how does he do it do it?

O how we love remixes! So this record should be a real treat for us. Amsterdam duo The Moi Non Plus invited befriended artists to remix the songs and artwork of their debut album. Our good friend About was one of them and he did an excellent job on What If We Do It, mashing it up with a tune by Michael Nyman. The remix clearly bears the About signature: cut up electronics but still poppy and catchy and dancy! You can download it for free, legally, from the Subbacultcha website (or at the bottom of this post)!! A whole bunch of other (visual) artists have contributed to this unique multimedia thing, like Kania Tieffer, Aux Raux, Machinefabriek, Aquil Copier and Paul Borchers, just to name a few. Paul is playing as Yobkiss TONIGHT at the launch party in Gallery W139 in Amsterdam. As well as the boys of TMNP of course.

The Moi Non Plus - What If We Do It (ABOUT's Crossmatch Re-Edit).
Get it here (YSI).

Bday ghetto gold

HAHA, look what my fellow Dutch Dolls made me as a birthday present! Dutch Dolls ghetto gold ;-)
Rad! Lots of props and kudos my homie!!

Dr. Schnitt - We want more!

Last Friday was a good day. Because on that day I got to hang and bounce and drink with Rotterdams finest: Doktor Schnitt.

The band consists of three (when playing wrinkeled, but usually quite goodlooking) guys that are called Nique Quentin, Philipp Ernsting and Bruno Ferro Xavier da Silva. And last friday, they brought live Drum 'n Bass to the house in Het Poortgebouw in Rotterdam, and they brought it hard!
The cool thing is, these boys used to practise in the basement of the (gigantic) old school @ Willem Buytewechstraat where Dutch Dolls had their headquarters. You would always know when they were there, cause they produced so much bass that I could hear it on the fourth floor. My coffeemug would be dancing on my table. I loved their sound then, and I loved their sound even more last Friday. There were more pads, more gadgets, much more freaky and psychedelic elements and it was just so tiiiight!!

Bruno is the one that makes your guts feel that bass and knows which pad to hit when. Nique is the one with the complicated drumkit and the jembe's bringing the brazilian-element and Philipp hit the bass and the snare so tight, fast and hard, I could not believe it. If you have a problem picturing live drum 'n bass with a psychedelic sauce, just imagine a fine blend of Tortoise, The Fucking Champs and something awesome that doesn't exist yet.



Listen to Paprika by Doktor Schnitt above. And if you like them, go check them out on July 16th @ Exit!

and if a double-decker bus crashes into us

You all know how Dutchies love their bikes. So when I moved to the UK my bike remained my principal mode of transportation. Of course! But riding a bicycle is something most people here don't even consider. No wonder with the facilities here (hardly any - though the council is working on it). So as a cyclist you're somewhat of a curiosity. I get frequently cheered and yelled at... Especially when riding my bonanza bike (a chopper)! Thing is with the chopper that it's like riding a kiddie bike. You have to pedal like craaaazy and even the slightest hill feels like climbing a mountain. I felt like a sitting duck with all these cars, 10 ton trucks and double-decker buses speeding beside me. So I recently bought another bike on eBay. It's a really nice 40+ years old 'Dutch style' bike. But it's not Dutch, it's a Raleigh, and it feels definitely different from a real Dutch bike. You know what it feels like? It feels like being in this video by The Smiths (which happens to be my favourite band EVER). When I'm riding the streets of Cardiff, with that little basket in front of me, I can't help thinking of riding along with Mozzer in There's A Light That Never Goes Out:

These beats drive me MAD

But mad in a good way..

Even though I highly respect beatwizzard Amon Tobin for the mad skills, I'm not a big fan of technique for the technique. Give me something to bounce my head to in a way that doesn't give me a whiplash, thank you.

But when the wizzard gets dancy with UK-based producer Joe 'Doubleclick' Chapman, the soundexplosions are much more organised and magic happens. Together, they are known as Two Fingers and they bring a superdark yet delicate sound with a minimum input, well chosen silences and AWESOME vocals. These beats... pffff.... I can't stand 'em, they're so perfect. The collaboration with grimey rapper/producer Sway and female MC ms. Jade (a.o.) work really well too. Even though I really love it, I had to switch it off when I first heard it - too amazing. But oow hell yeah, once I can handle it, I'm gonna buy myself a copy of this one. I hereby promise to play a Two Fingers track once a day!

Two Fingers feat. Sway - What you Know get it here.

the ego-clash

Everyone that was ever a part of the 'screenprinting-industry' knows that this section of printmaking involves big muscles, patience and the ability to bear the maniacs that you always seem to run into in the workshop. Believe me, Dutch Dolls have had their share. Even though we have been screenprinting for almost ten years, the assistant at the workshop only seems to feel like a true assistant when he forces his methods on you. Probably very well meant, but ooh... the ego-clash.

That being said (I HAD to get that off my chest), I must admit that I'm pretty saiked about our latest print. It's an illustration that Nanna and me did together a while ago (you may have seen it in an earlier post), now printed on heavy off white paper in a dark grey ink. It will be for sale as a special promotion when we launch our new and superimproved website that Dutch Doll/whizkid Nanna has been slaving over for the last couple of months. It's going to be sooooo good!!!

I'm off signing prints now...

Dees and Gees Voorhees

Tonight Geeske is DJ'ing solo as Gees Voorhees at the opening of COVERSTORIES - an exhibition by Dees, in Singersweatshop! This artist, hailing from Eindhoven, is making a 'recordstore type installation' (consisting of paintings, graphic art and collages) in the SSS. Another reason for going is the yummie food provided by the lovely ladies of Hete Bliksem. You're all invited!

Friday 22.05.09 from 17.00 till 23.00 / Hoogstraat 170, Rotterdam.

skeletman

Is it modesty? Or maybe she's just been too busy? I don't know why Geeske hasn't blogged about SKELETMAN yet. Skeletman en Rib is the title of a comic she recently finished. It's a bittersweet story about a skeleton that loses his floating rib. The drawings of his desperate attempts to get his rib back are heartbreaking and hilarious. Will skeletonman be reunited with his rib?? You can order a copy for just €12 (please note it's in Dutch). Contact Geeske through our website or her MySpace.

charity shops: a win win win situation

The lack of flea markets (or car boot or table top sales as they call it here) in Cardiff, is more than compensated by the existence of CHARITY SHOPS. I love charity shops! It's dead cheap, you recycle and the money you spend goes to a good cause. Now that's what I call a win win win situation! This week I was working on an illustration and I really could use a bit of inspiration. So I decided to take a break and walk over to the three charity shops around the corner in the hope to expand my 'library'. Well, I spent four quid and came back with eight awesome books! I bought five Roald Dahl/Quentin Blake paperbacks for just 25p each. Among these was The BFG, which I had only read in Dutch. It contains my favourite word in the world: SNOSCUMBER. Or in Dutch SNOSKOMMER, which I think is a more than excellent translation, it sounds better than in English!

I also got this DIY sewing book for kids. It has nice drawings of sewing machines and sewing instructions. And some really nice 70s fonts. Can't wait to make my first egg cosy...

Last but not least I bought a cook book, also from that era. I just love the colours of 70s food. Doesn't it look delicious?! It makes my mouth water. And they really knew how to decorate back then! Check out that piece of meat with peaches and cherries!!

Talking about charity shops, there is this guy who blogs about the cassette tapes he buys at an Oxfam charity shop in London: dalstonoxfamshop.blogspot.com. He also travels quite a bit and buys cassettes where ever he goes. On his blog is a story about him having a day lay over in Honolulu. Instead of going to the beach or whatever, he and his girlfriend headed for the wrong side of town to go to the thrift store. On their way back they stumble on a yard sale where he buys old school 80s RnB dance tapes and a black TDK cassette with a sticker that says 'funk rock'. Go listen to this funk rock on his blog!

Bums, books 'n big tv-screens..

Talking about a Rotterdam-invasion... our designs are now on exhibition at the youth department of the library of Rotterdam which officially opened on April 22nd.

This area of the library is dedicated to youth-culture and focuses mainly on music, art, design and computers. It is a place to chill and read, with Dutch Dolls designs in the background! Go take a look if you're in the neighbourhood! Hoogstraat 110, 3011 PV, Rotterdam.

here come the girls

It's time we put some more music up here! Thing is, I’ve got a soft spot for female vocalists. No matter what genre, indie, hard rock, soul, hip hop, I dig it. Now don't get me wrong here, I'm not into EVERY female singer (Celine D., Lady Gaga, Within Temptation... God forbid!). But two women who do combine a great sound with a great voice are Zarif and VV Brown. They’re both based in London, they're both in their early 20's (23 and 24) and they both draw on 60's soul, funk, girl groups and doo-wop. They mix it with 80's pop and indie respectively to create tunes that are going to be MASSIVE in 2009. I'm telling you!!

Zarif - Let Me Back. Get it here (YSI).

Zarif - Let Me Back (Toddla T feat Mr. Versatile Mix).
Get it here (YSI).

VV Brown - Quick Fix. Get it here (YSI).

Rotterdam invasion

Dutch Dolls are invading Rotterdam!! First the NL10 magazine with our I ♡ Rotterdam-spread was all over town, now the streets are flooded with Dutch Dolls postcards! The cards are provided by our AGENT, Barkode Agency. Pick it up for free and send it to friends and/or possible Dutch Dolls lovers. Or keep it and frame it. Or just have it lying around somewhere...

seventees

He is SO good, we could break his fingers in envy... Lennard Schuurmans. Our friend and former class-mate is having a solo exhibition in Amsterdam! Inspired by the seventies he designed 7 t-shirts (SEVENTEES hehe), which are on display in De Kijkkasten, a 'street gallery'. A couple of these shirts are for sale, but in a very very limited edition. Highly recommended!!

Till June 2. Sint Nicolaasstraat (off the Nieuwendijk, next to Hema), Amsterdam.

every high has its low

Sorry for the hiatus, but right after LOWRIDERS both Dutch Dolls fell ill. No not the swine flu, but an ordinary stomach flu. With extraordinary consequences, but we’ll spare you the details. Thank God for the lap top. To be able to write from my bed. Its warmth a comfort for my tummy…

So while I’m recovering I thought it might be nice to share a couple of (more easy going) tracks from our LOWRIDERS set with you. For all you guys who missed out!! First up is Madera Limpia from Guantánamo, Cuba. They mix hip hop with dancehall and traditional Cuban music. This remix of La Lenta by Münich trio Schlachthofbronx makes it an irresistible track. Plus we’ve got two remixes of our favourite female MCs for you: Kid Sister’s Get Fresh remixed by Alex Gopher and Lady Sov’s So Human gets a dancy make over by Sinden. Both are absolutely dancefloor fillers!


Madera Limpia – La Lenta (Schlachthofbronx Remix). Get it here (YSI).

Kid Sister – Get Fresh (Alex Gopher Remix). Get it here (YSI).

Lady Sovereign - So Human (Sinden Remix). Get it here (YSI).