THU20 | zh

THU20

Electro-acoustic band. Active since 1986.

Dutch electro-acoustic ensemble THU20 is the co-operation between Roel Meelkop, Peter Duimelinks, Sjac van Bussel and Ios Smolders. The strength varies, their releases are limited and live shows rare. Not a steady thing this THU to say the least.. Despite all of this, all four have firm ideas about music and performances. THU has a unique sound, established through numerous experiments in recording and several collaborations (they've worked on hearplays, spoken word projects, highly conceptual music-making and so on), but still is not a defined thing.. and that's good.

"Live in Groningen" is an edited version of a performance they did during the CASA ELECTRONICA festival high up north in the Netherlands. The hearplay-like character of their set/ music is very much imaginative and holds a lot of anekdotal, but still fairly abstract elements. The sound of THU20 is a multi-layered object, compiled of numerous sonic happenings, going through the complete range of audible sound and certainly not in a lineair way. From highly digital to dusty acoustics, from pleasantly calm to disturbingly hectic. It is exactly this tension and variation which keeps you tuned and fascinated. The way basic elements like repetition, tonal differences and time-elapse are used is truly original and surprising. Things move around completely free, accessible for one's own thoughts and interpetation, adding to the constantly changing texture. THU20 dashes around sound, though all is embedded in a very gentle stream of subtle tones and little sound-events, which makes this work perfectly suitable for extended and intense listening... THU20 has released previously on Staalplaat, Flenix and Midas Music.

THU20 have released only a small number of CDs, LPs and hardly ever to compilations and with only a few rare gigs, maybe totalling 15 of the past 16 years. As a band they are free from any recording pressure and can work for whatever time is required. Started out as a five piece, now there are four members: Jos Smolders, Jacques van Bussel (aka DMDN, aka Antenne Records), Roel Meelkop and Peter Duimelinks (the latter two also members of Goem and Kapotte Muziek). They all play music as solo artists too. This new CD, their fifth I believe, is the result of an extensive work recorded in Groningen (The Netherlands) in August 2000. Inside a metal container, they improvised for 5 hours on a concert. This rehearsal was more or less open for people to attend, and as a result a concert was given. This CD is not a strict registration of the concert in question, but rather an edit of everything that was recorded that evening. If one is familiar with the various solo activities of the members, then it's nice to see those elements popping up. Smolders' voice treatments, Duimelinks' field recordings and Van Bussel's DJ techniques. Roel Meelkop's influence is not in some sound, but rather in the overall edit of the work. It carefully moves from silence to loudness and back and with sounds moving in and out. This is no longer the work of four people improvising, but rather a composed work, using the sound elements that were generated in a live concert situation. It turns out to be an excellent work. (FdW) .