2018?!

What? Music?!

So this must be my last blog of 2018! A few last words then on what I've been doing those 12 months.
Guess you have witnessed the silence on this blog lately ("Vanished" remember?), but that will change once again in 2019 with the release of my new album, that's now "almost" finished. All the music has been recorded. I have just a few lyrics to complete that will take it to the final mixing and mastering stage. Excited times ahead......

Back to 2018 then.

I've enjoyed the weather. Both hot and cold....

What did I come up with?

My song libary is expanding constantly, I mean, I've got a lot of ideas and although sometimes they do not fit on the regular albums, they deserve a destination home too. So I decided to fill another 2 instrumental albums: For Your Pleasure Vol.4 and Vol.5, especially made for the public to use. These licenses, only available on Jamendo and Bandcamp, you can use for your video projects!

Of course, I've released that regular album too. My main thing to complete the year's cycle, it's another part of man's growing lifework.. Learnt a lot again. Still, I am a musicain, not a sound engineer. I try to do my best. Very proud of the work and the feedback it has got. I received more radioplays and reviews than ever!
                                                                    
                                                                     Just Say KNOW....

Back & Front

              
Grateful for the words:

       Bluesmagazine
                                          Muziekwereld
                                                                            Timpaanmuziek
                                                                                                                 KeysAndChords 
                                                                                                                                                    Drooble


My favourite albums of 2018

Close contenders: Chris Bowden - Unlikely Being, Kamasi Washington - Heaven & Earth, David Byrne - American Utopia, Paul Weller -True Meanings, Mark Knopfler - Down The Road Wherever, Thomas Dybdah -  All These Things, David Crosby - Here If You Listen.

Yes, I've been listening and these ones stayed longer on my playlist, in random order, check:


Chris Stills - Don't Be Afraid

The son of Stephen. You can hear it in his voice and intimacy of the songs. His typical seventies production and his songwriting skills caught my ears.


Curtis Harding- Face Your Fear

Retro isn't always that bad. Beautiful, deep (retro soul/ R&B) arrangements, soulful, brooding and intense atmosphere (hence the title "Face Your Fear" I guess).


Michael Franks - The Music In My Head

One of my songwriter heroes (74 years old!) still delivers unexpected subtility


Joan Armatrading - Not Too Far Away

I've got a weak spot for Joan for years (her seventies period especially). An example for all the upcoming (lady) singer-songwriters. She always lifts me up with her upbeat (optimistic) songs.

Elvis Costello & The Imposters - Look Now

Elvis is back. With the most colourful crafted songs in years. Eclectic to the core. What a surprise. Wow!

Field Music - Open Here

Tight-fit, fresh, genius artpop! Something that's been missing these days...

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 1 

Out of this world harmonies, music as it suppose to be in 2018 (the young can deliver!) and this is only vol.1....!


In between, I have read these books in 2018:

John Einarson - Forever Changes Arthur Lee Story
Marc Eliot - Charlton Heston
Andy Summers - One Train Later A Memoir
Paul Woods - The Curious Life & Work Of Scott Walker
Eric Clapton - Clapton The Autobiography 2007
Fred Schruers - Billy Joel
Andy Partridge Todd Bernhardt - Complicated Game Inside the Songs of XTC
Stephen Davis - Stevie Nicks Gold Dust Woman
John Densmore - The Doors: Unhinged
Marcus Baram - Gil Scott-Heron Pieces Of A Man

Review from Belgium!

What a nice suprise from the south. Belgium that is. Yes, Belgium is gonna win the WK of 2018 of course! Didn't expect this one either. I'm just humbled by these words. Another review will get me going! Thank you Lambert Smits and Marino Serdons from 'Keys and Chords', a belgian online music magazine. And no, I didn't bribe them! Namedropping? Zappa, Rundgren, Protheroe (yes what's in a name!)

Dutch:
"Surprise, surprise, funky music vanuit buurland Nederland. JoosTVD, Joos The vanished Dutchman, levert al sedert 2005 het ene unieke digitale album na het andere af. Chapeau voor deze einzelganger: schrijft, componeert en speelt alle muziek zelf. Arrangeert, mixed en mastered zijn eigen brouwsels tot een prachtig geheel. Zo ook met zijn nieuwste telg 'Just Say kNOw'. Het album spettert van de funky grooves en doet regelmatig denken aan wijlen Frank Zappa, een meester in complexe en toch begrijpbare structuren. Luister maar eens naar opener 'Not Now' of 'The Vanished Romeo': elektronica zoals Todd Rundgren, xylofoon nals Frank Zappa. Is hier een volledig orkest aan het werk? Nee hoor, dit is JoosTVD ten note uit. Als geen ander weet hij elke song een meeslepende groove te bezorgen. Door de complexiteit blijf je geboeid luisteren, opnieuw en opnieuw. Ook houdt hij van grappige intermezzo's zoals in het theatrale 'My Cat Is Stoned' (waarin ook Brian Protheroe een kei was). Luchtig! Wie nog mocht twijfelen: Tom Robinson pikt regelmatig songs op voor zijn BBC6 Shows. 'Just say kNOw' is een oerdegelijk tof album geworden dat roept om een fysieke drager zoals vinyl. Digitaal natuurlijk te beluisteren via de geijkte kanalen Spotify, Deezer, enz."

Beautiful album from The Vanished Dutchman Joost. Strong funky grooves with Zappa-tesque influences, but also melancholy and a lot of fun. A wonderful discovery.
Marino Serdons

Vanished in Belgium

English:
 Surprise, surprise, funky music from neighboring Netherlands. JoosTVD, Joos The vanished Dutchman, has been delivering one unique digital album after another since 2005. Chapeau for this einzelganger: writes, composes and plays all music itself. Arranges, mixed and mastered his own brews into a beautiful whole. This is also the case with his latest member 'Just Say kNOw'. The album splashes with funky grooves and regularly reminds of the late Frank Zappa, a master of complex yet understandable structures. Listen to opener 'Not Now' or 'The Vanished Romeo': electronics such as Todd Rundgren, xylophone and Frank Zappa. Is there a full orchestra at work here? No, this is JoosTVD on note. Like no other he knows how to deliver a compelling groove to a song. Due to the complexity, you will continue to listen fascinated, again and again. He also likes funny intermezzos such as in the theatrical 'My Cat Is Stoned' (in which Brian Protheroe was also a boulder). Airy! Who might doubt: Tom Robinson regularly picks up songs for his BBC6 Shows. 'Just say kNOw' has become an incredibly cool album that calls for a physical carrier such as vinyl. Digital to listen to naturally via the well-known channels Spotify, Deezer, etc. '

Beautiful album from The Vanished Dutchman Joost. Strong funky grooves with Zappa-tesque influences, but also melancholy and a lot of fun. A wonderful discovery.
Marino Serdons

And another dutch review!

I didn't see this coming....I hoped, but didn't pray. Some nice words caught my eyes. They arrived in Blues Magazine!
It's a loooong read, so...Thank you, TU, no you!

The Vanished Drunk

 Dutch:
Tekst: Peter Marinus
Bij dit album is wel het één en ander uit te leggen. Allereerst de artiestennaam JoostTVD. TVD staat hier voor “The Vanished Dutchman” en dat is weer een alias van de Nederlandse singer-songwriter Joost van Dinther. Hij omschrijft zijn muziek zelf als “zelfbevlekkende, narcistische, selfkickende, obsessieve en uitknijpende muziek”. Een hele mondvol dus.  Joost ontpopt zich op dit album als een muzikale doe-het-zelver, die met het grootste gemak allerlei muziekstijlen door elkaar heen gooit en daar weer één prachtig geheel van maakt.
Tom Robinson, de Engelse artiest die in de new wave periode hits scoorde met “2-4-6-8 Motorway” en “Listen To The Radio”, was dermate onder de indruk van Joost dat hij een aantal van zijn songs draaide in zijn radioprogramma op BBC 6.
Wat krijgen we hier te horen? Muziek, die beïnvloed is door artiesten als Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa, The Tubes en nog veel meer artiesten/genres.
Het openingsnummer, Not Now, is bijvoorbeeld een funky rocknummer waarin invloeden rondzweven van Todd Rundgren, Gino Vannelli en Frank Zappa. Met name die dwarse xylofoon zou zo bij Zappa vandaan kunnen komen. Razendknap om van al die invloeden een aanstekelijk swingend funky nummer te maken. Er gebeurt echt van alles in dit nummer. Knetterende Tower Of Power-achtige blazers, een scheurende gitaarsolo en elektronische ritmes, die totaal niet storen. The Vanished Romeo begint met new age-achtige panfluit geluiden, die al snel weggevaagd worden door een schroeiende wah wah gitaar. Vervolgens wordt een luie, geile Zappa funker ingezet vol ingenieuze breaks. Joos heeft een perfect zwoel stemgeluid voor dit nummer. Ook de eigenzinnigheid van The Tubes en Todd Rundgren klinken door in dit nummer. Het luchtige funky Indie mengt Zappa, The Tubes en Toto tot een warm wiegend nummer. My Cat Is Stoned is een bizarre mix van vaudeville, funk en Zappiaanse waanzin. Er komt van alles voorbij in dit nummer: maffe stemmetjes, fluitjes, geboer, en dat alles over een kat die stoned is! Loaded is vervolgens een Tito Puente-achtig latin fusionnummer. Zwoel swingend met soulvolle zang en haast Philly soul-achtige strijkers. Gameface doet qua synthesizergeluid denken aan het spacey werk van Gary Wright, in zijn “Dream Weaver” periode. Maar Joos vermengt dit uiteraard met het geluid van The Tubes, de erotische zwijmelsoul van Barry White en Zappa.
Nerveus ratelende elektro ritmes ontwikkelen zich in Rottendance tot een loom groovend nummer vol zwevende synthesizers en retestrakke Zappa breaks. Probeer hier maar eens op te dansen! Ik garandeer je dat je binnen no time kramp in je kuiten hebt! In Crest Of A Wave gaan we op de softsoul toer met een hoog Gino Vannelli gehalte, compleet met een ruisende branding. In de felle, eigenzinnige funkrock van There’s No Sense In Making Sense lijkt Zappa een huwelijk aangegaan te zijn met Johnny Guitar Watson en de ritmesectie van Tower Of Power. All The Way is een zwoel nachtclub nummer dat doet denken aan Kevin Ayers en zijn “Falling In Love With You”.
Joos sluit dit zeer avontuurlijke album af met de sprookjesachtige instrumental Not Ever, die gedomineerd wordt door zijn warme romantische toetsenwerk.
Ik ben zeer onder de indruk van de veelzijdigheid van JoosTVD en ga het album nog maar eens opzetten. Eens kijken wat ik nu weer allemaal ga ontdekken!

english:
Text: Peter Marinus
With this album you can explain a few things. First the artist name JoostTVD. TVD stands for 'The Vanished Dutchman' and that is another alias of Dutch singer-songwriter Joost van Dinther. He describes his music as 'self-stinking, narcissistic, self-kicking, obsessive and squeezing music'. A whole mouthful.

Joost reveals himself on this album as a musical do-it-yourselfer, who throws all kinds of musical styles together with the greatest ease and makes one more beautiful whole.
Tom Robinson, the English artist who scored hits in the new wave period with '2-4-6-8 Motorway' and 'Listen To The Radio', was so impressed with Joost that he played some of his songs in his radio program on BBC 6.
What can we hear here? Music influenced by artists like Todd Rundgren, Frank Zappa, The Tubes and many more artists / genres.

The opening track, Not Now, is for example a funky rock song in which influences float around from Todd Rundgren, Gino Vannelli and Frank Zappa. Especially that transverse xylophone could come from Zappa. A frenzy to make all those influences an infectious swinging funky song. There really is everything happening in this issue. Crackling Tower Of Power-like horns, a ripping guitar solo and electronic rhythms, that do not disturb at all. The Vanished Romeo starts with new age-like panflute sounds, which are quickly wiped out by a scorching Wah Wah guitar. Then a lazy, horny Zappa funker is used full of ingenious breaks. Joos has a perfectly sultry voice for this song. Also the idiosyncrasy of The Tubes and Todd Rundgren resound in this song. The airy funky Indie mixes Zappa, The Tubes and Toto into a warm rocking song. My Cat Is Stoned is a bizarre mix of vaudeville, funk and Zappian madness. All kinds of things pass by in this song: wacky voices, whistles, bats, and everything about a cat that is stoned! Loaded is then a Tito Puente-like latin fusion number. Swinging with soulful singing and almost Philly soul-like strings. In terms of synthesizer sound, Gameface is reminiscent of the spacey work of Gary Wright in his 'Dream Weaver' period. But Joos mixes this with the sound of The Tubes, the erotic whisper of Barry White and Zappa.
Nervous rattling electro rhythms develop into a loom grooving song full of floating synthesizers and retro twist Zappa breaks in Rottendance. Try dancing here! I guarantee that you have cramp in your calves in no time! In Crest Of A Wave we go on the softsoul tour with a high Gino Vannelli level, complete with a rustling surf. In the fierce, quirky funk rock of There's No Sense In Making Sense, Zappa seems to have entered into a marriage with Johnny Guitar Watson and the rhythm section of Tower Of Power. All The Way is a sultry nightclub song reminiscent of Kevin Ayers and his 'Falling In Love With You'.
Joos closes this very adventurous album with the fairytale instrumental Not Ever, which is dominated by his warm romantic keyboard work.

I am very impressed by the versatility of JoosTVD and will put the album up again. Let's see what I'm going to discover again!

Just say yes to them Songs

Ok. Fine. Did the work. Did you listen? Of course.
Just say...YES! Thank you.

A whole year just writing songs- and there were a lot of them- always makes you wonder which ones will make it to the finish line. I'm tired, but fulfilled and I ain't gonna stop now..so much to do....I'll just vanish again.
Now, pay attention, let me tell you all about the tunes on "Just Say KNOW".

01.Not Now
A quick and fun one to write, so obviously the first one that motivated me to create a new album again. Upbeat and funky. Fun to dance to. No, not now! Always looking out for the right groove to get me going. A lot of dancing tunes inspired me (especially those from the seventies).

02.The Vanished Romeo
One of my favourite songs of the album. I like the smooth shuffle, jazzy arrangements in the verses and the latin groove of the refrain. Slowly building up a tension. That's a combination that does it for me. A lot of sweat involved here that almost turned into a bloody mess. O Romeo....

03.Indie
What does that mean "Indie" anyway these days. Independent? It's a DIY world already!
Strumming chords can be boring, but this pattern kept me busy, playing for hours.

04.My Cat Is Stoned
A normal cats and dogs day... Cat wants to be a dog and vica versa. I simply wrote this on guitar.
I always try to come up with a fun song that keeps the balance between sad/glad/serious/fun.

05.Loaded
The latin infection. Latin stuff keeps creeping into my songs. Why? I love rhythm.
As long there's a melody/hook it's allright I guess. I'm loaded with that. This is a song about friendship and the love involved.

06.Gameface
On edge all the time...
That's my songwriting spirit sometimes. A bit more darker/ angrier  than the rest of the album. Good for the balance. Maybe a bit Peter Gabriel (So, Us) influence. I've payed a lot of attention to the dynamics.

07.Rottendance
I like dancing. Rhythm. Hypnotic beats... If it falls flat it's just what "disco" did at the end of the seventies  and what "house" does today. To me, it's not human, it's too safe, superficial (they all sound the same!), generetically rotten.
Here, I even give you a pulsing beat that evolves into a reggae pattern in the chorus. But don't misunderstand: I just want to dance again.

08.Crest Of A Wave
Bossa style dutchman. I've always admired brazilian music for its subtle, passionate and smooth patterns. Exotic music oozes summer. I'm just an old fashioned melancholic guy here.

09.There's No Sense In Making Sense
Stop making sense! A terrific Talking Heads concert movie said it all. Restless song, but floating. A little experimenting with the rhythm breaking up did the trick.

10.All The Way
The vanished crooner. As we reach the final, an easy-on the ears ballad can do wonders to comfort your soul and mind. All the way.

11.Not Ever
Coda: a dreamy instrumental and a serious contrast to the first (upbeat) song "Not Now". Say NO. Do not give in. Not Now, not ever.

And another dutch review!

                                          
                                                                     It's all about networking I guess.......


This time I've got some welcome feedback from Timpaan Muziek
And again that Zappa reference....

Well, as a dutchman I'm not used getting dutch reviews...

Dutch:
Joost The Vanished Dutchman (JoosTVD) is een multiinstrumentalist en heeft een nieuw album uit, Just say know.
Funky jazzachtige muziek met een onverwacht lage stem doet een beetje aan Frank Zappa denken. Virtuoze loopjes en ingenieuze tegenmelodieën vullen elkaar continue aan. Opener Not now heeft een prima drive. The vanished Romeo doet de mondhoeken onwillekeurig omhoog krullen. Even een korte stijlbreuk met een citaat erin verweven. kortom muziek waar over nagedacht is. Humor zit in deze muziek. My cat is stoned voor de slappe lach. Het beeld dat JoosTVD oproept is zo lachwekkend. Alleen de tekst ‘My cat wants to be a dog‘ al, tranen over de wangen. De referentie aan Frank Zappa is ook hier onmiskenbaar. De humor en absurde teksten en onderwerpen benadrukken dat.
De virtuositeit klinkt wat te gepolijst op dit album. De vraag komt daardoor gelijk op of het al dan niet ‘live’ is ingespeeld of dat er flink gesampled en bijgeschaafd is. En ja, hij heeft het allemaal echt ingespeeld, weten we. Maar die vraag wil je als luisteraar niet in je hoofd hebben zitten. Maakt wel nieuwsgierig naar live-uitvoeringen van de nummers. Het hummen en ‘dabadibedie’ in Gameface nodigt uit tot meedoen. Naar mate het album vordert zijn de liedjes wat inwisselbaar voor elkaar met name Crest of wave en There is no sense in making sense. Het croonende pianonummer All the way is een welkome afwisseling en was een mooie afsluiter geweest. De echte hekkensluiter van het album Not ever komt iets te veel uit de elektronische toetsen, maar maakt het album wel op een goede manier af.
Virtuoos, humoristisch, eigenzinnig en absurd. JoosTVD! Nu een liveband en het clubcircuit in.
Eindoordeel: 8,0

The Vanished....Dutchman

English:
Joost The Vanished Dutchman (JoosTVD) is a multi-instrumentalist and has a new album, Just say know. Funky jazzy music with an unexpected low voice reminds a bit of Frank Zappa. Virtuous loops and ingenious counter-melodies complement each other continuously. Opener Not now has a good drive. The vanished Romeo involuntarily curls up the corners of the mouth. Just a short style break with a quote in it. in short, music that has been thought about. Humor is in this music. My cat is stoned for the limp laugh. The image that JoosTVD evokes is so laughable. Only the text 'My cat wants to be a dog', tears on the cheeks. The reference to Frank Zappa is also unmistakable here. The humor and absurd texts and subjects emphasize that. The virtuosity sounds a bit too polished on this album. As a result, the question arises whether it has been played live or whether it has been sampled and refined. And yes, he has really played it all, we know. But you do not want that question as a listener in your head. Makes you curious about live performances of the songs. The humming and 'dabadibedie' in Gameface invites you to participate. As the album progresses, the songs are exchangeable for each other in particular Crest or wave and There is no sense in making sense. The crowning piano number All the way is a welcome change and was a nice ending. The real hekkensluiter of the album Not ever comes a bit too much from the electronic keys, but makes the album in a good way. Virtuoso, humorous, idiosyncratic and absurd. JoosTVD! Now a live band and the club circuit in.

Final verdict: 8.0 

Dutch review!

This is the third time, after "Open up My Parachute" (2016) and "Sagitario" (2017), I'll get another welcome review from dutch reviewer, thanks to Fred Pach from Musicworld.
Just short and sweet! Just say wOw.




English:
Dutch multi-instrumentalist / singer-songwriter JoosTVD (alias of Joost van Dinther) remains productive in his studio, because Just Say Know is his third album in three years. With his new album, JoosTVD builds on the road taken on its previous albums with 11 decent songs, on the cutting edge of funky pop, r & b, often topped with a jazzy sound. It continues to be incredibly cool that he can invent, develop and complete his music projects in his studio. He delivers craftsmanship of international allure for Dutch standards.

Dutch:
De Nederlandse multi-instrumentalist/singer-songwriter JoosTVD (alias van Joost van Dinther) blijft productief in zijn studio, want Just Say Know is alweer zijn derde album in drie jaar. Met zijn nieuwe album borduurt JoosTVD voort op de op zijn vorige albums ingeslagen weg met 11 degelijke songs, op het snijvlak van funky pop, r&b, veelal overgoten met een jazzy sound. Het blijft razendknap hoe Joost van Dinther zijn muziekprojecten weet te bedenken, te ontwikkelen en in zijn studio af te werken. Hij levert voor Nederlandse begrippen vakwerk van internationale allure.

For Your Pleasure...5

Yes, here's the 5th one in the series just after the 4th. It's for you videomakers, who need a few fitting tunes to enhance their moving pictures. Potential listeners can enjoy the grooves and melodies of course...if you don't like my voice, haha. Couldn't wait for another instrumental album (only released on Jamendo folks!), just before my regular album "Just Say kNOw" comes out (sooner than I think). Really? That makes two instrumental albums en one vocal album in 2018.
No, no, no really... it's all about quality! It's just that I've been kicked around too long by these songs, begging me to let them out. Now you can play them. Need vocals on them tunes? In about week!

                                                                                                  For Your Pleasure Vol.5

And NOW...

....here is the song for you to download on soundcloud!
Remember to share it with your communities. The whole new album will be available  in about 2 or 3 weeks.

Show Us The New Stuff!

Allright then. Some artwork had to be done. Did it. You must have seen a few snippets already. If you put these pieces together, there it is.

Maybe it's not modern to say in these streaming spotify playlists times, where your songs are mostly shuffle played, I still love the "album" concept though. A year's work and it's more than the music. The package. A promo. To show it. To give it a name.

First: how did I come up with this title?

                                                              "Just Say KNOW"

Such things you don't come up with instantly, but as I read a lot of fine written biographies and watch the eye catching docs, movies and tv-series, a simple sentence or quote always seems to be laying there for grabs.
I already had this song (the first promo) "Not Now". Well, just dare to say NO for once. I guess my father taught me long ago to say that. Then I saw this documentary- Dying To Know- about Timothy Leary, 60s LSD guru/icon (“turn on, tune in, drop out”), read more about him and one quote grabbed me: "Just Say Know" (read more HERE) as a reaction to Nancy Reagan's war on drugs in the 80's/90's: Say NO to drugs. Leary used it in a smart way: just say kNOw. It has more merit: knowledge is power. To say NO to any authority or anything that wants to overrule you is more legit then. It's still the sign of the times. I'm not trying to preach or getting nostalgic, I'm just a musician, trying to be creative. I say YES to that.

So here are the frontcovers and backcover and I liked two of them. There's a release with- for example on Bandcamp- and one- on Spotify and the like- without alias, which is required by AMAdea. I've used (as usual) the latest holiday pictures, this time from sunny Sicily, Italy.

 Walking in Palermo, Sicily. Frontcover- distribution AMAdea without alias

On the one without the alias "The Vanished Dutchman" you can see me walking into the darkness (?) of original mob city Palermo, Sicily. It also became part of the backcover as you can see.

Backcover: songlist, credits, notice that mirror word "WONK"

Frontcover with alias (The Vanished Dutchman)

I liked our sleezy appartment/ hotelroom so much that a picture had to be taken. So that became the official frontcover. In reality It's not all that glamourous though, but just enough to give the stereotyped fame and starstrucked artist some due.

Back and Frontcover

Next: Let us hear a new tune!

Delivered!

Dear folks, a quick update. I had a minor problem with the frontcover as it was not accepted by the distribution man due to low resolutions of the picture (quality!), so I've showed them another, better one. It's allright now. Fingers and legs crossed!                         

Proof!

Next: Show Us The New Stuff!

Sent away to the shops!

Yep! As you can see, officially 9 may 2018. AMAdea, who handles the distribution, notes:
"It takes from 3 weeks minimum, to 7 weeks maximum to get it up and selling, once you've given us ALL the info we need. (Usually 4 weeks) Once we send it to them, it's out of our hands and they do what they can to get it imported and active in their service. We push them to get it added as soon as possible, and they always do it as soon as they can."

Proof. Can I get a witness?

I'm glad. At first I was worried that something wasn't right. OMG western problems.

Done it again. Worked like a dog. I've finally decided to send my fresh babies away. Why? Because I like them too much!
Yes, I've got a good, strong feeling about these songs. More than ever I took special care to every aspect of the production process (inspiration, songwriting, playing, recording, mixing, mastering).
I think these tunes are a upbeat, sinister, melancholic, desperate but overall fun and groovy bunch, just like me. Ok, sometimes.

After a long, long ping-pong process (the details) of mixing and mastering that is. That was a very intense 3 months period, but I'm glad I didn't overrush things. These songs needed some breathing and I needed some distance from them once in a while. But now it's time I let you enjoy my new grooves.

Well on the distribution side, that will be taken care of by AMAdea (after approval) and it will take about 3 or 4 weeks to hear the album on Spotify and the like. There are so many streaming sites today, so take your pick.

I'll send a few free download links (Bandcamp) to a few of my supporters too, so maybe a few reviews will come up before the official release in may.
Watch this site for more details, news about the design, covers, promo and tell me..what about a title and.... Soon, stay stuned. Promo coming at ya!

TBA3

Q & A 2018

Hello ladies and germs, I've got to get organised now. I'm still working my sorry ass off on those tunes, but hey....they sure give some grooves back to me! So many things to do, but I'm positive. As there's progress, here's what you can expect in the next few days, weeks, months (...?)

Before: Lazy Dutchman

Here's a little Q & A for ya: 

Q: Are you "The Vanished Dutchman"?
A: I'm here, ain't I? I'm more human now. The Vanished Human. Rather that than a chauvinistic nationalist.

Q: Do you like music?
A: No


Q: What are you doing then? 
A: Playing fiddle with a hammer

Q: What's on your mind these days?
A: Trying to be serious

Q: A new album, can we expect something different from the previous albums?
A: I dunno. I guess they all call it music.


Q: Well, what about a promo video?
A: Hey, I'm working on it! It's funky! But first I've got to finish the master of the chosen song, ok?

Q: Will it be you on the frontcover?
A: Well, it's a lucky shot that I've used. Yes, there's me and I've finished the covers already. But I've got to be really sure about the length and the sequence of the songs.

Q: What about a title?
A: Yes, I've got that figured out too. Won't tell you though. It's too shocking...I'll tell you all about it in the near future. It's a very simple one.

Q: Release date? Spring again?
A: Heeey, that's classified information! Gimme a break! Ok, well maybe...May 2018? If everything will go as planned, it will be around april that I'll sent it to AMAdea for distribution worldwide and that usually takes 3 to 4 weeks, so...

Q: The story about the songs?
A: Maaaan, I've got to work on those too! After the release I'll tell all my secrets. The whole world has got to listen first of course. Can you arrange that?

Yes it will happen folks. 

After: Lazy Dutchman

Mixed Up

So...I'm in the middle of these final mixes. Thoughts are racing all the time: "don't mess with a good thing!" The choices I've made are more or less definite. I mean, the intensity and the emotions (FEEL) of the "first take" makes it mostly the best one to go for. Both the organic energy and the freshness of a new song motivates that. Sure there are the unavoidable overdubs and edits to be done later (only in case if there are disruptive mistakes, all in the name of smoothing it all out).
I've got a lot of ideas while arranging and recording a song. Those filling intervals, melodies come from the piano mostly. Some even counterpoint perfectly with eachother. And sometimes you have to choose, wipe away what's getting in the way.
Every song has got its own personal handling of course. After a few weeks of self-imposed distance I've listened again with "new" ears. Aha. Yes, that distance helps to be more objective about the sound, especially if you work alone (!). Watched a few youtube tutorials of generous sound engineers again to learn more about their professional mixing methods. Let's get it on.

My method? The "meth" method.

 Ok, I need some more distance perhaps haha....CU!

The new songs I'm into that

"Man I'm really into it...", well what? A sexmachine? Yes, I like the joy of funky hypnotism.
I can't escape from the sounds. It took a while before the floods of creation really went open. I'm in the middle of that now, so that will keep me warm through another autumn and winter. A lot of songs have been building up through the years and waiting eagerly for my my finishing touch. I choose the ones that come naturally and quick. I'm into that. I LOVE what I do. Can you count it off?
Nope...CU.

Vanished again.