jozef dumoulin | this body, this life @ salt peanuts* (no)

Jozef Dumoulin is known as a wizard of the vintage Fender Rhodes, pushing and expanding its sonic palette in highly personal, inventive and innovative ways that only a mad sonic scientist like him can imagine. But a couple of years ago a producer and label owner proposed Dumoulin to make an album where he would play piano and the Fender Rhodes. Dumoulin was reluctant at first and thought that reuniting water and fire might withdraw the Fender Rhodes to the limited role of electric piano, but eventually, he liked the challenge. But soon it became clear that his ideas were much more adventurous for the producer.

Dumoulin developed a working method that has been as simple as it has been time-consuming. He recorded Fender Rhodes improvisations and piano improvisations and then took the time to see what piano parts would fit the Fender Rhodes parts. After he established a certain number of compatible pairs, he decided that everything was allowed to make them into self-sufficient, working pieces of music, and added synthesizers, electronic beats, voices, guitar and a lot of field recordings to the mix.

This Body, This Life is an engaging explosion of different timbres and sonorities. The 14 short pieces offer colorful and mysterious walks inside a labyrinthian palace full of magic doors and gates. The music enables a limitless journey through time – as it visits and borrows elements from many musical traditions, from the most minimalist and meditative to the chatty and noisy, but is not bound by any of them and all challenge the concept of actual time – and space – as each piece offer layers of intriguing, sometimes contrasting or subversive sounds. The music feels vivid and tangible, sensual and mysterious, timeless and surprising, and true to the open and inclusive musical vision of Dumoulin. Dumoulin’s daughter, Ayaan, contributed vocals to one of the pieces and did the cover drawing.

Eyal Hareuveni