BRICK SMOKE BASEMENT

TRACKLISTING


A1. Steiger - Brick Smoke Basement
A2. Steiger - Malinka
A3. Steiger - No Blame
B1. Steiger - Dark Days
B2. S teiger - Aime





INFO


If And Above All (20 17) and Give Space (2018) prove anything, it's that Steiger is not just a band, but a continuous work-in-progress. Gilles Vandecaveye-Pinoy (keyboards), Kobe Bo on (bass) and Simon Raman (drums) eagerly explore the outer margins of jazz and dive into other universes (contemporary music, electronica, pop, free improvisat ion,...), but basically also remain faithful to the genre's long-standing core p rinciple; that of a flexible transformation. The winners of the 2017 Gent Jazz F estivals' Jazztalent award had been selected to play the 12 Points Festival in 2 018. For their new EP Brick Smoke Basement, that paves the way for a third album (to be released in the spring of 2021), the trio continues its path of renewal and experiment. By doing this, the trio builds on Give Space, but also moves be yond it, to explore as yet unfamiliar territory.

Three residencies - at Vooruit (Ghent), Flagey (Brussels) and deSingel (Antwerp) - gave the band opp ortunities to incorporate new ideas into its music, like the use of piano, harps ichord and synths. Collaborating with an external musician was a first for the b and. Australian composer, improviser and producer Joe Talia (Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke) is very active in Tokyo and Berlin, and an expert in constructing musi cal collages. This collaboration was a true dialogue, with Talia granted the fre edom to remodel/remix the material that the band designed during their residenci es. As such, Steiger's interplay created a dialogue with this electronic artist. The end result: an electro-acoustic exploration that blurs boundaries.

As such, this new release by Steiger became the next step in a fascinating ev olution. Striking is also the increased use of contrasts. The music keeps constr uction and deconstruction, form and abstraction, in a remarkable balance. The mu sicians experiment with eerie sounds and atmospheres, but the compositions also remain spontaneous and tight, in the way they use tempo/mood shifts and combine post-industrial soundscapes with playful or elusive melodies. Their authentic an d personal approach leads to an organic, hybrid result, a suitable match for thi s dizzying and demanding 21st century.

This new EP also sets the tone for their next full-length album, for which the band intends to try out shorter songs and a stronger emphasis on sound exploration. By incorporating various sy nths and prepared piano, as well as inviting producer Cesar De Sutter-Pinoy into their midst, the band is already on its way towards a new phase.