Rik Van Boeckel Deze Hoofden Praten

New label on the block Raakvlak returns for its second release, this time brancing out into more local territories. Deze Hoofden Praten is a vast recollection of the idiosyncratic work of spoken-word guru Rik van Boeckel. Next in line for Raakvlak is a recollection of the wicked work of poet, spoken-word expert and all-round expressionist Rik van Boeckel. Deze Hoofden Praten is the result of two mid- eighties tapes released on Kubus Cassettes, the same label that accommodated the work of subterranean ambient wizard Enno Velthuys. Although van Boeckel’s oeuvre contains some similar elements, the outcome here is much wilder; a musical hodgepodge of new wave pop, ambient and quirky dub. What’s more, emphasis is just as much on the Dada- bordering poetry at present as on the sonical equivalent. Think Ton Lebbink’s cousin if he would’ve been into new age instead of punk. Van Boeckel initially made name as a famed spoken word artist, doing rounds in the Dutch pop venue circuit. One of the first ones to notice his Dada-bordering poetry was Rob Smit, musician and overseer of Kubus Cassettes, the label that already been home to the mind- stretching ambient of subterranean-chill pioneer Enno Velthuys. It did not take long for Smit to think up the musical backdrop to van Boeckel’s words, adding bright synths, tranquil guitars and the more off-side sounds that Kubus was known for. The result? One odd hodgepodge of new wave pop, quirky ambient and new age sounds, spearheaded by van Boeckel’s surreal tales about Dame Nature, travelling and other everyday nonsense. Two cassettes came to fruition, both released on Kubus Cassettes, both in the mid-eighties, of which Raakvlak now has cherry-picked some of the finer moments. Certainly one to turn heads and ears alike, this may serve as a (re-)introduction of a singular mind to the wider universe.