G, A & D
When asked to participate in a week-long residency in Ghent, Dutch artists Louis Reith and Eelco Topper, also known as Felbm, found themselves drawn to each other’s disparate styles as a means of stepping outside their musical boundaries. Seeking collaboration in contrast, G, A & D is an artefact in time that captures two friends and artists challenging themselves to shed their primary artistic methods and embrace each other’s unique approaches to sound.
Louis has a predilection for the abstract and noisy, utilizing technology and machines to create silvery clouds of intrigue. Meanwhile, Felbm approaches his craft with a traditional sense of musicality and embraces melodies, chords, and rhythms to create structure, fluidly layering acoustic instruments and organic textures. The residency offered the perfect experiment to work against natural inclinations and learn from one another’s strengths. For Louis, this entailed harnessing structure, and for Felbm, tapping into abstract exploration.
While deviating in working parameters, they found common ground in the small, the sensitive, and the naive—reflecting their shared fondness for life’s subtleties, the intimacy of noticing and gravitating toward nuances and shadings, the residual and the shy.
have a listen
The record’s title G, A & D is a play on Gand, the French name for Ghent, and translates to the three musical notes that form a melody together. This became the anchor point throughout the four compositions, with the track “&” purposefully not using these notes or a melody. Louis and Felbm were likewise inspired by Ghent’s sonic personality. With the city as their canvas, they made field recordings from their walks, which were later incorporated into the final tracks.
- G 6:36
- A 7:51
- & 7:16
- D 11:27
meet felbm & louis reith
Over the years, Louis and Eelco have turned their mutual respect for one another’s work into a special bond whose musical chemistry is characterized by their contrasting sonic approaches. G, A & D marks their first joint release and the beginning of a new chapter in pushing their respective creative processes, together.
an additional layer
Adding extra texture to the release, G, A & D is accompanied by a sustainably made shirt, screen-printed in Ghent by Camping Penrose. It’s crafted from 100% Fairtrade-certified and organic cotton, designed with a relaxed fit and soft, lightweight fabric for everyday comfort.
