LJERKE: Dutch november tour

LJERKE is a Dutch-Norwegian artist in residence project, featuring the Kleefstra Bros and Sytze Pruiksma from the Netherlands and Alexander Rishaug, Hilde Marie Holsen and Michael Duch from Norway. They'll be touring in the Netherland from 6-13 November, together with the video artists Marco Douma and Haraldur Karlsson. A new project of live impro music, poetry and film, kinda in the same context of former projects as Seeljocht and Skeylja that also featured the Kleefstra's and Pruiksma. LJERKE can be seen on several locations and each night it will be different. The LJERKE-group will also hit the studio for recordings.

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.

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).

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!

SHORT SKEYLJA FILM

On last summer's Oerol festival on the Dutch Wadden Sea island of Terschelling The Alvaret Ensemble was artist in residence with the Icelandic musicians Borgar Magnason, Ingi Garðar Erlendsson, Kira Kira, Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson and the video-collective 33 ⅓. The Alvaret Ensemble and 33 ⅓ went to Iceland to meet up, play and film with the Icelandic musicians in March and performed together on the Oerol fest in June for eight days in a row, two shows a day. Name of this project: Skeylja.

The 33 ⅓-collective launched a short film of Skeylja. It is a compilation of the live shows on the festival and our stay in Iceland, edited to two pieces of music recorded live during the Oerol shows. Wonderful. Skál!

For more info about Skeylja go here. For more on the 33 ⅓-collective go here. And for The Alvaret Ensemble check the band page on Denovali's site.

SKEYLJA REVISITED

The artist in residence project Skeylja for the Oerol festival on the isle of Terschelling (NL) was really, really good. All performances in the isle's oldest church were sold out and reviews and reactions were very positive. The comibination of improvised music, with eich night another musician curating the evening, and the awesome visuals worked very well. Besides the performances in the church from June 15th till June 23rd, the Skeylja team also performed each day in a changing line up in a pavilion in the woods on the isle. Check for instance the video of the solo performance by Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson.



All Skeylja performances were recorded. The Skeylja collective will now pick out the best parts of quite a few hours of music to compose an album. So, there will be more Skeylja!

Skeylja: Borgar Magnason (upright bass), Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson (trumpet/bugle), Ingi Garðar Erlendsson (tuba/trombone), Kira Kira (vocals/electronica), The Alvaret Ensemble (Sytze Pruiksma: percussion, Jan Kleefstra: vocals, Romke Kleefstra: guitar, Greg Haines: piano) and videocollective 33 ⅓ (Douwe Dijkstra, Jules van Hulst, Coen Huisman). Skeylja is a co-production of Popfabryk and Oerol.

MORE SKEYLJA

Now that the artist in residence project Skeylja is fully on its way, there's a bit more to find about it. First of all there's a blog on the project website. There's a Dutch newspaper article to read here (part 1) and here (part 2). Cutting Edge posted some pics and on Facebook you can check footage on my page, the one of Skeylja and the one of the video collective 33 1/3. Much more soonish or sometime later.

SKEYLJA <<>> OEROL

Skeylja, 15-24 June, Oerol Terschelling, feat. The Alvaret Ensemble with Kira Kira, Eirikur Orri Ólafsson, Ingi Gardar Erlendsson, Borgar Magnason and the video-collective 33one3rd. Go to the Skeylja website and / or check the info on [r]

SKEYLJA

Skeylja is the name of an artist in residence project The Alvaret Ensemble is involved in. From March 27th until April 2nd the ensemble (Greg Haines, Sytze Pruiksma and The Kleefstra Bros) stayed in Iceland, travelled around and made quite some instant music with the wonderful Icelandic musician friends Kira Kira, Eirikur Orri Ólafsson, Ingi Gardar Erlendsson and Borgar Magnason. Meanwhile the video collective 33one3rd documented the trip and made a lot of great footage.

From June 16th until June 23rd Skeylja will be performed on the Oerol festival on the Dutch Wadden Sea island Terschelling. Eight nights in a row we will play in the old church of the village of Hoorn and every show will be different as for every night another one of the musicians is curator. A musical and audiovisual experience, based on our time in Iceland. More news on the project website and here you can watch a teaser.