April 13, 2010 @ 13:54

esc.rec. said,

Review in Vital Weekly:

Somewhere in The Netherlands there is a place called Okkenbroek, of which I never heard. The have a festival called ‘Landtonen’ (tones of the land) and asked Esc.Rec to invite a bunch of musicians to come up with a piece of music especially for this festival, keeping in mind the rural aspect of the village. Paul de Jong, the cello player of whom we haven’t heard much lately, but was once in the mighty The Books, has a melancholic piece of music, with a soaring piece of music on the cello, spoken word and computer manipulations. Carefully constructed and actually very beautiful. It moved some in the audience to tears, which is understandable. Mia Mia, of whom I never heard, created a video and we get the soundtrack here for it. Also a mellow piece of music, but more gentle, more musical. Floating like a leaf in the wind, with some vibraphone like tones, dark strings in the background, like autumn clouds on an otherwise sunny day. Far, far away influenced by dance music I guess, with very gentle beats lurking in the background. Gluid, being Bram van den Oever, has a real vibraphone player and a real cello player, while playing himself samples of field recordings (birds of course and more local talk). Here is where we get the closest to real dance music. Perhaps intended to be a bit folk dance like, in which the whole village cheerfully attends. Three lengthy pieces, three times spot on. Okkenbroek can be proud of the achievement! (FdW)

April 24, 2010 @ 21:50

PvC said,

When visiting Holland: forget Amsterdam’s Red Light District, visit Okkenbroek!
(‘Herfsttonen’ review)

http://www.vancooten.com/blog/?e=299

July 4, 2010 @ 12:05

esc.rec. said,

Review in Gonzo Circus Magazine:

Diep in Overijssel vond in November 2009 het festival ‘Herfsttonen in Okkenbroek’ plaats. Diverse artiesten maakten nieuw werk, geïnspireerd op het kleine plaatsje en zijn landelijke omgeving, en voerden het op verschillende locaties in Okkenbroek uit. Dit doet misschien wat wenkbrauwen sceptisch fronsen – en inderdaad is ook de cdtitel clichématig – maar toch, waarom zou een spannend festival alleen in een grootstedelijke omgeving geïnspireerd en gerealiseerd kunnen zijn? De cd ‘Herfsttonen’ bevat drie composities, elk een collage van muziek en oude dan wel recente geluidsopnamen. Paul de Jong brengt een blues in Nederlandse sferen, met een combinatie van een lome (slide-)gitaar, cello, vogelgeluiden, stemmen en klanken van het boerenerf. Aangenaam, maar niet geheel verassend. Spannender wordt het bij MiaMia, die een voorgedragen gedicht combineert met tinkelende, aanzwellende en wegstervende elektronica en field recordings uit de omgeving. Ook Bram van den Oever, oftewel Gluid, gebruikt field recordings en verbindt die aan kalme melodieën van een cello en een vibrafoon. De samples van dierengeluiden gaan over in een ritme, en daarmee wordt zijn bijdrage nog een swingende afsluiter. ‘Herfsttonen’ is een degelijike, goed geproduceerde cd, sympathiek, aangenaam, maar – helaas – zonder grote verassingenen scherpe randjes. Of is dat juist de rurale rust? Verzorgde verpakking trouwens.
(rm)

March 24, 2011 @ 8:43

esc.rec. said,

Review by Sonomu:

Thank goodness for country bumpkins with keen vision and broad horizons.

Okkenbroek is a hamlet somewhere in the middle of the Netherlands which sponsored an arts festival and, with the help of Esc Rec, commissioned a trio of out-of-towners to each come up with a piece of music inspired by its rural setting.

Cellist Paul de Jong plundered the tape archives of certain Herr Holterbroek and created a scrapbook of oral history and local colour which reputedly moved residents in attendance to tears. His marvellous chamber piece opens with de Jong bending the strings of his instrument to make it sound like a pedal steel guitar, fully justifying the name ”Okkenblues” for an otherwise uplifting experience.

Multimedia artist MiaMia created a soundtrack out of a trek in the woods called ”The Branches and the Frog” to back her dreamlike recitation; ”I reminded myself not to get lost…I secretly wanted to get lost.”

Gluid, the only artist with whose fine solo recordings this reviewer is in fact familiar, accompanies a cellist and vibraphonist by orchestrating samples of local birdsong, barnyard creatures and town conversation into a sound quilt as colourful as a tulip farm. As it unfolds, ”101009 (Hellige Ding´n)” turns into a real toe-tapper, too.

For one brief moment, Okkenbroek was truly a European Capital of Culture.

Stephen Fruitman