BAARS / WOUTER VAN VELDHOVEN / RUTGER ZUYDERVELT, MARISKA - ZEEG (CD)

"Zeeg represents the best that the Dutch underground has to offer. Combining the talents of Rutger Zuydervelt, Mariska Baars and Wouter Van Veldhoven, this album shows off what can happen when the stars align. This is stunning in its scope and breadth. It's a sonic magic trick. Most enchanting is how Zeeg manages to slow time to a near stand-still. The sounds and motifs unfold like a snail trapped in tar; each note, each sound seemingly more important than the previous. The depth of sound is considerable, and the impact is immense. While the performers know exactly where they plan to take you, the listener remains shrouded in mystery. It's all about the journey and this is a deliciously delicate place to get lost in. The care with which Zeeg was improvised and created is obvious. But how, exactly, these three stalwarts manage to pull the listener down this diamond rabbit hole where stellar time is meaningless is a riddle. Through Van Veldhoven's use of tape recorders and metallophone to Baars' lovely voice that is endlessly manipulated and looped by Zuydervelt, everything clicks." (label info)