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robbert on his elephant songs kit * photo by golboo fiuze
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robbert on bike
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robbert on drums * photo by sanderien verstappen
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robbert on drums * photo by aida mussach
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robbert on drums (black & white) * photo by aida mussach
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robbert on other things * photo by ruth van andel
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Drummer & composer Robbert van Hulzen’s music plays somewhere in the multicoloured twilight zone between improvisation, rock, and contemporary composed music, with influences from India and Indonesia. He enjoys developing and playing meticulously prepared percussion parts with Maarten Visser’s India-based gallery jazz trio oto.3 as much as jumping into the deep end of improvisation with fellow musicians of the Amsterdam (free) jazz scene (including John Dikeman, Yedo Gibson, Alfredo Genovesi) and musically framing and undermining the abstract storytelling of dancer Michael Jahoda’s Phillip Project.
In his current project elephant songs, he is playing with musicians en route from South India to the Netherlands (on a classic Enfield motorcycle), creating music in which musical ideas, tastes, and preferences of the members-of-the-moment are combined into one music.
His band Om Viloma, with Greek and Indian musicians, preceded elephant songs. Other collaborations include or included mathpunk band Lola Montez, abstract folk duo Rara Avis (with recorder player Terri Hron), contemporary gamelan ensemble Gending, composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven, and composer / producer Nitin Sawhney. He played all over Europe, in the US, Canada, Palestine, India, and Indonesia. With Rara Avis he released the album One Fell Swoop in 2008; other releases include albums and/or tracks with Gending, Most Unpleasant Men, Slaughterdijk, and Axel Lukkien.
Robbert also wrote, performed, and produced music (sometimes acoustic, sometimes electronic, sometimes a mixture of both) for and with artists from other disciplines — including, besides the Phillip Project, dancer Katie Duck, theatre group De Maan, and film maker Dave Zijlstra.
His interest in writing about music started at university – after his thesis, he published several articles. Documenting and reporting his experiences in writing will be an important part of elephant songs.
Robbert’s main teacher on drum kit was Steve Clover and he currently studies Indian rhythm with Sundar Nagarajan, after studies with MT Rajakesari (a disciple of Kaaraikudi Mani), BC Manjunath, Suresh Talwalkar, and others. He studied musicology at the University of Amsterdam and SOAS, London (MA, cum laude, 2002) and contemporary improvised & composed music at the Amsterdam Conservatory (MA, 2004). Robbert received various grants and scholarships, for recordings, residencies, and his Indian study trips.
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