The Future Leaves Me Cold - The New Dutch Wave 1980 - 1985
Second pressing available now.
Gray days, hard times; some 35 years ago the future also looked bleak. Unemployment, drug addiction, acid rain, housing shortage, economic crisis and on top of that the neutron bomb… A collective doom-mongering had the nation in its grip. Without perspective and without ideals, a new generation of Dutch musicians got to work; to share their disappointed view of the world, and perhaps to escape from it for a while.
It is not so strange that this happened with a sidelong glance at like-minded music movements abroad. The British and American New Wave had been thundering along for a number of years, and the Neue Deutsche Welle also managed to reach the Dutch charts. New Wave in the Netherlands was mainly foreign-language. The final nail in the coffin of the Dutch-language wave was perhaps the success of Nederpop, which seemed to focus mainly on the beach and relationship problems. What pessimistic musician wanted to burn himself on that?
Was there no New Dutch Wave at all? Could it be that Dutch music history had irreversibly taken a different path after 'Uitholling Overdwars'? Or are there still traces to be found of a unique, naughty and pessimistic combination of Dutch language and music?
On RE:* the compilation 'De toekomst laat me koud' (The future leaves me cold), a collection of 24 Dutch wave tracks by 24 Dutch artists, recorded between 1980 and 1985. Some of these are not entirely unknown, others come from obscure cassettes and singles that can be heard here for the first time, digitalized and remastered. Together they tell a story that fits in remarkably well with the times we live in now: Misery never goes out of fashion.
The compilation was put together by Niek Hilkmann of the Niek Hilkmann Quartet, who has been collecting and playing Dutch-language records for years under the pseudonym DJ Knapzak. For the release of 'De toekomst laat me koud' he will perform with a special band 'De engelen van het vuur', featuring Arie van Vliet (Lewsberg), Dennis Vedder (Niek Hilkmann Quartet), Lukas Simonis (Trespassers W) and Elizabeth Fadel. Together they will perform the songs from the compilation, accompanied by a few special guests. Maybe the time is ripe for a Second Dutch Wave, or have we secretly already gone under?
*RE: is an imprint of Excelsior Recordings. The label's objective is to release pop-cultural heritage in a special and sophisticated way. RE: takes care of movements such as heavy metal, glam rock, punk and wave, but also delivers albums or the oeuvre of an artist.
A1. Sammie America's MOM - What is this?
A2. The Div - Insecticide
A3. Toni Valen - One Thing
A4. After-days - Staccato
A5. Nada - Filling holes
A6. Landscape - Waves
B1. Bert Barten - Just the two of us
B2. Kees van Kalmhout - Sold out
B3. Sharp Sand - Boxes
B4. De Wit - The doubter
B5. Fall Out - Sleep
B6. Nieuwegein - Tomorrow
C1. Braak - I'm ready for the champagne
C2. The Coffee Belt - Tarzan
C3. PE The Oskars - Doris Day
C4. Work in progress - Shopping trip
C5. Stress - Does Not Exist Here
C6. Ton Lebbink & Couleur Locale - The methadone bus driver
D1. Emergency - The future leaves me cold
D2. Out of Your Mind - Night Zombie
D3. Peat, Gin and Suspicion - I'm not feeling well
D4. Animal - People talking
D5. Final Unit - The Silence and I
D6. Rob Glotzbach - The Angel of Fire