Focus on Minorie Label – LP Launches 23rd April @ WORM

A tremendous night in store on the 23rd April, when WORM hosts the sort of intelligent experimental and improvised music the venue is long associated with. Some familiar faces – Michiel Klein, Keimpe Koldijk, Lucija Gregov, Jasper Boogaard and Delphine Dora – all return to WORM’s stage.

Further: the Minorie label celebrates the cassette release of two works from Delphine Dora and Koude. Pre-orders are online on bandcamp. 

We asked Michiel Klein, of Minorie (and lots else beside) about how he sees the label operating. 

“The main driving force of Minorie is to explore the interface between folk and experimental music. The tension between the past and the contemporary or the modern; between tradition and innovation. I am not so much concerned with genre conventions and breaking them, but with a certain approach and intention. Artists that seek for a sound of their own, not by disregarding what’s happened in the past, but by putting their own spin on it.”

“Minorie also fits in a broader life long fascination I have for art that falls between the cracks. This could manifest in releases by artists that are not well known (in certain circles) or in overlooked works by more established artists. 

The cassette + digital files are ideal formats for Minorie; at one hand made available to all online but also as handmade objects in limited editions, assembled (and if I have time, home-dubbed) by myself. 

The artists of the April 23rd line-up really stretch genre conventions in their own specific way. They all work in the area between improvisation and composition, working with ‘quiet’ music while incorporating elements from ambient and drone music in their recordings and performances, but in very different ways.

Delphine Dora blurs the lines between modern classical, folk, ambient and poetic writing with that very special quality of being a schooled musician but truly working as an outsider artist; highly refined and deliberately rough around the edges at the same time. She’s a true cult figure, active since the early 2000’s and with over 50 releases under her belt. 

Newcomers Koude fall somewhere between the desolate Americana of Charalambides and Loren Connors, European folk stylings and the glacial tempos of slowcore. Their elastic compositions, with ample room for improvisations, nod to the subdued side of post-rock as well. 

Lucija Gregov and Bernat Boronat on the other hand are both more grounded in free improvisation but really go into ‘deep listening’ modus as a duo. Their improvisations on cello and bass clarinet – without any effects – rely heavily on drones as well as extended playing techniques and on how space, both physically and durational, effects sound. They have a special chemistry together that really shines during their live performances. 

Needless to say, these artists and their work really benefit from attentive listeners so it will be a seated concert.” 

More words about the artists on the two Minorie releases:

Delphine Dora 

‘La lune’ is Delphine Dora’s fourth album release this year and it’s just April… The record again blurs the lines between folk, modern classical, ambient and poetic writing. Composed and recorded several years ago (“a long time ago, but I don’t know the year”) it runs at just over thirty minutes. 

Delphine’s delicate and expressive piano playing is to the fore, with added layers of field recordings and keyboard. Most tracks feature vocals, with Delphine’s voice on the title track. Besides her trademark glossolalia, five tracks contain poem recitations from favourite poets such as: Arthur Rimbaud, Charles Baudelaire, Sully Prudhomme and Charles Cros. 

Koude 

The subdued music of Koude combines elements of meandering folk, ambient, slowcore and drone in quietly impressive ways. In this regard, Michiel Klein, Keimpe Koldijk and Ester Venema are building on their previous collaborations in acts such as Blessum (Vrystaete), Eklin (Night People) and Mike Koldin (Samling). The trio makes use of electric guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer, minimal percussion and hushed vocals. 

Culled from improvisations recorded in May 2024, the six tracks on this debut album were carefully edited and mixed throughout the rest of 2024 and are now made available on music cassette and digital formats. 

A handy overview of the four acts: 

• Delphine Dora is a cult figure in the European avant-folk scene. Read more about Delphine’s new release on Minorie below.
• Lucija Gregov & Bernat Boronat are two vibrant, important players in the Rotterdam improv world. They have recently joined forces and explore long sustained sounds on cello and bass clarinet. 
• Koude is a new trio with familiar faces from the “Dutch underground”. They’re presenting their first album at WORM, filled with quiet and slow(core) reverb folk ambience. 

The evening is glued together with ambient sounds by JT (Jasper) Boogaard, playing his own work as well as that of others.