Cylinder Recordings, September 2015

Stream or order the album at
Bandcamp (also in digital format)
or

Gonçalo Almeida: double bass
Rutger Zuydervelt: processing, additional sounds
Constructed July-September 2015

Press blurb: 'Doze Ruínas' presents 12 short tracks created by the Rotterdam duo of double bass player Gonçalo Almeida (with various releases on Clean Feed) and sound artist Rutger Zuydervelt (a.k.a. Machinefabriek). Almeida's improvisations were edited and sculpted (with added electronic debris) to a series of sharp and fierce vignettes. This was all done in an ridiculously quick speed in order to keep things raw and spontaneous. It's 18 minutes of boisterous fun!

Reviews

Tone Glow

The ever-prolific Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek) has released a new 18-minute EP with double bass player Gonçalo Almeida entitled Doze Ruínas. Zuydervelt is credited with "processing, additional sounds" here, which may perhaps not sound like much, but there's a large range to the music that's across these twelve tracks. Throughout the EP, Almeida's bass moves from jubilant to elegant to brash. And while a lot of it has to do with how he's playing the instrument, it's the careful mixing and editing that Zuydervelt does that shapes the compositions. Because of the variety of sounds here, there's a real depth to Doze Ruínas. It's one of those rare instances where an EP feels less like a teaser or quick experimental project but a fully formed album of appropriate length. You can stream the entire release and purchase it here. 3-inch CD-Rs are also available to order and will start shipping on the 20th.

Vital Weekly

On his journeys Rutger Zuydervelt bumps into a lot of people, which results in many collaborations. Here is one he did with one Goncalo  Almeida, of whom I never heard (I think; I know must be careful using that phrase) who plays double bass. I assume that one afternoon Zuydervelt taped an improvisation from Almeida and between July and September 2015 he constructed twelve short pieces with this, and that's indeed something else for a change. Normally Zuydervelt creates much longer pieces but in this case he picks out a few of Almeida's strokes on the bass and adds maybe a handful sounds of his own and creates a sketch like piece. The longest is two minutes and thirty-six seconds and the shortest twenty-seven seconds. Even in this sketch-like proposition it is not always to find something new; it is sometimes more difficult to create a short piece than a longer one I think, but throughout  Zuydervelt manages pretty well to create a variety of small miniature  compositions, in which the double bass sounds pretty much like  you would expect and Zuydervelt adds a fine blend of electronics and an  appropriate brand of acoustic bricolage. Quite a lovely little gem this one.