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Elephant Songs started in 2012 with a journey from South India to the Netherlands – on a classic Enfield motorcycle with a drum kit on the back. Robbert played with local musicians en route, the bandmembers-of-the-moment enjoying their combined musical ideas, tastes, backgrounds, preferences. The band Om Viloma, with Greek and Indian musicians, preceded Elephant Songs. Elephant Songs is a band with an always changing line-up: drummer Robbert van Hulzen travels to interesting places, and finds musicians to play with. The project is inspired by the old story of the elephant in the dark: people cannot see it, so they try to get to know it by touch. They all feel different parts of the beast – the head feels like a pot, the tip of the tail could be a brush. A leg a pillar, the trunk a snake. Elephant Songs is the optimistic inversion of the story: everyone experiences music differently, but musicians can and will always play together, wherever they come from and whatever they call the results. All members contribute material; Robbert’s Elephant Songbook functions as a starting point, playing with odd metre rock grooves, filmic melodies, South Indian rhythm games, homespun harmonies, and a delicate balance between composition and improvisation. |
elephant songs 2013 – kurdistan |
| The story started with elephant songs – drumbiker: in 2012 he bought and old Enfield motorcycle, loaded it with drums, and rode the bike from South India to the Netherlands – seven months, eleven countries, 20,000 kilometres, and lots of fantastic musicians.
For elephant songs – kurdistan in the autumn of 2013, he invited two of his Iranian friends – met in Tehran in May ’12 – and found two musicians in Suleymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. They worked together for a week in preparation for a concert, besides Robbert and Iranian percussionist Arash Lotfi taught a rhythm workshop to local musicians. Robbert created a half-hour documentary on this Elephant Songs music meeting.
The idea for Elephant Songs was born with Om Viloma, the world-collision group Robbert put together in 2009 commissioned by the Music: World Series. Musicians with various backgrounds, from India, Greece, Germany, and Holland, came together in what became the direct predecessor for Elephant Songs.
Future projects are being planned involving Iran and Tajikistan, as well as a new incarnation of the group in South India. Subscribe if you want to stay informed of the developments. see all elephant songs videos |
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Music has taken Dutch drummer Robbert van Hulzen to many places (Canada, Indonesia, the USA, Iran, Palestine, Italy, Slovakia, Kurdistan, Slovenia, Spain, etc), and he’s been visiting India for many years, playing with various groups and musicians from the fusion scene and the classical world, including Maarten Visser, Keith Peters, Mishko M’ba, and BK Chandramouli. In Amsterdam, he works in the (free) jazz scene (with many musicians including Alfredo Genovesi, John Dikeman, Ned McGowan), dancer Michael Jahoda, contemporary gamelan ensemble Gending, and many others, and writes and produces music for film and theatre. He holds MA degrees in musicology from the Amsterdam University and performance from the Amsterdam Conservatory and studied Indian rhythm with MT Rajakesari, BC Manjunath, Suresh Talwalkar, Sundar Nagarajan, and others.
Robbert, what a great idea and awesome project!! I am interested in what kind of ecclectic Elephant form you will turn after this trip and experience. Also: will you really have the opportunity to meet capable and willing musicians on every stop on the road?
Have a lot of fun and drive safely. Good luck.
Deborah
Super trip!
Drive slow, Oori
no need to worry about my speed :-)
Hi my friend
I’m Hamid from Kerman Iran how are u? .I hope see u again
best regards
hamid
Ha Robbert, wat een supertoffe en muzikale trip heb je gemaakt!
Ik zit nu de sessie met Sumru en Anil te luisteren en ik vind het prachtig.
Dankjewel tot gauw! we komen elkaar vast wel weer ergens tegen
Groet van Clara
Hallo Robbert,
ik heb net bekeken en beluisterd wat je de afgelopen tijd hebt gedaan. Prachtig werk! Ik ben bezig met het organiseren van een projectdag op school over Iran in verband met het boek Persepolis van Marjane Satrapi. Geef jij workshops of lezingen over je ervaringen in Iran? Naast de ellende van de revolutie wil ik ook graag aandacht voor het gewone dagelijkse leven. De vreugde die muziek maken kan geven is daar misschien een onderdeel in. Naast een documentaire over de geschiedenis van Iran nodig ik ook iemand via Vluchtelingenwerk uit voor een gesprek en wellicht een cartoonist.
Heb je ideeën dan hoor ik dat graag. (Uiteraard tegen vergoeding, na toestemming van de schoolleiding).
Veel groeten, ook aan je ouders en zussen,
Victor Borm
Wat een prachtig mooi stuk in Promotor. Ben mega jaloers.