Eindhoven Psych Lab According To: Radar Men From The Moon And Fuzz Club Records
Eindhoven based neo-psych heads Radar Men From The Moon (RMFTM) play and curate the Fuzz Club stage on the Eindhoven Psych Lab Saturday (7th of June). But who are they, what is Fuzz Club and what bands shouldn’t we miss according to them. And what’s the latest stuff coming out through Fuzz Club? We ask Radar Men and fuzz chief Casper Dee.
Tell us who you are and what your connection is with Eindhoven Psych Lab.
Radar Men From The Moon: RMFTM is an experimental rock band with Glenn Peeters on guitar, Tony Lathouwers on drums, Titus Verkuijlen on bass and Niek Manders on synths. We conduct sonic experiments and are based in Eindhoven, so obviously there is a connection there; but that’s not the only thing. Early September, Glenn and I were asked to help curate the first edition of Eindhoven Psych Lab. The city of Eindhoven and our favorite music venue ‘Effenaar’ share a tremendous musical heritage of experimental music and we are honored to be part of this festival in our hometown!
The contemporary psych scene has inspired us to push our boundaries and help set up this great collaboration between labels and bands from all over the world. With this festival we wanted to question the psych movement; since because of its openness, it is defined by what its rather not. We’re also quite excited that our label ‘Fuzz Club Records’ have their own stage and will be showcasing amazing bands like The Woken Trees, The Underground Youth, The Cosmic Dead, Sonic Jesus and many more.
Why should people come to see you guys and the rest of the bands?
RMFTM: Whether you know these bands or not, there are so many great bands that you can discover at this festival. The line-up is simply amazing. From psych to garage and noise, this festival is the first event in The Netherlands that hosts a wide variation of new experimental music within the international underground psych scene. I for one – and I think I speak for the whole band – will be happily indulging in as much live music as I humanly can. Personal favorites: Wooden Shjips, Suuns, Spectrum, Disappears, NISENNENMONDAI, The Underground Youth, Sonic Jesus, Gnod and Anthroprophh. We are really, really excited for Eindhoven Psych Lab and you should be too. So come down to our favorite music venue in Eindhoven on June 6th and 7th and explore the great sounds that Eindhoven Psych Lab has to offer!
Glenn (Peeters), you are the guitar player in RMFTM, but you also organize an exhibition during the festival. Could you tell us a little about what we can expect to see and which artists will show their work?
Glenn Peeters: I initiated Thrilling Autonomy, the exhibition in artspace Onomatopee, because next to playing guitar in RMFTM, I practice contemporary fine art. I feel that both the sonic and the visual expression are part of the same creativity. I want to expand the international psych scene to a broader platform, where besides sonic experiment and beamed visuals, autonomous fine art can take its position. I’ve invited artists from The Netherlands among whom have a link with alternative music, as well as artists that perform at Eindhoven Psych Lab.
For example Craig Dyer from The Underground Youth will show his poetry, the film ‘Partir To Live’ from Föllakzoid’s Domingo will be screened. Wineke Gartz, who has worked with Wooden Shjips will make a luminous intervention in the artspace, to name a few participants in the exhibition. I want to show that off and on stage creativity can exist parallel to each other. It’s not mere music that holds sway, but also the interest and practice in fine art, poetry and film, in artistic freedom and experiment in general.
By no means the exhibition pretends to be a sum of the main characteristics of the psych movement, but rather shows what its content can be by exposing individual works of autonomous minds.
Over to chief Fuzz Club, Casper Dee. Casper, could you tell us a little about your label and what you’re going to do at Psych Lab.
Casper Dee: Fuzz Club is a label focusing on raw, experimental rock n roll, influenced by psychedelia, shoegaze, noise and garage. Apart from the bands on the label, we release the annual compilation The Reverb Conspiracy – made in collaboration with The Reverberation Appreciation Society / Austin Psych Fest – which is our way of capturing the essence of the underground scene as it is today.
As a label we try to put as much energy and art into the presentation of our records as the bands do to their music. We collaborate with visual artists and take a creative approach to our album covers and the vinyl itself, making them unique and collectible. At Psych Lab we’ll be putting up a pop-up store so people can have a closer look and listen to our releases.
What bands are a must watch? Are you looking forward to?
Casper Dee: There are so many good bands, that it’s hard to pick one over the other. But personally I’m really looking forward to seeing Sonic Jesus. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a chance to see them live and their upcoming (double) album is truly a masterpiece, so it will be cool to hear the songs live.
I think The Woken Trees will be the big surprise at the festival though. Last time I saw them live they blew my mind. I wouldn’t miss any of the bands though.
What cool things can we expect form Fuzz Club in June and the near future. Any must have releases on the way?
Casper Dee: We recently started a 10″ Split Single Series, which will includ musical legends Alan Vega (Suicide), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and Anton Newcombe (BJM), mixed with great bands like A Place To Bury Strangers, White Hills, Gap Dream, The Myrrors, Dead Skeletons among many others.
The Underground Youth – Sadovaya album will finally be available on vinyl in June. It’s an important album for the label, as it was through this album I discovered the band, which lead to the start of Fuzz Club Records.
Eindhoven Psych Lab takes places on the 6th & 7th June 2014 at The Effenaar, Eindhoven – The complete line up can be viewed HERE while ticket & accommodation info can be found HERE.
Radar Men From The Moon: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter
Fuzz Club Records: Official | Facebook | Twitter
Eindhoven Psych Lab: Official | Facebook | Twitter
Interviewed by: Bob Dieleman
Photo Credit: Dave van Hout (live)
