"A BRAND NEW INSTRUMENTAL GROUP: THE Q4"
BIOGRAPHY | DODGY DIVE BAR IN AMSTERDAM
Four young beat makers met one faithful evening in a dodgy dive bar in Amsterdam, during the fourth quarter of 2005. Three of them would ultimately go on to form a band: The Quadraphonic Quartet (The Q4).
Arts The Beatdoctor (Bas Vermolen, 1983) started producing for emcees, only to decide he liked most of the tracks better without vocals. So he continued to develop his mostly instrumental style and diverse dreamy moods. His solo albums “Fragments” and “Transitions” earned him a reputation in the Netherlands and Japan.
SENSE (Daniel Tiuri Wils, 1985) has been in his own world ever since he was a child. His very defined moody style and unusual sample treatment heavily saturate the sound of The Q4’s productions. His one-of-a-kind productions on Shahmen’s debut “Enter The Circle” and Numaads’ “Now” gave birth to a fanatic cult-following worldwide.
STW (Robert Reus, 1981) was born in the middle of nowhere and had only two options to get his kicks: doing drugs or creating his own unlimited universe through music. The combination of both turned out to be most fertile. He’s played guitar in several alternative rock bands but is best known for his original remixes of popular songs.
The Q4 released their debut “Sound Surroundings” in 2010. Their first single “One Of These Days” topped the Dutch iTunes charts after a performance on De Wereld Draait Door. The Q4 performed their sample-based songs for audiences of thousands as Dutch rock diva Anouk’s support act, and as a headliner on festivals like Lowlands and ITGWO.
MISSION | BEATS ARE BETTER WITHOUT RAPPERS
Quadraphonic speaker setups were the first surround sound systems available to consumers in the 1970s. This nostalgic technology made use of four individual speakers positioned around the room, each producing a unique signal that would ultimately blend into a gloriously immersing experience for the listener.
In the late 1970s, emcees were rapping over The Incredible Bongo Band’s drum breaks. Decades later, most rap beats are still but a metronome for rappers’ monologues. Twenty years after the birth of rock and roll, artists in the 1970s gave eclectic performances with virtuoso musicians, while most rap artists on stage still rap along to a deejay.
The Q4 set out to prove a point: hip-hop beats can evolve into something musical. Rather than using loops, the producer trio composes note-by-note, using hundreds of minuscule sounds from an incredibly wide range of musical genres from Argentinian tango to Dixieland jazz, kraut rock, flamenco, obscure blues recordings, and a circuit bent Super Nintendo.
THE Q4 | CONTACT & BOOKINGS
Licensing: [email protected]
General: [email protected]
THE Q4 | WEBSITE & SOCIAL PAGES
Website: www.theq4.com
Facebook: The Q4 on Facebook
