Spinvis

Born on February 2, 1961, in Spijkenisse, Erik de Jong functions as the guiding force behind Spinvis. After pursuing composition studies at the Amsterdam conservatory, he introduced the Spinvis project in 2002 through an album assembled entirely on a computer in his attic. Its sonic character merges lo-fi singer/songwriter elements with sampling practices, or else presents itself as abbreviated cinematic vignettes recast in pop-song form.

De Jong reached prominence through an improbable route, entering the pop arena only after turning forty. Reports indicate that he submitted a demo tape to BMG, the major label, and to the independent Excelsior, receiving rejections from both; momentum shifted only when an Excelsior employee played the recording at an office celebration. Label director Ferry Roosenboom then championed the material and signed De Jong, whose self-titled debut album appeared in 2002 and achieved widespread success that astonished critics, industry observers, and De Jong alike.

During his teenage years De Jong performed on assorted instruments across several bands; consequently he played every part himself on the Spinvis album. Once the project gained traction, he assembled a touring ensemble of seasoned session musicians—including his father, Walter De Jong, on guitar—and performed at the Crossing Border Festival. A brief series of spring 2003 concerts proved highly successful, with several live recordings later collected on Nieuwegein Aan Zee, issued that same year. In 2004 De Jong received the Annie M.G. Schmidt award for the year’s outstanding theater song, “Voor Ik Vergeet,” as interpreted by Lenette van Dongen. He also composed the theme for Theo van Gogh’s television series Medea and finished the radio play Het Hoofd Van Ferdinand Cheval.

During spring 2005 Spinvis presented the theater production Lotus Europa across Dutch venues. Late that year the second album, Dagen Van Gras, Dagen Van Stro—its title drawn from R.A. Lafferty’s Days of Grass, Days of Straw—appeared; the record placed greater emphasis on ensemble playing than its predecessor. By this point Spinvis enjoyed noticeable popularity, prompting radio and television to rotate the single “Ik Wil Alleen Maar Zwemmen” regularly, and the full band performed the track to a backing track on Top of the Pops. In summer 2006 De Jong and his musicians released Ja!, a collaborative album with beat poet Simon Vinkenoog. The pair also appeared together at the 2007 Parade inside Noga, a program created expressly for the traveling event; their reading of Kathleen Raine’s poem “Introspection” ranked among the festival’s standout moments. January 2007 brought Spinvis the Popprijs, the annual honor recognizing the Dutch artist who has contributed most significantly to Dutch pop music.

Spinvis extended this momentum with the fall 2007 release of the third album Goochelaars & Geesten, which gathered B-sides, live performances, and unreleased material spanning 2002–2007; the initial pressing included a bonus disc of music De Jong had written for the Belgian film A Perfect Match. The track “Wespen Op De Appeltaart,” originally created for a Belgian psychiatric hospital, circulated widely on YouTube. The balance of 2007 was occupied by the theater tour Op Een Avond In Het Heelal.