THE LAST POST (OF THE YEAR)

Each year we look back a little, and a bit ahead. 2014 was mainly a year of quite some releases for the Kleefstra Bros.

In February the dvd Sinne op 'e Wangen saw the light of day. A delightful, meditative video by Sabine Bürger to a pitch black soundscape by Kleefstra|Bakker|Kleefstra. Also Piiptsjilling said hi briefly with a new freebie on its Bandcamp.
In March Skeylja was released by Denovali Records; The Alvaret Ensemble with the great Icelandic musicians Kira Kira, Eiki Olafsson, Ingi Erlendsson and Borgar Magnasson. Our wildest album so far probably. In April Home Normal published the 5cd compilation Elements, containing another new track by Piiptsjilling. In June Rutger Zuydervelt (Machinefabriek/Piiptsjilling) released the Stay Tuned cd, featuring Romke and loads of friends and acquaintances. All great stuff!

July was really the Piiptsjilling month. Both Piiptsjilling's 3rd album Molkedrippen was released by Spekk Records, and the 4th album Moarntiids by Midira Records. And it's these two albums we cherish like... well, you name it. At the end of the year the third so far unreleased track by Piiptsjilling was released on the Dronarivm compilation Past Dissapears.

So, what's up for 2015? It's all a bit indistinct really. Jan just published some of his written work. More about that little collection of poems soon. There will be a tiny bit of new Piiptsjilling, related to the gig up at the Moving Noises festival in Bochum (Germany).  We're teaming up with DUIF again, also with our old homies of Tsjinlûd and off course with Kleefstra|Bakker|Kleefstra. So, we'll see, and might see you. Tsjoch.

DRONARIVM X-MAS COMPILATION FEATURING PIIPTSJILLING

Moscow's finest independent label Dronarivm published a free X-mas compilation called Past Dissapears, featuring Piiptsjilling and loads of friends like Aaron Martin, Anne Chris Bakker, Ghost and Tape, Jeff Stonehouse, Maps and Diagrams, Offthesky, Pleq and Hakobune and others. Piiptsjilling's track Snie is a so far unreleased track, from the same recording session as the group's 4th album Moarntiids. Check it out. The free download's available over at Dronarivm's bandcamp. Cheers.

KLEEFSTRA|BAKKER|KLEEFSTRA LIVE @ INCUBATE: FLUISTERZACHT

Kleefstra|Bakker|Kleefstra will perform live on December 28th on an afternoon organised by the Incubate Festival. Pieter Nooten will be performing too and this all takes place in the Concertzaal in Tilburg. More details here.

ANNE CHRIS BAKKER & ROMKE KLEEFSTRA PLAYING LIVE TO FILM

November 9th Anne Chris Bakker and Romke Kleefstra will do a special performance on the Dutch Wadden Sea isle of Ameland. They'll improvise live to a film by the video and photo artist Knynk (Nynke Venema), during Kunstmaand Ameland. The film, including a photo exhibition, is part of the festival that runs for a month. On the 9th of November Bakker & Kleefstra will play to an extended version of the film, that contains different interpretations of the movement of water. If the weather allows the artists to, the performance will be outside Hotel Noordsee. If the weather is not that good it will be in the hotel. Starting 20.00 h.

PIIPTSJILLING'S MOLKEDRIPPEN AND MOARNTIIDS OUT NOW

Both new Piiptsjilling albums Molkedrippen and Moarntiids are out now. Molkedrippen is Piiptsjilling's official 3rd album, and was postponed for quite a while. It is released by the fine Japanese label Spekk. Check Spekk for more info or go to Nature Bliss for ordering. Molkedrippen is also available through Boomkat, Norman Records and other on-line music stores (check our releases page).


Moarntiids is Piiptsjilling's official 4th album and out on the German label Midira Records. It is available through Midira, but also through Piiptsjilling's Bandcamp or just send us an e-mail.

Have a listen to tracks from both albums. First 'Mûle Fol Snie' from Molkedrippen and below it 'Flinter Djippe See' from Moarntiids.

STAY TUNED CD OUT NOW

Piiptsjilling's Rutger Zuydervelt asked more then 150 musicians and singers to record an 'A' (which is the note an orchestra normally tunes to), using whatever technique or style they please. With this he created his own tuning orchestra and named the project 'Stay Tuned'. It was presented on several festivals as a multiple-speaker installation. From each speaker, the sound of an instrument-group was heard, continuously. The speakers were spaciously placed to create an auditive space, so visitors can literally walk through the orchestra. One of the guitarists of the Stay Tuned orchestra is Piiptsjilling's Romke. Also his Alvaret Ensemble-bandmate Greg Haines is in it, on piano. And many, many more (see the list below!).

Besides the installation, a composed stereo version of Stay Tuned is now released on cd by Baskaru! You can have a listen on Soundcloud. If you want to order the Stay Tuned cd visit the Baskaru website or go to Machinefabriek's Bandcamp. Stay Tuned!

The Stay Tuned orchestra:

David Aird (Vindicatrix)
Mats Aleklint
Tetuzi Akiyama
Oren Ambarchi
Nathan Amundson (Rivulets)
Kai Angermann (Insa Donja Kai)
Thomas Ankersmit
Sigbjørn Apeland (1982)
Felicia Atkinson
Aidan Baker (Nadja)
Michel Banabila
Paul Baran 
Molly Berg
Johan Berthling (Tape, Fire!)
Jeb Bishop
Olivia Block
Peter Broderick
Chris Brokaw (ex-Codeine, ex-Come)
Dave Brown  (Candlesnuffer)
Mike Bullock (The BSC)
Daniel Bürkner (Squares on Both Sides)
John Butcher
Anna Rose Carter (Moon Ate the Dark)
Tim Catlin
Travis Chapman (Balmorhea)
Xavier Charles
Sylvain Chauveau
Eric Chenaux
Colleen
Valerio Cosi
Werner Dafeldecker (Polwechsel)
Gareth Davis
Matt Davis (Zeitkratzer, Otomo Yoshihide)
Tony Dekker (Great Lake Swimmers)
Jim Denley
Bardt van der Dennen (Birdt)
Andy Diagram (ex-Two Pale Boys, ex-Spaceheads)
Gareth Dickson
Jorrit Dijkstra
Michael Francis Duch (Lemur)
Benjamin Duvall (Ex-Easter Island Head)
Julia Eckhardt
Klaus Ellerhusen Holm (Trondheim Jazzorchestra)
Jacco van Elst (This Leo Sunrise)
Katie English (Isnaj Dui)
Erik Enocksson (Lakes of Grass and Gold)
Ferran Fages (Cremaster)
Pien Feith
Nils Frahm
Masayoshi Fujita (El Fog)
Lori Goldston (Earth, Secret Chiefs 3)
Rachel Grimes (Rachel's)
David Grubbs
Ivar Grydeland
Gudbjorg Hlin Gudmundsdottir (mum)
Anne Guthrie
Greg Haines (Alvaret Ensemble) 
Franz Hautzinger
Nick Hennies
Carl Ludwig Hübsch
Paul Hubweber
Sarah Hughes
Jenny Hval
Hilary Jeffery (The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble)
Paul de Jong (The Books)
Coti K. (Mohammad)
Rebekka Karijord
Edita Karkoschka (Nausica)
Greg Kelley (Nmperigm)
Sarah Kemp (Fieldhead, Brave Timbers)
Julia Kent (Antony and the Johnsons, Larsen)
Kenneth Kirschner
Romke Kleefstra (Piiptsjilling, Alvaret Ensemble)
Tobias Klein 
Jonas Kocher (300 Basses)
Are Lothe Kolbeinsen
Annette Krebs
Martin Küchen (Angles 8, Looper)
Anne La Berge (Shackle) 
Dimitra Lazaridou-Chatzigoga
Jens Lekman
Simon Lenski (D.A.A.U.)
Lidwine
Eivind Lønning (Espen Reinertsen, Koboku Senju)
Mike Majkowski
Janne Mansens (Birdt)
Aaron Martin
Stephan Mathieu
Magda Mayas
Lauren McMurray (Twigs & Yarn)
Violet Meerdink (This Leo Sunrise)
Alicia Merz (Birds of Passage)
Phil Minton
Rie Mitsutake (Oh, Yoko)
Andy Moor (The Ex)
Jon Mueller
Geoff Mullen
Henrik Munkeby Nørstebø
Puzzle Muteson
Lisa Nordström (Midaircondo)
Koen Nutters (The Pitch, N-Collective)
Lothar Ohlmeier (Not Applicable)
Marianne Oldenburg (Ode to the Quiet )
Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson (múm, Sigur Ros)
Morten J. Olsen (MoHa!, The Pitch)
Daniel Padden (The One Ensemble)
Stephanie Pan
Andrea Parkins
Alden Penner (The Unicorns)
Sandro Perri (Polmo Polpo)
Steve Peters
Stefano Pilia
Richard Pinhas
Espen Reinertsen (Streifenjunko, Koboku Senju)
Iden Reinhart (Strië)
Bhob Rhainey (Nmperign, The BSC)
Steve Roden
Abigail Sanders
Saya (Tenniscoats)
Dirk Serries (Fear Falls Burning)
Insa Schirmer (Insa Donja Kai)
Martin Siewert (Trapist, Heaven And)
Lukas Simonis (Coolhaven)
Erik Skodvin (Svarte Greiner, Dead Center)
Steven R. Smith
Bram Stadhouders 
Jasper Stadhouders (Cactus Truck)
Andreas Stensland Løwe (Splashgirl)
Jeremy Strachan 
Keiichi Sugimoto (Fourcolor, Minamo)
Hild Sofie Tafjord (Lemur, Spunk)
Ueno Takashi (Tenniscoats)
Martin Taxt (Koboku Senju)
Ryan Teague
Michael Thieke (The International Nothing, The Pitch)
Monica Tormell (Moon & Sun)
Eriko Toyoda (So)
Rick Treffers
Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw)
Scott Tuma (ex-Boxhead Ensemble)
Ryan Vanderhoof (ex-Akron/Family)
Nikos Veliotis (Mohammad)
Steven Vinkenoog (Donné et Desirée)
Stephen Vitiello
Sabine Vogel
Håvard Volden
Johan G. Winther (Tsukimono)
Nate Wooley
Enrico Wuttke (Flim)
C. Spencer Yeh
Richard Youngs

PIIPTSJILLING'S MOARNTIIDS UP FOR PRE-ORDER

Piiptsjilling is releasing two new albums almost at the same time. It is the long awaited 3rd album Molkedrippen, which is published by Spekk Records. And it's the officially 4th album Moarntiids, about to be published on Midira Records.

Both new Piiptsjilling albums are up for pre-order now. You can order Molkedrippen at Nature Bliss. Moarntiids can already be ordered at Midira Records. Be quick, because the album comes in a very limited edition and the pre-orders get a special low price!

PRE-ORDER PIIPTSJILLING'S MOLKEDRIPPEN

Piiptsjilling's long awaited album Molkedrippen is now up for pre-order! We are extremely glad we can say so! It will be released on July 3rd by Spekk Records. If you visit the Nature Bliss store now, you can already pre-order the album. Or go to the Nature Bliss Bandcamp to order and have a listen. More news about Molkedrippen soon!

NEW PIIPTSJILLING ALBUMS COMING UP

After publishing two new Piiptsjilling-tracks earlier this year - the free-download Bernehân and the track Stienrinner on Elements I-V -  there are now two Piiptsjilling-albums set for release. The first one will be Moarntiids, which is sceduled for June. It comes in a very limited cd-edition of only 200 pieces on Midira Records. You can already listen to the track Slykklauwers on Bandcamp.

The other album is the long awaited album Molkedrippen. This should have been the twin-release of Piiptsjilling's second album Wurdskrieme. But with Spekk Records luckless three-year break it almost seemed like the album would have never been released. Fortunately Spekk is back! And so Molkedrippen will be published. More on the date of release soon. One track was already published a while ago. It is the 'song' Mûle Fol Snie.

NEW PIIPTSJILLING TRACK ON ELEMENTS I-V: STIENRINNER

There is a new track by Piiptsjilling available on the new Home Normal compilation 'Elements I-V'. Read more about it in this post. It is called Stienrinner and it is taken from the same recording sessions as Piiptsjilling's upcoming album 'Moarntiids', which will be released in June on Midira Records. Stienrinner is up on the Kleefstra Bros Soundcloud, so have a listen.

SKEYLJA VINYL AND CD

Skeylja is out and now also available through this blog. The recordings of what shurely was the finest week of music we ever had, are now available on vinyl and cd. Nine eves of free impro in the oldest church on the Dutch isle of Terschelling, on the Oerol festival of 2012. All recorded (12 hours of music), captured on one album, in 8 tracks, in about 45 minutes. The Alvaret Ensemble, Kira Kira, Eiki Olafsson, Ingi Erlendsson and Borgar Magnasson, live completed with video-collective 33 1/3.

Reviews are lovely. If you go to our Press-page, scroll down to the Skeylja-album, you can read what is written about it. If you go to our Releases-page, scroll down again, you can see where it is available. And it is available here on the blog. Send us an e-mail if you want the black vinyl (€ 20, incl. postage), the clear vinyl (limited edition, also € 20, incl. postage) or the cd (€ 15, incl. postage).

NEW PIIPTSJILLING ON ELEMENTS I-V

Home Normal celebrates that it is around for five years already. Congratulations! To celebrate this great landmark, Home Normal releases its 5th year compilation 'Elements'. With over 60 artists from Home Normal's past, present and future involved. That includes Piiptsjilling! On Elements II you'll find a new and unreleased track called 'Stienrinner'. That's the second new track after the release of the free download 'Bernehân' only a while ago. You can pre-order Elements I-V through Home Normal's Bandcamp.

OUT NOW: SKEYLJA

Skeylja is out (lp, cd, download). The album we made with The Alvaret Ensemble, Kira Kira, Eiki Olaffson, Ingi Erlendsson and Borgar Magnasson. Go to the Alvaret Ensemble's bandpage for all info about Skeylja. It is available through Denovali's mailorder. Vinyl comes in black and also ultraclear. The first reactions are very good, like these ones:Amusio, Futuresequence, Misantropia Extrema, Nowamuzyka and Tokafi. And check the opening track of the album below!

The Alvaret Ensemble, Kira Kira, E. O. Ólafsson, I. G. Erlendsson, B. Magnason - Hoarn by denovali

SKEYLJA ALBUM UP FOR PRE-ORDER

Almost two years ago The Alvaret Ensemble was asked to do an artist-in-residence project for the Dutch festival Oerol. The group invited the four Icelandic musicians Kira Kira, Ingi Erlendsson, Eiki Olaffson and Borgar Magnasson, and the Dutch video collective 33 1/3 to participate in the project, which was named 'Skeylja'. Nine evenings in a row the musicians improvised on stage and all of it was recorded. It took quite a while to select music out of 12 hours of recordings, make an album out of it, mix and master it. But now it's there and it's up for pre-order at Denovali's. Go here for listening, go here for ordering (ultraclear) vinyl and cd or go here to download the album. The album will be released on March 21st. Skeylja!

NEW: SINNE OP 'E WANGEN DVD

With Sinne op 'e Wangen being part of the expo Second Nature in Galery Vayhinger in Radolfzell (Germany), the movie is also released on dvd. This 36 minute dvd contains the one channel version of the movie Sabine Bürger and Kleefstra|Bakker|Kleefstra made. The dvd comes in a folded, stamped carboard sleeve with a lyric sheet and can be ordered through this blog by sending us an e-mail or through our Bandcamp, where the soundtrack is also available as a download.

A LITTLE GIFT FROM PIIPTSJILLING ON ITS BRAND NEW BANDCAMP

 

Piiptsjilling is back! Although the band was never gone, it has been a bit quiet for a while. Since our second album 'Wurdskrieme' in 2010, only two single tracks were released in 2011 and 2012. And over the last two years the group only performed twice, both times in The Hague. Time for a change!

With our new album 'Moarntiids' coming up on Midira Records soon and more new sounds planned for later this year, Piiptsjilling started its own Bandcamp. To celebrate this, we decided to treat you with a free (exclusive) download called 'Bernehân'. Like the upcoming album 'Moarntiids' the track was recorded during our Seeljocht-sessions on the Dutch isle of Vlieland, where we recorded for a few nights in a row with Martyn Heyne as sound engineer. So, go to our Bandcamp and download 'Bernehân' for free.

And while we were at it, we also started a Piiptsjilling-group on Facebook to keep you updated. For those rejecting this 'social network' the Kleefstra Bros blog and the Machinefabriek website will also keep you updated.

KLEEFSTRA|BAKKER|KLEEFSTRA LIVE IN FEBRUARY

Kleefstra|Bakker|Kleefstra (KBK) will perform live three times in a row in February. Starting of in Galerie Vayhinger in Radolfzell/Bodensee (Germany) on February the 15th, at the opening of the exhibition Second Nature. KBK will play live to the film Sinne op 'e Wangen. This film is a collaboration between the German video-artist Sabine Bürger and KBK. It is part of the exhibition that runs from February 15th until April 13th. In the context of the exhibition Sinne op 'e Wangen will be released on dvd (limited edition). Second Nature also features the work of Herman de Vries (NL), Tim Beeby (UK), Louise Crawford & Stéphan Guéneau (UK/F) and Ina Falkenstern (D).

On February 20th and 22nd KBK will play Splendor in Amsterdam and Paard in The Hague as part of two MBNT-eves, together with Pieter Nooten (former Clan Of Xymox) and Ron Boots. MBNT is a new Dutch initiative for experimental music in the foggy zone between electro-acoustic, dark ambient, modern classical, drone and free impro. So, come, see and hear Kleefstra|Bakker|Kleefstra if you can. And in addition, Romke Kleefstra will join Pieter Nooten live!

15-02-14: Radolfzell (D) - Galerie Vayhinger
20-02-14: Amsterdam (NL) - Splendor
22-02-14: Den Haag (NL) - Paard van Troje