Pieter Perquin, an Amsterdam-born producer and cellist, first began making music during childhood, absorbing particular influences from classical, jazz, and hip-hop. While still a teenager he launched Unexpected Records in 2001 and issued his debut instrumental EP, Outta Nowhere, that same year, incorporating saxophone improvisations by Benjamin Herman. The following year brought Double Vision, which featured clarinetist David Kweksilber and explored comparable jazz/hip-hop terrain. In 2003 Perquin assembled the hip-hop project North West Metropolis with several friends; the group released one EP, Expressions, before disbanding. Aruba-born MC Pete Philly appeared as a guest on that EP, and the resulting chemistry prompted the formation of Pete Philly & Perquisite. Their Mindstate EP surfaced on Unexpected Records in 2004, after which the duo spent more than a year tracking the full-length Mind.State LP. Co-released by Epitaph and Unexpected in 2005, the album included a guest appearance by Talib Kweli and achieved immediate success, prompting extensive touring with a live band across Europe, America, and South Africa. The pair collected a Zilveren Harp, a prestigious Dutch music award, together with several nominations that included an MTV European Music Award. While taking a break to prepare their next album they released the remix collection Remindstate in 2007. Mystery Repeats arrived in September of that year and immediately topped the Dutch album charts; another international tour, heavy airplay, and further award nominations followed, culminating in the Amsterdam Award of Art in 2008. Perquisite and Philly chose to separate in 2009 after one final tour that October. During the same year Perquisite composed the soundtrack to the film Carmen Van Het Noorden, which received a Golden Calf at the 2009 Dutch Film Festival. His debut solo album, Across, appeared in 2010 and featured guest vocals from several Dutch singers, among them Cato van Dijck, Janne Schra, and Torre Florim. Collaboration with soul vocalist Kris Berry began in 2012 and produced the full-length Lovestruck Puzzles in 2013, followed by extensive touring that lasted until the end of 2014. Perquisite continued scoring films and documentaries, including multiple projects with composer/pianist SliderInc that were later compiled on the 2005 release Collected Works.
