ZEA, the solo project of Arnold de Boer, lead singer of the Dutch band The Ex, returns to Prague with a new album "It's quiet". The album was made in collaboration with the outstanding clarinetist Xavier Charles and was recorded in one take on one day during their tour in the South of France.
Unlike The Ex with its predominantly English lyrics, de Boer also sings here in the language of his native Frisian dialect. He plays both acoustic and electric guitar, which he takes to the limit, the result aiming more at the brain than the body-oriented, punchy rhythms of The Ex. He creates dramatic narratives built on the contrast of quiet passages and sonic explosions, transcending the boundaries of the digital age and returning to the analogue ideals of past decades. De Boer is accompanied by Xavier Charles’ clarinet, whose improvisational style is extremely dynamic – often using long multiphonics followed by soaring screams and almost silent zen-like textures. His playing strongly complements de Boer’s minimalist and sober song structures. Together they create a world full of magic, space, sound, song and silence.
De Boer has performed at prestigious festivals such as Printemps de Bourges, CMJ, SXSW and in such exotic countries as Ethiopia and Ghana. His previous album fuses acoustic punk-rock with the psychedelic fantasies of Syd Barrett, a founding member of Pink Floyd.
The work of clarinetist Xavier Charles ranges from noise to electroacoustic music to sound poetry. Charles has collaborated with Jacques Di Donato and Frederic Le Junter, among others. In his work with bands and music collectives, he has also collaborated with Martin Tétreault, The Ex, Peirre Berthet, Étage 34, Axel Dörner, Jérôme Jeanmart, John Butcher, Jean Pallandre and many others. He has composed music for the theatre, especially for the Compagnie François Lazaro. His current musical interests range from playing clarinet and bass guitar to installing vibrating speakers at the edge of improvised music, noise rock and electroacoustic sound. He has been heavily involved in the music world as the organizer of the Densités fesival.
