Oh oh, we’re slacking again aren’t we? But I’m getting it all back on track again. A few weeks worth of shows are now neatly listened beneath again, enjoy.

The last weeks we’re a bit chaotic, but inspiring. It felt like we fought the Dutch art cuts and played at the International Radio Festival in Zurich at the same time, which we did, kind of.

The news has probably reached you somehow, and as I write this Radna is in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, at the kick off of a big demonstration against the Dutch cuts on art funding. Cuts on funding may be necessary, but it feels a bit like a wrong message is sent with these cuts on art funding. Almost as if people working in culture are lazy, and profiting inappropriately from governmental support. With Future Vintage we experienced quite the opposite, and haven’t ever seen people working so hard for a thing they’d love to share with others. Like Viral Radio taking the risk of booking artists like Flying Lotus, Mike Slott, Hudson Mohawke, Ras G and many more at the beginning of their carreer in the unique classic jazz setting of the Bimhuis.

Or Hugo and Orpheu of Red Light Radio, who luckily saw their private investments and free time in the studio rewarded with an endorsement by Voordekunst. This resulted in a lot of money raised by you and other listeners of Red Light Radio to keep us on air for another year, and maybe even beyond. We won’t forget the Van Gogh Museum, the NAi, Foam and Museum ‘t Dolhuys either, museums who all programmed off the beaten track and gave us the chance to meet new and old listeners in another environment than the usual club/studio setting.

Meanwhile in Zürich -at the International Radio Festival- we had a lot of fun. Fresh (not so) of the night train we did two hours, and Hugo and Orpheu did one hour with the best Red Light Radio moments. After that, we tasted the especially designed Red Light cocktail (energy drink and red Martini…) went to a lovely dj gig of Urgent FM’s Gerd De Wilde, and lost Orpheu in a complicated taxi thing afterwards. Good times. Hope these shows will be online soon, and we’ll share these as soon as we have them. Promised.

Cash rules everthing around us these days. It might be hard times for arts & culture, but that doesn’t mean things are not happening. It’s all about founding new ways to do what you believe in, also if that doesn’t fit in a certain box. We’re amazingly happy to be part of Red Light Radio, our station in the red light district. It’s not only the lovely studio we enjoy, but also to be part of a group of likeminded radio makers. So we don’t need your cash, but Red Light Radio needs some. To pay the rent, to fix a broken needle now and then, to support the guys who run the studio day & night and to keep that unlimited soundcloud account.

Will you support? DONATE

The goods news there’s already 80% of the money that’s needed to continue, here at crowdfunding platform voordekunst. More than 130 people donated, so please join them and donate something at the website. There’s just 3 days left! And also visit the Red Light Radio benefit party, this Thursday at Boom Chicago Social Club (Amsterdam). Future Vintage is playing upstairs from 22.30 – 00.00, we’re looking forward, and don’t want this to stop.

In case you can’t get enough of our music selection this week, we have good news. The one and only Naldisney asked Radna to make a 10 track selection for his audio section on Nalden.net. For some John Coltrane, Teen Inc., Andre3000 & Gray you know what to do. Press play. That background image is the wonderful Muziekgebouw, behind the scenes we’re all working together on a special programme around the 4 day World Minimal Music Festival – starting March 30th.

Recently we got in touch with Jules Inkswel, a diverse producer who stayed in Amsterdam for a while, playing at parties like Boogie Bash and Daisy Age, digging records and working on new music. He just got back to Australia, but was so kind to make a mix for us, with both his own productions as personal favourites.

In our last show you could already listen to ‘She Likes Techno’ – that’s coming out on 12″ via the new Boogie Bash label in March. The A side ‘Get To My Party’ even features one of our special listeners Gary Davis. For fresh disco/hiphop/house/funk flavours in the mix, press play!

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Inkswel mix for FUTURE VINTAGE RADIO by INKSWEL

Summer didn’t really took off here the last weeks, so both Reinier and I were hiding in the Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam (where I took the pictures above). Curly teeth, the distant sound of steelbands and some tropical heatwave inspired us to make a mix for you. So check it out, still don’t make no sense. Making flippy floppy, trying to do our best. DOWNLOAD

Last summer a friend invited me to a rooftop concert. One of the artists performing was Freschard, a French singer who travels guitarless to shows and likes to make things up as she goes along. Her small songs are charming and witty, and it was a great experience seeing her perform. Usually her music is only available at shows, but now Amsterdam based label Conky released her album Click Click (2006) on heavyweight vinyl. And Mr. Conky was so kind to make a mix of Freschard songs especially for Future Vintage. It has a different vibe than the music we usually play, but when in the mood for simply beautiful songs that make you smile, please check it out.

“Here’s a selection of favourites from CD’s that I’ve picked up at the various shows I’ve attended. The mix contains album tracks from Freschard, next to a few Calypso’s and some beautiful cover versions of Bonnie Prince Billie and Nick Cave amongst others. I’ve also included a particularly fine Herman Dune song, sung by the artists formally known as Andre Herman Dune, and recorded for BBC radio in 2005. This is followed by smashing cover of Stanley Brinks by David Tattersall of the Wave Pictures… it’s all wrapped up with a song from Freschard’s most recent CDR, Moonstone. I hope you enjoy the songs and you get to see these fascinating performers playing somewhere near you, very soon….”

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Probably most of you already heard about Domu leaving the music scene. The 31 year old producer, who was on the forefront of UK broken beat music since an early age, has decided it’s time to quit. Because of a lack of inspiration, the loss of  joy in making music, and a feeling there’s not much to add anymore. My words don’t really count here, what really hit me is the way Domu is explaining it himself, on his weekly blog.

“I once believed in all of it, that I made and played music for a certain type of person, for people who didn’t want to adhere to the ‘normal’ way of life, the free thinker, the independent or open minded type who was bored of the genres, the staples, the blueprints or the formulae. The underground. But I just don’t truly believe I am needed in this battle anymore. It has been passed down to another generation, who are doing it their way, and I have no desire to try and edge in and start proclaiming to be fighting a fight that is no longer mine. I am a 31-year-old man.”

I think his whole statement says a lot about music nowadays. It’s the first time I read about an artist who decides to quit so out in the open, before fading away or going in a wrong direction. It’s a bit harsh, being 31 it’s time to leave it to a new generation. But I mainly see this decision as a vey honest one. On the brighter side, KC the Funkaholic is celebrating his 25-year DJ career in club Trouw soon, during a party called Forever. Everyone is coping different with getting older, experiencing new genres and revivals in music come and go – going for a short or livelong career in music, is a personal and probably difficult choice to make.

Domu Mix – When I’m Feeling Down (2006, via Back and Forth)

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PIPS:LAB has been experimenting with the combination of technology and music for the past 10 years, taking theater into the year 3000. The past decade they’ve created 3 crazy shows and a number of special installations, of which one allows you to do graffiti by simply using lights?! When they created this ‘light-graffiti-technology’ back in 2003-2004 it was vastly copied by several advertising companies inserting it into commercials for Onitsuka Tiger and even Dutch Public Television.

With the coming of the dutch ‘Parade’, an on-tour event visiting the major cities, they decided to create a new show called Archie & The Bees. This performance centralizes the primary colors red, green and blue and links them to the elements of rhythm. Continue reading »

Not every visitor of this blog might know that Future Vintage is able to produce a new show every week, because of the fact that it’s being broadcasted on the Dutch radiostation Radio 6. This station provides us with a recordingstudio and with a small budget, which enables us to make reports, to do interviews, to spend enough time to (re)search music, and to reach out to our audience online.

Sadly, last Friday we were unpleasantly surprised when Radio 6 told us that the show has to stop because of budget restrictions. To be specific, the financial situation of our broadcasting company demands that all freelancers will be fired. And eventhough we’re quite a lowbudget show, all three of us are freelancers which means we have to leave end of August, together with a few other shows.

In the current Dutch radiolandscape, it’s very hard to find a spot that still allows you to play whatever you want. 99% of the DJ’s nowadays has to use a playlist, compiled by the radiostation. Especially in times like these we feel that a show like Future Vintage, which has a carte blanche and tries to share a passion for music in an unpolished way, deserves a spot somewhere – even if it’s in the middle of the night. We all grew up with radio that felt personal, inspiring and that lets you discover new (and sometimes old) music. It would be a shame if this kind of radio would be gone for ever.

For now we’re not sure how to continue. We might look for another public radiostation, or forget the FM, and broadcast strictly online. While we’re developing a new plan, support from you is more than welcome. If you’re a Future Vintage listener and want the show to continue, please leave us a comment below or e-mail us (Dutch or English, whatever you prefer). We’d like to hear what you think, it helps us to develop a new way of continuing the show. So thank you, and stay tuned!

Yours truly,

Future Vintage team
(Radna, Boye, Melodee)

Being abroad I wasn’t able to post something sooner, but we’d like to pay tribute to Michael Jackson better late than never. Sometimes you don’t know what you got till it’s gone. With Michael Jackson, and all the gossip and larger than life stories surrounding him, you sometimes almost forgot the wonderfull music and innovation in showmanship he was responsible for. From the youthful energy with the Jackson 5 to the iconic Thriller album and beyond, his music will be in our collective memory forever.

When DJ Spinna did a tribute to Michael Jackson last week in Santos (New York), everyone was singing with basicly every song played. And dancing too. In front of the Apollo Theater in Harlem I saw both 8-year-old kids as older ladies wearing Michael Jackson T-shirts and waving with his records. The unifying and iconic power that Michael had is hard to find these days, but I’m sure many new artists will take inspiration from his legacy. There’s not much to add to what already has been said. So we simply say, Michael, rest in peace.

One of the most moving tributes I saw these days was by Stevie Wonder, during the memorial in Los Angeles. Watch it again: