1. Sidder
2. Verpulver
3. Gruwel
4. Sound and Stone (Part 7)
5. Onderstroom
6. As Much As It Is Worth
7. Melodrama 1
8. Studying Space
9. Zinder
10. Graniet
11. Merg (featuring Rick Sanders)
12. Smak
13. Pulver
14. Melodrama 2
15. It Didn’t Matter
16. Waqur
17. Verlaat
cd compilation, June 2026
All music by Rutger Zuydervelt, except track 11, by Rutger Zuydervelt and Rick Sanders.
All tracks mastered by Marlon Wolterink at White Noise Studio, except 1/5/9/12 by Antonio Galluci, and 11 by Tobias Lorsbach.
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Tracks 1/5/9/12 taken from Zinder (digital, 2019), released by Nomad Exquisite. Flutes on 1 and 12 sampled from recordings by René Gardi. Vocals on 9 by Rie Mitsutake and Alden Penner.
Tracks 2 and 13 taken from (Ver)pulver (digital/7” lathe cut, 2025) released by Champion Version.
Track 3 previously released as single (digital/business card CDr, 2023).
Track 4 appears on Sound and Stone (digital/cassette, 2018), a compilation on Composer Built Contains sound stone samples from Hannes and Klaus Fessman.
Track 6 and 15 taken from As Much As It Is Worth (7” vinyl/digital, 2018), self-released. Track 6 was composed for a short dance performance by Marta & Kim.
Tracks 7 and 14 taken from Melodrama (digital/7” lathe cut, 2019), released by Champion Version.
Track 8 appears on the compilation Ambientblog Anniversary Collection (usb stick, 2015).
Track 10 taken from Angry Ambient Artists Vol.1 (digital/cassette, 2016), a split release (with Philippe Petit) on Forwind.
Track 11 appears on Illuminations III (digital, 2024), a compilation on Dronarivm. Synths by Rick Sanders.
Track 16 appears on To Yemen With Love (digital, 2020), a compilation on Tapu Records.
Track 17 taken from TT035 (digital/cassette, 2018) a split release (with Presidiomodelo) on Tandum Tapes.
Reviews
A Closer Listen
Machinefabriek is no stranger to the compilation format. One of the earliest such efforts, 2007’s two-disc Weleer, collected the best tracks from over 30 CD3″s. At the time, it was considered to be a perfect entry point into the work of a relatively new artist. Two decades later, Rutger Zuydervelt continues to be prolific ~ multiple releases have already appeared in the wake of Samen ~ while distinguishing himself as the rare artist whose productivity does not result in a dulling of quality. Samen contains stray tracks from the past decade, originally available on lathe cut, business card, cassette, 7″, digital, split release and other compilations. Again, this is a fine introduction to the world of Machinefabriek, but not a complete one, as the composer’s field has expanded greatly in the course of his career, touching upon nearly every genre we cover and most recently concentrating on productions for theatre and dance.
The album also has a great sense of flow, as Machinefabriek sequences these pieces in a way that makes sense rather than presenting them in release order. The stomping “Sidder,” offset by kind flute, leads off the set, but other tracks from this release appear in the five, nine and twelve spots. The combination of aggression and tenderness is a staple for Zuydervelt, whose sonic curiosity results in instinctive juxtapositions. One of the most recent cuts, last year’s “Verpulver,” blends ambience, drone and crunchy, non-club beats. “Sound and Stone (Part 7)” is built on the sound stones of Hannes and Klaus Fessmann; the track fits just as well here as it did among the other eight parts, all by different artists.
“As Much As It Is Worth,” composed for a dance performance by Marta + Kim, is a window into Zuydervelt’s recent activities. An electronic pulse provides the invitation to move, albeit slowly and thoughtfully, an alternative to the club. With a decade worth of tracks to choose from, even outliers such as “Melodrama 1 and 2” seem right at home on Samen, as if composed intentionally for this set. Nestled snugly in the electronic section of the compilation, “Studying Space” topples first into density, then into filament, setting up the third Zinder track, whose timbre explains its separation from “Sidder.” Assertive beats meet placid, wordless vocals, while the flute vanishes.
Longtime readers may recall Angry Ambient Artists on the Forwind imprint, which we reviewed a decade ago. “Graniet” still sounds new, although we still insist that angry ambience (even when it contains chimes) is no longer ambience, but drone or noise. The chimes of “Graniet” are tonally connected to the organ of “Merg;” we can imagine how much fun it must have been to put this 17-piece puzzle together. Zuydervelt grows reflective on “Waqur,” from To Yemen With Love, setting up the sprawling, 16:27 “Verlat,” wisely placed at the end, a long, centering denouement.
No compilation is sufficient to convey all of the sides of Machinefabriek ~ one notable omission here, albeit understandable for tonal purposes, is his playful, club-friendly side, heard on releases such as Hinkelstap. We’d love to hear a second compilation of this type, and even ~ dare we ask? ~ a greatest hits album. The challenge would be in the compiling, as the artist has already provided so many transcendent moments over the years that it would be nearly impossible to narrow them down. Keep them coming, we say; we’ll be listening to every one.
Subjectivisten
Zo is er nu ook de nieuwe cd met de toepasselijke titel Samen. Het is een verzameling van maar liefst 17 tracks, die tussen 2015 en 2025 op 7”, cassette, compilaties, usb stick en digitale releases zijn verschenen. Daarbij krijg je schitterende titels als “Sidder”, “Verpulver”, “Gruwel”, “Zinder”, “Pulver” en meer. Hieronder solostukken, maar ook samenwerkingsverbanden met René Gardi, Rie Mitsutake, Alden Penner, Philippe Petit en Rick Sanders. Muziek die van de compilaties Ambientblog Anniversary Collection (2015), Sound and Stone (2018), To Yemen With Love (2020) en Illuminations III alsmede een paar stukken voor een dansvoorstelling van Marta & Kim staan hier nu naast de singles en andere losse tracks. Hoewel ze natuurlijk niet direct verband houden met elkaar en ook verschillen van elkaar, “variatie” is zijn middelnaam, passen ze eigenlijk prima samen. Dat ligt denk ik mede aan de uitstekende rangschikking hier. Het is spannend, meeslepend en vol avontuurlijke geluiden, zoals je eigenlijk niet anders gewend bent van Machinefabriek. Samen-gevat: een schitterende bundeling en aanvulling op de toch al imposante discografie. En je kan nu ook een kek t-shirt erbij bestellen.
