Dutch sound artist (and graphic designer) Machinefabriek (aka Rutger Zuydervelt) likes to blend elements of ambient, noise, minimalism, drone, field recordings and electro-acoustic experiments in his music and to create suggestive sonic environments for the listener to dwell in. He often collaborates with improvising musicians like Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida.

Machinefabriek created Omval after a performance he had with Belgian tuba player Berlinde Deman, with whom he recorded two albums (Luchtwezen, Søvn, 2020 and Stuutjes, self-released by Machinefabriek, 2022. She also plays in a trio with Dutch reeds master Ab Baars and trombonist Joost Buis). This performance left Machinefabriek inspired and soon as returned to his home he reinstalled his live setup and attempted to recreate the atmosphere of that performance.

The 32-minute piece turned into something completely different. He constructed the live, free improvised jam into a layered, complex and highly nuanced collage of highly immersive sounds, letting it dive deep into an almost silent abyss and then rise again with gentle, resonant waves. The mysterious atmosphere – literally – is intensified with the cover artwork. Machinefabriek has used an endless list of electronic devices, and samples of Deman playing, and testifies that he could never achieve such complexity in a live setting.

Eyal Hareuveni

Machinefabriek (electronics)