VIFI

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“The quartet is an extremely convincing unit. “As if it’s a single breath”…”

The Buzz Bros Band is a remarkable quartet with an extremely agreeable sound, playing a distinctive type of acoustic/electric fusion that’s easy to the ear, yet not superficial. The quartet is an extremely convincing unit. “As if it’s a single breath”, says one of the group’s members, and that’s what the band sounds like most if not all of the time. Besides various guitars, composer Marnix Busstra uses an electric/acoustic bouzouki in three tunes, and the instrument probably never would have thought it would feel so much at home in this type of music… Brother, co-founder and keyboardist Berthil Busstra mainly uses a Fender Rhodes that looks as if it has been around the world several times; the sounds Berthil chooses from his digital equipment are always tasteful and fully functional – no plastic effects, no smooth strings.

The resourceful and extremely well-defined phrases of double bassist René Dissel perfectly match the cheerful yet solid groove from party animal and drummer Chris Strik, who almost seems to massage his minimalist drum set, using brushes and occasionally his bare hands. It’s remarkable how relaxed the entire performance feels, and how no one tries to do more than the music needs – which is one of the elements that make the band’s music attractive for non-musicians as well. Plenty of time and workmanship have been invested in the recording and the production of this album, the first DVD of the Dutch high-end label Turtle Record: sound quality is great, and the images almost seem to draw you onstage, allowing you to fully enjoy every single note.