News Ivy booking calls it a day You must have noticed it has been rather quiet here the last couple of months. I guess most of you already know why. For those who don't: I'm very sorry for the late notice ... I am Joachim. I am Ivy. Almost 5 years ago I created Ivy. I'd just finished art school, didn't have a decent job yet, and I didn't want to stand idly by. The aim was to combine two activities: graphic design (Ivy design), and a booking agency (Ivy booking), in a legitimate structure. Soon I did find a dayjob, and the agency became an after-work business. Yet I raised Ivy as a child. It was a passion, and a challenge to see how far I could take it. Ivy design soon became a hobby kind of thing, Ivy booking really grew on me. I combined forces with Vlas Vegas Records. More artists joined in and we became a collective, rather than a structure. Ivy grew hard, and it was great. And fun! Yet, it didn’t get easier to combine with a full-time job and a family (got two kids!). The past couple of months I've been confronted with the impossibility of managing Ivy the way I've always wanted to. I've tried hard to balance things in a new order. It ultimately led to this one conclusion: Ivy booking calls it a day. I've talked things trough with the bands and it has been a very emotional time. This has been a very hard decision for me to make, and the reactions I got were no other than heartwarming. Not only was it a pleasure, it truly was an honour to work with the magnificent Ivy family: Amenra, Ansatz der Maschine, The Black Heart Rebellion, Cavemen Speak, Galatasaray, Guernica, Hawai, Haymarket Riot, Hitch, Nomad, Vandal X, Wixel, Zucchini Drive and some others along the way. I'm forever grateful to all involved for allowing me. Big up to the artists, and shouts to the Vlas Vegas crew. You all feel like brothers and sisters to me. We'll keep in touch. So, what's next? This is not the end of Ivy Agency. I guard the name & the concept, as I gave it shape and I'm proud of it (in a very humble way). Besides, it still is my graphic design alias as well ... That said, I quit Ivy booking. I'm still reading e-mails and answering phone calls, so feel free to contact me. I'll be happy to redirect you to the right people. I'm glad most of the bands have found new homes. This is no goodbye. I will stay involved in one way or another. And who knows, Ivy booking might rise again one day. But now, it's time to get some sleep. Thank you; you know who you are. joachim March 21, 2009 Vandal X, remember? Tomorrow Vandal X will present their new album in their hometown of Hasselt. This won't be the first time they'll play in KC Belgie, as you can read on the venue's website. Sometimes it's cool to read about a band's past. We certainly enjoyed this text (it's in Dutch): We schrijven 1995. Zonder podium of PA debuteert Vandal X met een knaller van een concert in 'zaal' Belgie: radicaal 'over the top'. De allereerste Limbomania-editie zag nog groen achter de oren; de aftandse en overstuurde cassette van de heren Boes en Timmermans belandde regelrecht in de prullenmand. Amper een jaar later concerteerde Vandal X opnieuw in kunstencentrum Belgie, vanuit jeugdige arrogantie geafficheerd als toekomstige winnaars van Limbomania 1997. Vandal X overrompelde het Belgie-publiek ... en blies daarna tijdens de tweede Limbomaniafinale alle tegenstand op een hoopje. Enkel het vetorecht van een onthutst jurylid onthield hun van goud ... 13 jaar later dendert dit Limburgse noisy powerduo nog steeds op volle kracht doorheen muziekland. Podia werden gedeeld met bands als Fugazi, Tomahawk, Girls against Boys, Sonic Youth, Trans Am, Unsane, Barkmarket en Alec Empire. Mauro Pawlowski trok de cd-stroom op gang door de productie van 'Little Man's Blues' (1998) voor zijn rekening te nemen en Shellac's Steve Albini zat achter de knoppen voor 'Songs From The Heart' (1999). Na het vertrek van drummer Jo Boes en de interim van Dave Schroyen (Evil Superstars, Millionaire) op '13 Basic Hate Tracks' (2002), wees gitarist Bart Timmermans de drumstoel definitief toe aan Gunther Liket. De tandem bouwde een eigen studio met de overduidelijke naam 'Louder Than Anyone'. Het eerste resultaat 'Two Man Army' (2004) was een geleid noiseprojectiel dat zijn doel niet miste. Vlas Vegas Records – het label dat schoon volk als Hitch, Amenra en Ansatz der Maschine onderdak biedt – werd lyrisch van zoveel oerkracht, tekende de band en liet 'Instant Dislike' (2007) op ons los. Anno 2008 keert Vandal X terug naar de thuisbasis om de nieuwste worp 'All Lined Up Against The Wall' voor te stellen. Ondertussen reeds het 6e stuk sonisch onkruid dat bij voorkeur wil woekeren in onschuldige oren! Voor deze bijzondere gelegenheid krijgt elke betalende bezoeker een exemplaar van de gloednieuwe cd mee naar huis. En dat zal met DJ Tamashot ongetwijfeld in de late uurtjes zijn ... Er bij zijn is dus de boodschap! November 27, 2008 All Lined Up Against The Wall Today we received a copy of the mastered version of 'All Lined Up Against The Wall', the new Vandal X album. Strange things happened after listening to it for the first time. One: we had a terrible headache. Two: we felt like complete pussies. Three: we want to scream "fuck!" the whole damn day. This is definitely the dirtiest, most aggressive stuff we have heard this year. We're not even sure if we should recommend it to your ears. That said, we're sure this will make a hell of a live set. We're booking shows to present the album to all who's in for some truly hate driven live shows, brought to you by the very best Belgian noise duo. Get in touch. Fuck! October 13, 2008 Radical Pigeon Records A couple of weeks ago, we announced the birth of Radical Pigeon Records. This Saturday you can come and party with us at the official label launch in Kortrijk. Here's some information on the label and the event: Radical Pigeon Records is the brainchild of some people that are or used to be in the bands Hawai and Galatasaray. Fascinated by experimental music, improv, noise and ambient, they thought there was a vacuum in their region for this kind of non-commercial music. So now they start a new label to release in the first place their own experiments. Radical Pigeon Records is born out of a willingness to bring new work of different bands and projects out into the open. Radical Pigeon is a CD-R label and will release albums in limited editions, with handmade artwork. It's a platform for creativity, unexpected conspiracies between likeminded bands or people, solo outings, and improvisation bands. The label is in no way genre-limited. That is proven by the first three releases coming up in September: Hawai, All Shadows And Deliverance, and Isaac. More detailed info on that below. The people from K-Town's world famous Happy New Ears festival have kindly given them the chance to present themselves to a wider audience. On September 27 Radical Pigeon is officially starting off with an event that will present the first three bands and releases. Damage is 7 euro, but mind: every visitor gets a free CD of one of the bands. All Shadows And Deliverance is a solo project of a member of Galatasaray, who – armed with a loads of effect pedals, electronic effects, bass and vocals – takes you on a trip throughout a loveless world. Drones, noise, vocal monotony and razor-sharp feedback and fuzz create a hellish dark atmosphere full of subdued and repressed fears and demons. If you want to hear references, think of the dark trips into drone music by Double Leopards, Yellow Swans, and Robedoor. In a live setting All Shadows And Deliverance will be a duo. Isaac is also a solo project of another Galatasaray member that brings us electronic music very akin to the music of the Touch and Type record labels. Sometimes the sounds are dark, oppressive and terrifying, other times they are hopeful and purifying. If you're into Fennesz, Köhn or Tim Hecker, you'll be into Isaac. Hawai is not a new name in the K-Town scene. They released two records full of catchy instrumentals and contrary recalcitrant indie rock, but there's more to Hawai: the experimental side of the band wants to spring out now and then. Recently they provided music to a David Flahaut dance performance, and found a new élan while improvising and experimenting with new ideas and different song structures. Radical Pigeon label night @ Buda Kortrijk - September 27, 21h - € 7 + free CD September 24, 2008 Booyah! Black Heart Rebellion Black Heart Rebellion has been around for a couple of years and we had heard good things about them before. That said, we have to admit it wasn't until we heard the first rough versions of their yet to be released debut album, that we realized what we were dealing with. This band just screams to grow. They managed to record an album that sounds more mature than we'll ever be. They play in the international league, believe you me. 'Monologue' will be out on Vlas Vegas Records on November 3! So, if you're a booker outside of Belgium, get in touch. We really believe BHR needs to cross boarders. If you're a promotor in Belgium, get in touch as well! Give these guys a stage. Before you'll know it, they'll be out of here. No shit. If we didn't make ourselves clear: Ivy Agency is extremely proud to present Black Heart Rebellion! Booking now! September 22, 2008 Sayonara Wixel For the first time ever, we'll post 2 news bulletins at once. Is that exciting or what? (The reason = compensating sad news with good news.) First one is to say Wixel waves off. Wim just finished his new record (it's great!) and it will be released on the beautiful Debonair label. Debonair decided to attract a booker who will manage all the artists of the label and they are very right doing so. Compare it to the Ivy Agency ♥ Vlas Vegas situation. We are proud to have served Wixel for some time and wish him and his mates all the best. Be sure to check out Wixel and Debonair. (Yuko is great as well!). Au revoir. September 22, 2008 Vandal X back in full attack Now for some exciting news: the new Vandal X record is as good as finished. It's called 'All Lined Up Against The Wall' and wil be out on November 17. November? That's right. Booking now motherfuckers! What can we say? It's even harder than 'Instant Dislike'! September 3, 2008 Galatasaray on hold Hi there. It's been a while (again) since you've read something new here. Sorry 'bout that. In fact we have a lot to say so we'll try to post news more regularly again. To keep things clear: one post at a time. Aight? Let's start off with a rather sad message we received shortly before summer (also to be read on the Galatasaray website & MySpace): Galatasaray will be on hold for an indefinite period. We're taking a rest, or we're quitting, or we're splitting up, we'll see what happens. The future was, is and will always be uncertain. We're not fighting, we are all just a bunch of friends making music and we're all going to play music again sooner or later. In the meantime, watch out for upcoming releases from these Galatasaray-related bands: Hitch will be in the studio in june recording their new album. Expect some new fine dancy tunes and some melancholy as well. Some people of Hawai are creating a new CD-R label called Radical Pigeon Records. Hawai just uploaded some new music on their MySpace and will be amongst the first releases on this new label. Expect some spaced out psychedelic monster jams, yes yes. More to come on the new Radical Pigeon Records: Isaac – dark yet hopeful ambient in the lines of Fennesz and Deaf Center. All Shadows And Deliverance – dark and not so hopeful drones in the lines of Ginnungagap and Family Battle Snake. Thanks to everyone who bought our records (we still have "some" left), came to shows, talked to us, bought us beers, cooked us food, gave us a place to crash, put up shows and supported us in any way. GLTSRY Galatasaray is still featured on this website. We're not really sure what to do. If we delete them, it's like they're no longer here ... you know. We'll see. Now for something completely different: if you have some spare time on Saturday, go and check out Amenra in Ieper. They are by far the best heavy live show we've seen the last couple of weeks. And we've seen quite a few. A bientôt. August 21, 2008 'Mass IIII' is here You have been waiting, we all have ... It is time. 7 days from now, the new Amenra album sees the light of day, and night. It's called 'Mass IIII', or what did you expect? Amenra is more focused than ever, heavier than ever, slower than ever. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Vince T. (The Setup, Rise & Fall, Integrity) and Zlaye Hadzic (Sonic Youth, Motorpsycho, Godspeed You! Black Emperor), 'Mass IIII' is intense. It's so much more but we'll keep it at that – afraid to fuck up your listening. Amenra just got back from a USA Tour with Battlefields. Last weekend they played 2 Belgium release shows and they have a few more coming up, before embarking on an extensive European tour. There's room for summer shows, club shows from September on. Don't you miss out on 'Mass IIII'! May 19, 2008 Pop the bubble Dear people, Lately I've been receiving a lot of "Dear Ivy Agency team" mails. Or mails with no header at all. Ivy is a booking agency, that's right. That's the only thing you figured out, right? Just to set things straight: Ivy Agency is a one-man operation. It is only me. The only reason why I talk in the "we" sense in texts is because this is not about me. I'm working for the Ivy family, for the bands, the artists. I'm merely a go between. So please, from now on, stop calling me team or équipe or boys. I'm just Jo. I'm a father of two children, Egon and Ida. My girlfriend is called Ayco. Now you know. I'm a person. Please approach me like that. I'm not angry. But stop sending me these impersonal messages asking me to help you out. DIY. Yours, Joachim April 6, 2008 Yo festivals! Here's some bands we propose for the summer of 2008. Please read all the way through this post. We'll make some recommendations in alphabetical order. Amenra, Europe's most intense heavy sludgeband, is recording 'Mass IV' as we speak. The coming weeks they'll play shows in France & Holland before embarking on a US tour in May. The new album will be released in Belgium mid May. In the end of May they'll play 3 Belgian release shows followed by a European Tour in June. Getting ready for festivals. After the release of their very well received debut album Ansatz der Maschine played shows with a.o. The Album Leaf, Bonobo, Hanne Hukkelberg, Do Make Say Think, Mono … They just finished a European tour and are currently working on new material. Ansatz der Maschine truly is one of the finest Belgian indietronica projects, unique as they play live with a four-piece band. Guernica is the newest addition to the Vlas Vegas catalogue and consequently a fresh new band in the Ivy family. Guernica is great indierock and can be associated with bands as Modest Mouse or Blonde Redhead. The first single made it to daytime rotation on Studio Brussel ... that is remarkable! One of the key players in Guernica is Wixel, well known as indietronica artist. Vandal X has been around for more than a decade, but with their latest album (their first on Vlas Vegas Records) they have given us the very best they have ever recorded. 'Instant Dislike' is an instant classic in the genre and certainly one of the best Belgian releases of late 2007. Vandal X live shows physically hurt, but it's good pain. Gooood pain. 2 men nailing noise core: hard & tight. Hardly one year after their magnificent debut album, Zucchini Drive dropped a second full length in September 2007: 'Goodyear Television Playhouse'. Acoustic lo-fi sounds, jumping electronics and hip hop voices featuring KaeoFLUX (Pilot Balloon), Radical Face, Mich (Hitch), Pol (Galatasaray) and Nomad. They mainly played abroad and just finished a second Japan tour (with Nomad). Think of the Anticon sound, performed by a Belgian/Swedish duo. Albums / promos are available upon request. In our humble opinion this is the very best in Belgian alternative music right now. Get in touch! March 6, 2008 Listen to the radio You might hear Guernica! Their debut EP was released one month ago and opening track 'I Wish I Was American' is in daytime rotation on Studio Brussel. It also features in 'de Vijf van Volt', a list of the 5 hottest tracks of the moment, compiled by the programmers of the more alternative evening slot. Studio Brussel also invited Guernica for a live session. They'll record it next week so keep your ears peeled. Attn clubs: book 'em. Ivy tours: Ansatz der Maschine is currently touring Holland, Germany, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia. We wish them a great time. Same for Zucchini Drive and Nomad. They are leaving for Japan in 2 days. Hitch and Amenra are both getting ready for a trip to the States. Tour schedules are looking good. Know that they will also record new albums in the coming months. More news on that will follow. Bands that are strongly recommended for booking right now are Guernica, Vandal X and Zucchini Drive. Of course you can contact us with all your questions. One more thing: Recently we've uploaded a brief explanation of how Ivy Agency stands towards new collaborations. You can read it here. Lately we've been receiving a lot of requests and we haven't found the time to reply to all of you yet. We're sorry. Hope to get to that soon. February 6, 2008 Presenting Guernica Ho ho ho ... talk about an early Xmas gift: Guernica is the newest addition to the Vlas Vegas catalogue and consequently a fresh new band in the Ivy family! Guernica is a bunch of fine lads from the Brussels area. They play indie trance, but it sells better to describe them as avant rock, associating them with bands as Blonde Redhead or Unwound. Whoever you want to compare them to, Guernica is great at playing good old indierock. The first Guernica release will be out on January 8th on the mighty Vlas Vegas Records. Its called 'Who Are Your Songs For?' and features the first 6 official recordings of Guernica. Get your hands on one of the first (limited) copies and know that Guernica is available for concerts in your venue. NOW! December 13, 2007 Vlas Vegas label night We're getting ready for one of the most exciting events of the year. On Saturday December 8, the first Vlas Vegas label night ever will take place at De Kreun in Kortrijk, homebase of the label and most of the bands. Each and every band with a release on Vlas Vegas will perform live. We mean business: Galatasaray! Ansatz der Maschine! Hawai! Guernica! Amenra! Hitch! Vandal X! Of course we'll throw in an after party with our resident Vlas Vegas DJ's: M!CH, Rock4 and Clark C. Forklift. We dont really need a reason to party, but hey ... we have one! On December 8 the long awaited split 7inch of Hitch & Amenra will finally be released! VVR008, 666 copies, art by Kluzehellion. Exclusive tracks. No pre-orders; only available at Ra or Hitch shows or at the GTO Distro. Heck, we have more than one reason: we're also introducing the mighty Guernica, the newest addition to the Vlas Vegas family. Their debut EP  (VVR009) will be out before the end of the year. Angular avant/indie rock with a twist from the city of Zaventem, featuring Wim 'Wixel' Maesschalck. To top it off: the first 100 entries will receive a free Vlas Vegas label sampler featuring 2 tracks of every band (some of them are exclusive/unreleased). And you can do your Xmas shopping at the GTO Distro, Vlas Vegas' very own and very mobile record store. So ... one day, seven shows and a party you wont forget. Booyah! Entrance is only 10 euro. Buy your tickets here. November 22, 2007 Ansatz der Maschine @ ZXZW Last Sunday, Ansatz der Maschine played at ZXZW, a showcase festival in Tilburg (NL). 3voor12 – one of the best Dutch e-zines – wrote a raving review of the concert (in Dutch): Op deze brakke zondag zijn weinig bands zo welkom als Ansatz der Maschine. Sfeervol en meeslepend, verdovend en overdonderend; eerlijk gezegd komen we superlatieven tekort om de band te beschrijven. De Belgen spelen een langzame jazzvariant die op subtiele wijze ondersteund wordt door elektronica, die af en toe de overhand krijgt in de vorm van een ingetogen climax. Bohren und der Club of Gore meets Unkle. De gelaagde soundscapes brengen het publiek in een welhaast meditatieve toestand, terwijl warme saxofoonklanken een zoete toestand van halfslaap teweegbrengen. Daarbij zijn de beats intelligent en vooral verrassend; vertrekkend vanuit schijnbaar willekeurige geluiden van stof, grind, of wat de fantasie er ook in herkent, weet de dj het geluid op perfect getimede momenten concreet te maken. Ogen worden gesloten, het verstand uitgeschakeld. Ansatz der Maschine hoort thuis in het rijtje van ZXZW must-sees. Nice one! September 26, 2007 Go out. Buy records. We've mentioned it before, but it's getting real now: 2 of the very best albums of 2007 are coming your way. On October 8 Vandal X drops their new bomb. 'Instant Dislike' gives you just about everything when it comes to ass tight noisecore generated by 2 angry motherfuckers. It's an excruciating kick in the nuts, but one that makes you scream for more. Vandal X will present the album live all over Belgium. Check out the dates and keep checking back, for the list is growing every day. Get in touch if you want Vandal X to rock your place (at your own risk). The second highlight: the European release of Zucchini Drive's new baby 'Goodyear Television Playhouse'. Japan has already tasted the new flavour; you can too on September 28. On that very day Tom & Marcus will present the album at De Kreun in Kortrijk with a very special live band. Word is out members of Cavemen Speak, Hitch and Galatasaray will join them on stage. To top it off they've also invited Mike Ladd and Bleubird to the party. This is not to be missed! Other news: we're planning a big Vlas Vegas label night in the near future. You'll read all about it here soon. See ya! September 16, 2007 The making of... This is an excerpt of Tom's MySpace blog. He gives us some insight into the making of Zucchini Drive's new album 'Goodyear Television Playhouse'. Enjoy. This album is the most Zucchini Drive album to date. For the previous album we received beats from big names but it was hard to communicate with them about changes we wanted to add. This time it was different. With KaeoFLUX we worked on getting perfect songs and breaks on and off for a year. Sometimes we recorded to a beat, then – after listening for a while – when we asked to add changes, he did. Or he even made a totally new beat to the vocals. The first Radical Face beat we had ('Radical Days'), was never intended to be a part of this album because it sounded a bit different than the rest. But this song turned out so well, it just had to be on there. The second beat he sent us was great too. The Nuccini beat was originally intended for Nuccini's album 'Matters Of Love And Death', but somehow it didn't end up there. We both agreed that we had to use and rework it into a Zucchini Drive song. Nomad had to deliver this time as well. We've been making music together since 1998 so it made sense. He joined in on two songs, with vocals and for production. The vocals on this album are very important to us. After 'Being Kurtwood' we were trying to record new songs on and off in the UK and Belgium but nothing came out of it. In the past we've rapped to different genres of music and we wanted to try something new. After a week of forcing ourselves in June 2006, we reached the point of giving up. But since these sessions were so damn expensive and our time was limited, we gave our last shot to a song I had recorded to a KaeoFLUX beat. Marcus decided to lay down some high-pitched vocals on the background just for fun. While messing around I turned down my vocals and it sounded so fresh! That song turned out to be 'Mannequinlegs' and we took it from there... I still think it's the most genius piece of music on the album. After recording a lot in the summer of last year, I also decided to rework some old beats and start sampling, chopping and rearranging things a bit. I got together with Mich (Hitch) and we recorded ten roughs, of which in the end we used two. With those two songs I went to Pol (Galatasaray) who laid down two incredible bass-tracks for them. I hope to do songs more in this way in the future 'cause it works so well. In the end, what I'm trying to say is that Marcus and I were a lot more involved in the whole production process. We didn't just collaborate with people, we actually created the sound together. 'Goodyear Television Playhouse' drops in September. Check it out. Tom We're booking Zucchini Drive shows to present the new album live. August 21, 2007 Instant Dislike Allright! The new Vandal X full length is finished. In the Vandal X discography-section you can listen to three tracks to get an idea of the sound and sheer power of the new stuff. We've also added the album cover and the official tracklist. Release on Vlas Vegas Records in September (exact date tba). In our humble opinion, this is the best we've ever heard from this great band. Instant Dislike! We're booking Vandal X shows to present the album live. Get in touch! July 30, 2007 Amenra's 'Mass III' reloaded Amenra's masterpiece 'Mass III' will be re-released by Sound Devastation Records on 2LP. This is a very special release with loads of exciting extras to send vinyl enthusiasts and collectors wild. The vinyl – as always – will be heavyweight (180 g). There will be two distinct pressings: One will have the music spread across all four sides and will be on black vinyl, housed in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve. There will be roughly 400 of these available. However, for those quick enough, there will be a limited edition pressing of approximately 200 coming out too (thanks to Tetedemort). These will be on translucent green vinyl. The same number of tracks will be pressed on three sides, with side D being silk-screened. This very limited edition will have a silk-screened gatefold sleeve and exclusive new silk-screened poster. Silk-screening galore! Needless to say this is going to look absolutely amazing and will go quick. Keep your eyes peeled. Other news: Amenra has recorded 'Razoreater' for the upcoming split 7inch with good friends Hitch. Out on Vlas Vegas Records after summer. Also available are Amenra's side projects Kingdom and Syndrome demo's. Amenra DVD and new site coming one day or another. July 15, 2007 Pre-listening time 2 Ivy bands are getting ready to hit the stages hard: both Vandal X and Zucchini Drive will release a new album in September. We're booking shows from October on. The discography-sections of both bands are updated: it's pre-listening time! Vandal X has signed to the magnificent Vlas Vegas Records (Ansatz der Maschine, Galatasaray, Hawai, Hitch) for the release of their 5th full length 'Instant Dislike'. It's Vandal X as we like them: raw, hard, tight, not unlike Shellac but more aggressive. Those who've seen the try-out shows know this still is one of Belgium's best live acts. 2 men blowing your mind! Zucchini Drive will give a first impression of their new stuff at Dour Festival next week. In September they'll drop 'Goodyear Television Playhouse', the follow-up of their brilliant debut. As usual, a lot of guests appear on the album, yet now you'll discover a more defined sound. They have admitted they've listened to TV On The Radio a lot ... Release on 2nd rec (for Europe). One more thing: see you at Farmfest! That's the annual festival/party of Hitch & Vlas Vegas. Respect the cows! July 5, 2007 We're doing fine It's been a while since you've heard from us. Sorry about that. Here's some new treats for y'all to enjoy: We've got some neat new videos: live shows of Ansatz der Maschine and Nomad at the AB in Brussels, and ... finished at last: the video of 'It Gets Better' by Hitch, a one take shot at the local titty bar. Great to watch drinking a White Russian, Hitch style! What else is new? Zucchini Drive has played some shows to promote the first solo album of Marcus Graap (one half of Zucchini Drive). In the meantime, the duo also finished their second record. 'Goodyear Television Playhouse' will be released later this year. Watch out for that one for it's really great. And go and check out Zucchini Drive at Dour Festival! Vandal X is also preparing to drop a new bomb: 'Instant Dislike' will be out on Vlas Vegas in September/October. 13 tracks produced, recorded and mixed by Vandal X and mastered by the mighty Vince T. (Amenra, Hitch ...). The songs are inventive and played extremely tight; the sound is dry, aggressive and hard. Vandal X simply has never been this good. Other Ivy bands are working on new stuff: Amenra, Galatasaray and Hitch are writing songs for records to come; Hawai is busy composing music for a dance performance. Ansatz der Maschine is taking a deep breath after a beautiful first half of the year, Wixel is graduating as a philosopher (no shit!), and Nomad, well ... he's around. All's well. Summertime. June 12, 2007 Wixel joins the Ivy family We're extremely happy and proud to announce that one of the most gifted Belgian indietronica artists chose Ivy Agency to see to his bookings: we're talking about Wixel. Wixel earned his place in the scene with his brilliant debut album 'Heart' (Debonair 2006). Since then he released a CD-R and a 7inch and his latest work can be heard on the last At The Close Of Every Day release, for which he delivered a sparkling remix of the song 'Hallways'. Wixel's music can be described as a warm & organic mix of acoustic instruments and gentle electronic treatments with a lot of care for detail and subtle nuances. Comparisons have been made to bands ranging from Hood to Fennesz, from Manyfingers to Sigur Rós. Ivy Agency welcomes Wixel and we're looking forward to see and hear more of this young artist. A new full length is planned for 2008. In the meantime the band – which is in fact a three piece – is available for live shows. You can find Wixel's tourdates, biography, discography (incl. songs!), gigography and press articles on his pages. Booking now! April 10, 2007 New dates for Nomad It's been a while since we've seen Nomad play live. Now the prince of bedroom hiphop folk has agreed to a new series of shows in May (and June). Highlight is the concert at the AB. Nomad is invited to join the bill with a.o. Kid Koala for a new edition of the brilliant "now series" concept. You can find all scheduled concerts here. Go and check out Nomad live! O Yeah, shame on us we haven't mentioned it before, but be sure to check out the live footage of Hitch live at Paradiso, Amsterdam. In February Hitch played the side stage at the NightLiveXS Awards. It was kind of a strange experience, but they left the crowd completely stunned. Then again, that wasn't a surprise... Enjoy! April 4, 2007 Vandal X joins Vlas Vegas We're very happy to announce that Vandal X has signed to Vlas Vegas Records for their upcoming full-length 'Instant Dislike'. The release is planned after summer. We'll keep you posted. You can get an exclusive preview of the new material next Wednesday at VK* in Brussels. Vandal X will open up for Alec Empire Live. Expect raw, unpolished noisecore; hard and tight, as we like it! Some other news: last Sunday Ansatz der Maschine were Ayco's guests on Duyster, by far Belgium's nicest radio show on Studio Brussel. They did an interview and recorded 3 tracks. 2 of them were broadcast. Listen here. The coming weeks you can check Ansatz live at De Kreun, AB, Petrol, ... take a look at their dates. March 30, 2007 Amenra back in full force The past couple of months, Amenra worked really hard, writing new songs for the upcoming album. Before recording, the band wants to try out some new stuff live. Yes, time has come to hit the stages again! Expect a new set, with brand new visuals. Kick off show is next Tuesday in De Kreun (Kortrijk, BE). Then Amenra embarks on a tour that will take them to Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovenia. Also planned are a UK trip and shows in France and the Benelux. Check the dates and don't miss out on them! Booking as we speak. March 15, 2007 Ansatz der Maschine on air Tonight Ansatz der Maschine is invited on radio station FM Brussel. The band will be interviewed on the show 'Vlaamse Steenweg', between 8 and 10pm. If you are close to Brussels, you can tune in to 98.8 FM. You can also listen online via fmbrussel.be. If you've missed the live broadcast, listen here (this will only work for 1 week). Good news from Humo & Studio Brussel as well: for the second time in a row Ansatz der Maschine is in the Arriba!-list. In fact, they move up to place 12. Cool. January 22, 2007 Ansatz der Maschine in Arriba! Ansatz der Maschine features in the new Arriba!-list, compiled by the music journalists of Humo and Studio Brussel. They chose the 4th track of the album: 'Over-expozed Frozen Stars'.You can listen to Arriba! on Studio Brussel on Sundays between 8 and 10 pm in Luftwaffe FM with Kirsten Lemaire. In the list, Ansatz der Maschine is in the good company of artists like Arcade Fire, !!!, The Shins, LCD Soundsystem, ... 'The Postman Is A Girl', the debut album of Ansatz der Maschine, is released on Vlas Vegas Records (Galatasaray, Hawai, Hitch) and distributed by Bang! Check it out. You can catch Ansatz der Maschine live supporting The Album Leaf in Le Grand Mix (Tourcoing, FR), on the magnificent Music In Mind Festival (Bruges, BE), in Stuk (Leuven, BE) or in a Fnac store near you. Check their tourdates. Booking shows as we speak! January 12, 2007 Watch Hitch live @ AB Tuesday Hitch played a magnificent concert in the AB in Brussels. They supported Japanese postrockers Mono. You can watch the entire Hitch show online: abconcerts.tv (you might have to use the search engine to get to the Hitch footage). Enjoy! December 14, 2006 Hitch in Playboy Hitch is featured in the Croatian Playboy! Haha. For all of you hoping to see the sexy threesome in a steamy hot tub... I'm sorry but they're not pictured naked. It's an article about Moonlee Records, home base of fine artists like Analena, Lunar and Hitch. Check it! December 5, 2006 Zucchini Drive Japan report Zucchini Drive just got back from their first Japan tour. Tom put the experience into words. Enjoy! We got 3 words to describe these 5 days in japan: short, surreal and amazing. I still can't believe that just happened... First day we arrived in Osaka to spend a day recovering from jetlags and learning to breath in this huge city. We met our tour manager / label boss Shin from Hue at the airport and he didn't leave us until we left yesterday, which was a good thing because lots of Japanese people don't know English and don't even try to read signs. At the show in Osaka we learned that Japanese shows are always 20 acts and 15 deejays, which is way too much for the attention span of the public I think, but anyway... great show with some really great bands. We partied with Bogulta and Vampillia; crazy chaotic eclectic music with lots of passion (very hard to describe). Next day we went to Kobe, which seems a more easy and nature-friendly city, for yet another show with 20 acts. This time a more electronica orientated public, which got us back to playing a more bootleg set. We met Ove-Naxx, DJ Killer and lots of nice people there. After a hot steam bath in Kobe, the 4th day in Japan brought us to Tokyo, which is too big for words. A city with 15 million people and more light signs then anywhere in the world I think. This was our call for shopping! Haha. Actually compared to what everyone warned us for, Japan is pretty cheap for food and electronica. For example: we paid 50 euro for a very nice restaurant dinner with 4 people, which on the Easytiger Tour in Berlin costed around 120 euro. Anyway, we played an in-store in Wenod (a very nice alternative music store) and plugged the two Tokyo shows. The first one was that night at Bullet's, a bar where you got to take of your shoes and sit around in couches. For Dan & the Idiot or Nuccini! a good atmosphere, so we thought we had to make the Zucchini Drive set a bit more singy and atmospheric and less party. By the time that we started (6 acts later) everyone was sitting on the ground (about 100 people) so we started doing songs from the album. After 5 songs we felt the show was going extremely well so I said as a joke: "Let's all stand up and we'll do some up-tempo songs. Everybody did and by song number 10 people were partying! Without a doubt the best Zucchini Drive show we ever played... and that with no shoes on." Next day we visited the Hue-office (our label) and met some of Shins co-workers. In the evening we played a show at a club similar to the AB-club. This shows was with two postrock bands from Hue's sister label Thomason Sounds, called Tracer AMC (Ireland) and Miao (from Japan). Very tight sets from all the acts performing and musically definitely the best night. About 150-200 people there and all ready to end their weekend on a high note. I want to end by thanking Shin for being there for us and our palls touring with us: Nuccini!, Dan and Jan. Sayanora bitches, Zucchini Drive November 28, 2006 Hitch tour diary / d We Are Touring - Update Okay, I finally found a decent – French – keyboard and am able to type more than 3 characters per half minute, so here comes a little update of what we've been through on the Tour. Right now our current activities consist mainly of imitating a couch potatoe (Mich and I) and imitating the Swedish Cook (Olivier and Stevie). Tonight, we put up camp in the apartment of our very swell host Mo (Alexandre) in Rouen. The newspapers for today are stamped November 23rd. Yep, that pretty much means that the end of the Tour is in sight: three more dates and we can call it a rap. There have been times that we called it crap, but that's just because we were really tired. Basically, only one of the shows didn't work out so well, but let's get back to that somewhat later. I think I left the story somewhere around the charge of the Brandenburger Tower in Berlin, right? Hmmm, well, what can I say? I'll present you with a quote by my grandfather concerning the Germans. Back in the day, he used to own a gas station. One fine day in summer, a German tourist rolls in for a pit stop, pumps gas, pays Gramps and bids him "auf Wiedersehen." Grandad, master of wry humour, vé-ry drily replies: "Okay, but preferably not all of you at once this time." Well, he'd been in the war, hadn't he? Even if he said it jokingly, he kind of meant it. I somewhat share his sentiments on the matter. Not in an extreme way, mind, but I'd have to be pretty desperate to shout "Ich liebe Deutschland." I mean, come on, this is a country where the roads are always under maintenance, where hits from the 60ies still top the charts (that ever present Peter Mafay... they're just begging for World War III, these people), where the difference between beer and Sprüdelwasser can only be derived from the label on the bottle, and where the Lederhose & Dirndel are an attire still considered as normal attire even outside the fixed Carnival Periods... Alle Menschen wirden Brüder... Bwooaah, all right. If you really insist. I ám kidding of course. Most of the people we met were ace. Leona, for example, who took care of the show at the Wild At Heart. We only spoke a few words, but she was a cool lady, very correct in the arrangements and all... The Wild At Heart, at only a stones' throw from Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburger Tower is a very Rockabilly and Punk oriented club in the middle of the hip Berlin quarter called Kreuzberg. Hardly a day goes by without them having a band on stage. They have a certain routine, you might say. I suppose that pretty much explains the speed at which the sound guy dragged us through the entire sound check. It took us about 7 minutes to get done with the entire process... séven minutes, hah: that's insane. And nice, of course, because that way we could spend a little more time in the Tiki Lounge, the venues adjacent restaurant and Kitschgeschäft. The food was good (Thai and lots of it). Two dogs pretty much tried to slaughter each other when as we were eating. Always works wonders for the appetite and digestive processes, where it not that they blocked the way to the toilets. And I'm no hero when it comes to dogs, so I was forced to go use the ones at the Wild At Heart. I'm trying to find the words to describe these toilets, but I'm afraid the club would sue me for slander if I did... November 23, 2006 Hitch tour diary / c Day Four - Wild At Heart, Berlin Do not worry, you did not miss out on anything. We spent day three back in K-Town hanging around, slurping coffee, preparing tour singles and visiting museums. Our convoy left at the ungodly hour of 8 in the morning, because the drive to Berlin is a pretty long haul. About 825 kays have to be conquered and heavy traffic, wind, and rain slow us down as do the ever present roadworks in Germany (when ARE they finally going to finish that job, for Christ sake? They have already been going at this thing ever since the war...). Anyway, even with these setbacks we manage to thunder into the hip Kreuzberg area and the Wild At Heart in time. This club hosts bands every day of the week, most of the year round. They seem to focus on rockabilly, ska and punk mostly, but every odd time, indie finds its way to the bill (I hereby apologise for the lack of apostrophes or other spelling mistakes. They are the result of the Slavonic keyboard I use to type this report on). Load in is fast, sound check even faster. I don't think we spent longer than 7 minutes on stage, haha. I wish it could be like that every time. To be continued... November 13, 2006 Hitch tour diary / b Day Two: Le Tamanoir - Gennevilliers, France 3 O´Clock, Vlasmarkt, K-Town. Mom and dad were kind enough to drop me off at the rendez-vous point and they get a nice taste of the weird bunch of locals that dwindle across K-Town's deadish and rather sad town centre on a Sunday like this. Singing Arabs, hung over old ladies, oap´s walking the spouse´s dog and hating the mutt for every minute they need to spend in the November cold... the lot. Historical moment: mom and dad joining voices to sing along to "Return To Sender" on the radio :). That was pretty cool. Around 6, we arrive in Gennevilliers, a Parisian suburb that could easily have served as the backdrop to "La Haine". Not many people are out on the streets, but you can feel that they are definitely there and that – every once and a while – the doodoo hits the fan around here. As a matter of fact, not too far away, riots had broken out a couple of days ago in memory of the violent breakout of last year. This and the fact that the van we drive looks brand new kind of made us a bit weary of the surroundings. The club, however, was very nice: small, cosy and with very good sound. We were welcomed by yet another stress canon of a production manager, a somewhat older and very friendly Fabrice. He looked as if he had just escaped the pages of a Gaston Lagaffe album and directed a bunch of interesting volunteers around and on the stage to get everything set for the show: One of the guys – Allan – was this super cool and huge mc. Another one was called Nadil, an Arab, who really got his kicks in transporting gear from the van to the stage in a midget sized shopping trolley; Back and forth and back and forth he went with that thing... Tang, the headlining band, claim to be fans of Hitch and say they have seen us quite a few times before. As it turns out, they´re from Lille. A laid back bunch of youngsters they have in their midst an accountant, a teacher, a sound technician and a psychologist. Perfectly equipped for tour life, I´d say :). Because of a protest strike against violence, no busses are coming into or going out of town today, so pretty much no people show up for the show. But all 23 (honest number: I counted them) give us a really warm welcome and we´re even called back for an encore. And that´s the pain strikes: at the end of the song, Olivier goes through his back and it looks pretty ugly. You could tell he´s in a deal of pain because his face is contorted even more than it is on stage. Flat on his back in the backstage we have to give Voltaren and a healthy dose of weed before he gets to his feet again. Okay, so he still walks like he´s just been buggered by a herd of Wildebeest, but the pain subdues and we all get to enjoy Tang´s very strict and decent set of post-punk and slightlz emo-corish noise. We drive home pretty happy. Tomorrow, we do nothing but sit back, relax and listen to the eight-track. To be continued... November 11, 2006 Hitch tour diary / a Day One: Cactus Club - Bruges, Belgium All Right, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is day one! Make some NOO-HOOIISE! We're gonna Rock and Roll, play music, burn rubber, drink, fight, fuck... HAAHAAAAAAAA... etc. etc. ... And we're gonna do all of that (well, minus the fighting and fucking) from the very moment we get out of this bloody traffic jam. It's Friday night and traffic is murder. Every main road to the venue is clogged with endless rows of cars. People from everywhere are coming in from work or school and the smell of the weekend seems to work on them like red cloth on a bull. Everyone wants to get home as fast as possible and preferably before anyone else does. Results: no one moves, slugs overtake us on the side of the road and we arrive at the Cactus club quite a bit later than planned. This is not unlike what we usually do, mind, but Nicolas, the very friendly Production Manager for tonight, seems a bit stressed out about our delay. The well known Hitch Zen Aura (to which some people blatantly refer as being nothing more than an annoying lack of punctuality stress) soon settles him down, though. As a matter of fact, he becomes so relaxed that he even manages to weasle us out of the very first of the new Hitch T-Shirts (he picked one with a rat design). The Venue for tonight is big, brand new and reeks of culture. It's not quite what we'd call our natural biotope, but a very nice vibe hangs over the stage. I think tonight is going to be a good show. It's strange: after a while you can more or less always tell what the evening is going to be like from the moment you walk into the venue. The only thing I know from my experience with shows in Bruges, is that not many people show up for this kind of music. Mono, the Japanes band we're opening up for, are quite well known, though, so we'll just have to sit and wait what gives. After the routine of doing sound check (= busting Hein's nuts and stressing him out), the Cactus guys take us out to dinner to a very – véry – nice restaurant, with good food, good vibes and good looking waitresses. Thanks guys! Next time we'll bring a tuxedo, so we don't feel out of sorts in a place like this :). Twenty minutes into the after-dinner coffee's cafeine boost, we hit the stage. Mono's name did the trick: we are welcomed by a crowd of about 300. I see many familar faces in the audience and the response the crowd gives us is a nice pat on the back for a first show. We do the job in a reserved way, at least to our standards. We don't say a lot between the songs, I manage not to tell any lame jokes on stage and the sound is, allthough maybe a bit quiet, quite okay. OK, sure, Mono (very friendly people, by the way) kick our asses in volume and merch sales, but we had a good and warm feeling about tonight's performance. Some crazy dude came and congratulated us at merch stand. He was probably a priest without knowing it, judging by the questions he asked us. Oh, and Anton Coene dropped by in the backstage to take some very nice band snaps (you can find some at www.wannabes.be). Day one is over. On to France. This was a good one. November 10, 2006 D-Day minus one Tomorrow Hitch is playing Bruges with Japanese postrockers Mono. This is the kick off of a European Tour to promote the 'We Are Electric!' album. There's new Hitch merchandise and Vlas Vegas releases a special tour 7inch, limited to 300 copies and with three different handmade lay outs! Bass player Paul will write a tour diary. If he gets the chance, he'll keep us updated. Here's his first post: November 9th. Two more days... two more days and then the Great War is finally over. Two more days before they sign the Treaty at Compiègnes and blow a train to smithereens. Two more days before they plant the seedlings for the next Great War... today nearly a 100 years ago. Back then, the old continent was severely beaten and it bled the blood of millions. But that was then. Now, Europe is Europe, with mobile phones and air pollution, with newer buildings and changed mentalities, no more wars and a lot of places to go to. And that's what we're about to do. As of tomorrow, We Are Electric all over Europe once more. Stay tuned for updates. November 9, 2006 Nomad in Arriba! 'Boardercross', the magnificent opening track of the Nomad album, features in the new Arriba!-list, compiled by the music journalists of Humo and Studio Brussel. You can listen to Arriba! on Studio Brussel on Sundays between 8 and 10 pm in Luftwaffe FM with Lux Janssen. In the list, Nomad is in the good company of artists like TV On The Radio, Beck, DJ Shadow, ... 'Lemon Tea', the solo debut album of Nomad, is released on the Japanese label Hue. Distribution in our region is handled by Lowlands. Decent promo is in the works and planned for the end of October. The CD also contains the video of 'Boardercross'. It's brilliant. Check it out! September 29, 2006 A Fistfull Of Yen In November Zucchini Drive is touring Japan and for that occasion they dropped a special tour CD: 'A Fistfull Of Yen'. It contains 10 tracks and 6 videos for y'all to enjoy... Fire! 4 remixes/mashups by artists like Krazy Baldhead (Edbanger), Nitrada (2ndrec), Tepr (Abstrackt Keal Agram) and Zucchini Drive themselves; 6 live songs, containing bootlegs from Kraftwerk, Eddie Murphy & Rick James, Justice, Tomahawk, Mark Morisson and Trick Daddy; and 6 videos (small format) for iPod and Quicktime-users by Raccou, Nomad + Tina, Kimme, Zucchini Drive, Loose and Dan & The Idiot. The CD will be available at the shows Zucchini Drive is playing this fall in Europe and Japan or you can order it online here. September 26, 2006 Fight intolerance Our friends of Vlas Vegas, Semtex Magazine and Digg* are setting up a free festival on October 1st to fight the growing intolerance, racism, negativism and all-round violence that surrounds us. Inspired by the 0110 manifestations in Belgium's big cities, we join forces to create a festival of tolerance and diversity in downtown Kortrijk. Exactly one week before the elections we strongly advice people to vote responsible and tolerant. We will always refuse to be part of a society that discriminates people based on origin, political conviction or religion. All Ivy bands will be present! Ansatz der Maschine, Hitch and Nomad have confirmed they'll play. Hawai is on the night before on the GTO.distro Party. Galatasaray is still figuring out if everyone's available, but we're hopefull they'll make it. And 1/2 of Zucchini Drive will join Nomad on stage. To find up-to-date information, promotional images and the festival's line-up, head over to the 0110 page on Vlas Vegas' website (in Dutch). It would be awesome if all bloggers, myspacers, messageboarders and website owners helped to spread these images and information throughout the open-minded blog & internet community. We sincerely hope to meet you on October 1st (01/10) in Kortrijk! September 22, 2006 Ivy welcomes Nomad We're very happy to announce Nomad has joined the Ivy roster. Nomad is a member of Cavemen Speak, Belgium's avant hop pride. Recently he's released a brilliant debut solo album on the Japanese label Hue. It has sold over 1.000 copies in Japan, now we're looking into promoting over here. In Belgium it's distributed by Lowlands, just ask your local record store. It's always a pleasant experience: listening to a new record and instantly falling in love with it. Nomad's debut does the job, which makes him one of our heros. You just have to hear it! Some tracks are on his discography page. You can catch Nomad live (backed up by Siaz) in October. More shows will follow. Booking now! September 16, 2006 Zucchini Drive goes Japan Zucchini Drive is going to Japan in November. Their latest album is selling quite well over there, so it got about time to fly over and check the place out. Here's the tour poster with the club dates. They'll also be doing some in-store shows. It's a shame this band is hardly getting noticed in our region. See how Zucchini Drive & Cavemen Speak records are placed in Japanese stores: look at this pic! Ivy booked a few new Zucchini Drive shows closer to home, but hey... they're available for more! Something else: yesterday Ian MacKaye (Fugazi) was in Belgium for a so-called "question & answer" session. It was a very inspiring evening. He's a great man. September 7, 2006 Ivy bands on skate DVD Last week there was a presentation of a DVD called 'Carve', released to celebrate the opening of the great skatebowl in Kortrijk. Songs of Hitch and Galatasaray were used for the soundtrack! Try to get your hands on one of these DVD's; they're distributed for free. August 26, 2006 Welcome Manon! Great news: Friday night, Wim – the drummer of Galatasaray & Hawai – became a father. The little girl is called Manon. Congratulations Wim & Joke! August 23, 2006 Pukkelpop 2006 Pukkelpop indeed proved to be the best organized alternative festival in Belgium. We were treated like true rock stars (which is great, but also a bit weird to be honest): young girls serving us sandwiches, shuttle busses driving us around backstage, being served a 3 course meal at the artist restaurant, ... It was fun and we enjoyed the company of our good friends of Amenra. Man, did they kick ass! Hitch had to compete with a British band on the main stage, but those who were in the Wablief? tent enjoyed the best of the two latest Hitch albums. A nice and tight show, as we like it! Jan – the guy who organised the Oppikoppi trip – was our stage manager. After the show, he cracked open a bottle of Jägermaister, for old time's sake. Heart-warming atmosphere in the pouring rain. Thanks man! After the show, Studio Brussel interviewed Hitch. Listen to it here. Next festival on the agenda: Lavapop with Hitch & Hawai. More Hitch shows are confirmed; check out the tourdates. August 21, 2006 South Africa - the stories Hitch is back from South Africa, it's time to hear the stories! Mich has written a blog for Digg*, Paul is telling his experiences on his MySpace (must read, really funny!), Kaat Mendonck put an extensive report on stubru.be (incl. pics & video) and next week Humo will publish an article about the trip. Be sure to read some of this stuff for it paints a nice picture of how amazing this journey must have been. Oh that's right, check out this silly dancer!! So now it's time for the South Africans to convince the Belgian audience at Pukkelpop. For those who aren't there yet: we'll see you guys tomorrow in the Wablief? tent for true K-Town mayhem! Playing back to back: Amenra, Hitch and Goose. August 18, 2006 South Africa the final days The final days in South Africa are over. The adventure couldn't have ended more beautifully... During the freezing safari drive through Pilanesberg National Park, the guys – in an open truck wearing layers of sweaters – saw several kinds of wild creatures (rhino, giraffe, elephant, zebra, wild boar, kudu, impala, wildebeest, ostrich, hippo, lion) in a breathtaking landscape. The silence was as beautiful as the music they had left behind. They said goodbye to the Oppikoppi crew at Tings 'n Times, a nice club in Pretoria where Belgian bands have played in the past six years. It's amazing how fast bands can build up an audience: the club was full of people who had heard about Hitch & Das Pop after the festival. It was great to see the place so crowded and both bands played an excellent set. The gang got a final impression of this powerful country in Johannesburg. Professional explanation about the town was given by Chris Wood (don't miss him at Pukkelpop). Next they went to the Apartheidsmuseum. In silence everybody learnt about South Africa's complex history and gained more insight into the changes that have occurred since the end of apartheid. So this is where the South Africa adventure ends. Big up to everyone who was involved in what for Hitch was one of the most amazing experiences they've had since the band started. The reports on www.ivyagency.net were more or less copied from the Pukkelpop site (thanks Jan!). Bent – the singer of Das Pop – has also written a weblog (in Dutch) about the trip on www.humo.be. Look out for an article in Humo and Kaat's report on stubru.be. August 9, 2006 South Africa day 3 & 4 Day 3 = Hitch day! It was Hitch's turn to lengthen the long list of Belgian bands that have already played at Oppikoppi. Hitch plays fairly brilliant, edgy noise, which is not the easiest kind of music to confront a new audience with. But everybody was amazed how smoothly everything went. About a thousand people became absorbed in the Hitch sound. The musicians eagerly made use of the audience's enthusiasm, which led to silly dancing and two encores. It was heart-warming to see how band and audience seemed to merge. So tomorrow looks promising for Das Pop as well. More than likely, they will receive the same warm welcome from their South African audience. All right! Day 4 was Das Pop day. Die Belge were expected on the second stage at 5 pm. A bit early perhaps, because not really dark and not really awake yet. But that didn't stop them putting their I Love heart and soul into playing a good gig. Das Pop is determined to come back to South Africa and convince more people of the quality of their songs. Or may there be another reason? The desire to see a crash of rhinos or a herd of giraffes near their humble lodgings in the morning, perhaps? Who knows what tomorrow's safari will bring? We'll keep you posted. August 7, 2006 South Africa day 2 Nice day. The team is complete again. London has released Hitch and their arrival in South Africa was nearly perfect. Only one suitcase, belonging to the Humo reporter who's travelling along, is still missing. (You'll soon be able to read his report.) Without the loving care of the Oppikoppi organizers, the poor guy would be freezing. The Foundry Club was a good test for Das Pop yesterday. Today it was the real thing. Playing in the middle of the township near the platinum mines must have been a unique experience. First, a basic sound system was set up in a dusty schoolyard. Next, the musicians were given a very warm welcome. Finally, hundreds of school kids and villagers enjoyed Das Pop's compelling sounds. Kaat Mendonck has been spotted in the neighbourhood, so we think you'll soon be able to enjoy the sounds and images on StuBru's website as well. In the middle of Das Pop's gig, Hitch – happy but exhausted – finally turned up. They were instantly thrown into the lion's den to entertain the township kids. Their short but powerful set will certainly linger in the kid's memories. Now it's off to the festival itself where our friends are going to submerge themselves into the atmosphere of the place. After a good night's rest, Hitch and Das Pop are planning to set their audiences ablaze. Tomorrow we'll let you know how things went. Later you'll also find out more about the safari and the after-festival 'bushbraai'. August 4, 2006 Greetings from South Africa Day one in South Africa and the group has already been halved. Hitch is stuck at Heathrow (London). For some reason, the plane from Brussels was delayed and they missed their connection to Johannesburg, which means 24 hours at the Heathrow Hilton. But at the Floundry Fly Lounge tonight Das Pop will not exactly be on their own. The club owner was very quick to drum up some help. His own group will be Das Pop's support band. If everything goes as planned, Hitch should join the group in Northam's township for the village party. And how about this: it is freezing in Johannesburg, and for the first time in many years the town is covered in snow! Tomorrow you'll read more about Das Pop's show and Hitch's arrival. Stay tuned! August 2, 2006 Hitch & Das Pop @ Oppikoppi Oppikoppi, a South African alternative music festival, has been programming music of all races and classes (jazz, afro, metal, ...) at their main festival for twelve years now. Oppikoppi could be Pukkelpop's little brother. Since 2000 Pukkelpop and Oppikoppi have exchanged bands. Each year the Pukkelpop crew, accompanied by Belgian bands, goes south to the Oppikoppi festival. In return, the Oppikoppi crew, with some South African bands trailing them, visits Pukkelpop. Today, the Pukkelpop team, with Hitch and Das Pop, are leaving for South Africa. Both bands will play four times in South Africa. First they will play a try out in the Foundry Fly Lounge club in Pretoria, followed by an 'open air' jam session in Northam's township. On Friday the 4th of August, Hitch will play Oppikoppi's Main Stage. On Saturday the 5th, Das Pop will be on the second stage. Both bands will play at the Afterparty in the cosy Tings 'n Times club. A short safari trip will allow the Belgian bands to explore part of South Africa's nature and they will be invited to a 'bushbraai' (= barbecue). They will also go to Johannesburg and Pretoria and visit the Apartheid museum. Stay tuned to follow this fascinating trip! August 1, 2006 Pukkelpop line-up Once more Pukkelpop proves to be Belgium's finest alternative music festival. They've put together an impressive bill for us to enjoy from August 17th until 19th. Check www.pukkelpop.be for the full programme. And have you seen the line-up on the Wablief?-stage on Saturday? Amenra + Hitch + Goose! K-Town threesome baby. It's gonna be insane!! We'll see you there, but first we're going to Oppikoppi (South Africa) with Hitch! July 28, 2006 Ansatz der Maschine live Yesterday Ansatz der Maschine played a try-out concert at 'De Gentse Feesten' with a new live set up. Currently Ansatz der Maschine is a one-man project, but Mathijs put together a nice live band: he manipulates all the electronics and is joined by a keyboard player, and 2 saxophones. At first this line-up sounded a bit strange to me, but it worked really well; a little rough edged soundwise but it promises good things for the future. Watch out for these guys. Their debut album – 'The Postman Is A Girl' – is planned for this fall. (Listen to some of the new stuff here.) July 19, 2006 Dour Festival Dour Festival was great. We enjoyed a lot of fine concerts in a torrid heat and a shitload of dust. Ivy booked 2 bands on the festival: Hitch & Haymarket Riot (they both played the main stage on Saturday). Hope you checked out Haymarket Riot. Their show was awesome. These guys flew in from Chicago just for Dour. How crazy is that?! You can still watch the Hitch & Haymarket Riot concerts on the Dour site. Anyway, we all had a wonderful time. Shout-out to Carlo and his crew, and see you next year! July 17, 2006 Hitch goes South Africa On August 19th Hitch is playing the Pukkelpop Festival, but there is more: Pukkelpop invited Hitch to perform at the Oppikoppi Festival in South Africa! Bands who did this in the past: Soulwax, Millionaire, 't Hof Van Commerce, Triggerfinger, Monza, Arsenal, ... It took the boys some time to think it over (they all had plans for the holidays) but a few beers at FarmFest paid off: they're going for it. So... from August 1st until August 9th, Hitch is in South Africa conquering new grounds. Nice one! July 10, 2006