DEVENTER IMPROV EXPERIMENTS POOL – DIEP 1
These are the recordings of the very first concert of DIEP (Deventer Improv Experiments Pool); a group of Deventer artists curated by De Perifeer, each working with improvisation and experiment in their own way. The members of DIEP come from different musical backgrounds and generations, but in their experimental attitudes they are related to one another – and to De Perifeer.
In this first edition of DIEP the following artists take the stage: Aalt van de Glind, Bastian Benjamin, Jeroen Diepenmaat, Jo De Hulsters, Johanneke ter Stege and Vera Bon.
The next editions of DIEP are coming up on May 22nd in De Perifeer and on August 1st in the Bergkerk. More info and tickets: perifeer.org.
More info on the release page. Available exclusively on Bandcamp. Released on April 30th.
ZEAL MINUS – ALL 4 NOTHING
Zeal Minus is where the explosive creativity of UK avant-garde rapper Infinite Livez (Ninja Tune) collides with the precision and drive of Swiss electronic producer Xewin (The Shamanics, Cobal). Together, they forge a sound that is intense, unpredictable, and unapologetically experimental — sometimes a confrontation, sometimes an invitation to dance.
On All 4 Nothing, Zeal Minus crystallises their hybrid identity across ten tracks that oscillate between raw aggression and twisted playfulness. Breaking away from convention, Zeal Minus immerses the listener in an unstable space in constant flux. Throughout the record, analog and digital sounds collide and morph, sculpting a sonic universe that is at once dystopian and playful.
On October 29th we released the first single: ‘BLT’, including a wild stop motion video by Kiki Bronx. An order, a meal, a hunger finally sated. No customer should be surprized if they can not see beyond the folly of a blind waiter. Available as a download and on streaming platforms.
On December 3rd we released the second (two track) single: ‘Sonic & Tails / Stay High 49’, including a wild stop motion video by Kiki Bronx. A plain and blueprint of dopeness in the Afrofuturist tradition. Funk for the after future… Black Radiant. Soul vibes hyper electro gutter funk. Bravado Jazz mega working. Bragging to raise the spirit Eternal. Available as a download and on streaming platforms.
More info on the release page. The album ‘All 4 Nothing’ is released on February 4th.
VARIOUS ARTISTS – NEW 20
Nieuwe Electronische Waar (NEW) is celebrating its 20th anniversary! For the 20th edition, a promising selection of ten producers from the East of The Netherlands has been made. After a three-week recruitment period, a diverse jury thoroughly assessed all submissions. This resulted in a selection of the ten most striking and innovative tracks. These tracks are now featured here on the annual compilation, and the producers will have a year full of development opportunities.
More info on the release page. Available as a download and on streaming platforms. Released on March 27th.
|GRENS| – OCHTENDNEVEL
|grens| inhaled the early morning fog after the first recording night and got inspired by the scene in Deventer city. This release is created and recorded during a residency at ‘De Bubbel’ in BRUT, Deventer.
More info on the release page. Available as a Purple hand-stamped cassette tape, packaged in handsome hand-folded covers with photography by Maaike Smeedes. Also as a download and on streaming platforms. Released on January 23rd.
JANNE ERAKER – SOFT ICE
Soft Ice is a new choreographic work by Janne Eraker, with Vilma Kananen, Gaëtan Farnier and Håkon Sigernes (tap dance) and Juhani Silvola (guitar). In this piece, Eraker works with a very specific tap dance vocabulary; the slides and scrapes.
Three scenes of Soft Ice have been recorded for this album. In Dot/Line and The Arctic you can hear various types of scrapes, some are rough, with the edge of the tap, some have a smooth, ASMR-like quality. Dot/Line has strict improvisation rules, where one can only start and stop a line connected to someone else’s dot. The Arctic has a more free approach, but in turn only allows two types of movements; a half drag turn and an even circle with the ball of the foot. In Mosquito Blues the tap dancers are on socks (no taps = unamplified), and the guitar player is unplugged. We zoom in on the tiniest sounds, but in a traditional blues form. The material is a regular Hoofer’s timestep, with emphasis on the slide. There’s some creaking from the floor as well…
The album Soft Ice is released on the same date as the dance piece Soft Ice has its premiere; January 23rd.
More info on the release page. Available as a download and on streaming platforms, with exquisite artwork by Daan Botlek.
ADRIEN LEFEBVRE – GRUME, JONQUILLES ET RÉSIDUS
In this album, he continues his exploration of sound as matter, on the borderline between sound design and electroacoustic composition. He develops a form of sound carpentry, built from strata, assemblies and resonances sculpted in detail. The work is based on a vast bank of personal sounds, mixing field recordings – captured during trips or in his studio in Normandy – and older textures from previous projects.
More info on the release page. Available as a download and on streaming platforms. Released on June 13th.
DIMOS VRYZAS – ONE TWO FREE
During his residency at the Musikerwhonhaus in Basel (Fall,2022), violinist/improviser Dimos Vryzas recorded a series of improvised duets. ‘One Two Free’ is a compilation of 11 short improvised duet pieces. The album features immersive improvisers active in the European scene of free improvisation.
Dimos Vryzas invited/played/recorded with the following improvisers: Eva-Maria Karbacher, Tizia Zimmermann, Paula Sanchez, Marina Tantanozi, Anna-Kaisa Meklin, Tasos Tataroglou, Christian Moser, Yanik Soland, Pio Schürmann, Diego Aguirre, Stefanie Ernie.
More info on the release page. Available as a download, exclusively on Bandcamp. Released on June 13th.
PLAN KRUUTNTOONE / AHURA MAZDA 3000 – NIET ALLES WAT AFWIJKT IS WEERLOOS
‘Niet alles wat afwijkt is weerloos’ is like the Bad Seeds meeting with Ornette Coleman’s double quartets under the strict eye of Galina Ustvolskaja, before a grey and red Marc Rothko sky. Tilted.
Passing the age of 33 (when Jesus died…), Plan Kruutntoone decided to use their extra time to collaborate with AhuraMazda 3000 on an (anti-)gospel record: to stop handing over fear through generations and make some noise. As it is not about big and quantity; it is about small and valuable.
The result is released on vinyl, as two 12″ albums, a 10″ maxi single and a handmade book.The albums are ‘Ingrid’; a tribute to the South African poet Ingrid Jonker, and ‘Marinus’ in memory of the poet Marinus van der Lubbe. The maxi single ‘God is gereedschap’ (a Plastic Ono Band’s ‘cover’) has a cover of ‘Walking in the opposite direction’ by Adrian Borland on the B side. The 2 x 36 page book is handmade by Hansko Visser himself. All of these items are sold seperately, but you get discounts if you buy them as a bundle.
There will be some extensive touring to present this release (21 concerts in 5 countries in three weeks). The concert on the official release date (June 8) is hosted by De Perifeer in Walhalla, Deventer and is a double bill with Berlinde Deman. More info here.
More releases
There are many more releases to be discovered here. And to celebrate it’s 20th year of existence, Esc.rec. made all releases that came out in the first 10 years freely available for you (pay more if you want, your support is appreciated).
Check the complete catalogue here
Even more
Even more releases anticipated, by the likes of Cadeu, Will Shaw, France Dubois / Mathieu Robert / Nicola Lancerotti, Annie Abrahams & Sergei Demin, Jeroen Diepenmaat & Frans de Waard, Pierre Bastien & Michel Banabila, Snackbar The Ambassador.