2014 – Another Year Ends

Bass Communion & Freiband at Extrapool

In many ways 2014 has not been an easy year, but mainly due to personal circumstances, one of which was having a tennis elbow and, what turned out to be, an infection in my shoulder, which especially in December was very painful. A shot of steroids helped and even gave back my sense of smelling again. A good friend, who is a doctor, says it will go away as my nose problems are chronic. The other uneasy 2014 thing will not be discussed, as I tend to keep private matters private (for a while). It’s something that will continue into 2015 also, sad as it is.

On absolute plus side, I’d say I am more than happy with the releases that came out this year:

[Beequeen]

AROUND MIDNIGHT (CD, Catsun cat 17)

[The Tobacconists]

THE ULTRA ECZEMA SESSIONS (cassette, Powdered Heart Records, ph 06)

[Freiband]

‘Silence Will Fail’ on Psych 16 (split 7″ with RLW, Psych.KG 153)

[Doc Wor Mirran]

WALM ART (CDR, Hand-made/Mirran Threat)

[Modelbau]

CATARACT (cassette, Licht-ung)

[THU20]

‘Drieentwintigste Uni’ on Monochrome Visions 2004-2014 (3CD, Monochrome Vision MV 50)

[Freiband]

‘Re-Via Version 1’ on Monochrome Visions 2004-2014 (3CD, Monochrome Vision MV 50)

[Kapotte Muziek]

MADRID (CDR, Tuksio)

[Freiband]

‘Love, Peace & Understanding (mix)’ on ‘Epoch I: Evolution’ (3″CDR, Bastet’s Kitten BK 006)

[The Tobacconists]

A SECRET PLACE (LP, A Giant Fern AGF16/Fabrica Records fabrec 028)

[Wieman]

THE CLASSICS ALBUM (CD, Baskaru 030)

[Freiband]

IMPROPER COPY (CDR/download, Hazard Records HR 81)

[Frans de Waard]

‘Ballon Mix’ on Balloon & Needle Compilation (2CD, Balloon & Needle bnn 28)

[Wieman]

EXTRAPOOL 08.03.2012 (online, Korm Digitaal 186)

[THU20]

LIVE AT EXTRAPOOL NIJMEGEN 01.09.2013 (cassette, Midas Music T13)

[Modelbau]

BLADE (cassette, Barreuh bar-cas 004)

[Wieman]

CUTTING ROOM FLOUR (cassette, Lage Landen Lawaai LLL 007)

[Frans de Waard]

ONDERBREKING (online, Korm Digitaal 173)

[THU20]

NIJMEGEN (BEWERKINGEN) (cassette, Lage Landen Lawaai LLL 006)

[Kapotte Muziek]

TERUGKOPPELING (online, Korm Digitaal 163)

Especially the new Beequeen CD, Wieman CD and Tobacconists LP I feel are all very strong, but all my darlings are dear to me.

In 2015 there will be some more great releases, I hope, including a Frans de Waard CD for Mystery Sea. In the last five months I have been working on new music as QST/Quest, as I find current apps/software engaging enough to go back to that moniker and create music in similar vein, but more rhythmical. A quick overview of what should be coming, sooner and later:

Frans de Waard – Courriere CD (Mystery Sea) 2015

Wieman – Plays Goem CD (Kvitnu)

Wieman as yet untitled LP (ini.itu)

Beequeen – Sturmwind/Gilbert 7″ (no label yet)

Frans de Waard/Howard Stelzer – After All cassette (Banned)

Frans de Waard/Howard Stelzer – However cassette (Copy For Your Records)

Freiband – I’m Freezing flexi disc (Korm Plastics/Phantom Plastics)

Tanner Garza/Freiband cassette (which might be out, but I haven’t seen it)

Fabio Orsi & Sindre Bjerga & Frans de Waard LP

THU20 – De Vinger (cassette, Banned)

Modelbau – Do Without (cassette, ManekiMaki)

Modelbau – Extrusion (cassette, Bookend)

Frans de Waard – This Is Supposed To Be A Record Label (book on Staalplaat)

Frans de Waard – (writing about) music (1989-2014) (book)

Other good things that I managed to put up something on Bandcamp almost every week and that included some free stuff, including ‘Sorrow’, a work I made for the victims of the MH17. That was a particular dark cloud this summer and perhaps news that is close by hits you most. I originally planned ‘Sorrow’ to be more complex, but decided to finish it, more or less, the day of the national mourning. It got downloaded quite a lot, which is good, as it makes, hopefully, realize in what mad world we live and/or comforts any sorrow one may have.

Physical releases became a lot less on both Korm Plastics and Plinkity Plonk. I am quite proud of the fact that I released the Andre de Saint-Obin LP/CD – oh yes, I release a bit of vinyl, because, as you may remember from the 2013 Shareholder’s Report, ‘Vinyl Sells’, as everyone who knows his stuff will tell you. They never tell you the complete thing: ‘Vinyl Sells Except Yours’. It could do with some more sales indeed. I again seriously consider doing one or two things on Korm Plastics next year on CD and then call it a day, as a label to release physical things. The ‘company’ will continue to sell music, as it’s my official business name with the official people.

Concert wise this has been a quiet year too:

Wieman

16-04-2014 Hall Of Fame, Tilburg (with Jos Smolders)

Modelbau

08-08-2014 KAW, Leverkussen, Germany

09-08-2014 Transistorcafe, Kail, Germany

12-09-2014 TAC, Eindhoven

THU20

16-01-2014 Steim, Amsterdam

21-02-2014 Kernel, Den Haag

10-05-2014 De Perifeer, Deventer

I loved doing them all. However the best were two unannounced, somewhat private gigs. One was a six minute/one song with Marina Tadic of Eerie Wanda at Extrapool and Freiband/Bass Communion also at Extrapool, the day before Steven Wilson (Bass Communion)/Thomas Köner at Doornroosje. Small impromptu, handful of people, but great atmosphere, both of them. The latter may be released one day. It was great having Steven around for a couple of days and talk rock music and noise at the same time.

And part of this long weekend in December was a great concert by the same Wilson and Thomas Köner which made me meet with Mark Poysden after many years and discussing, however briefly, the Staalplaat book with him. That book is all finished and he’s now correcting it. Hopefully to be released in 2015. I also hope to publish a smaller book with all texts from 1989-2014 on music that aren’t reviews, so liner notes, pieces for releases, or support letters I wrote for musicians. It will be a smaller, print-on-demand. Also currently being revised.

Again I went on holidays this year, London and Edinburgh, visiting London Convention and sightseeing. Nice, as always.

As for watching concerts, I very much enjoyed Asuna’s concert at Extrapool this month. I really enjoyed Candelila from Germany. I am sure I saw more I liked, but hardly anything that blew me away.

Stuff that I enjoyed this year:

All of the releases by Sigtryggur Berg Sigmarsson

Releases by EE Tapes

SCHLEIMER K (CD by Infrastition)

MARTIN HANNETT – PLEASURES OF THE UNKNOWN (DVD/Book by OzIt Records)

IBRAHIM KHIDER – CHASING THE SHADOW OF BRYN JONES (Book by Vinyl On Demand)

MICHEL BANABILA – MORE RESEARCH FROM THE SAME DEPT. (CD by Tapu Records) *

Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, movie)

RUTGER ZUYDERVELT – STAY TUNED (CD by Baskaru)

HOWARD STELZER – BRAYTON POINT (CD by Dokuro)

FALX CEREBRI – TRIALS TEXTURES ERRORS (CD by Monochrome Vision)

ERIC RANDOM & THE BEDLAMITES – TIME-SPLICE (CD by Klang Galerie) *

ERIC RANDOM – MAN_DOG (CD by Klang Galerie) *

Fargo (TV series)

True Detective (TV series)

blackhumour – selected pieces (cd by noise-below)

Books by Robert Galbraith and Jonas Jonasson

I am sure there is more, if only I could remember. I am sure I wasted time on stuff, but I am not wasting it by trying to remember, although watching ‘The Interview’ three days ago is too fresh not to mention it.

In 2015 I will continue keeping a diary, which runs from August 8, 2014 to August 8, 2015, and which will be called ‘The End Of The First Half’, as I turn 50 on the day I end it. So far I manage quite well. I tried working on my fantasy book, following the completion of the Staalplaat book, but other events prevent me from continuing that. I didn’t write a single 2-page essay in 2014, as I hoped I would do. I won’t try that again. I’d love to do lots more music, but seemingly never have enough time. Work harder remains the main objective in 2015.

Prosper & Proost