In my defense, there was a lot to talk about with Matte Vandeven. Between 2025 being the 20th anniversary of the booking agency he founded, Sound of Liberation, and the return to the stage of his band, My Sleeping Karma, after suffering the loss of drummer Steffen Weigand in 2023, the near-unmatched impact Vandeven has had on the European heavy underground particularly with the emergence of a heavyfest culture he’s helped foster over the last decade and a half through close involvement with events like Desertfest Berlin, Up in Smoke, Keep it Low (celebrating its 10th edition this year), Blue Moon Festival, Lazy Bones Festival, Desertfest Belgium and others, the growth in the last few years of Sound of Liberation‘s label wing, SOL Records, and generally wanting to pick his brain about bands, what he listens for in a new artist, and so on? You can see why it might be a lengthy interview.

Vandeven was kind enough to indulge this interrogation, and that is appreciated. Later this month, Sound of Liberation will begin a series of all-dayer events — there are more to come — scattered throughout this year in Germany. The first two announced were the SOL Sonic Ride in Cologne, the SOL Psych Out in Karlsruhe, and for June, already a second Sonic Ride has been announced in Wiesbaden. The lineups of course pull from Sound of Liberation‘s roster of talent: Colour Haze, 1000mods, Slomosa, Greenleaf, Valley of the Sun, King Buffalo, Brant Bjork, Gnome, Daevar, Daily Thompson, Kant, Earth Tongue and Lucid Void spread across the three-so-far lineups. Posters are included along with the Q&A that follows here.

I guess there’s a fair amount of assumption here that you know who Matte is and what he does, but for over 20 years he’s played bass in My Sleeping Karma — and was in The Great Escape before that — and headed up one of underground Europe’s broadest-reaching and most-impactful booking concerns. He is, in short, a professional, and someone who has helped shape heavy rock and the various associated microgenres as they are today. We’ve spoken before, so I wouldn’t say I was nervous to talk to him, exactly — no more so than when talking to humans at all — but this is somebody whose work and passion I deeply respect. It was great to catch up with him.

Congrats to SOL on 20 years, I can’t friggin’ wait to see My Sleeping Karma at Freak Valley this June, thanks to Matte for taking the time and thanks to you for reading. Q&A has been edited for clarity. Please enjoy:

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Happy 20th! I know, of course, the 15th anniversary celebration was a giant wreck because covid, although eventually it all worked out right. But I assume you’re hoping for a much smoother go on the SOL Sonic Rides. Tell me about 20 years of Sound of Liberation, what that means for you.

First of all, JJ, thanks for your time. It’s a pleasure to meet you here, and hopefully, soon in person. 20 years of Sound of Liberation. What can I say? Like everybody said, like, “Whoops. That was 20 years ago already?” Time’s passing by so quickly. So yeah. Hey, you named it. We wanted to celebrate the 15th. It was crashed by the covid pandemic, and we are just being thankful we have the chance to hopefully celebrate throughout the year on all our events, and see all the lovely people again which supported us over the last 20 years. At the moment, it’s just a feeling of being thankful to still do what what we are doing. And continuing hopefully, another 20 years of doing what we love.

I think it says something that the way you’re celebrating your 20th anniversary is basically by making a bunch more work for yourself. You have the Sonic Rides in March and in June. Is there more coming?

Yeah. See, here’s the thing. We’re doing quite a bunch of events throughout the years, with Keep it Low Festival, and also there’s Desertfest Berlin, and Up in Smoke in Switzerland. But, it turns out that we still have 40-50 bands on our booking roster, and we are trying to get as many as possible of them invited to events, and it turned out that the March period was fine for a few bands which are touring like Greenleaf around.

And yeah, Cologne was the easy city to reach, and we got the chance to gather the first 10 bands there, and in the summer period the King Buffalo dudes are around. Brother Brant Bjork is around, and so on. So we we added just another one in a beautiful location.

And we are not planning another three or four more, because the fall season is already busy with almost a festival every October weekend. So yeah, I think that’s fine. But let’s see how it goes. You know, we are not always planning things from a very, very long stretch. Sometimes it turns out that you have a bunch of bands around on the same weekend or the same date because of touring, and if we can create a small event out of it, why not?

I imagine over the course of 20 years you’ve seen a lot of venues come and go, a lot of bands come and go, but I imagine between SOL staff, bands and venues, you’ve built significant relationships along the way. Can you talk to me about developing those relationships and how that has let you extend your reach with Sound of Liberation?

I mean in 20 years like you said so many paths are crossing again, and when I think really back to the pioneer pioneer days, or whatever you want to call it, I have to name Colour Haze from Munich because Stefan is, in let’s say this underground music niche stoner heavy rock for so long as well with his Elektrohasch label and Colour Haze celebrating 30 years this year. I think Stefan with his label, and also starting to do first let’s say heavy rock happenings, back then.

In the year 2000, Swamp Room Mania or whatever it was called back then in Munich, there was already built a strong relationship. I was able to book then the first Colour Haze tours, and they are still on our roster now, and they are hitting the road [this] Friday on a bigger European tour.

That was 20 years ago, when we started searching for places where small German underground bands could find a spot to rock, and sometimes it was in just in side rooms of of bars, and you needed to wait until the sports event on the TV is over and you have built and even brought your own P.A. in the in the van. And then there was like eight drunken people there and listening to music they didn’t understand, so no.

That’s why I want to name color is because among many other bands. It’s a close relationship with Stefan for many years and understood how difficult it was for him also to press vinyls and release music only a bunch of people seem interested in so.

So you go from putting Colour in the side room at the bar to, with the festivals you mentioned, having a bit of an empire going. As you said, it’s every October weekend there’s a SOL-affiliated festival.

It’s every weekend in October, because you have up and you have Up in Smoke. You have Keep it Low.

There’s Desertfest Belgium.

Lazy Bones in Hamburg. Yeah, to look it, it sounds like an empire and building up something big. But I really have to say, like, it came organically, if we wanna use that word, and it would have not been possible without a great team I have behind me, and also the partnerships we are in, because honestly, I was not running around and calling throughout Germany to see who was interested to do a stoner rock festival in their venues, it’s the venues we are working with.

Or it’s the promoters, like in Switzerland. They have been in the market for a long time, and they were interested. Once we came around with club shows, they said, “Wow, this was big fun. Can we have more of those, or is there not a chance to do a one-day event or something like this?” So it was not only pushed by Sound of Liberation, or by me saying “I have something, and let’s make something big out of it.” We started all these events super small. I think, on the first Up in Smoke Festivals, maybe 300, 400 people in that 1,000 people room.

Keep it Low was for many years in the beloved place of the Feierwerk in Munich, which is more, two rooms with 400-450 capacity. But it was growing in the last couple of years so much that we needed for production terms, also to use the bigger venue in Munich, so what I want to say is,

we started something small as a really, yeah, an event for us, without the meaning of a financial profit, or like a building up something super big. It was more like it came over the years. And all these events are now like 10 years old already. So it’s nice that people still coming and are interested in. And yeah.

For example, Lazy Bones is a nice thing, because we we started it right after the pandemic as a two-day event in the center of Hamburg in summertime. And we were thinking like, “Wow, for sure, after the pandemic everybody wants to see live concerts.” In the end we had a massive lineup really like with I don’t know, Witch and King Buffalo, and 1000mods and Colour Haze and My Sleeping Karma and and and… and I think we had one day 250, and one day 280 people only for a lineup, which would probably draw 1,000 people. The people who were there like they were saying, “We are ashamed for Hamburg, we don’t know what’s happened.” And we said, “Okay, let’s give it another try.” I mean, it’s Hamburg. It’s a great city. And a year later it was working out much better already.

In the last 20 years, internet word of mouth, and now algorithms, have changed the way people encounter new music. How has that affected what you do? So much of promotion happens online now.

Yeah, I mean, you know it, JJ, and the people listening to our words now, they know it as well how fast the wheel is turning nowadays, and I would be lying if I would say, we don’t push the social medias. Of course we need to push it, because yeah, it’s part of the business now, like on every other business as well. You need to have a social media presence to be noticed.

Maybe the good thing is, when we started there wasn’t so much chance of social media and we were used to like sending our own posters and sending our own flyers, and hanging the posters in our favorite bars and rock bars and venues, and spreading the flyers in the street. So we also understood how.

Let’s say, how is it called mouth to mouth propaganda works. And yeah. So I think that’s good and helps to still have this knowledge. And yeah, to have built up a scene already before all the say social media took it mostly over nowadays. But we are still getting normal emails.

So also, when you are standing at the merch booth and talk with fans, especially a bit older ones, they are saying, like, you know, “we don’t use the Instagram. Send us an email or a newsletter. We prefer that because we are not Instagramers, Facebookers, Tiktokers, or whatever.”

In general terms for Sound of Liberation, what are you looking for from a band? And I don’t necessarily mean something specific, sound-wise. But is there something in terms of attitude or work ethic, or even musically, that lets someone stand out?

That’s a good question. That’s the that’s the tricky one, I mean. There’s so much good music out there, for millions of fans. Only a few like getting the attention, and many more deserve the attention as well.

Sometimes it’s not only in the music. Sometimes it’s not only in the attitude of the band, it’s maybe a mix of both. But let’s take an example: Slomosa, which are pretty much kicking off worldwide in the heavy rock scene. We discovered the band on a Spotify playlist. We loved this, let’s say, ‘hit record’ debut record. And I think that’s maybe very first point, they had a strong, very first record, like, let’s say, with hits on it, or music that catches you right away where I think like, “oh, what is this band? Wow! That that song sticks in my head I have to check, is there more?” And then finding out that the band is willing to put a lot of effort in their music and also in touring. So we started to bring them on live concert, and they develop themselves from a very good live band already into a live machine like super-good, super-good live playing band. So all in all, the complete package worked pretty great — like the album was good, they were on the road when they were playing shows. It went very fast that they were able to take the next steps. Of course we could help with booking expertise and putting them maybe on the right spots on festivals or support tours.

But I just wanted to name Slomosa, because it was very quick and was a band which came out of nothing, so to say, so to sum it up, every band has the chance. There was no demo center on. There was no management which pushed, or music industry which pushed and said, “this is the next big thing.” There were some good songs on Spotify. Maybe on the right playlist. So I don’t know how that worked, and in the end it led to a very fast progression of the band.

Slomosa kind of came out of the gate ready though. With most bands, they gel over the first few records, depending on the band. Some get there, some don’t. What do you do with a band who destroys live and the record’s not there? How involved with your bands can you get? Or have you gotten?

It really depends from band to band. If we are asked for our opinion, we give the opinion, but we don’t point out and say like, “Hey, you should do this.” It’s art, and everybody has their own perspective on it. But now, in viewing it, sometimes we wish some bands would maybe ask a little bit more around what they could do better in terms of maybe songwriting or structures, getting some more advices, not from me, but maybe in general, before they put out a release to get the maximum out of it. But yeah, it really depends from band to band. I mean only a few bands in our genre are putting really all their efforts or dedicating their life just to this band, to reach the next steps very fast, to be maybe even be able to live from the music. That’s already difficult.

Let’s say we are working with a lot of semi-professional bands in our genre. The people have normal day jobs and have music as a hobby and the free time they have, they’re using it for touring or recording. And yeah. So the advice we could give is really individual to the artist, on the path they are choosing for their music. But If the right demo comes, and the right attitude is there and the band really wants it, I think, as a booking agency in our genre, of course, we are able to help and to get the band faster on some bigger stages, because that’s still the most important. The more people you can have in front of stage, and you can convince about your music, the better the chance to step up the ladder a bit a bit faster.

You mentioned King Buffalo before. That’s an established band you’re bringing in. Obviously, that’s a different process from plucking a new band starting out. What are some of the considerations there?

King Buffalo is also a good example. They are a super-hardworking band. It’s work like it’s really a machine, like so much output they had during the pandemic and after and all with great quality. And that’s what I meant before, like these are guys who, like dedicated their lives to their band and they love touring. And all the time you see the list of touring in the States over here in in Europe, you think like so wow! Are they having a home, or are they just on the road?

King Buffalo has reached let’s say, a certain level, where it’s easier for us to book, because they have proved they are super live band, and they have the great albums, and they have a good following. So they are getting the chance to go bigger and bigger in the in the venues. Now they can play some bigger club shows already in in bigger venues, which is very, very good for the time the band is around, because they are still a still a young band, and they have a lot more to come for them if they continue like that. I have no doubt on that.

Is it harder now for a US Band to go to Europe, or for a European band to go to the US?

I think it’s still more difficult for a European band to go to the US. With all the visas you need and a bit harder conditions than we have over here in Europe. I think it’s still easy to plan your European tour, and of course you need some paperwork, but not that much. And, as you know, JJ, we have a there’s a good infrastructure also out here with van rentals and backlines and the driving distances are shorter, maybe. The hospitality is a bit better. No offense.

I get it. You might get a meal or a place to stay in Europe. You probably don’t get a meal in the US. Yes.

It’s still easier for the bands from the US touring in Europe than vice versa.

No, my country totally hates culture. It’s an ironic part of our culture. To shift gears entirely, My Sleeping Karma in December came back to the stage for your first shows since Steffen passed, and I cannot imagine how emotional this was for you. This first gig in particular. Can you talk a little bit about bringing the band back and what that’s been like? You have a busy year coming up at this point, and I keep seeing more added.

My Sleeping Karma is also 20 years old, so it’s big part of our lives. Seppi, Norman, and me, who are still around and able to now continue again with My Sleeping Karma, which was a very tough and very emotional and very sensitive decision. We have been the same lineup for more than 20 years. The band is years 20 old, but we had other projects before we were playing together. And we were really questioning and doubting if if we can continue with Sleeping Karma or bring this back again with a with a live show.

It took a while, and at one point our light engineer, who was traveling with us for years, Andre came up and asked Seppi and me if it’s possible just to jam just for like the sake of a jam. And maybe he had the feeling these guys need to have guitars in the hand again, and need to just be together again, to be able to even think about continuing, because we had not met up for a year. Nobody wanted to go in in the rehearsal room. Nobody wanted to, I don’t know, even talk about the band and so we did this jam and it felt good. Maybe it just felt good to hear the sound again of our band, or feel the vibe of the of the band members like just doing their thing what we have started long time ago.

And so we left on these meetings a bit with an open end and said, “Hey, okay, if the time fits like we jam another time and a few months later there was the time again to meet up and to jam. And Andre came prepared like with five songs really he worked on. He didn’t really say anything about it and we played Sleeping Karma songs, and it sounded alright.

Over the next couple of weeks and months, it developed more and more the idea of like, “Hey! What do you think? Should we do it again? How is it feeling for you like a lot of forward and backward until we…” and I, I really have to say, the fans and friends, and also the families, were a big, big part of this, encouraging us saying, like, “Hey guys, please, life needs to go on. And you guys are there and don’t stop making music. Please go on with that band. It means a lot to us.” And we got so many messages and so much feedback and we decided to continue with Sleeping Karma.

And we really did not know until that first concert in Munich on Colour Haze’s 30th birthday, two days before our hometown show in Aschaffenburg, if it would work, how it would feel the first time on stage in front of people. And then also with bands we’ve known for a long time, it all felt super alright, I think. Very emotional concerts, but also with some magic in which I cannot describe.

Everybody who plays in bands and knows I’m not talking about the groove or the flow like it was more This grown energy, which was there again, and not just created by the moment but created from us the band members over years, and so half of our life and everything was somehow in, and it was somehow clear: We are doing the right thing. It was clear not because people gave a lot of applause or wanted encores. But it was there the full moment, the full thing, why we started the band. And yeah, I hope we have Steffen’s blessing for that to continue.

I would imagine so. I have never seen My Sleeping Karma, and I don’t know if you know this, but I’ve been a fan of your band since your first record. So 20 years.

Yeah, we never made it to the US.

No, no, it’s not on you. It’s on me. But I this year is the year I’m lined up to see the band. Freak Valley’s on the calendar. I have been looking forward to it since that announcement.

We’re looking forward to that show as well at Freak Valley Festival. It’s always also like a homecoming. Good people there and it will hopefully be a great night, another emotional one.

There will be more concerts before this. I don’t know the number, but it’s not really a lot. We are not able to go on bigger tours now, or we didn’t want them. It’s like more still, finding our place again.

One more topic jump. The label. You gotta tell me about SOL Records. I feel like, okay, SOL Records happens a few years ago. I get the email about it. My response was like, “Well, yeah, duh.”

In 2005 we started Sound of Liberation and a few months later I had also founded that record label but never had the time to take care of it. At that time I was the one man army and had too much going on with the booking agency.

But yeah SOL Records also grew organically. My beloved word, organically growing, haha. But it is really like that. And so pretty much what happened, the pandemic came — no more live music. Everything crashed down, no more touring. We were sitting on a bunch of merch like already produced for festivals, already produced for touring bands. A lot of leftover back then from years of music business. So we said, “Okay, only chance. We can still go on doing things we love. Let’s build up a webshop.” With the help of our former employee “Stef” we launched the shop and afterwards we were thinking , “Why are we not releasing at least music we like without a small without, like, you know, searching for the biggest bands right away, and starting just with people we know, and friends and underground music. Our employee, Jakob (26 years old) is taking care of the label now.

He was working in a record store, and he came to our team and he said, “Hey, I really I really love this all. I love the bands. I love the sound. If I would have the chance to work a few hours on the mail order, and maybe on the label at one day.” And so we said like, “Hey, so why not? If we have somebody who’s like really focused and dedicated on this. Who wants to do it.” More or less, it’s in Jakob’s hands.

So then one thing came to another, we had the chance to re-release Trails & Passes from Greenleaf. You know the rights were free, and they gave us the chance, and also Monkey3’s 39 Laps record. And then we did our own releases. And all of a sudden I don’t know what one and a half years we had six or seven releases. We didn’t understand how fast that goes. We were a bit lucky also with pressing plants, because, as you remember, in the pandemic it was a wreck. Six to nine months until you were able to get a pressing plant or the finished product. And we had good luck. We were able to get four releases or something right after the pandemic.

And now same here with the label. We are not pushing it hard heart and signing bands, and, you know, like releases releases releases. It’s more like, Hey, what do we have the capacity for? Which music fits us right? And yeah, then. So no big business plans behind. No, not the not going for the giant corporate. Just needed to be done.

My favorite thing about it is it’s young bands. You mentioned the reissues and stuff, too, but you’re signing new bands.

Like guys from Ruff Majik. You have heard their music, or maybe you’re familiar with the band from South Africa, loving totally what they are. Yeah, and those guys have so much energy and put so much effort in and reached out more or less for help. And we booked the tour. So we made a plan and said, like, “Hey, why aren’t we are not doing things the right way? Let’s have a release ready next time when you are touring.”

Because do you remember how often that goes like, hey, we go into album-release tour, and then all of a sudden, sorry, album is delayed for two or three months, so we are trying to avoid that a little bit with not a business plan, but with a better structure and long-term planning. And I think that also helps a lot.

I think that’s also super important for young bands to have a bit of a timeline. I know it’s super difficult to think “Oh, we are now in February, what are we doing [next] winter? But every bigger or known band already knows what they are doing [next] winter, either recording or touring. So that’s also a big part of the growing process of a band, having a good plan structure and a good timeline for themselves to understand, “these are our goals we want to reach,” and also transporting these ideas to their partners or business partners, like record labels and booking agencies in order to get the maximum out of it.

Because, how often has the promo for the record come after once the tour was done, band was back at home? “So, hey, I just discovered this band. Let’s see when they are coming on tour. Oh, shit! They were here two months ago.”

If we can help with that with our expertise, that also helps. But back to the point. Still, we love what we are doing, and we are still infected by sound. And the music is the most important. And if a demo hits us or a band hits us, and then we yeah, then it’s not easy to say, no, we want to help because we love the album so much, or like the band, so much. So. Yeah.

So we released the Ruff Majik record, and what I like about it is it was not no more the typical, let’s say, Black Sabbath stoner rock, like there was so much different kind of rock music in, and so much freshness in that record that we decided like, “Hey, we wanna we want to release that one.” Not only we want to help Johni [Holiday] because they were in the EU touring, and nobody gets rich selling vinyls or CDs.

And I guess the touring helps them a lot, you know, being around a lot seeing other bands sharing the stages. Playing a lot live is the most important. I know it’s a difficult thing, “How do we get on the stage?” It’s always the same thing. Do you have a good demo? But you have no chance to play live. Difficult. It stays difficult, but there’s a big chance out now with the social media and the web like to gain new fans, friends, clients, however, you want to call it like it was never, maybe never so hard, but also never so easy to be recognized like this.

My Sleeping Karma, “Ephedra” live at Colour Haze’s 30th Anniversary, Dec. 28, 2024

Sound of Liberation on Facebook

Sound of Liberation on Instagram

Sound of Liberation website

Sound of Liberation ticket page

SOL Records on Facebook

SOL Records on Instagram

SOL Records store

My Sleeping Karma on Facebook

My Sleeping Karma on Instagram

My Sleeping Karma on Bandcamp

My Sleeping Karma website

True, the first SOL Sonic Ride (info here) hasn’t happened yet, as European heavy booking company Sound of Liberation mark their 20th anniversary with a growing series of all-dayers, but this June in Wiesbaden, Germany, SOL Sonic Ride Part II will bring a fine sampling of touring acts to the proceedings, including King Buffalo, Brant Bjork Trio, the resurgent My Sleeping Karma, Valley of the Sun, Daily Thompson, The Machine and Einseinseins. Wait, that’s everybody. Well I guess it’s a pretty solid bill then.

Note that if you’re dividing the year into quarters — which is something I do around here every now and again; every couple months — this still only covers half of 2025. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there’s more to come before the year’s out. 20 years, especially 20 years booking heavy music in a time that’s seen the rise of the internet, a global pandemic, and unprecedented instability generally, is a triumph. They should have a party every weekend if that’s what they want. If it ends up being four throughout the rest of the year, well fucking earned.

From socials:

⚡️20 YEARS OF SOUND OF LIBERATION – SOL SONIC RIDE PART ll⚡️

Hey friends,

The celebration continues! 🪩

Join us for SOL SONIC RIDE PART II on June 28, 2025, as we mark two decades of heavy riffs with another epic festival day!

Expect mind-blowing performances from a killer lineup, including:

KING BUFFALO • BRANT BJORK TRIO
MY SLEEPING KARMA • VALLEY OF THE SUN
DAILY THOMPSON • THE MACHINE • EINSEINSEINS
& more to be announced soon!

This time, we’re taking over Schlachthof Wiesbaden for a day packed with electrifying energy.

Get your tickets online at www.sol-tickets.com.🎫

Hardtickets are also available via www.sol-records.de.🎫

🗓️June 28, 2025
📍Schlachthof Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden, Germany

Let’s ride the sonic wave once more! 🖤

Cheers,
Your Sound of Liberation Crew

Artwork by @branca_studio

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/
http://www.sol-tickets.com

King Buffalo, “Cerberus” live in Queens, NY, 01.17.25

Holy smokes, check out that lineup. 10 bands and not a clunker or a filler in the bunch. Each offers something different, each occupies a different place in sound and has a different history. From heavy psych progenitors Colour Haze through up and comers like Lucid Void and Kant — both of whom have releases out through Sound of Liberation‘s label wing in addition to working with the booking agency — and being My Sleeping Karma‘s first-revealed date for 2025 (come on, Freak Valley; they’re a bucket-list band for me), it’s a stunner even before you tap 1000mods supporting their new record, Slomosa on the heels of their second, Greenleaf being Greenleaf, Gnome and Earth Tongue and Daevar all continuing to kill it. Damn. As all-dayers go, the SOL Sonic Ride — the 20th anniversary celebration of the aforementioned Sound of Liberation, ser for March 29 and happening across two venues in Cologne, Germany — looks positively epic.

You might recall what happened with Sound of Liberation‘s 15th anniversary shindig, which was to have been held in 2020 and became a 17th anniversary shindig in 2022. On more than a few levels, I wish SOL Sonic Ride a less fraught realization. And happy 20 years to Sound of Liberation, while we’re here.

From socials:

20 YEARS OF SOUND OF LIBERATION

Hey friends,

we’re celebrating two decades of heavy riffs!🪩

Join us on March 29, 2025 in Cologne for a one-day-only festival: SOL SONIC RIDE COLOGNE!🚀

Expect explosive performances from some of the heaviest and trippiest bands on the SOL roster, including:

COLOUR HAZE • 1000MODS
SLOMOSA • MY SLEEPING KARMA
GREENLEAF • GNOME • EARTH TONGUE
DAEVAR • LUCID VOID • KANT

This all goes down across Carlswerk Victoria and Club Volta in Cologne.

Grab your tickets and come ride the sonic wave with us!

🗓️March 29, 2025
📍Carlswerk Victoria + Club Volta
Cologne, Germany

🎫Grab your tickets at www.sol-tickets.com (link in bio)

See you there!🖤

Cheers,
Your Sound of Liberation Crew

Artwork by @branca_studio

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/
http://www.sol-tickets.com

Colour Haze, Live at Duna Jam 2024

[Press play above to stream Ruff Majik’s Moth Eater in its entirety. Album is out tomorrow, Oct. 4, through SOL Records. The band are currently on tour in Europe with Gnome. Dates are here.]

Hail narrative, and double-hail the wielding of it. Ruff Majik‘s fifth album in six years, Moth Eater is also their first for the Sound of Liberation label arm SOL Records and it finds the South African four-piece — vocalist/guitarist Johni Holiday, guitarist/vocalist Cowboy Bez, bassist Jimmy Glass and drummer Steven “Boz Moon” Bosman — with grueling tales of underground debauchery, trials and triumphs, set to dizzying instrumentalist turns and full-rush party-vibe conjurations. To aid in the telling are guests like South Africa’s Reegan Du Buisson (Evergloom, Facing the Gallows) on opener “What a Time to Be a Knife,” and Lerato, who appears on the side B funk-fortified groover “Ingozi” (the Zulu word for “danger” as the lyric sheet notes), and Sweden’s Arvid Hällagård (Greenleaf, Young Acid, Pools), and an overarching structure that brings the sometimes disparate tracks together with transitional recordings of voicemails that are mostly funny and no doubt have their foundations in stories too.

Because make no mistake, even though the songs are short, shove-prone, and fun, what’s happening on Moth Eater — which is not-coincidentally subtitled ‘The Lorekeeper’s Bible’ — is nothing less than Ruff Majik realizing the power of and taking control of their narrative. “Dirt and Deer Blood?” Oh that’s a story. The angry voicemail before the drums start opener “What a Time to Be a Knife” that ends with the threat, “I’ll make sure you never play another show in this town, bru!” as if the band’s intentions were so limited to a single city? That’s a story too. “Wasted Youth?” Come on. That’s a drinking song. Of course it’s a story.

You get the idea. The story is story. This is consistent in some ways with the last two, also stellar, Ruff Majik full-lengths, 2020’s The Devil’s Cattle (review here), where they learned genre was a tool to be manipulated, and more especially 2023’s Elektrik Ram (review here), with which much of Moth Eater is in conversation, sometimes directly, as in the voicemail from the CEO of Riffcom as played by Paul Gioia (All This for Nothing), who congratulates ‘Wilkinson’ on a job well done after the brainmelting percussive thrust of early cut “By the Hammer,” following up on a similarly charming gag from the last record, and sometimes indirectly, as in the way “What a Time to Be a Knife” middle-fingers-up rages in the spirit of Elektrik Ram‘s opener “Hillbilly Fight Song” or “All You Need is Speed” from The Devil’s Cattle, or even the fact that the last line of the closing title-track on Moth Eater is “I feel fine,” where Elektrik Ram wrapped with, “I wish I was dead.”

That that choice feels purposeful at all — and it does — is emblematic of Ruff Majik‘s attention to detail, but one doesn’t have to dig even so far to find that. It’s audible in the multi-layered vocal arrangements throughout, with Holiday‘s voice pushed low on “We’re Not Out of the Swamp Yet” and at its most Axl Rose-esque in “Wasted Youth,” or instrumentally, in the way Glass‘ bassline matches the vocal thoughtfully in the otherwise frenetic “By the Hammer” — which is so much of a story it’s mythology — for the lines, “Oh, and the blood it would stain her pretty white dress/Oh, if Odin wills, she’ll have their heads,” or the manner in which “Cult Eyes” finds itself in a mid-tempo bluesy swagger so suited to the Holiday/Hällagård duet that tops it, or how “Baby’s First Guillotine” moves from its perhaps ill-advised opening voicemail — a German-accented guy talking in a lisped voice about the band shaking their asses resolving in the punchline, “that’s what’s fappening”; I’m sure there’s a story there, too, but it could be taken as a little ha-ha-queerness-is-funny-because-it’s-different-from-me in a way that’s probably more sixth-grade than the band intended — into self-titled-era Alice in Chains-style pulls of guitar in its tension-releasing chorus.

Such persistent self-awareness and generally intelligent structured craft and lyrics are not anchors holding the band back. Instead, as much as it’s a party on the surface, depth abounds in a lyrical reference like “I’m killing snakes/Call me Patrick” in “What a Time to Be a Knife” — subtly namedropping the patron saint of Ireland — and the last lyrics, “Oh Mary, you should’ve seen me in my prime/I could’ve made it, I just didn’t have the time” from the maddeningly catchy “Battering Lamb,” which is a highlight examining the life of a band trying to exist in the current underground sphere, its own chorus, “And I’ve won some/But I’ve lost some too/I’ve been told it’s all part of the game/And I’ve burned through/A stack or two/I’ve been told money ain’t no thang,” encapsulating the experience from inside a nebulous idea of what ‘making it’ means in the first place when the rewards are often intangible at best. That the voicemail accompanying “Battering Lam” at the start and finish is a desperate fan who “needs the fuzz in my life” and “needs some Majik” as though addicted to it should not be taken as a coincidence. Clearly among the things Ruff Majik know about themselves is they know when they’re on fire.

Much of Moth Eater is spent in that very state. To wit, as “Dirt and Deer Blood” shifts from its opening sample of a longwinded tour manager/driver into its verse, Ruff Majik have by then amassed enough capital in attitude to sell the bridge lines, “Y’all don’t even know who the fuck I think I am,” and “Y’all keep playing preacher and I’ll keep getting lit,” without sounding ridiculous. No minor accomplishment, and the song itself is likewise a burner. Sound of Liberation‘s Matte Vandeven (also My Sleeping Karma and The Great Escape) offers some noncommittal compliments after “Baby’s First Guillotine,” and the joke is that the band are killing it. Broadly speaking, the songs don’t make efficiency the top priority in a way that Elektrik Ram often did, and that’s something you can hear even when “What a Time to Be a Knife” kicks back in after a stop that, on the record before, would’ve just been its cold ending. The tradeoff for that immediacy is the material here does more. In that song, for example, the final section rides a more open groove and turns well-timed repetitions of “Get fucked!” into a memorable impression that defines in part the point of view of everything that follows. It enhances the story Ruff Majik are telling, and story is the priority.

A singalong finish for “Wasted Youth” — “Now all I’ve got left is wasted youth/And all I have is half of the truth/I said I never felt lonely/Until I met you/Until I met you…” — gives over (without a sample between) to the title-track, which establishes acoustic guitar early and trades off into a fervent push echoing “By the Hammer” as much as the quieter parts and lyrics complement Elektrik Ram‘s previously-alluded-to “Chemically Humanized.” Decidedly, willfully more lighthearted, “Moth Eater” caps the LP that shares its name with the punchline for all the voicemails spread across its span with a simple deleting of messages. It’s a little awkward after the very-much-an-ending way “Moth Eater” rounds out, but if they were going to conclude that thread at all — and they were, because storytelling — that’s a fair enough way to do it, reinforcing the attitude underlying the songs front-to-back and underscoring the band’s intention to do their own thing in their own way, even if it means they’ll never get another show in this town again, whatever town this may be.

There is a particular element of glee as Ruff Majik dash from part to part, righteous in their us-against-reality cause and assured by a strength of songwriting that makes the song likewise casual-cool and roilingly infectious, and if Elektrik Ram was staring into the abyss, Moth Eater is perhaps throwing the abyss in the van and hitting the road alongside it in buddy-comedy fashion. It is undeniably Ruff Majik‘s own in persona and execution, and even if the trilogy that began in The Devil’s Cattle is done — which it may or may not be — the band thankfully show no signs of letting up anytime soon. May their next round of adventures also result in such a broad swath of stories recounted.

Ruff Majik, “Wasted Youth” lyric video

Ruff Majik, “Cult Eyes” official video

Ruff Majik website

Ruff Majik on Facebook

Ruff Majik on Instagram

Ruff Majik on TikTok

Sound of Liberation on Facebook

Sound of Liberation on Instagram

Sound of Liberation website

Sound of Liberation store

South African four-piece Ruff Maijk will return to Europe for a fest-anchored run of mostly German dates starting Oct. 1. Their new album, Moth Eater, is out three days later through the booking agency Sound of Liberation‘s label wing, SOL Records. That Aschaffenburg show is sure to be a party, though I suppose you could say that for the rest as well. At the end of last week, the band put up the new single “Wasted Youth” showing off some of the more complex melody and emotionalism present throughout the album while reassuring that the hooks, the groove and the fun are maintained. I’m not surprised that I dig the record, but it’s a different animal than the genre-crossing mania of last year’s Elektrik Ram (review here), which seemed to thrive balanced on a tightrope of craft. Moth Eater digs a little deeper into each song, pushing forward in terms of style without wanting to convey the same kind of urgency, panic, call it what you will.

I was lucky to see Ruff Majik play live for Elektrik Ram. I don’t think an invite to Desertfest Belgium or any of the other fests listed below is coming, so I’ll likely not catch them on this run, but I do await the day they announce a US incursion. In years past, I’d have speculated Psycho Las Vegas to host such a thing, and certainly Planet Desert Rock Weekend in the same city (at a much different scale) has its ethic of importing quality bands as well, but if it were to happen at Desertfest New York next year, I most certainly wouldn’t complain about that. I’ll keep my fingers crossed, which, yes, will make it harder to type.

As regards Moth Eater, mark your calendar for Oct. 3 as I’ll be streaming the record in full with a review a day ahead of its proper release. Get stoked. I am.

Tour dates follow, as posted by Sound of Liberation on the old social medias:

Europe, your boys are coming back ❤️

This October, @soundofliberation and @soundofliberationrecords presents @ruffmajik 7th European tour, which will include sets at @desertfest_belgium @up_in_smoke_festival @keep_it_low_festival , Lazy Bones festival and many more!

In support of the new album “Moth Eater”, the boys will also be joining @gnomeverse and @templefang on the road for select dates.

More dates are also being actively added, so if you don’t see your town on the list, get in touch.

RUFF MAJIK – Moth Eater European Tour:
01.10 Pitcher Düsseldorf DE
02.10 Schön Mainz DE
04.10 Colos Saal Aschaffenburg DE
06.10 Up in Smoke Festival Pratteln CH
07.10 Cassiopeia Berlin DE
10.10 Faust Hannover DE
11.10 Beatpol Dresden DE
12.10 Keep it Low Festival Munich DE
13.10 Werk 2 Leipzig DE
18.10 Kuba Jena DE
19.10 B58 Braunschweig DE
20.20 Desertfest Antwerp BE
21.10 Feierwerk Munich DE
22.10 Roxy Ulm DE
23.10 Arena Wien AT
24.10 Zauberberg Passau DE
25.10 Juze Hürth DE
26.10 Lazy Bones Festival Hamburg DE

Visit the SOL Records Shop here: https://shop.soundofliberation.com

Ruff Majik are:
Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar)
Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals)
Jimmy Glass (bass)
Steven Bosman (drums)

http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089579216305&mibextid=ZbWKwL
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/
https://shop.soundofliberation.com/

Ruff Majik, Moth Eater (2024)

Ruff Majik, “Wasted Youth” lyric video

Ruff Majik, “Cult Eyes” official video

Behold the third single from the upcoming Ruff Majik LP, Moth Eater. “Cult Eyes” is notable both for its divergence from the band’s stare-into-the-mania-and-the-mania-stands-back methodology and the guest vocal spot from Greenleaf‘s Arvid Hällagård (also Young Acid, Sleep Moscow, Pools, etc.), but the twist is well-placed amid the many voicemails and turns throughout Moth Eater, and it’s all part of the narrative assertion being made across the record — that is, Ruff Majik taking control of their own story and how it’s presented — and so consistent in making its own kind of sense.

Indeed, a big part of that the South African four-piece are doing with Moth Eater is storytelling, and you can get a sliver of that through the quote below, but that’s just a sample for one song. The whole album has tales for context and even as they seem to advocate turning away from a social-algorith-driven content-provider ethic, they’ve got more to say to their audience than ever. I’m still getting to know the album and still doing some mental ironing on these ideas, so expect more to come as we get closer to the Oct. 4 (originally listed as Sept. 27) release. I haven’t put in a request to stream the album yet, but I should probably get on that.

While I do, here’s PR wire info and the clip for “Cult Eyes.” As always, I hope you enjoy:

South African Fuzz Rockers RUFF MAJIK Release New Video Single “Cult Eyes”, Feat. Arvid Hällagård Of GREENLEAF, Taken From Upcoming Studio Album “Moth Eater”!

October 4, 2024 will see South Africa’s megalithic Ruff Majik release their brand new studio offering, entitled Moth Eater via SOL Records, the label imprint run by Sound Of Liberation (Desertfest Berlin, Keep It Low, Up In Smoke etc. and booking agency for numerous, high-class artists of the stoner, psych, rock and doom metal / sludge scene). Visit the SOL Records Shop at: https://shop.soundofliberation.com

Following previously-released singles such as “What A Time To Be A Knife”, today, Ruff Majik have unleashed a video clip for the song “Cult Eyes”, featuring a guest vocal performance of GREENLEAF frontman Arvid Hällagård! Get the song, out now on all digital streaming providers, at: https://orcd.co/culteyes

“The lyrics for Cult Eyes came about when we became aware of the fact that we had inadvertently started an actual cult based around our music (Yes, the cult is VERY real. No, we won’t tell you where it is or how it started).” The band comments.

“It’s mostly about nonchalantly accepting the role as a cult figure, and then realizing the weight and impact your actions have on your followers, and specifically having to be accountable for those actions. Of course the protagonist in the song doesn’t want to accept any of his own mistakes or take control of anything, just like cult leaders usually don’t, and this selfishness results in death and ruin. It can also be interpreted as an allegory for the modern state of politics and social media influence, where cult leaders spew out nonsense with no accountability.

Arvid Hällagård of Greenleaf tracked vocal harmonies for the song back in 2021, but due to an unfortunate sabotage, the original track was lost to the ether. When Greenleaf and Ruff Majik played together in 2023, the bands got to talking, and Tommi Holappa brought up the fact that Greenleaf listens to a lot of Ruff Majik in the tour van. Arvid and Johni spoke about the sadly lost song, and the decision was made to redo it. It’s a bit of a “what the fuck?” moment for us, since we’ve idolized Greenleaf for years – and Johni even tried to hoodwink them into touring with us before anyone ever heard about us. So, a full circle moment indeed.”

Kicking the vibe back to a sepia-toned era where bell-bottoms and fuzzed-out bass were de rigueur, the ‘Majik lads take a well-known template and drench it with their unique attitude and stoner-esque sensibilities. The horned infant known as Ruff Majik emerged from the primordial ooze when the band moved from the historical town of Lydenburg in 2012 to the capital city of Pretoria, where they honed their craft for a few years before finally entering the studio to record for the first time. In 2024 and while they are currently gearing up for the October-release of their Moth Eater on Sound Of Liberation Records, Ruff Majik released a number of EP’s and three lauded albums to date, not to mention the megaton of local and international touring (watch out for new tour dates, to be announced for October 2024 soon)!

All the requisite ‘Majik trope boxes are ticked in thick, bold permanent marker – sludgy, distorted riffs, vast landscapes of sonic abandon, dark imagery that perfectly complements the delicious cacophony, and tasty sound bites that add infinite swathes of colour. This is what is expected from the band, their signature sound and one that never fails.

Album Tracklist:
01. What A Time To Be A Knife
02. Dirt And Deer Blood
03. By The Hammer
04. We’re Not Out Of The Swamp Yet
05. Battering Lamb
06. Cult Eyes
07. Baby’s First Guillotine
08. Ingozi
09. Wasted Youth
10. Moth Eater

Ruff Majik are:
Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar)
Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals)
Jimmy Glass (bass)
Steven Bosman (drums)

http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089579216305&mibextid=ZbWKwL
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik

https://www.facebook.com/Soundofliberation/
https://www.instagram.com/soundofliberation/
https://www.soundofliberation.com/
https://shop.soundofliberation.com/

Ruff Majik, “Cult Eyes” official video

Today, Ruff Majik begin the process of following up 2023’s Elektrik Ram (review here), and the first single is “What a Time to Be a Knife,” which the band teased last month ahead of starting their European tour.

As that tour wraps up pretty much right this second, clearly it’s time to move on to the next thing, and that’s the album process. I think there are a few months to go on that, but at very least today is the preliminary steps moving forward from what was hands-down the band’s best effort to-date, following the charge and divergences-of-arrangement of 2020’s The Devil’s Cattle (review here) with tighter songwriting, smart-ass lyrics and a performance that was soaked in attitude not at the expense of the sincerity with which it was also telling you to get fucked.

Speaking of that sentiment, it is expressed verbatim at the open-up-to-the-nod culmination of “What a Time to Be a Knife,” which as I understand it will lead off the new album in a line of succession for adrenaline-fueled starters. At the start of the track, you’ll hear Reegan du Buisson (Facing the Gallows, Evergloom) talking about how Ruff Majik will never play in this town again, etc., and if the song is the band’s response, they seem entirely cool with that.

Fair enough as they set broader sights on the whole. They’ll be back in Europe this Fall for Desertfest Belgium (god damn I wanna go) and more besides. Dates TBA, but there are shows announced already. So far as I know, nothing is bringing them to the US this year, but fair enough for visa costs, and maybe they’ll get there in 2025. The album will be out on Sound of Liberation Records, which also happens to be the label wing of their Euro booking agency, further speaking to their overarching priorities.

More to come. For today, this from the PR wire [EDIT 06/07: An actual press release came after this post went up. I’ve updated with the text of that below; the difference is there’s more about the album. Thanks.]:

South African Fuzz Juggernaut RUFF MAJIK Announces New Studio Album “Moth Eater” On Sound Of Liberation Records; First Single (Feat. Reegan du Buisson of Facing The Gallows) Out Now!

Streaming: https://orcd.co/xqy6d0b

Following their latest, much acclaimed 2023-album ‘Elektrik Ram’, South Africa’s megalithic Ruff Majik has announced the release of a new studio offering! Moth Eater will be released on September 27, 2024 via SOL Records, the label imprint run by Sound Of Liberation (Desertfest Berlin, Keep It Low, Up In Smoke etc. and booking agency for numerous, high-class artists of the stoner, psych, rock and doom metal / sludge scene). Visit the SOL Records Shop here: https://shop.soundofliberation.com

A first album single taken off Ruff Majik’s upcoming banger, “What A Time To Be A Knife” feat. Reegan du Buisson of Facing The Gallows, is now streaming on all digital providers at: https://orcd.co/xqy6d0b

From a lyrical perspective, the first single release deals with the anger and frustration towards the status quo. It can be read as an allegory of governmental resistance and frustration with peers accepting the status quo, however, according to Ruff Majik it is more specifically aimed at the con-men and grifters in the local South African scene. As the band tells us:

“Right out the gate, we need to get some stuff off our chest. So, this song goes out to our local music industry promoters/suits/businessmen/naysayers that think they rule the world and shit gold. This is us drawing the line in the sand and throwing down the gauntlet – run up, we’re ready.

The scene is amazing, the bands are trying their best to make something good happen, and these greedy goblins are actively trying to destroy what we’re building.

So you think you’re the music biz messiah? Get f#@cked!”

Ruff Majik are:
Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar)
Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals)
Jimmy Glass (bass)
Steven Bosman (drums)

http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089579216305&mibextid=ZbWKwL
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik

Ruff Majik, “What a Time to Be a Knife”

Ruff Majik, Elektrik Ram (2023)

With just a bit less than a month to go before it’s released, no one will be able to say they weren’t warned about the new Ruff Majik single, “What a Time to Be a Knife.” The South African heavy rockers will release the new track on June 7 — it’s available now to pre-save through the usual-suspect digital outlets — and no, there isn’t even a snippet of audio to go on yet, but one assumes that will follow.

Why put word out early? Maybe it’s because the band are gearing up to travel from South Africa to Europe for a second tour supporting their most righteous 2023 long-player, Elektrik Ram (review here), and wanted to be sure they got the news out before the run started May 16, not the least since they’re on the continent until the song actually arrives. One more thing to tick off your to-do list ahead of getting on the plane. There’s a lot to be said for that.

And a lot to be said about “What a Time to Be a Knife” as well. I’ll skip playing coy and tell you outright I’ve had the chance to hear the song, and if the middle-fingery vibe of “Hillbilly Fight Song” from Elektrik Ram or the charge of “All You Need is Speed” from 2020’s The Devil’s Cattle (review here) did you right, you’ll probably want to keep an eye out. As one would both expect and hope, attitude abounds in the song, which also features a guest spot from Reegan du Buisson (Facing the Gallows, Evergloom), and by the time you feel like you can keep up with the first listen, it’s already over.

The European dates (yeah, I already posted them; bite me) follow here, as well as the knife-emoji-heavy save-the-date note and link they put out on socials. Have at it:

RUFF MAJIK – 🔪What A Time To Be A Knife🔪

⚔️07.06.2024⚔️

feat. Reegan du Buisson

Pre-save: https://orcd.co/xqy6d0b

Illustration by Llewellyn Van Eeden
Design by Johni Holiday
Mix and master by Justin Bernardo
via Sound of Liberation

Ruff Majik :

16.5 – Cottbus (DE) @comicaze_cb , HEADLINE
17.5 – Dresden (DE) Gockelscream Festival
18.5 – Cologne (DE) @clubvolta_cologne , Siena Root + Dirty Sound Magnet
19.5 – Den Bosch (NL) W2, Monkey3
20.5 – Ede (NL) @astrant_ede , HEADLINE
21.5 – TBA
22.5 – Luxembourg (LUX) @mkbarbelval , with @uncle.leaf.band
23.5 – Aarau, @kiffaarau (CH), Brant Bjork
24.5 – München (DE), @feierwerk_ , Brant Bjork
25.5 – Erfurt (DE), VEB Kultur , Brant Bjork
26.5 – @desertfest_berlin (DE)
28.5 – Prague (CZ), @underdogsprague , Headline
29.5 – Nürnberg (DE), @musikzentrale_nuernberg , Headline
30.5 – TBA
31.5 – Esbjerg (DK), @esbjerg_fuzztival
1.6 – TBA
2.6 – Düsseldorf (DE), @pitcherrocknrollhq , Headline
4.6 – Lille (FR), @labullecafe
5.6 – Würzburg (DE), @immerhin.wuerzburg , Monkey3
6.6 – Biberach (DE), @abdera.bc , Monkey3
7.6 – Münster (DE), @rare_guitar , Headline
8.6 – TBA

Ruff Majik are:
Johni Holiday (vocals & guitar)
Cowboy Bez (guitar & vocals)
Jimmy Glass (bass)
Steven Bosman (drums)

http://www.ruffmajik.com
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089579216305&mibextid=ZbWKwL
http://www.instagram.com/ruffmajik
https://www.tiktok.com/@ruffmajik

Ruff Majik, Elektrik Ram (2023)