Devolder: Neshoforsky chanson

The headliner of the fourth issue of the program "Music at Free" is the Belgian Indie group Balthazar and one of its vocalists Maarten Devolder with his newborn solo project Warhaus. Artemy Troitsky tells how alternative rock turns into a Neshoform chanson from the Freedom studio:

The main character of the program today is the Belgian from the city of Genta, and his name is Maarten Devolder . But first, a slightly general background and cultural context. Belgium is a small country and is musically underestimated. What is not surprising, since traditionally Belgium is in the shadow of France and the laurels go to a large neighbor. Few people remember that many superstars of the French chanson from the Great Jacques Bro to the popular Lara Fabian, Arno and Natasha Atlas are actually natives of Belgium. In the 1980s, a decade of the New Wave and brutal electronics, Belgium was again in advanced positions with Front 242 and Honeymoon Killers ; In the 1990s, the Antwerp Scene shone- Deus and Kiss My Jazz . Now, after some pause, the Belgians again have a music team of the European level, and it is directly related to our hero. This is the Balthazar group, whose song Bunker from their third and last at the moment of Thin Walls album, “Thin Walls”, I imagine.

Stylish Balthazar with the composition of Bunker

The Balthazar group, which happens infrequently in popping, two equal author-soloist-Maarten Devolder and Ginty DePres. And last year, the first of them, despite the impressive success of Thin Walls , not only in Belgium, but also in France, Holland, Germany and even Britain, took a walk to the left, unexpectedly recording a solo album.

As it is now accepted, the artist Devolder released him not under his slightly clumsily sounding global hearing in the name, but under the pseudonym Warhaus (in the literal translation - "warehouse" or "hangar"), as if this is not one person at all, but a whole ensemble. It is called the album of We Fucked and Flame Into Being - "We inhaled the Flame into Genesis" if you use normative vocabulary. However, this is a completely literary phrase from the classic work of David Lawrence "Lady Chatterley's lover." Probably, you can translate as "we attached the flame into being," it will be more precise ... The album turned out to be wonderful; He pleased me very much by opening a large European lyrical talent in the person of 28-year-old Maarten Devolder. Here are two more songs from this album, the first of them is called The Good Lie , "pleasant lie."

Warhaus blowing a flame into being: The composition The Good Lie

In general, when the current participant in the team creates an independent project, it is always interesting - why is this and what motivates it? In this case, the reasons are clearly creative: if Balthazar is a pronounced group of alternative rock, then Warhaus tends to chanson, moreover, in its most melancholy variety. I recall the already mentioned Jacques Brel, and some more relevant performers like Nick Cave. The next song is dedicated to the city of Brussels. Yes, Maarten Devolder himself from the Flemish province, but Brussels also impressed him, and apparently not the most fun.

Warhaus with the composition of Bruxelles

Warhaus in the person of Maarten Devolder with the album of We Fucked A Flame Into Being - a young Belgian song decadence. How will the creative path of this very interesting artist will run in in the future, how viable will his new project be? Much depends on the circulations and ratings-and here the promoted rock bands, of course, have an advantage. Although ... Sting or Bjork career also grew out of solo experiments.

Playlist of the program "Music at Free" (Issue 4):

1. NOM (Russia). Thaw, LP thaw

2. Jurema (Brazil). Nkongo, LP Mestiça

3. Jurema (Brazil). Elizabeth Noon, LP Mestiça

4. Marlon Williams (New Zealand). Hello Miss Lonesome, LP Marlon Williams

5. Samaris (Iceland). WANTED 2 Say, LP Black Light

6. Balthazar (Belgium). Bunker, LP Thin Walls

7. Warhaus (Belgium). The Good Lie, LP We Fucked A Flame Into Being

8. Warhaus (Belgium). Bruxelles, We Fucked a Flame Into Being

9. Al Jawala (Germany). Voodoo Rag, LP Hypnophonic

10. Gennady Gladkov/Leonid Serebrennikov (USSR/Russia). Song of the wizard, lp ordinary miracle

11. Tess Parks & Anton Newcombe (Canada/USA). Cocaine Cat, LP I Declare Nothing

12. Michael Messer's Mitra (UK/India). Anyway The Wind Blows, LP Call of the Blues