back in vital weekly 653 i was first, properly that is, introduced to the music of maarten van der vleuten, who has been around in the dutch music scene for some time, mainly section ‘dance’ music, but that is now put to rest - we all get older, right - in favor of some more experimental form of electronic music. tonefloat might be perceived as a bit of a hippie/psychedelic label - at least from my seat - and while i know that is not entirely true, van der vleuten’s album is loosely described as a concept album. its about such things as crusades and 20th century genocide, and that we sadly have to deal with such things. the studio is his instrument so he says and he puts a lot into this studio. samples of monks, brass fanfare, synthesizers, voices (his own) and the returning sound of snare drums rolling, like a military march, in various pieces. it makes indeed quite cinematic music, excellently produced. one thing i was less keen on was his use of his own voice - reciting text or attempting to sing, i am not sure which way he sees that. but its a kind of mumbling that just doesn’t work very well, i think. surely it suggests an awful lot, but it would have had more power, i think, when they would have been properly recited. however its not always present in the music and by and large its instrumental music and that’s where the power lies. atmospheric, drone based, but also psychedelic, shimmering with samples of an original kind. an excellent ride through the dark side of mankind, depicted in likewise dark music.
source: vital weekly
