Snowstar Records

Singer and storyteller broeder Dieleman releases new single 'Ochtendvier' today. The song will appear on his forthcoming album 'Oh mijn ziel', which will be released on Friday, August 18. 'Oh mijn ziel' is an album of surrender and bewilderment. Above all, it became a record in which Tonnie Dieleman relinquished control more than ever, putting trust and affection in like-minded artists and historical figures.

One of these like-minded people is Baby Dee, the originally American artist who has been living in the Dutch province of Zeeland for a full decade now. Dee co-wrote the bulk of the songs on Oh mijn ziel, which translates to ‘Oh my soul’. "The album title comes straight from a Psalm, Psalm 42," says Dieleman. “It is also Dee's favorite psalm, something that connects us together very much. It's funny that you come from two completely different worlds, and that Psalm 42 is what binds us together.”

Baby Dee found her love of life in Dutch visual artist Christina de Vos, who made the artwork for ‘Oh mijn ziel’. Over a cup of coffee with several biscuits, Dee and Dieleman started looking for shared stories and experiences, experimenting with melodies and rhymes. Dee's years of experience as an organist in a church in the Bronx had a special overlap with Dieleman's childhood in the pews in Axel. This shared love for the landscape in Zeeland – and nature in general – turned out to be obvious starting points.

The moving duet between the two, "Ochtendvier" – a translation by bassist Peter Slager of Dee's song "Morning Fire" – is a gesture of finding hope and safety in the other, and the longing for a coming spring. The beauty is in its imperfection, the way Dee and Dieleman both sing the lyrics in their native tongue simultaneously. Dieleman: “Dee is someone who thinks very deliberately about music, and I enjoy surrendering to that.”

'Oh mijn ziell' will be broeder Dieleman's sixth album. His previous album 'Love is the First Law' was released in 2020.

Dutch harpist Remy van Kesteren releases his new single ‘crown’ today. On this track, Remy once more reworks a composition made by one of his musical heroes: Kendrick Lamar. Remy also announces his upcoming album ‘Muses’, named after the nine Muses of inspiration from Ancient Greek Mythology. The album explores Remy’s musical inspirations through nine composers that have had and continue to have  a major influence on his musical journey. To celebrate the release of the album, Remy will be playing album release shows in the A'DAM Tower on August 24 and in Ancienne Belgique on Oktober 5.

Remy van Kesteren about ‘crown’: '‘When I first heard ‘Crown’, composed by one of my musical heroes Kendrick Lamar, it reminded me of Philip Glass' Metamorphosis. The minimalist alternation of two notes and a simple melody builds up a tension that is only truly released at the very end of the song. Even without the captivating lyrics of Lamar and its closing message '’you can't please everybody’', this song takes you on a journey that does not let go of its grip for the entire six minutes. The track builds slowly and then synthesizers and a deep sub-bass propel the harp upwards towards the climax of the song, where even without words - at least for me - the music speaks powerfully moving.’'

Singer-songwriter & musician Luka releases her new EP ‘Director in the Dark’ today, featuring previously released singles ‘Something Somewhere’ and ‘Raven’s Nest’. To celebrate the release of her new EP, Luka will be playing at V11, Rotterdam on the 12^th of April. ‘Director in the Dark’ is now available on all streaming platforms.

‘Director in the Dark’ contains soundscapes of the inexplicable. They are an attempt to get a grip on the feeling of stumbling through the dark. On the EP, Luka says: ‘’The songs were born from a sense of being uprooted. This may seem like a lonely feeling, but there is also a strength in it; you get to choose where you live and who lives in you. 'Director in the Dark' is made for everyone who recognizes themselves in this.’’

Dutch Harpist Remy van Kesteren releases his new single ‘avril 14th’ today. The song is an adaptation and own musical interpretation of Aphex Twin's 'Avril 14th'. The official music video is shot in one of the studios of STMPD where the recording process took place. 

''I studied hard to replicate the mechanical timing of the original, but it wasn't until I interpreted it the way I wanted it that the work really started to make sense to me. Instead of an effortless computer, you feel the real struggle and emotion of a human being playing this music and that's what breathes new life into this version.’’

Luka releases her new single 'Raven's Nest' today. The song is about feeling estranged to a place that once felt familiar and the second song leading up to upcoming EP ‘Director in the Dark’, which will be released on April 7th. For this song Luka played with the contrast of having a catchy melody dressed in undestined textures and mysterious strings, to amplify this feeling.