Klangstof is a Dutch indie rock band composed of Koen van de Wardt, Wannes Salome and Erik Buschmann. Munia Iffat catches up with Koen van, talks about their journey, climate crisis, and so on.
What does your band name mean?
I wanted to have a band name that connected with both my Dutch and Norwegian background. So “klang” means reverb in Norwegian and “stof” means dust in Dutch. I thought it connected very well with what I was up to at that time.
Tell us about your current EP, and upcoming album!
It’s first of all very exciting to finally get some music out again. We’ve been writing and recording almost non-stop for the last two years. The last year was just waiting to find a good time to get it out and it never came. It’s always tough since you don’t know what other people are gonna think of your new music, so it was a pretty nerve-wracking year. Glad that some of it is out there now.
Climate change is now on high alert how do you think we can raise people’s consciousness?
Art will always be a great way to keep people’s awareness. With ‘Ocean View’ we wanted to also incorporate the plastic bag in the artwork and videos, instead of your idyllic ocean view.
What I absolutely hate about climate change is that it seems like 95% of the worlds population wants to actively change the way we live, but the world is being controlled by those 5% that don’t give a damn.
Who are your biggest influences?
The one thing we all have in common is our love for Radiohead. That’s the band that got all of us into music in the first place, even though we all disagree on a favorite Radiohead record. For me personally, I really enjoy Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and early Interpol. Those really got me into trying to play guitar. Erik (our drummer) on the other hand has a more funk- and hip-hop background, while Wannes is more into electronic-oriented bands like Little Dragon and James Blake. I think it’s that mixture and freedom that makes our sound up.
What are the craziest things that happened when you guys being together?
I remember that we played our first ever headline show in the US in Detroit. It was in one of those abandoned diners. The sound system was broken and we had only sold one ticket for the night. The catering was just one hot dog and a glass of water. The one guy who actually turned up came all the way from Kentucky to see us, and we felt so bad for the dude. But it turned out to be one of the most fun experiences ever. We played a full set and ended up hanging with him for a few hours. It was very awkward at first, but I think it’s one of those weird nights you just never forget.
What issues did you face when you guys started?
One of the biggest struggles we had was that I had already finished the first album before even going on stage for the first time. I remember the first rehearsal and all of us have no clue at all on how to actually perform these songs live. We just ran out of hands very quickly. That was definitely a big struggle. Running around on stage playing bass, guitar, synthesizers and sing all in the span of 3 minutes. Those were quite challenging moments. Haha.
What is the hardship you have faced and still facing in your musical career?
For many musicians one of the hardest things is commitment. You want this to be your life, but it sometimes just isn’t possible because of the money there is to earn. We always wanted to go to the US and see what that was like, but you’re turning every penny in order to make it work. But at the end, it’s also what makes me feel very grateful. Just because we do this for the love of music.
Which musician would you like to collaborate with next?
We worked with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips on our last album which was such a blast to do. I like to collaborate with people I can learn from. Someone who does something different than what we are doing. Could be anyone really. I always liked to do a “strange” collab with someone like Martin Garrix just because I’m extremely curious about what would come out of that.
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you?
Don’t be a dick.
What’s currently bugging you?
That I still am sometimes.
What single thing would make life better?
A Prophet 10. I’ve been saving up money for way too long now. For me getting a new instrument is always very inspiring and gets the creative juices flowing for a couple of months.
Are you guys involved with any kind of charity?
When our European run got canceled two years ago, we started something called “operation toilet paper” where we would give all our merchandise earnings to our crew. For us, that was extremely important. There have so many people close to us who have been forced to change jobs in order to make a living. A lot of talented musicians, sound engineers, light operators. Really hope that those people will get back to where they belong very soon.
Do you support feminism?
As long as there is inequality with regard to sex and background, we should continue fighting for it. We had a long talk about seeing if you could get more women and people with a different background in our crew. So for us it is extremely important to support anyone who feels like they’re not treated equally.
Last, anything to say for our audience?
Thanks for reading, if you came this far! And really hope to see some of you out there when we’re gonna perform live again.
