Those of you ‘in the know’ might have seen Aïscha’s name pop up in all kinds of creative disciplines, and with the connections and experience she has, its no surprise that she’s hit the ground running as a musician. This single marks yet another change in sound, having progressed from Jazz to Rock to Hip Hop styled productions, yet always maintaining her own approach.

Man On Fire is a result of Aïscha teaming up with producers Mark van Bruggen and Cimo Fränkel, who both work with big names likes Dotan and Yellow Claw, to produce some powerful and uplifting music to accompany this story of a relationship driven to the edge because of a communication breakdown. For the video, Aïscha’s label, Embrace Records, reached out to us at Stillman who collaborated with the great visual artist Noah Latif Lamp (‘the man on fire’), model Shari Ashley Labadie and our very own director Max Westendorp for a truly stunning display of talent. If this is the standard being set, then the EP – set to be released late 2015 – should definitely be one to pay attention to.

The making of Man On Fire:

When you think of stoicism, entertainment generally doesn’t follow right? We’ll it sure as hell does if FAUT HAUT have anything to do with it. Today we bring to you the music video for ‘Stoic Man’, from FAUT HAUT’s debut album, ‘FAUT HAUT is FAUT HAUT‘. For this one, frontman Joep Bollinger teamed up with Stillman director Max Westendorp to bring his vision to fruition, and the guys fucking nailed it…

The imagery captured in this video is a perfect representation of the bands collection of washboards, driving bass lines, and an organ sound that you could find in a circus tent… It’s an unusual mix, sure, but it’s that clash of the old, the weird, and the funky that truly shows off the band’s unique sound.

The brainchild of Joep Bollinger, Faut Haut released their debut album back in September last year, and have refused to be defined by one genre ever since. Largely pieced together from a series of jams with star players Marnix Dorrestein (IX), Pyke Pasman (Jungle by Night) and Roosbeef drummer Tim van Oosten. The album swings from macabre to experimental and back again, all the time flowing with abstract yet vivid lyrics. So go ahead, place FAUT HAUT in a box and watch them work their way out of it. Or, stay here, soak in this new clip, and then head over to the boys’ bandcamp to make up your own mind – you’ll be entertained either way!

P.s, we’ve also got a great live version of this track recorded at Pablo van de Poel’s Electrosaurus Southern Sound Studio’s from back in September..!

FAUT HAUT on tour in Amsterdam:

Words by Michael Kruger and Hugh Spillekom

Marnix “IX” Dorrestein has been promising and thus on the radar of Stillman from the very beginning. We chose this busy bee as one of our five upcoming bands to watch in 2014 at the beginning of this year. Earlier he made name for himself by being part of the band Über-Ich, with whom we first caught him on camera in the videos we made for them. After many musical endeavours among which co-producing the last two Herman van Veen albums and touring with his childhood friend Jett Rebel during his sold-out Venus & Mars tour, he finally found the time to let his alter ego run free.

In the Stillman video production “Sense”, he lets his eccentric inner self shine through. It makes you witness the internal tug-of-war between his sixties mania, love for African music and urge to experiment. This strong catchy song with a light-hearted vibe really nails it!

His debut EP is recorded by Robin Hunt in Berlin and will be released at the beginning of 2015. Definitely not a random choice, considering he is also the producer of Thomas Azier and thus surely knows what it is like to work on something special. We already listened to the other songs (hail the invention of the repeat function!) and can say no more than just wait and see and be amazed.

In collaboration with fashion designer Alexandra Frida, Cheaters worked with our very own Max Westendorp to create a video that perfectly matched their track for the “Bad Thoughts” exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum. With its pulsing beat and mysterious synths you can put your teeth into, this song shows a slight change from the punchy and more upbeat tracks heard on their debut EP ‘Neon Dreams’. The video further explores this idea, first setting the scene with a dimly lit Lenka Boyd who’s dressed by Frida in such a way that my thoughts are drawn to Cleopatra (a symbol of seduction and power). A perfect showcase of what this band is capable of creatively and it sets a high standard for their forthcoming debut album!

To add to the success story, this is Max’s first video contribution to Stillman, and he’s entered the game with a seriously heavy punch. As a talented video maker and former band member of The Fudge (he also made these awesome videos for The Fudge!) he is a perfect match for the Stillman team. Welcome aboard!

Would you like to experience Cheaters first-hand? Hurry up and check them out at the Museumnacht, details here.

Photos by Alexandra Frida

The Amsterdam based CUT_ just released their own rendition of the instant summer hit “Papaoutai“, by the famous singer-songwriter Stromae. A cover with gloomy electronic vibes that remind us of Fever Ray. You can now download the track for free, right here on Stillman! 

It was only two months ago that we released their debut video Twisting & Turning. From that moment on, CUT_ rapidly won ground in the Amsterdam music scene. Among the several great gigs they played, was the first milestone in the short history of this underground improvisation duo: performing at poptemple Paradiso!

Belle and Sebastiaan soon after came to us with the idea of releasing an English cover of “Papaoutai”. With a tight deadline breathing down our neck, we brainstormed together with the band about the visual expression of the song. We wanted to make a powerful video with strong artwork and small means. Inspired by classic videos of Kraftwerk, the video hints to the doll in the original Stromae video. As Dutch Noisey puts it: “A French song, translated to English by Amsterdam people with a German looking video”.

We have known the electronic experiments of guitarist Sebastiaan Dutilh for a while now. We have always been curious to see when and how his musical expressions would come out. Last summer the beautiful singer Belle Doron came into the picture and from that moment on they have been working together as an electronic improvisaton duo. After an awesome performance at The Pirate Cinema on Magneet Festival they started to write songs and record studio tracks. The realization of this first official music video is the result of an inspiring collaboration between CUT_ and Stillman. It’s a world premiere!

Go full screen..

Put on your speakers..

HERE IS THE PREMIERE OF CUT_!

Photos from the video shoot

Photos by Belle Doron

When I visited the USA in the summer of 2013 Donata Kramarz and I travelled through the west coast. We decided to shoot a music video. At the moment it’s one of my love-low-budget-babies!

Music video made for Nosoyo.
‘Dreck’, from the album ‘Just before the faint’.

Amsterdam 2013