Nou En & international acts

I told you about the new Nou En single called "Roos" wich I mixed. It's already on the TMF playlist.

Here is the videoclip:

I received some emails asking if I did any foreign bands recently, since all news-items are about Dutch bands. Well I did... How about:

• Tunng

• My Brightest Diamond

• Parts & Labor

• Menomena

• Jeffrey Lewis

And because of the flu, I had to cancel recording Les Savy Fav today. Unfortunately!

On my schedule: 3 days of London Calling and Beirut!

I just worked on a another project with the well known arranger Rik Elings (wich will be released all over the world). Rik made arrangements for lot's of different artists and worked for different orchestra's and big bands. He did over 300 pieces for The Metropole Orchestra.

It will be released by music-publishing company De Haske.
We also did some sessions for De Haske ("Play 'em Right - play along II") with trumpet-player/arranger Erik Veldkamp. Erik is a member of the Dutch Jazz Orchestra and the Glenn Miller Orchestra (Europe).

Lot's of projects

I told you earlier about an album I made with Jeremy's guitarist Fokko. It is a side-project with Dutch songs. (Well... I mean that he sings in Dutch... allright).

Untill recently the band was simply called Fokko, but they changed their name to WantWant.

WantWant also has a brand new MySpace page wich features some of the songs we did.

My personal favorite is a song called "Heleen" wich has a great guitar-solo-melody. This song is also on their MySpace page, so you can check it out.

I also promised to put some of my Thailand pics online. Well... I did ;-)
Click here to see a slideshow with some of my pics.

The first Cool Genius single is probably gonne be "My Friend". Check this song (and others) on their MySpace page.

The new Nou En single called "Roos" is ready (after recording & mixing, I still had to do the mastering) I told you about this song in my last news-update. It's a great-super-catchy-slick-rockin'-tune that won't let go.
You can listen to it on their MySpace.

They also shot a video for the single wich will be uploaded somewhere soon; I will keep you posted.

As you might know (or not); I also do my share of budget-mastering. Normally I don't mention any of that in this news-section, but I want to make an exception this time.
There are 2 mastering jobs I have to tell you about.

First; Next Waste Dimension. Blending heavy guitars with modern dance. Only few bands dare to do it, even fewer are able to make it work. With REWIRE REALITY Next Waste Dimension (NWD) prove they can pull it off. And how! On this debut NWD shows how to perfectly blend metal, dance and industrial in a way it sounds both natural and refreshing. They got some great reviews, so check out their site.

Second; Parkside. Dutch music magazine OOR wrote about them: "Parkside evokes exiting atmospheres through delightful sounds that are prominently placed without disturbing the songs. Extremely well-done! Think of Radioheads Kid a, but with a little more song to hold on to."

They've recorded and mixed alle those atmospheric songs themselves. You can check out songs on their MySpace!

Cool Genius, Nou En, Jeremy's

Wow I've had some crazy weeks of hard labour. After our vacation to Thailand (I might post some pics later) I went straight back into my rollercoaster-life. I've been working my ass of, but it was very satisfying!

I just finished working on the debut album of a f@ckin' freakin' band with the illustrating name: Cool Genius. These crazy sons of bitches have been recording more songs than healthy. To make it even worse they thought that their crappy 16bit game-soundcards would be fine. ;-)
Do you get the picture? Crazy a$ hell if you ask me. And then these stupid morons asked me to retrack some vocals, guitars, basses, drums and other amazing shit for serious. And what makes things even worse; they thought it would be a good ID if I would try and mix their shit$ into hit$. (Or should I say hit€ ?). Wow, what have they been smokin' lately?

So that's basicly what we did for two weeks; recording and mixing some music created by cool geniuses. Anyone who likes acts like: Soulwax, Soul Coughin, dEUS, Gomez, Zita Swoon, Lenny Kravitz and Presidents of the USA should have a listen to their album once it's being released. Untill then; some songs we did can be found on their MySpace

Mothers get a hold on your daughters once Cool Genius is released! Don't say I did not warn you...

From their bio: Cool Genius signed up with Goomah Music, who will release the debut album "Maybe You Should Do That Too" on October 19 at Hedon Zwolle.
Their talent- status has been ratified by elections like ‘Talent of the Week’ and ‘3FM Serious Talent’, as well as ‘Demo of the Year’ of the Dutch Pop Institute. Their energetic liveshows have brought them to several stages like Melkweg Amsterdam, 013 Tilburg and Effenaar Eindhoven, with a highlight at the Liberation Festival in Amsterdam in May 2007. Cool Genius consist of Erik Neimeijer (vocals, guitar), Bauke Bakker (vocals, drums)and Sebastiaan van Olst (bas/contrabas, vocals). The band has been based on their mutual broad minds, creativity and skills, which enables them to elaborate on each other’s songs. With 3 strong vocalists and continuous delivering composers, you can call your band ‘Cool Genius’, without being arrogant or presumptuous. Being cool and ingenious, this is a very remarkable band in the Dutch scene. This band doesn’t match a major label with sales targets and restrictions.

boithuh!

Last time I told you about the fact that I started recording with Nou En again. Remember them? Those catchy punkrockers with a hit about a Gothic Girl ;-)
We have been working on some new songs. I already mixed two of the new songs, and one of them is gonna be the next single. It's a great-super-catchy-slick-rockin'-tune that won't let go. Damn this thing is catchy!

Before it can be released, a videoclip has to be made. So you all have to wait a little longer before you can hear it. Maybe it will be on their MySpace page soon. If that is the case, I will mention it on my site.

The Jeremy's story continues:

Their first single 'Saturday' is finally released. There's also a funny videoclip wich entered high-rotation on clip-station TMF. (Wich basicly means that they play it a lot!). Hollands biggest newspaper (De Telegraaf) also picked up on the hype and wrote: "World hit from Kampen". haha, finally some Dutch paper who's going for the (traditional) English hype-style ;-)
Almost to funny!

The clip has been viewed by almost 30.000 people on YouTube. Click here to see a 'making of' and the clip itself

Besides that, they signed with THE biggest booking agency in this country, and they are going to sign a record deal with a major record company! (And Vans and Converse will make sure they wear cool shoes and clothes).

Their tour-schedule is pretty full, so enough opportuniy's to check em out live.

...and the snowball is still rolling and growing ;-)
[I know I keep repeating myself with that last sentence, but it still aplies]

I also went to the studio to work (guerrilla-style) on an album with Jeremy's guitarist Fokko. He has a side-project with Dutch songs. (Well... I mean that he sings in Dutch... allright). Untill now the band was also called Fokko, but they are going to change that name to avoid confusion.
Like I said, it was guerrilla-style just like we did with the Jeremy's album.
That's going into the studio with a small group of people for a very quick recording session, and getting out before you even realise it. Same for the mixing: very quick in and out and the thing is ready and will hit you right in the face ;-)

As soon as Fokko has decided on the bandname, I will post a link to his MySpace page wich will feature some of that songs. I guarantee you!

Kick ass live recordings: Editors

Got to work with Editors last week. Together with Paul Schoenmakers I recorded & mixed the (secret)gig they did at Melkweg Amsterdam.

Their new album is great, and their performance was amazing. Wow these guys are tight! Last time I saw them, they were great, but this time they were even better. These guys are gonne blow away some audiences at the summer festivals for sure!

It was one of those productions were everything seems to come together easily and all went smooth just the way we like it. The fact that Derek Fudge is their Tour Manager, might have something to do with that ;-) Since I think he is one of the best tourmanagers around. I have worked with him a couple of times before (also with Coldplay) and everytime things are running smooth, and he surrounds himself with a very professional crew.
Thumbs up for Derek and his crew! I wish all crews were that good!

The Jeremy's story continues:

We recorded & mixed a Lennon-song (Love) for Amnesty. Go to their MySpace-page to check it out. Also go to www.jeremysnoise.hyves.nl and become their friend. If they gather enough friends radiostation 3FM will let them perform at the world-famous Hilton Hotel room in Amsterdam. (remember 'Bed Peace'?)

Besides that, they are about to sign with a big bookig agency, a manager and they are going to sign a record deal with a major record company real soon!

...and the snowball is still rolling and growing ;-)

Besides that I also started recording with Nou En again. Remember them? Those crazy bitches with a hit about a Gothic Girl ;-)
We are working on some new recordings, wich I hope to mix right after my vacation. If all goes well, their new single (&videoclip) will be released in september. I'll keep you posted!

London Calling, Danko Jones, The Strokes

Latest news (releases/recordings/sessions. Not everything, just some highlights).


 Together with engineer Frank Mathijssen and assistant Fanny Vermeer we worked two long days for 3voor12 with a lot of "English" bands at the LONDON CALLING festival. It was a tough job, because it were all "live-mixes" so no multitrack or anything: straight to tape. London Calling always gives you a good view on what's going to happen in the next year, because a lot of UK talent is featuring at this festival. In the past bands like Franz Ferdinand, Blur, Kaiser Chiefs, the Editors, Snow Patrol all played there BEFORE they made their big break-throug.
We recorded 17 bands (!!) ... here are my personal highlights:
• Bromhead Jacket: Punky popmusic with a great frontman. This guy jumped of stage, broke his guitar, got a cut on his forehead, was bleeding like hell and kept playing and singing like nothing happened. Great perforrmance!
• The Futureheads: think XTC, Wire and The Fall. But also a bit of Kaiser Chiefs. Good band, great musicians. But I don't hear a hit like "oh my god", so I don't expect them to reach the "Kaiser Chiefs-status" yet...
• The Cinematics: if you ask me (well you're not)... This was THE BEST BAND of the festival. These guys from Glasgow are tight, have some great songs and create their own atmosphere. All the summer-festivals should book this band. But... I am affraid that some media think they are not original enough... LINK
• Humanzi: Black leather jackets and rockin' guitars... that sums it up. A$$-kickin' performance. LINK
• The Kooks: Everybody had high expectations of this band from Brighton that mixes indie with reggae... and they didn't live up to that. I think that they spend to much time in the Amsterdam nightlife. The singer could not reach his normal level and the band was not tight enough. Still a talented band and I think they must be able to deliver a better gig than this one. LINK
• Mystery Jets: The expectations for this band were even higher. And they also could not deliver enough. Their set was a bit to chaotic to charm. Think The Killers meets Arcade Fire (or something like that). But who knows: maybe they will make their break on a festival like Lowlands this summer. LINK

Frank Mathijssen and I did a live recording of DANKO JONES for VPRO radio. It was probably the 5th (?) time that we recorded this Canadian powerrock group. Danko just made a new a$$-kickin' album that makes you drive harder when you play it in your car. The concert was in the Milkyway (Melkweg) in Amsterdam and Danko came, saw and won the crowd. ;-)


I teamed up with the Dutch "power-punk-pop" band NOU EN again to make a new special version of their hit. I am not allowed to tell you much about it, but it's gonne be fun!
Besides that I also mixed some live-tracks for them. Some of those tracks are gonne be on their new single "Galajurk". Please surf to www.myspace.com/nouen (here you can listen to 4 of their songs, all mixed by me. My personal favorite is the title-number of their debut-cd: "Parel voor de Zwijnen")


oh yeah.... Together with Paul Schoenmakers I did some live-recordings/mixes of THE STROKES. Awesome concert with good songs and a tight band.

That's all for now... see you later!




btw: WATCH OUT!! Brand new AUDIO-plugin:  The UNsuckPLUG ;-)

The Junes / Nou En / Greendive etc

Talent?! Yessss that description certainly fits THE JUNES. I started working with them on some songs before my summer holidays. Singer-songwriter-guitarist (the boy does everything except laundry) Bertolf Lentink knows how to write a pop/rock song and is not afraid to show it ;-) All bandmembers are outstanding musicians so working with them was a blast!
I did some pre-production with them, then they started recording when I was on vacation, and I catched up with them when they were 70% done with recording.
Once everything was recorded (including a string section for two songs and some trombone for another) we went to the studio to mix all 7 tracks. Right now we're in the process of talking to recordcompany's and publishers, so i'll let you know when there's news about a release. Be sure to check em out if you like one of these bands: Beatles / Radiohead / Supergrass / Saybia etc. CLICK HERE if you wanne listen to some of these songs.
This weekend I am going to the studio to record, produce and mix a new single by GREENDIVE. I did 2 songs on their debut album, and it's nice to work with them again. I'll tell you more when recording is done.
I told you about the Dutch "power-punk-pop" band NOU EN... (When I translate that in English you will get something like "So What".) The lyrics are in Dutch, so you won't see this release anywhere else in the world, but their music is pretty international: think Blink 182 meets Jimmy Eat World meets Weezer. So loud rockin' guitars and catchy popmelodies.
Finally their first single 'Gothic Meisje' (Gothic Girl) is released. And, believe it or not, TV clipstation TMF is playing their video pretty often (medium rotation) and even some 3FM dj's (Giel Beelen as always the first) played it. CLICK HERE to check their first single: Gothic Meisje.
CLICK HERE to listen to the title-track of the CD Parel voor de Zwijnen
I also mixed two demo-cd's for local acts: WILSUM and SWELTER (formerly known as Lampshade).

Coldplay & more!

Coldplay did a secret gig in Amsterdam and we've got to record it!!! Wow, this was big; the new album is not comming out till June, and the band is getting ready for a big stadium-tour. But first they are doing some promo, and someone got the briljant idea to do a special secret concert in the Milkyway in Amsterdam. I am just out of the studio
where I spent some time on mixing the gig. I mixed some live-tracks
for Coldplay before (check my discography) and I was proud to be asked again. They played a lot of new material but, since it's not released yet, the live-recordings have to stay on the shelf for some time... (BNN is gonna broadcast 9 songs of the show on the 3rd of June on Dutch TV). I just have to tell you it's gonna be a great album (well worth the waiting), and I am sure it's gonne be huge cause they have managed to write some magnificent songs once again.

London Calling festival is a two-day festival in Paradiso Amsterdam featuring British bands (or bands that are English-sounding). It gives a nice impression of where the British stand nowadays. We recorded a lot of bands, so I am just gonne mention some highlights: Kaiser Chiefs, Thirteen Senses, Eastern Lane, New Rhodes, Nine Black Alps. (CLICK HERE for the online magazine 3voor12 about London Calling)

Rufus Wainwright (yes, he's the son of Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle). He's not your everyday singer-songwriter; or as Rolling Stone magazine wrote: Filled with operatic vocals, symphonic 
arrangements, iconoclastic religiosity and Latin (the dead language, not Ricky Martin's bloodline), Want Two is unlikely to steal away any Jessica Simpson fans. Instead, Wainwright's fanciful songs about love
 and faith place him in the rarefied company of Bjork and Brian Wilson, whose audacious Med?lla and SMiLE his album most resembles. Well I could not have said it any better way myself ;-) We have recorded a live-gig he did with his band at Paradiso, Amsterdam. Rufus stunned the place with a show that extended over two hours!

Roadburn festival is a stonerrock event with bands from all over the world. We had to "do" the Space-rock-stage. My personal highlight was Brant Bjork & the Bros. ; talkin'about groove! With a warm and fat (almost HendriX-like) Fender-guitar-tone!

Is it HipHop, is it Urban??? Who cares?! Roots Manuva is not a rapper with a backing track, but a great frontman with an excellent band. They were in Paradiso to prove it, and luckily we were alowed to put this show on tape. Thumbs up!

The Arcade Fire did a show in Amsterdam and we've recorded them for the VPRO. This is not your everyday rockband but a special band with a very unique sound. David Byrne and David Bowie are big fans, so that should give you a clue!


Saybia was back in Holland, and it was probably the best concert we've recorded of them so far. The audience at Pinkpop (2 years ago?!) was way bigger and more enthousiastic, but the band played much better this time. So a great concert with some beautiful highlights and they even played three new (and unreleased) songs.


Man, I've got to tell you about an album-mix I did. I am talking about the Dutch "power-punk-pop" band NOU EN... (When I translate that in English you will get something like "So What".) The lyrics are in Dutch, so you won't see this release anywhere else in the world, but their music is pretty international: think Blink 182 meets Jimmy Eat World meets Weezer. So loud rockin' guitars and catchy popmelodies.

I had a lot of fun mixing the album, since the band really knows how to put together a good song, and they are also a nice bunch of guys to hang out with (and that's an understatement). I think the mixes
turned out real fine, and I have to admit that I'm really proud of them.


The album (title: Parel voor de Zwijnen / "Pearl for the pigs"
;-) lol) is just released. Right now the band (together with their
label IQ Music) is working on a videoclip for the first single: Gothic Meisje (Gothic Girl). The song is already a cult-hit; let's see how it's gonne perform in the charts once it's released.

CLICK HERE to check out some of their songs.