Knot Nits

• 1 Ultramarine 04:04
• 2 The Delta Works 04:53
• 3 The Concrete House 04:49
• 4 The Garden Centre 03:48
• 5 The Blue Car 05:31
• 6 Machine Machine 03:57
• 7 Dead Rat Ball 04:40
• 8 The Electric Pond 04:31
• 9 Une Petite Allumette 01:30
• 10 Music Box With Ballerina 03:46
• 11 (Un) Happy Hologram 04:57
• Total Runtime 46:26

Info for Knot

Es ist ihr 24. Studioalbum und es wurde in ihrem eigenen Studio, «de Werf» in Amsterdam, aufgenommen. Nach drei Tagen mit reinen Improvisationen kochten sie die daraus resultierenden fast 20 Stunden Musik zu diesen neuen Songs herunter. Musik und Texte wurden vereint, angetrieben von Bildern und Gedichten, Gefühlen und Fantasien.

Nach der Veröffentlichung von 'angst', ihrem im September 2017 veröffentlichten Vorgängeralbum, tourte die Band ausgiebig durch die Niederlande und Europa und fand auch Zeit für eine Serie von 20 Auftritten mit dem Scapino Ballet Rotterdam.

Seit ihrem ersten Konzert in der Schweiz im Frühjahr 1982 besuchen NITS die Schweiz sehr regelmässig. Diese Besuche erwiesen sich als reiche Inspirationsquelle. Texte, Kooperationen mit Schweizer Musikern und viele Freundschaften waren das Ergebnis.

NITS sind auf ihre ganz eigene, fast schüchterne Art und Weise eine der besten Live-Bands überhaupt. Sie spielen sehr dynamisch, kristallklar, virtuos und humorvoll, getunkt in europäischer Melancholie. NITS kommen wieder, im Gepack ihr neues Album "Knot" und eine Auswahl aus 45 Jahren Songs.

NITS

NITS
Henk Hofstede and Michiel Peters know each other from the band Midas, a band that plays live quite a few times in the early seventies. The duo decides to focus more on making pure pop music. Hofstede, a student at the Rieveld Art Academy, meets Alex Roelofs there and asks him to come and play the bass in the band. Next Michiel Peters asks Rob Kloet as a drummer and in the fall of 1974 the new band is ready to start : The Nits.

The Nits consciously choose not to aim for the then omnipresent progressive and symphonic rock. The main reason is simple : they don’t play well enough. Besides that, the boys prefer The Searchers, The Kinks, the Beatles and the Beach Boys. In november 1975, the band is asked for a presentation by OOR music magazine. This is first important show by The Nits. That evening the quartet shares the stage with other Dutch bands like Flavium and Massada.

In this period The Nits are quite busy rehearsing and making demos in an attic at the Kattenburgergracht in Amsterdam. The space is far from comfortable: in summer it’s terribly hot and in winter it’s freezing cold. The band’s recordings don’t manage to make an impression on the record companies that they contact. The quartet perseveres, in their Amsterdam attic. Their repertoire grows steadily.

When in early 1976 the band meets Jean Pierre Burdorf, plugger at the Dureco record company, the boys’ career starts to speed up. He knows the ropes and knows his way in the record industry. The Nits record a single with producer Alan David. The end result speaks for itself: Yes or No is a lively sixties pop song, influences by the Beatles, with lyrics that have the form of a collage of slogans. It gets soon clear that being in contact with Burdorf can open more doors: The Nits are asked to play in Toppop, the only Dutch tv show about pop music in those days. And beyond that, in the second half of 1977 the band can record an LP at the Rockfield Studios in Wales. And for this session, the producer will again be Alan David. During the stay in Wales, the flamboyant Burdorf invites some vip’s from the record- and media industry for an abundant meal in a castle.

The process of recording and mixing however is not flowing smoothly : the band has another sound in mind than the sound Alan David has created. Dureco thinks that the album carries no hit single and doesn’t want to go on with the project. Finally they release the single Looking For A Friend to free them from their contractual obligations. The LP is transferred to Burdorf and his recordlabel ‘on paper’ Burdorf Booking, which causes the release to be postponed. In the meanwhile it is again music magazine OOR that gives the band a push by putting the catchy and energetic song Tutti Ragazzi on the punk and new wave sampler Keihard en Swingend. ...

This album contains no booklet.