The ‘London’ album is available as digipak CD and vinyl. It can be purchased here or on iTunes.
Daisy Bell is an indie electronica band with Evelien, Dyane Donck and Richard van Kruysdijk. Their music varies from atmospheric soundscapes to experimental, minimal electro pop. With a collection of acoustic and electronic instruments, live sampling, live sound manipulation and harmony vocals, Daisy Bell switches from soft and intimate to a raw and vibrant wall of sound. On stage the lyrics of the songs, poems by William Blake (1757-1827), are projected on the band.
Daisy Bell debuted with a concert for VPRO radio (NL), broadcast live via satellite in 25 countries. Shortly after that they released their first songs on pink vinyl on WORM Records, were the support act for CocoRosie and played several gigs including Faust’s prestigious Avantgarde Festival (Germany). In 2014 they toured with gamelan ensemble Gending with their programme Year Without A Summer.
In December 2013, they recorded the album ‘London’ with engineer Sandor Caron (Knalpot) at the legendary Hilvaria Studios in the south of the Netherlands. It was then mixed and produced by Darren Allison (producer of Efterklang, Amatorski, Belle & Sebastian, Spiritualized a.m.m.) in London and was released in November 2015 by Opa Loka Records (GER).
evelien van den broek vocals, monotribe synth, concertina, kazoo, cracklebox, musical winding toy, live electronics | dyane donck vocals, bass guitar, guitar, keys, kazoo, tiny fish fan, recorder, musical winding toy, samples, effects | richard van kruysdijk acoustic and electronic drums, keys, live sampling & looping, samples, effects
The name ‘Daisy Bell’ is derived from the first song that was ‘sung’ by a computer in 1961.
De Subjectivisten, London album review (in Dutch): ‘Met het trio Daisy Bell is Nederland vanaf 2012 gewoon een supergroep rijker, (…). Dat levert uiterst expressieve muziek op die je niet zo maar onder één noemer kunt wegmoffelen. (…) De muziek is haast fysiek en wentelt zich als een gretig roofdier om de teksten; soms woest en dan weer teder of dartel. De zang, samenzang en stemkunsten van Dyane en Evelien zijn werkelijk fenomenaal, van oorstrelend en overrompelend tot angstaanjagend en biologerend. (…) London is een net zo grillig als geniaal meesterwerk geworden.’ – Jan Willem
Gonzo (circus) magazine #130, London review (in Dutch): ‘… een concept in tien bedrijven. Alle tien even prachtig en in de kern traditioneel gecomponeerd. De liederen die Donck en Van den Broek schreven schuren, verleiden, vernietigen, beschermen, ontregelen en structureren. Maar gaan nergens over de scheef. Romantische bespiegelingen botsen met angstaanjagende en versnellende visioenen. (…) Alsof Nick Cave de oude Swans en Andy Stott ontmoet in een oude al eeuwen verlaten metroschacht. (…) Prachtig, intrigerend album.’ – Theo Ploeg
VPRO’s 3voor12: ‘an extraordinary mind-expanding experience’. – Mathijs Nicolai
Kindamuzik (in Dutch): ’… Het resultaat is fascinerend, theatraal en afwisselend. Van soundscapes tot dansbare electro, Daisy Bell weet, zelfs binnen een nummer, probleemloos over te gaan van chaos naar gevoelig en terug. In afsluiter en uitsmijter ‘The Fly’ komt alles treffend samen, inclusief als raceauto’s klinkende vliegen.’ – Frank Veldkamp
LiveStreamMagazine (in Dutch): ’(…) weet Daisy Bell te overtuigen met een sterke en vooral gevarieerde set. Een set met zowel a-capella gezongen fragmenten als nummers waarin een beukende drums of een lieflijke concertina de hoofdrol vervult. Van klein en lieflijk naar rauw, meeslepend en confronterend.’ – Herman Sixma
Unser Lübeck (in German), Avantgarde Festival: ‘Einer der Höhepunkte des zehnjährigen Avantgarde-Festivals Schiphorst dürfte der Auftritt des niederländischen Trios Daisy Bell gewesen sein. Die drei Multi-Instrumentalisten manifestieren ihr Konzept sehr ideenreich.’
Recording sessions at Hilvaria Studio’s with Sandor Caron, mixing in London (UK) with Darren Allison and Abbey the cat.
A YEAR WITHOUT SUMMER
A Daisy Bell project, together with gamelan ensemble Gending.
‘(…) this project by Ensemble Gending and Daisy Bell is very special. Atmospheric and at times fierce’. – Mixed World Music
British poet Lord Byron (1788-1824) wrote the poem “Darkness” in 1816, inspired by the effects of the eruption of the Tambora volcano (Indonesia) the year before. “I had a dream, which was not all a dream / The bright sun was extinguish’d, and the stars / Did wander darkling in the eternal space”.
The eruption caused the formation of gigantic clouds of ash, enveloping the whole western hemisphere. It blocked so much sunlight that harvests in Europe and Northern America failed, causing an estimate of 200,000 people dead as a result of famine. Many people committed suicide, believing the Apocalypse had arrived. Even Napoleons defeat at Waterloo is believed to be partially caused by the sudden climatic change, causing his troops to be stuck in mud after unusually heavy rains.
“Year Without A Summer” by Daisy Bell and Ensemble Gending is like a “concept album”: a collection of separate songs with an overarching theme, an underlying storyline that connects the different parts. “Songs” in the broadest sense of the word that is, as conventional song structures are often abandoned, while melodies and rhythms reappear in different parts of the composition.
The instrumentation consists of: gamelan (six players), vocals, live electronics (on gamelan and vocals), voice (also on video) acoustic and electronic percussion, electric bass guitar and guitar: instruments that can adapt to the non-diatonical tuning of the Javanese gamelan. Unorthodox playing methods of the gamelan are also explored.
composition & concept daisy bell (evelien van den broek, dyane donck, richard van kruysdijk) | performance daisy bell & ensemble gending | voice edvard graham lewis (wire) | light design ate jan van kampen | video & design richard van kruysdijk | production peter van amstel, betti plug | publicity marisa tempel | live technicians ron ruiten, sandor caron (sound), bart verzellenburg (video & light)
Supported by the Performing Arts Fund NL, SNS Reaal Fonds, kfHein fonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Gemeente Utrecht and Ventener van Vlissingenfonds. Live photos by William van der Voort.