Spinifex

Unpredictable Amsterdam-based creative jazz ensemble Spinifex (named after a genus of Australian coastal grass) originated as a feisty little big band modeled on Dutch ensembles such as I Compani, Willem Breuker Kollektief, and ICP Orchestra, especially their multifaceted modern composition aspects, while incorporating a rocked-up edge reminiscent of Belgium's Flat Earth Society. Years after formation, the group developed a punchy avant jazz quintet version distinguished by its ridiculously tight arrangements, wild improvisations, and experimental metal edge. The ensemble further broadened its scope by delving into Carnatic music through partnerships with notable Southern Indian musicians during tours of both India and the Netherlands, and by drawing from Eastern European/Balkan brass band traditions.

Trumpeter Gijs Levelt and alto saxophonist/clarinetist Tobias Klein remained fixtures across Spinifex's evolving lineups, which began with a nine-piece ensemble called the Spinifex Orchestra, co-founded alongside flutist Ned McGowan in 2006. That nonet included Levelt, Klein, McGowan, trombonist Joost Buis, reedman Jasper Blom, accordionist Theo van Tol, electric guitarist Raphael Vanoli, bassist Sean Fasciani, and drummer Uli Genenger; it recorded the polystylistic album Triodia at Amsterdam's Studio Le Roy, issued in 2008 by the Karnatic Lab label, which Levelt and McGowan directed and curated.

In 2009 the Spinifex Tuba Band emerged, comprising Levelt, Klein, McGowan, tubaists Axel Schappert and Pascal Rousseau, and drummer Gerri Jäger, as a platform for fusing Eastern European/Balkan brass band music with elements from noise and electronica; the project persisted through 2010. February 2011 then saw Levelt, Klein, McGowan, Buis, Genenger, and bassist Dion Nijland undertake a two-week Indian tour under the new banner Spinifex Indian Spin (FX). Aligned with Karnatic Lab's aim of merging creative jazz and modern classical approaches with Carnatic music, the venture paired the Dutch musicians with acclaimed Southern Indian artists Dr. Mysore Manjunath (violin) and Dr. Suma Sudhindra (veena), plus percussionists B.C. Manjunath and Pramath Kiran. Spinifex Indian Spin (FX) presented two Dutch dates in June 2011 and returned to India in January 2012 for performances featuring veena player Sudhindra; in May of that year, violinist Mysore Manjunath and percussionists B.C. Manjunath and Kiran traveled to the Netherlands for additional Spinifex Indian Spin (FX) concerts.

Concurrently, Levelt and Klein elected in 2010 to reduce the central Spinifex lineup to a compact, edgy five-piece—while the original Spinifex Orchestra nonet continued performing, including a series of dates in summer and fall of 2012—emphasizing ultra-tight high-energy arrangements, skewed grooves, jazzy and noisy improvs, and echoes of Balkan and Carnatic influences from earlier projects. With Levelt on trumpet, Klein on alto saxophone, Jasper Stadhouders on guitar, Gonçalo Almeida on bass, and Philipp Moser on drums, the quintet issued the aptly titled Hipsters Gone Ballistic on the TryTone label in December 2013. February 2014 brought the quintet version of Spinifex back to India for a fresh endeavor called Bollycore, spotlighting Indian vocalist Priya Purushothaman and dancer Maya Sapera.