Kong

Experimental Dutch rockers Kong originated in 1988 when four Amsterdam musicians formed the outfit as a side project: Dirk DeVries on guitar, samples and programming, Aldo Sprenger on guitar, Mark Drillich on bass and programming, and Rob Smits on drums. Their sound defies easy classification, fusing heavy metal, progressive rock, electronica and avant-garde elements through dense layers of sampling and eccentric sonic textures. The group performs almost entirely without vocals and arranges its material for quadraphonic presentation, assigning each player to a separate corner of the performance space to optimize spatial impact. After signing to Peaceville Records the quartet issued its first album, Mutepoetvocalizer, in 1990 and subsequently toured throughout Europe, earning critical acclaim and cultivating a loyal, if specialized, audience. The 1992 release Phlegm and the 1995 album Push Comes to Shove maintained the same exploratory trajectory, yet the protracted sessions for the latter created internal friction that prompted Sprenger and Smits to exit. Guitarist Marieke Verdonk and drummer Rob Snijders stepped in as replacements, after which the band secured a contract with Roadrunner Records and adjusted its aesthetic toward greater fluidity and playfulness on 1997’s Earmined. Snijders soon departed to join Celestial Season and was succeeded by Klaas Broekema, who appeared on the similarly oriented 1999 album Freakcontrol. In 2000 the members elected to take an indefinite break to pursue outside endeavors, allowing Peaceville to compile the 2001 retrospective Best of Kong: 1988-1995 during the hiatus.