Initially founded as a side project of Club Rialto, with the line-up expanded over time to include the likes of Roel Meelkop and Frans de Waard (so a veritable who’s-who of Dutch experimental music), THU20 has been sporadically active since their formation almost 30 years ago. This set collects compilation pieces and unreleased live performances largely from the 1980s and early 1990s, and acts as an excellent overview of this period, while still managing to compliment their studio albums.
The closest parallel I can draw to THU20’s overall sound is their similarity of P16.D4.While the two differ, both projects combine the high art of electro-acoustic and musique concrète, with the comparatively lower forms of industrial and noise.And like that project, the final product is an idiosyncratic balance of those two extremes, but also one that pulls those two worlds together very well.
A piece such as "Eerste Uni" represents the group’s more academic tendencies.Heavy bass sounds are blended with what sounds like a decrepit, decaying recording of stringed instruments that fall apart into tiny, though identifiable fragments.The sound of 1970s science fiction films seems to be a significant element in the live "Intro Rotterdam" via expansive analog electronics and tape treatments.
At the other extreme, the harsh synths and processed, echo-heavy vocals of "08 JG" would not be out of place on an old Industrial Records release, and filtered rhythms and noisy electronics of "Stuiterthu Ariane Danssolo" could fit nicely on SPK's Information Overload Unit or Genocide Organ's Mind Control.The band’s heavy use of rattling, spring reverb focused rhythms and keyboards on "Delft 3" convey a similar sensibility, but the piece is more abstract overall."Rotterdam 4" is an especially aggressive work, with a brittle drum machine stabbing away as the band creates an diverse array of harsh noises and angry screams.
The hybrid moments of these two styles are some of the moments where this collection shines.The lengthy "Bordeaux" features found sounds and tape effects, which make for a meditative balance to the aggressive, raw vocals that appear heavily on the first half.THU20 also uses treated string sounds on "Tweede Uni," but mixes in creepy electronics and a more rhythmic bass guitar passage to balance out the other "serious" sounds.
THU20's sound and style does not lend itself well to being conventional pop music but one where experimental electronics are not just reserved beard stroking art critics, but a companion to distorted rhythm and aggressive vocals.This blending of pensive, introspective electronic experiments and raw, harsh rhythms and vocals results in a collection, and a project, that captivates as much as it intrigues.
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