Suite X
Bram Stadhouders & Baroque Orchestration X
Bram Stadhouders compositions and guitar
Onno Govaert, drums
B.O.X.: Pieter Theuns, theorbe;
Lambert Colson, cornetto;
Jon Birdsong, cornetto and trumpet;
Bart Vroomen, trombone, sackbut;
Nathan Wouters, double bass;
Raphaël Collignon, harpsichord and organ
Bram Stadhouders’ Suite X is a collection of eight baroque music tracks for the present. Is this the result of a jam session by Stadhouders with Nils Frahm, Arve Henriksen, and a reincarnated J.S. Bach? No, it is the out of the box thinkers of Baroque Orchestration X, with whom he has entered into this unorthodox alliance. B.O.X. is a Flemish baroque ensemble that mainly collaborates with acts from the Indie pop scene. They worked recently together with acts such as Dez Mona, Efterklang, or Spinvis. A dreamed pact for merging different music worlds.
With Suite X, Stadhouders pays tribute to the soothing baroque sound, which he manages to mix with the sound of an electric guitar and synthesizer in a logical and surprising way. One time as a soundscape, then in a catchy groove, and last but not least, with intriguing melodies that immediately settle into your head. A masterpiece in which the present, past, electronic, acoustic, and the art of improvisation from the rich baroque and jazz traditions merge.
“From unusual instrument combos and free improvisation, the eight-part suite leads to an aromatic distillate of electro and continuo, sarabande and synthesizer, polyphony and sound sculpture”
— De Standaard (Belgium) - 5 stars
“Incredibly immersive sound. What an album! Stadhouders is the hardest rocking (jazz) guitarist in the Netherlands.” - Mischa Andriessen
— Trouw (5 stars)
“Classical, jazz and impro enter into an uplifting alliance here.” - Gijsbert Kamer
— De Volkskrant (4 stars)
“Sometimes it sounded like a real baroque concert, sometimes like a real big band, sometimes like a beautiful soundscape, and everything in between. In addition to the ingenious and exciting compositions, the improvisations of the baroque players were also convincing. Where some such projects sometimes get bogged down in two worlds that do not come together, that did happen here from the first to the last note. The fun they had while playing was also clearly visible.” - Bert Palinckx
— November Music
