INTERVIEW TO Terbeschikkingstelling
Today we did an interview to the experimental, multi-instrumentalist composer Terbeschikkingstelling from Netherlands.
https://sturmunddrang.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/T.B.Stelling/
First say welcome to this written interview for Cian Orbe blog.
Glad to be here and thanks so much for the invite.
-What means the name: Terbeschikkingstelling?
Terbeschikkingstelling, abbreviated to tbs, is a measure in Dutch criminal law that a judge can impose on a suspect of a crime, with a minimum of four years imprisonment or of a few specifically mentioned offenses ( e.g. threats and stalking). The condition is that the judge is convinced that the suspect was suffering from a defective development or morbid mental disorder at the time of the offense. I think you would literally translate it it as a noun meaning something like being put at disposal. In descriptions and artwork I also incorporate mental state related subjects and references.
I have also always used it as putting my music and performance art at the disposal of those willing to dive into the experience. As a joke I took a stagename Volker Störtebeker, since old bandmate Emiels lastname starts with T and B, so our combined last names would form our abbreviated bandname, TBS.
- Which are the concept behind your music, how you categorize your own music?
In January of 2017 Emiel and I started as a duo combining improvisation, noise, absurdism and performance art. It was our goal to create music that could not be valued as in that people could not say it was good or bad music, but it appealed to you or not. Having images when we played like creating noisescapes. People would ask us what we thought of it, we would always dodge that question and say that that didn’t matter, it was/is much more interesting and important to us what it meant to the person asking.
In 2019 Emiel quit the band and our duo became my uno. Since than I have been seeking ways to reinvent Terbeschikkingstelling, I did so collaborations with friends here. 2020 is my most productive year, corona blessed me. I have done loads of collaborations, compilations and met dozens of immens nice and lovely people from all over the world to work with.
We called Terbeschikkingstelling avantgarde improv noize. I guess now I’d say I am an improvisor trying out multiple ways to “survive”… sometimes testing just one instrument in absurd improvisation, sometimes creating chaotic analog noise or ambient, all pretty crude raw and lo-fi. Playing trombone, euphonium, sousaphone, didgeridoo, bassguitar, a little percussion and trying to learn how to create digital/electronical noise (stompboxes / daw).
- Do you release music only under Terbeschikkingstelling name of you have other monikers or music projects, bands?
No, Terbeschikkingstelling is one of some acts I am in.
- My oldest band is my skaband Knight Susan (est. 2011).
- Rutger van Driel from Lärmschutz and me are both trombonists and friends, we did some things together and decided to form LärmSchutzTerBeschikkingStellingCOÖPeratie (LSTBSCOÖP).
- In 2020 I started Dolph S. Lundgren for my love of creating crappy crude raw artwork and to create experimental lo-fi noise.
- I joined/cofounded Manet Nox, an absurdist instrumental doom venture.
- I am part of international noisecore act Pillow Humper.
- Recently I joined the ranks of free jazzpunk / experimental funkband 7DSC (also international).
- In what year did you start making music? which was your first band/project?
I started playing trombone when I was 9 years old in 1990. I joined a marching band which supplied me with my first trombone. It was probably 1996 when I started to play the bassguitar because my passion was hardcore punk and founded my first band with two friends called Funky Monkey Business.
- Which inspiration you have from the place where you live? There's some inspiration from your country in your music?
I have been formed by the country and place I grew up in. But I can’t say that the fact that I am from the Netherlands inspires me in my music. Although I do like the creative atmosphere in my hometown Groningen. There is no closing time and there is a lot of options for culturally engaged people. Th experimental scene is tiny. You know each other. Some acts and festivals, of which also organise one. Sound Art Festival “het Rumoer”. Making deals is easy because you know all the people and everbody works with a similar d.i.y.-mindset. So inspiration maybe from the commitment of the people, whether it is in experimental or ska music (also play and organise ska: Knight Susan & Skasjock), both are marginal scenes but all involved have big hearts and all do it for the love of the music.
- Which are your favorite music projects and visual/plastic artists who inspire your work?
Kurushimi, Naked City, Dead Neanderthals, Zu, My Minds Mine, Denak, Skatalites, Diploid, Duma, Specials, Grachan Moncur III, Roswell Rudd, Ornette Coleman, Slayer, Minor Threat, Slapshot, The Ex, The Clash, Sin Dios, Charles Bronson, Napalm Death, Youngblood Brass, Mnozil Brass, Fanfare Ciocărlia, Lärmschutz, NSNC, Sexy Crocodile for Dinner, Ambrass Band, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra and many, many more.
I have taken a lot from the raw and do it yourself attitude from hardcore punk (my roots), from (free) jazz I have taken my love for improvisation, from grindcore the agressive and political nature and vocals and experimental music the continuous way of rediscovering the usage of your own instrument and the playground that it is.
For my artwork I like raw crudeness, the absurdity of surrealism, liveliness of expressionism and clarity of soviet realism. No particular artists well Banksy is a hero.
- How do you see the current Experimental music scene?
I think it is a very warm and diverse community. You can approach a lot of people very easily and everyone, I have met up until now, is very cooperative and all think in opportunities. Whether is is musicians to collaborate with, netlabels that produce collaborations or just people to talk with, it is a very welcoming openminded bunch. I feel right a home.
- We have always seen that you love collaborations, which have been your favorites?
Impossible task I’ll mention some. I really liked doing my Covid Collaboration series it was my first actively reaching out to work with others. A special thanks to Neal D. Retke ({AN} Eel), because he responded first and opened this wonderful international community to me. Also all of my collaborations with members of the Veneto Noise Crew, Luca and Alex (Sexy Crocodile Frederico, Dark Alley and Toilette), there is a kindred spirit and love for the raw and unpolished. The Symbolist was awesome very talented and with loads of humor in the process. Last but not least LSTBSCOÖP (Lärmschutz + Terbeschikkingstelling) Rutger and me both play trombone, work fast and just try everything we would want. Which works fabulous!
- Do you play live performances?
Yes, and from that I get most energy… I am very extraverted and outgoing and love to just goof around and be between people whilst creating music. If someone would like to see some footage just type Terbeschikkingstelling in youtube and look for my ugly head 😉.
Pfff, this is a hard nut to crack. Favorite song really, I couldn’t say. Album I think I would say all the collaborations. If I have to choose I think I am damned proud of “¿¡…Paleolithic Diet…!?” which is the first compilation I curated. Only vocals and based around the theme of cavepeople. I was so amazed by all the response and people participating and really like the mix of different vocal approaches.
https://sturmunddrang.bandcamp.com/album/paleolithic-diet
link: https://archive.org/details/terbeschikkingstelling-tropix-dondur-krnet062
For me a lot of times I start with cover art, so for a long time I had the cover and the name, but no idea what to do with it. I slightly play sousaphone and sometimes the way I play it reminds me of a tropic storm. So one afternoon I was goofing around and made it my mission to cover the song “You Suffer” by Napalm Death, which fittingly became Soussuffer. After that al the songs came.
I had listened to a lot of Kermesse Records already and like the outlook Topi and his label have, kindred to my approach. So we started talking and Topi liked the music and wanted to publish it. As a little detail I asked if I could at their logo to the cover, because it looks very nice and cute. Topi saw the fun in that and so it is there. Also nice to converse in Español since it is the language of my girlfriend and speaking about music in it adds an extra layer to it. ¡De nuevo, muchas gracias por la oportunidad, Topi, buena honda!
- Tell us about the underground music scene in Netherlands or in your zone. and which are your favorite artists from your country?
It is very tiny a microscene. I would say it is not really regional but national, you have clutters of music in some places but to me I don’t see a regional base. A lot is d.i.y. in squats, community centers and spaces you can find to do stuff. But all in all very creative and approachable. Some nice bands are Dead Neanderthals, Albatre, Lärmschutz, Machinefabriek, Orphax, Cactus Truck, Waan van de Dag, North Sea Noise Collective, Kasper van Hoek, Zeisz]] and Elaltitan and many more.
- Any anecdote that you want to share with us in the creation of some track?
The creation of Soussuffer was a hard one, since the original is just 3/4 seconds. I pushed it to hard burst my lips and my mouthpiece turned bloodred. After taking care of it I recorded the rest of the album.
- Any news for 2021 in your music project?
I am gonna do a jazz album, there will be a second part collab with Frederico Zgomot / The Symbolist and probaly collab with Juanito))) about Ikea.
- Any other thing that you want to say to your listeners?
Always eat your vegetables and embrace your internal lunacy, it’s wicked fun!
