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6 Year Anniversary of Pitou’s Debut!

Unbelievable but true: today marks the six year anniversary of the release of Pitou’s critically acclaimed, self titled debut EP ‘Pitou’! We released the 7 track EP on CD and vinyl during a magical evening at Amsterdam’s Vondelkerk (pictured below, by Ramy Moharam Fouad).

It’s been amazing to have seen her artistry develop over the years – we are honoured that Mink is the home to her first two records.

Available Now: Brand New Mink Records Merchandise

Tees, totes and… thongs! The brand new Mink Records merchandise is here. All proceeds will go towards new musical projects. Click here to shop items in our webshop.

We teamed up Jeroen Klootsema to make the designs, who also handprinted all the items. We ship worldwide!

Independent Label Market at Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam

This Sunday 16 August we’ll be present at the yearly edition of the independent record label market, at Tolhuistuin in Amsterdam. Find us alongside labels such as: Subroutine Records, Snowstar Records, Bloomer Records, Paradiso Vinyl Club, Excelsior Recordings, Beggars Group, Caroline Benelux, Subroutine Records, Coaster Records, Geertruida and more. Free entrance, more info here. 

We will be bringing a big batch of fresh new merchandise, which will also be listed in our webshop soon.

Pitou’s ‘I Fall Asleep So Fast’ Turns 2!

Today marks the second anniversary of the release of Pitou’s second EP ‘I Fall Asleep So Fast’! We can’t believe it’s been two years since we released this beautiful record by a truly remarkable artist.

To celebrate, we have a 20% discount in our webshop for the record on 12” vinyl and CD. Valid until May 18th. Use code: IFASF2 at checkout. We ship worldwide.

Click here to order the CD, and here to order the vinyl.

A note from Pitou:

“I Fall Asleep So Fast turns 2 today. Some songs stay in the past and some songs travel with you through the years. The title song is one that has travelled with me. Guy Garvey kindly said: ‘hearing the vocals to this song is like watching a high-wire act’ – and that is exactly what performing the song still feels like and means to me. I miss playing, but will continue working on my album in the meantime. Hopefully we will see each other some day after all this. ❤️ Pitou”

The EP received a sea of critical acclaim from major platforms and radio stations such as NME, Clash Magazine, Line of Best Fit, The 405, DIY, Europavox, BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, Radio X (all UK), Radio FIP (FR) 3FM (NL), and many more. Pitou was named one of the 12 ‘Talents For 2018’ by 3VOOR12 (the music department of the national broadcaster) in The Netherlands, and ‘One To Watch for 2018’ by The Independent.

‘Regimented but gentle (…) Mechanical but empathic. Like Tinkerbell serenading you from the far side of a wormhole, or an archangel contemplating eternity in some heavenly hall of mirrors.’ – Gigwise

‘Spellbinding”; “heavenly”; “unique”. The adjectives that have been deployed to describe her music are as numerous as they are effusive. And as her fingers dance across her guitar strings, it’s easy to be mesmerized — whether viewing the world through the prism of alcohol (“Give Me A Glass”), dealing with self-doubt (“Be Delicate”), or the wonders of new love (“Debt Of A Lover”), her songs flutter and float like a cloud, slowly coalescing into grand shapes and forms. Sometimes, as Pitou proves, less really can be more.’ – Europavox

’I don’t know exactly how to describe this, but Pitou’s songs reach straight into my soul. Her way of singing instantly brought tears to my eyes. She creates intimate, minimalistic and above all beautiful folksongs, with mysterious melodies that remind one of Alela Diane, Laura Marling or Julia Holter. Not overly sentimental, but intimate and powerful.’ – Noisey VICE NL

One Year Since The Release of The Visual – ‘Moment of Being’

Oh how time flies… today it’s exactly one year ago that we released The Visual‘s debut album ‘Moments of Being’. On ​Moments Of Being,​ The Visual assert patience in unraveling their truths, little by little. The songs were all written throughout a four-year period in which Van Rij slowly but surely transforms her vulnerability towards the outside world into a life-affirming empathetic force.
 
To celebrate, we have a a 25% webshop discount on the album on 12” vinyl and CD for a week (enter code: ‘The Visual’ upon checkout). It’s also available online, of course.
 
The album received a sea of critical acclaim, from platforms big and small, including radio stations such as BBC Radio 6 Music, where they did a live session the the studio. Some reviews:
 
NME: ‘The three-piece band’s sound tickles the same parts as Nick Cave, PJ Harvey or – most aptly – Jeff Buckley, thanks to the transcendent vocals of front woman Anna van Rij.’
The Line Of Best Fit: ‘The Visual are a trio from Amsterdam who make textural and affecting music which snaps between the epic and the angular. Fronted by the husky-voiced Anna van Rij, their best songs find a place when the ambience is tuned up a notch with synthetic beats and loops. Cinematic is an understatement.’
Gigwise: ‘Anna van Rij’s voice, cool and evanescent as the morning dew, veers between melancholy lethargy and emotionally wrought upper-register bends. Partner in crime Timon Persoon does his ‘voodoo soundman’ bit on keys, crafting an proper three-dimensional sound landscape at the tender locus of soundtrack and songwriting.’
3VOOR12: ‘Op het debuutalbum Moments of Being maken we zo kennis met de volgroeide versie van de band: duistere, zelfverzekerde dream pop die onder je huid kruipt en je niet meer loslaat tot je nummertje acht van het album hebt afgeluisterd.’
Europavox: ‘The Visual, the project of singer songwriter Anna van Rij, is one of the best, slow-burn sultry pop that’s by turns lush, intricate, and melancholic.’

 

Torii’s Album Release Show in The Hague Cancelled due to Covid-19 Measures

We are very sad to announce that Torii’s hometown album release show at Magazijn, The Hague, set to take place on March 13th, has been cancelled in light of the new advice surrounding music events & the corona virus given out by the Dutch authorities today. It will take place at a later date – when is unclear, as a lot of events will have to be rescheduled. All tickets will remain valid – if you would like a refund please get in touch. Thanks and love to Het Magazijn, Popradar, and Submarine. The following Torii shows are known to be cancelled at this moment:

13/3 Het Magazijn, The Hague, The Netherlands
26/3 MIL Showcase Festival, Lisbon, Portugal
27/5 Woodstock, Bloemendaal, The Netherlands
28/5 Asteriks, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

?  Sorry, hope to see you soon.

Mink Records DJ Set at Grauzone Festival

Marieke will be playing two Mink Records DJ sets at Grauzone Festival on Saturday – Grauzone is a festival in The Hague with a line up filled with brilliant acts, including a jam featuring Damo Suzuki (!) of legendary krautrock band CAN together with members of Kikagaku Moyo & Bo Ningen, Thurston Moore, Legowelt, The Murder Capital, Automatic, Shortparis, Shame, Deutsche Ashram and many more. See you there? More info and tickets here. 

 

 

Torii Release ‘Heat Lightning’ & Announce
Album Release at De School, Amsterdam

Here’s the music video for Torii’s recent single ‘Heat Lightning’, created by band member Jilles van Kleef and Pauline Bauvin.’Heat Lightning’ is the first single released by Dutch psychedelic pop outfit Torii, taken from their upcoming album ‘Return To Form’ (out February 2020).

Torii shrewdly borrows stylistics and bends them to its whims, like on the sweltering soul melodicism of ‘Heat Lightning’, which thrillingly accelerates into a motorik-indebted slipstream.

Many thanks to Spotify for placing the track in New Music Friday, and all other radio stations, blogs and playlists who have shown their support.

The album release show in Amsterdam, plus shows in Utrecht and Rotterdam have just been announced:

  • 1/2 Utrecht, Ekko | FB Event 
  • 13/2 Den Bosch, Willem Twee | FB Event 
  • 22/2 Amsterdam, De School | ALBUM RELEASE | i.c.w. Subbacultcha | FB Event
  • 29/2 Rotterdam, V11 | support: Global Charming | FB Event