IT DEEL HAS COME TO AN END

Our IT DEEL project comes to an end with our November-tour through Portugal featuring Joana Guerra and Maria Do Mar. The project started in 2021 when we collaborated with Michal Jacaszek for IT DEEL I. We moved into "our" little church in Katlijk, recorded there for several days, concluded those recording sessions with a concert in the church, and turned the recordings into an LP released by Moving Furniture Records, only to go on tour with Jacaszek a year later.

We repeated this concept with IT DEEL II (with Streifenjunko), IT DEEL III (with Karen Willems), and IT DEEL IV (with Joana Guerra and Maria Do Mar), with the support of Popfabryk, the Oranjewoud Festival at first and the Explore The North festival later on, Moving Furniture Records, our indispensable sound engineer Jan Switters, and our great help behind the scenes Rutger Zuydervelt. A beautiful concept that we could have continued with indefinitely. With the tour through Portugal with Joana and Maria, that took us to Lisbon, Paredes de Coura, Vale do Pereiro/Sertã and Coimbra, we could not have ended it better.

The four IT DEEL LPs and the live CD of IT DEEL IV are all available to order via Moving Furniture or on our own Bandcamp. You will also find all our other releases there. Keep an eye out.

IT DEEL II IS OUT!

July 28! Our IT DEEL II album is out! We recorded IT DEEL II last summer with Streifenjunko-members Espen Reinertsen and Eivind Lønning, in the Thomas Church, Katlijk, where we also recorded the FEAN album and IT DEEL I with Jacaszek. IT DEEL II is an album that is serene, restrained, minimal, sparse, exciting, jazzy at times. Way different than IT DEEL I. It's out on Moving Furniture Records and you can order the lp and/or the digital album on its Bandcamp. There is also the opportunity to order both IT DEEL I and II as a bundle.

PRE ORDER IT DEEL II LP

 
In the summer of 2022 the Kleefstra Bros did an artist-in-residence with Espen Reinertsen and Einvind Lønning (who also collaborate as duo Streifenjunko), as part of the 4-year project IT DEEL. For a few days the four artists improvised and recorded new music in the small Thomas Church in the woods of Oranjewoud, the Netherlands. The sessions ended with a public performance in a packed church. The recordings are about to be published on LP by Moving Furniture Records. The album is now up for pre-order. Check it out. We do love this album, as the sessions were very tense, the recordings were perfectly edited and mixed by Rutger Zuydervelt (who also did the graphic design of the album) and the result is just astonishing. So, rush over to Moving Furniture's Bandcamp!

WHAT WAS (IN 2022) AND WILL BE (IN 2023)

2022 was a pretty good year for us musicwise. Since 2.5 years we finally released an album again. It was the IT DEEL I lp with Jacaszek. We're really proud of this one, full of instant composed tracks. We also did some great shows together of which the one on the Into The Great Wide Open on the Dutch Wadden Sea island of Vlieland will be unforgettable to us. It was a kind of Seeljocht déjà vu... In February 2023 we will do some final shows in Poland.

2022 was also the year of IT DEEL II with Eivind Lønning and Espen Reinertsen of Streifenjunko. We recorded an album in the St. Thomas Church of Katlijk in the Netherlands and also did a sold out performance there. In spring 2023 the IT DEEL II lp will be released. Keep an eye on Moving Furniture Records for the release.

Then Piiptsjilling went on stage again at the Welcome To The Village Festival in the Netherlands and also resided in the St. Thomas Church for some recordings. We hope to finish these recordings in 2023 and have it all published.

There were more great things, like a nice interview in the Flamish/Dutch magazine Gonzo. Meanwhile Jan released a track with Norwegian instrumentalist Lasse Marhaug on the 100th release of Moving Furniture, while Romke made a track with Sylvain Chaveau on Sylvain's new album L'Effet Rebond. And there was one more FEAN-track released on the 100th release of Esc.Rec.

Besides the release of IT DEEL II, Transtilla's third album should finally be released on lp in 2023. Hopefully the sixth Piiptsjilling studio-album will also see the light of day. And there will be more. Romke recorded something for a new Machinefabriek album, Jan is working on a new book with visual artist Christiaan Kuitwaard called 'BOSWERK' and we will do IT DEEL III, early July, with...

Thanks to loads of people, that came to see our shows, that helped us realizing shows and projects! It means a lot and keeps us to carry on. So, February Poland and more after that!

IT DEEL II LIVE

For the second edition of the project IT DEEL the Kleefstra Bros are doing a residency with Eivind Lønning and Espen Reinertsen of Streifenjunko. In the first week of June the four get together in the small church of Katlijk in the north of the Netherlands, creating and recording new music. This Sunday the residency ends with a small public gig in the church. There might still be a few places left. Tickets are available through the Explore The North festival. The recordings will lead to an lp, to be released on Moving Furniture.

IT DEEL II: KLEEFSTRA BROS & STREIFENJUNKO

For the second edition of the project IT DEEL the Kleefstra Bros hook up with Eivind Lønning and Espen Reinertsen of Streifenjunko. Streifenjunko played their first concert all the way back in 2005, and has since then worked closely together to present truly unique and original compositions. Their work is focused, and the sound revolves around different experimental playing techniques, selected and fermented during years of music making. Streifenjunko released three albums so far, but Eivind and Espen perform together in other projects as well. The Kleefstra Bros and Streifenjunko actually go back quite a while, as they shared the stage in Rotterdam in 2008 when Piiptsjilling and Streifenjunko played Worm.

In the first week of June the Kleefstra Bros, Eivind Lønning and Espen Reinertsen get together in the small church of Katlijk in the north of the Netherlands to create and record new music. On Sunday the 5th of June the quartet gives a public performance in the church. Tickets are available through the Explote The North festival. The recordings will most likely lead to an lp, to be released on Moving Furniture.

LAST YEAR AND NEXT

 

Here's an update with some of last year, some of next year!

 

IT DEEL I

Kleefstra Bros started a 4-year artist-in-residence project for Oranjewoud Festival. We named it IT DEEL, referring to the place where we spend our youth and still come to enjoy flocks of ten thousands of geese in winter. For the first edition of IT DEEL we invited Michał Jacaszek from Poland, recorded for a week in a small church near the festival site in June, and performed live on the festival in August. The lp with the recordings will be released next year on Moving Furniture Records. On YouTube you’ll find a nice 10 minute documentary about IT DEEL. The DEEL-concert on December 19^th in Gdanks is postponed until further notice, due to “covid-restrictions”.

 

FEAN

In September FEAN played live for (probably) the very last time. The plan was to make just one album with FEAN, but that turned into two albums and FEAN isn't quite done yet. In some time an unreleased song called 'Oare tiden' will appear on a beautiful compilation album. More about that soonish. The second FEAN album is still available at Laaps.

 

GONZO INTERVIEW

In the new number of Gonzo (Circus) there’s an interview with the Kleefstra Bros, about a lot of our projects and the role of and attention for nature and ecology in it. Go to the Gozo-site to read moreabout it!

 

TELEFRICK FEAT. JAN KLEEFSTRA

The Belgian artist Teleferick released the online mini-album 'Dijkjutter' last year, that includes the track 'Guilini' feat. Jan Kleefstra on vocals. You can buy and/or listen to the album on Teleferick's bandcamp page.

 

DYN LJOCHT IS MYN SKAAD | DYN SKAAD IS MYN LJOCHT

‘Dyn ljocht is myn skaad | dyn skaad is myn ljocht’ is a photo work by Romke, which is part of an art-route through his place of birth Akkrum. The art-route is there until May 2022 and the image is placed in the town’s harbour. It might also be the start of more photo works by Romke, of which some you can see on Instagram.

 

GODWITS

Early October we performed a few times with GODWITS, the half Portuguese, half Frisian poetry and music project. This time it was partly made possible by the Explore The North festival. We hope to give GODWITS a sequel next year with performances in Portugal. In the meantime, the bundle GODWITS is still available in our webshop.

 

IT DEEL II

Next year the second edition of IT DEEL will take place. We have invited the Norwegian duo Streifenjunko for it and they are coming over to play and record with us in June. Streifenjunko made a few stunning albums on SOFA Music and are high on our list of favorites!

 

TRANSTILLA

Last but not least: Transtilla. Beware people. Next year Transtilla III and Transtilla IV will be published. Albums influenced by love and death, and death and love, that might surprise you and are made to be played as loud as possible. Chris and I will toll some bells when Transtilla III arrives.

 

AND MORE…

So, that is quite something, but not all. More plans and small projects in the near future.  Jan is working on a book called ‘Boswerk’ with painter Christiaan Kuitwaard. Romke is doing some new music here and there. To keep up with all of it, there is this blog with everything, there is Fakebook, there is Instagram, there is Bandcamp…

 

All the best! Stay healthy, sharp and down to earth!