__________________________________________
laaps 040
season: autumn
duration: 34.32 mn
___________________________________________________
Hardanger is a collaboration by Mariska Baars (aka soccer Committee), Niki Jansen, and Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek). The title refers to the instrument played by Jansen, the Hardanger fiddle. It’s a fresh addition to the established musical chemistry from regular collaborators Baars and Zuydervelt.
The music on Hardanger started with improvisations by Niki Jansen, guided by Mariska Baars, who responded with vocal and guitar recordings. Rutger Zuydervelt used this material as the building blocks for the two long-form pieces found on the album. These tracks are like two sides of the same coin, one a collage-like electro-acoustic piece, the other more drawn-out and contemplative.
__________________________
Mariska Baars is probably better known as soccer Committee, creating an experimental blend of ambient rooted in folk music, with minimal arrangements. She has been releasing albums since 2005.
In addition to her solo output she is part of improvisation ensemble Piiptsjilling and Fean (Laaps, 2020) and has worked on several duo albums with Rutger Zuydervelt.
On other occasions she collaborated with a.o. Annelies Monseré, Wouter van Veldhoven, Peter Broderick and Greg Haines.
Niki Jansen is a violinist who plays both the regular and a hardanger fiddle.She specializes in folk music, especially old Dutch folk music. She plays in various ensembles like Twee violen en een bas (with Jos Koning and Willem Raadsveld), and country quartet Daisy Chain.
In addition to music, she also works as a sustainability advisor for governments and institutions and manages a food forest in a cooperative.
Rutger Zuydervelt is perhaps better known as Machinefabriek, the alias under which he releases music since 2004. The stream of releases since is vast, many of them collaborations (with Peter Broderick, Gareth Davis, Chantal Acda, Dirk Serries, and many many more). He regularly works with Mariska Baars, with whom he also plays in Piiptsjilling and Fean (Laaps, 2020).
Zuydervelt is an avid composer of scores for film and dance performances, and also works as a graphic designer.
soccercommittee.bandcamp.com
machinefabriek.bandcamp.com
__________________________
released November 21, 2024
__________________________
Music by Mariska Baars, Niki Jansen, and Rutger Zuydervelt
October 2023 – June 2024
Mariska Baars: vocals, guitar
Niki Jansen: Hardanger fiddle
Rutger Zuydervelt: editing, processing, sine waves
_________
Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi
Artwork by Margaret Durow
Design by Sprflxgrfzm ___________________________________________________
℗ & © 2 0 2 4 - l a a p s 0 4 0 ( s e q 0 5 )