Sounds of the underground

Dreamy songs and intimate sounds

While a lot of music in the underground is usually of the louder kind, there are also artists who focus on a more intimate sound. Of course you kind think of various ambient and drone musicians, but there are also those songwriters (some also without words) who just blend in with our SOTU ideal.

On Thursday at Butcher's Tears for example we find Norwegian Lasse Passage who decided to drop out of music conservatory in favour for a simple life as traveller. He now plays intimate and melancholic songs, live just armed with a guitar and his warm voice. During SOTU we can expect songs from his latest works "Stop Making Sense And Start Making Succes Vol. 1 and 2".

On Saturday we start at 20:30 in De Vondelbunker with Bosnian / Belgian musician Miaux who creates some of the loveliest music you can imagine and that just with a casio keyboard. This won't just be intimate, but it will be dreamy, breath-taking and mesmerizing all at once. One of the most promising new artists from Belgium for sure.
After Miaux also at De Vondelbunker cellist and composer Brent Arnold will perform. He has worked with various other musicians such as Kirstin Hirsch, Reggie Watts, Modest Mouse, Sleater-Kinney among many others. Solo, though, he has a very unorthodox approach to playing. In his music he uses fingerpicking, electronics, and various influences from Arabic, Persian and African music. This often results in melancholic folk music with traces that remind of post-rock.

Also Sunday afternoon at Budapest we have two intimate singer/songwriters, besides the minimalist drones by Hellvete. Around 15:00 Amsterdam based Ti Femme will present her experimental songs where she combines electronics and pre-recorded instruments, like accordion, with singing. Slowly she is leaving her folk roots behind her to exchange it for more drone infused songs, though the intimacy stays.
And the finishing act at Budapest will be Leo Svirsky, who for this occasion leaves the piano at home and instead will perform subtle songs on his accordion. Be sure to drown yourself in the hypnotizing sounds that he produces.
A lovely way to finish this afternoon and prepare for the last evening program of SOTU Festival at the OCCII.