North Sea String Quartet / Donder

North Sea String Quartet: 'Splunge'

‘[...Splunge...] is a stunning kaleidoscope of sounds and movements. Movie scenes in sound.’ Luister Magazine (NL)

The North Sea String Quartet is the Dutch jazz string quartet of the moment. These improvising string players shed new light on the time-honored string quartet with uninhibited improvisation, innovative playing styles and idiosyncratic compositions. They draw inspiration from modern jazz, world music, modern classical and EDM.

After years of international touring, they present their debut album "Splunge".

North Sea String Quartet
George Dumitriu (violin/viola), Pablo Rodríguez (violin), Yanna Pelser (viola), Thomas van Geelen (cello)

Donder: 'De Wonderen' (albumrelease)

They have a masterful sense of atmosphere and colour and often do no more than the melody or song structure demands. It was as if they were just laying down the outer lines and using the silence to colour the inner space. (...) It produced fascinatingly extraordinary performances." Written in Music

Thunder start each album with a different approach, with new sounds and ways of building and playing a repertoire. The idea for their fifth album, 'The Wonders' (W.E.R.F. Records), came from their contact with the Norwegian music scene, which has been producing groundbreaking music in recent years.

The songwriters again play a central role on the album. In addition to covers of Geneviève Artadi and John Lennon, there are compositions built on triads and innocent melodies, and even a sung song with Norwegian lyrics.

Thanks to the usual sporadic outbursts, rough textures and celebrated imperfections, 'The Wonders' never becomes predictable. Brace yourself for a refreshing ride.

Donder
Stan Callewaert (double bass), Casper Van De Velde (drums and percussion), Harrison Steingueldoir (piano)