• Videoclip - Pigeons & People

    ‘Pigeons & people’ is a song in which I tried to capture the dynamics of Amsterdam, the city I have always loved and learned to hate.

    It was hard for me to grand my own long cherished wish to write a good song about the city i am obsessed with – and my great example is Ray Davies who wrote all those fantastic songs about London – so what can poor boy do? For a long time, I loved Amsterdam so much, that I did not really have a problem. And ‘a problem’ is needed for a good story. But over the years I became more unhappy with the results of the widely and warmly embraced politics of free market morality; Amsterdam was not about people’s initiatives any longer. The city was so cool that it was recognised as a huge money maker. In stead of a hodgepodge of real and various people with their initiatives, it became a monocultural place to host mass-tourists, consumers, criminals, real estate owners and brand marketeers. We sold our soul.

    The videoclip celebrates the last free minds – the last people to keep Amsterdam ‘the Magic Centre’ it once was so obviously. It’s inspired by Billy Wilder ‘s ‘Menschen Am Sonntag’ from 1930.

  • Lyric - Pigeons & People

    One of my all time heroes is Ray Davies, singer and song writer for the Kinks. He sings about London in many of his songs and i always wanted to write a song about Amsterdam. But there were 3 complications: one is the Dutch street names that sound ugly in an English song, the second is the risk for ‘campy, or false sentiments’ which i tried to avoid, however much i like sentimental music, and the third is: i have always been so much in love with Amsterdam that i did not really have a problem to write about.

    Things changed in the 90’s and 2000’s, with the liberalisation of social renting houses, with general politics that favoured the rich. By 2019, when i wrote this song, there was hardly any squatted house left. Culturally the city became way more shallow, cleaner, less free minded and commercial concepts wan over artistic ideas. It seemed to me the city was rebuild in an amusement park for consumers and tourists, and everything that was foreign, weird, artistic or valuable beyond what money can express seemed to be pushed out.

    In Pigeons & People, I wonder about what is left of that city with its attractive dangers, of the free people that designed their own lives and sub cultures to live, of the cultural brewing pot rather than a ground for people who ‘had a job and could afford a house’. Amsterdam used to be called ‘The Magic Centre’ in the 60’s and early 70’s – but what of it is left and where to find it?

     

  • Audio - Pigeons & People

    This is a song about the dynamics of Amsterdam, the city I live in, the city I have always loved and learned to hate. I wrote it locking myself up for three days in a house of my friend with only a guitar and an amp – told myself I could only come out once the song was written.

    Then I made arrangements and asked friends to play parts: Janfie, who played the clarinet, Edwin, who played the drums, Jaap, who played the organ and Floor and Walley who sang backings.

    lyrics
    MDMA at NDSM, a car was set on fire
    I think it was some kind of band playing the Tanker
    We crossed the river to the Bunker
    Pete knew he had to kick his ambitions into gear
    as he aimed for the Golden Bent that yearPigeons and people, crammed in a sinking hotspot
    Day-tripper jumps from a hotel
    872 bridges to burn but I sent a card ‘all is well’
    It takes 11 million wooden poles to rise a magic centreAmsterdam
    I know you won’t love me as much as I love you

    Cigar box houses leaning on each other
    Knock one out and the whole town trembles
    Facing bricks, spy holes in the front doors
    Hoist the treasures, sell the shambles.
    And all that matters will, dressed in feathers
    Be sold and rendered obsolete

    Amsterdam
    If only you loved me as much as I love you
    Couldn’t you love me love me
    Like I love you

    At night he spirit of the village
    Hoovers over every street
    Tightening up the canal belt
    But ends will never meet

    bury your face in your pillow
    And let your conscienceness seep
    to the mud ‘tween millions of pillars
    ‘cause all of us must sleep

    Pete and Mo, were selling horse dung
    They had Julie on the side
    She shared whispers in a secret voicemail
    And then her phone backfired
    The prettiest legs that were ever dredged
    From a canal had a bicycle attached

    Amsterdam
    If know you won’t love me as much as I love you
    If you loved me too, what would become of you?

    Amsterdam
    You are the magic centre
    Where is the key to enter
    You still are the magic centre
    But where is the key to enter

    credits
    released February 23, 2021
    Martin Draax: Lead vox, guitars, sample editing, bass, one finger organ
    Edwin Slothouber: Drums
    Wrecker Walley: Backings
    Floor van Dijck: Backings
    Janfie van Strien: Clarinet
    Jan Jaap Snellen: organsWritten and arranged, produced by Martin Draax
    Mixed by Lars Blakenburg
Recorded at Blackbird studio Zaandam
    Mastered by KramerSamples by:
    jp2012 at Freesound.org
    Michieldb at Freesound.org
    Tuig at Freesound.org
    Pillonoise at Freesound.org
    Mgamabile at Freesound.org
    P-jezisek at Freesound.org
    Genghis-attenborough at Freesound.org

    Special thanks: Jan Jaap Snellen and Lars Blakenburg

  • Record sleeve - Pigeons and People

    This is the cover for my single ‘Pigeons & People’, a song about Amsterdam, the city I live in, love and have learned to hate.

  • Audio - pigeons and people

    Pigeons & People is my first single in the series ‘multiple Reality disorder. The idea of the album is that it is going to be an eclectic bunch of singles in which I can record and produce whatever I want with who ever I want (and wants to work with me of course).

    This is a song about the dynamics of Amsterdam, the city where I live, the town that I love and learned to hate.
    Edwin Slothouber: Drums
    Wrecker Walley: Backings
    Floor van Dijck: Backings
    Janfie van Strien: Clarinet
    Jan Jaap Snellen: organs
    Martin Draax: Lead vox, guitars, sample editing, bass, one finger organ

    Written and arranged, produced by Martin Draax
    Mixed by Lars Blakenburg
    Recorded at Blackbird studio Zaandam
    Mastered by Kramer
    Special thanks: Jan Jaap Snellen and Lars Blakenburg

    see the video here

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