11 Mar '15

STUFF. head out on tour with new album

Summary

Sporting arguably Flanders' most unique band name, STUFF. are taking their sweaty instrumental groove on the road

 

Genre-crossing mashup

For nearly three years, five hipsters played every first Thursday of the month at the Ghent cocktail bar White Cat, blending jazz, soul, pop, hip hop and electronics into one funky collage. After using their improvisational skills on tracks from other jazz cats, they’re now releasing their first studio album with original stuff. (Yes, it’s a pun. Ha ha.)

Even if their eponymous debut isn’t provoking the same energy as their sweaty late-night gigs, it’s still a groovy instrumental trip to get hooked on. There’s the nod to the late master: The band name STUFF. refers to the opening track from Miles In The Sky, the 1968 album on which Miles Davis experiments with new horizons and sounds, inventing his own “fusion”.

For this more contemporary outfit, young jazz drummer Lander Gyselinck selected a mix of Antwerp and Ghent musicians with various musical backgrounds. Being so flexible at taking on each other’s roles, a genre-crossing mashup is guaranteed.

Early feedback is heart-warming. The band (pictured) just made their UK debut in The Old Blue Last in East London, and the BBC has picked up the new track “Event Horizon”. As a result, invitations for festivals abroad are coming in. “We just want to play as much as possible,” says keyboard player Joris Caluwaerts, who’s also touring with Lady Linn, Magnus and The Go Find, and names time management as one of the band’s biggest challenges.

Another one is getting used to the daylight. “Most of our past gigs were scheduled in between DJs, so they all started after midnight,” says Caluwaerts. The upcoming release concerts will also be an exception to that.

18 March to 18 April, across Flanders and Brussels

photo by Koen Bauters

Now read this

Related articles