Jos Smolders teams up with Guido Nijs to present work inspired by the paitings of Koen Delaere. The album Smolders/Nijs/Delaere presents five new works where electro-acoustic music, improv and jazz meet.

Smolders/Nijs/Delaere is released as LP mastered by Jos Smolders in a gatefold artwork with paintings by Koen Delaere, designed by Onck West.

About Smolders/Nijs/Delaere

In 2021 Nijs and Smolders started a series of free improvisations. Each came from a different background (see bio’s) and wanted to explore musical horizons that they were not used to. As a next step they decided to record an album of composed tracks. The experimental platform shifted from long improv sessions to composition and structure, with the work of Delaere as a source of inspiration. The material of his work, the unevenness, the detail of pigments clashing, superimposing on the canvas served as a metaphor and inspiration for sonic canvases that they constructed.

The result has become a record full of surprises. Rhythm, drone, dynamics, timbre, notes, tones, all have been thrown in the tumble dryer and during the process many times led the two musicians towards an outcome they couldn’t have possibly foreseen. But here we are. Our own experience is that the music works best when it’s played loud. Crank up the level of your amp and dive into these 35 minutes of colorful sounds.

Reviews

Vital Weekly, Bauke van der Wal

Moving Furniture is not stopping; if they’re not moving furniture, they’re releasing albums. Last week, it was Coen Oscar Polack, and this week, another one by Jos Smolders (electronics) and Guido Nijs (sax). They worked on this album in many exploratory jam sessions/improv sessions for quite some time, slowly directing the experiments towards what would become these compositions. The initial thoughts were to influence each other into exploring unchartered territory and explore their own musical horizons by collaborating. Where they DID find each other was the admiration of Delaere’s work, which guided them as inspirational sources into the sonic canvases now available on vinyl.
    Jos’ work is often reviewed here, so he doesn’t need an actual introduction. I’ll stick to mentioning THU20, his solo works, and him being the guy of EarLabs, mastering new releases and restoring old ones. Guido studied saxophone; since 1999, he has done everything possible with that sax. So now it’s time for him to dive further into the experimental electronics. And having Jos as a colleague to start things is about as good as it gets. No turning back now. As for Koen’s painting, I advise you to Google and get a feeling for his work. I merely review music and don’t want to say anything wrong. From what I’ve found, I am very much impressed. But as I said, that’s just a personal thing.
    The album is simply called “Smolders / Nijs / Delaere”, five tracks, 33 minutes. Perfect for vinyl because with 16/17 minutes per side, there is more than enough vinyl to capture all extreme frequencies. Basses need to breathe. Side A opens with “Aureolin”, which has a lot of crackling goodness. When the sax plays for the first time, it’s almost like an extra oscillator being added to the synth patch after it becomes more improv, yet resulting in Jos taking grains from the sounds and turning them into something magical. “Barium” is built from field recordings and arpeggiators, and somehow, the sax work in this track reminded me of Bowie’s use of the instrument in his Berlin era. The first side closes with “Diarylide”, featuring bass and guitar from Eric van der Westen and Aron Raams. The composition has two parts: it starts ambient dronish and ends almost jazzy.
    The reverse side has two tracks, of which the first one is titled “Bianco di Titanio”. It gave me a bit of a Pink Floyd / ‘On the Run’ feeling, but I couldn’t really place the result in combination with the sax. I probably have to hear it more often. The final track, “Indigofera Suffruticosa”, is an 8-minute exercise in minimalism. Both composers are very active in the sound field, yet for an average listener, not much will happen. But this track may reflect the most on Delaere’s work for me, probably because it’s not the objects that are put on a pedestal but the negative space that generates objects. (BW)