The international music magazine 365Mag rates the debut album by Hunter Complex 8,5 out of 10: ‘Each song features a magnificent and well balanced structure that finds it origin somewhere in the area between dance and pop, with the vocals adding a certain pop element to the overall in a Kraftwerk kind of way. Recommended!’ The Hunter Complex album also got some very positive reviews from Vital Weekly (‘it’s great’) and Subjectivisten / Caleidoscoop (‘highly recommended!’). Musicfrom.nl is less enthusiastic about the latest Narrominded releases. They think the idea behind The Almighty Internet by Spoelstra doesn’t make a good album and compare Hunter Complex to The Edge. The online radio program Beautiful Extremes played tracks from both albums, so you can judge for yourself. Listen to the fragments from Beautiful Extremes in the players below.
Beautiful Extremes, February 16 2010, with Moonset by Hunter Complex and Day of the System by Spoelstra:
Beautiful Extremes, February 23 2010, with Dance by Hunter Complex and The Classic Handbuzzer by Spoelstra:
Retro Retry 2: Another Another Green World got some mainstream attention in NRC Next: ‘Not all the remakes are evenly succesful, but I’m sure Eno will appreciate this album. After all, he always encouraged breaking down conventions.’ Lobo by Garçon Taupe, elected dance track of 2009 on Eclectro, made it into the playlist of Nalden, a prominent Dutch lifestyle blogger. The Almighty Internet by Spoelstra has just been released, but already got two great reviews. Vital Weekly: ‘Shut down Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and go that nice bar around the corner, and have some of this great music, preferably played by Spoelstra, sweating over his equipment. Loud is best, cold beer in your hand, and Spoelstra’s quirky electro beats, chopped up synth lines, bits of noise will do the rest.’ Incendiary Magazine on Spoelstra: ‘I love it, and if you like the oddball, you’ll love it too.’ Incendiary Magazine also reviewed Katadreuffe’s Quel Gargantua EP: ‘It’s a long time I heard any band so wound up and truculent, to be honest. Fantastic stuff.’
Igloo Magazine wrote a very nice profile on Narrominded: ‘Narrominded’s catalogue is diverse; it tests the waters of electronics with some very interesting results. For anyone wanting to discover something new, go no further than this imprint as you are guaranteed to find something that will undoubtedly itch that scratch.’ Also some kind words from Bertels who wrote a review on Last.fm of Spoelstra’s The Almighty Internet release party in SUB071 in Leiden. ‘Yet another great evening at The Black Tower!’ And Beautiful Extremes, the great online radio show hosted by Oscar Smit, played the tracks Huppy Capsule by Garçon Taupe from Split LP #4 and Here Is the Night (Cosmic Manifestation Mix by Garçon Taupe) by Hunter Complex from the Here Is the Night EP. Listen to the fragment from the broadcast on January 12 in the player below.
The Almighty Internet is Spoelstra’s electro album. Using the sounds of a synthesizer, a sampler and a bunch of effects, The Almighty Internet questions the importance of information technology in modern society. With the human race growing more and more dependant on all kinds of mobile communication devices, desperately trying to be connected to everyone and everything at any given time, spending the bigger part of the day staring at a monitor, being afraid of missing out on the latest information and feeling the need to share just about everything about the everyday personal life with countless others and calling them friends, the question arises: do we really need all this? Instead of coming up with an answer to this question, Spoelstra has been producing nine tracks combining rhythm driven electronics, (un)happily twisted synth melodies, slapstick improvisation and noise escalation. Click here to go our shop to buy the cd (Europe: 10 euro, including shipping / outside Europe: 12 euro, including shipping). Listen to the track Day of the System in the player below.
Sinterklaas has left the country, the choirs are singing and the bells are ringing, Narrominded is in the mood for Christmas. That’s why we’re launching a Christmas single by Spoelstra. The track is available as a free download and features a YouTube video clip.
Earlier this year Spoelstra presented some bizarre one man country and rock on his 10″ lathe cut I Got Issues The Shape Of Italy. Early 2010 we will release his full-length theme album The Almighty Internet on cd, which is something completely different.
Spoelstra’s Chrismas hit is the fiftieth release on Narrominded.
Our first release in 2010 is the cd The Almighty Internet by Spoelstra. Using a guitar, a synthesizer, a sampler, a loopstation, a bunch of effects and/or perhaps other instruments and stuff, Spoelstra produces songs with elements from electro, country, sludge, noise and improvisation. Stream and download the track Day of the System here.
Our second release in 2010 will be the debut album by Hunter Complex. Hunter Complex is the new moniker of Lars Meijer. His debut cd Hunter Complex will be released in January 2010 and contains 12 songs. The music echoes influences by synthpop and new wave bands from the eighties, but will also appeal to fans of current electronic music acts. Stream and download the track Wait here. The album will be preceded by the Here Is the Night EP in December 2009 with remixes by Garçon Taupe, Spoelstra and Coen Oscar Polack and an extended instrumental of the song Fashion Street.
In their review of Retro Retry 2: Another Another Green World the music zine Kindamuzik says the album sounds balanced. ‘Catchy rhythms alternate with modest pieces and repetitive sounds.’ According to them The Big Ship by Coen Oscar Polack is the highlight of the album. ’A moody recreation of Eno’s dramatic composition.’ MusicFrom.NL also reviewed the album. ‘An enjoyable record that sounds as whole, despite the diverse perspectives.’ They also think Spoelstra’s track sounds like your uncle Arie who bought an €80 keyboard and loaded some MIDI files in it. Spoelstra responds: ‘I’m considering demanding a rectification. My keyboard cost me €200.’ Retro Retry 2 was presented in Het Patronaat in Haarlem last weekend. Click here to check out some pics.
This Saturday November 7, we will officially present the Retro Retry 2: Another Another Green World album in Het Patronaat, Haarlem. Alden Tyrell, Rude 66, FFF, Hakki Takki, Spoelstra and Garçon Taupe will provide some live electro, acid, disco and breakcore to celebrate the release. Show’s on from 23:00-4:00. Entrance: 9 EUR or 15 EUR (with Retro Retry 2 cd). Not to be missed! Haarlem’s skate- and snowboard specialists Revert and Revert Ladies are giving away some cd’s to their customers to promote this evening, check out the agenda on their websites to see how to win one.
Earlier this week electronica wunderkind Spoelstra did two live sessions for the radio program The SwingLow Show on Radio Tonka, Den Haag FM, 92.0 FM. Listen to the complete 40 minute session in the player below or download it here. It was recorded in the early morning of October 28 2009.
The international music magazine 365Mag rates the debut album by Hunter Complex 8,5 out of 10: ‘Each song features a magnificent and well balanced structure that finds it origin somewhere in the area between dance and pop, with the vocals adding a certain pop element to the overall in a Kraftwerk kind of way. Recommended!’ The Hunter Complex album also got some very positive reviews from Vital Weekly (‘it’s great’) and Subjectivisten / Caleidoscoop (‘highly recommended!’). Musicfrom.nl is less enthusiastic about the latest Narrominded releases. They think the idea behind The Almighty Internet by Spoelstra doesn’t make a good album and compare Hunter Complex to The Edge. The online radio program Beautiful Extremes played tracks from both albums, so you can judge for yourself. Listen to the fragments from Beautiful Extremes in the players below.
