Podcast
Dial Nits
Hosted by Eric Facon · EN
Dutch band (The) Nits looks back on an extraordinary career of fifty years, in which the band has published an enormous amount of very different albums, has played countless concerts all around the globe and has participated in many side ventures. A band that chose its own path and that continues to evolve in unexpected ways. Starting out as a power pop band with songs in the vein of the Beatles, the Kinks or the the Hollies, they evolved into an outfit with an own sound, a mixture of pure pop with classical and neo classical, jazz and folk elements. Then came the hits, like "Nescio" or "In the Dutch mountains", but the Nits kept on exploring their sonic possibilities, thereby expanding the envelope of pop music. A curious band, in all senses of the word.
"Dial Nits" features core members Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and Robert Jan Stips in conversation, but also collaborators, friends and family from many different countries talking about the music and about the background stories to this unusual career of musicians from the Netherlands.
Production: Darren Hayne.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why?
Jan 1300:36:54Tap to summarizeA celebration of 51 years of the Nits EP 30 Lives are made up of stories – this is the way we make our worlds. In this episode, you will hear some personal snapshots. Of flying hay, of late night dinners in cramped circumstances, of fans turning into concert organizers, of radio hosts almost getting sacked. All of them are people with a close relationship with the Nits. The guests for another set of possible answers to the question “Why? ” are Franz Adrian Wenzl, singer in the band “Kreisky” also known as Austro Fred, the ultimate Austrian pop star who combines the music of Freddy Mercury and Queen with German lyrics; Wolfgang Sturm, director of the Theater Akzent in Vienna, and famous Dutch radio and TV personality Jan Douwe Kroeske. And, and of course, Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and Robert Jan Stips – in short: the Nits.
Transcribe →
Fire
Dec 800:35:22Tap to summarizeA celebration of Dutch band the Nits EP 29 Judging by song titles from “The House” and “House on House” to “The House of Jacob”, houses very always important to the Nits. Their own was a square brick building, The Werf or “De Werf” in Sloterdijk in the western part of Amsterdam. They worked here for 40 years, from 1982 until the day it burned down. It was a creative jungle, with a jumble of instruments, flight cases, stage props and lamps and an archive of sounds, posters and articles about the band. In this episode, members Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and Robert Jan Stips and soundman Paul Telman and light engineer Tom Telman recount the events and the aftermath – and which creative way they found to deal with this catastrophe. On top of this, Rob Kloet opens up his notebooks about music and philosophical ideas that influence his playing. Robert Jan Stips takes us into the world of sounds and instruments, from grand pianos to synthesizers.
Transcribe →
What we did on our holidays
Nov 500:46:48Tap to summarizeA celebration of 51 years of the Nits EP 28 In between many albums and tours with the Nits, Henk Hofstede and Rob Kloet found time for other projects such as the Avalanche Quartet and the Ho Orchestra. The first of these bands was dedicated to the songs of Leonard Cohen, the other was an international big band formed with Swiss pianist Simon Ho, including musicians and singers from all over Europe. You will also find a new cover version, a live track of a well known song with Oli Hartung on electric guitar, plus one track of Henk’s that was recorded for Simon Ho’s first album. Guests in this episode include Mari Kaasinen Paaso, Arwen Linnemann, Marjolein van der Klauw, Vera van der Poel, Lorenz Hasler (violinist of the Salonisti), Simon Ho, Pim Kops. Plus Henk Hofstede and Rob Kloet.
Transcribe →
Een jongen uit de meer
Aug 1200:42:35Tap to summarizeA celebration of 51 years of the Nits EP 27 The list is long: JOS days, Crane-driver, In the Dutch mountains, Une petite allumette, the Concrete House, Two skaters, Yellow socks and Angst, House of Jacob, the Concrete Brothers, Lits-jumeaux. All of these songs come from one place, contents-wise: they take place in Watergraafsmeer, in singer/lyrics writer Henk Hofstede’s youth, in the past of his parents. We’ve made a small expedition into the dutch mountains, the unspectacular neighborhood in Eastern Amsterdam, behind the polders, at some distance from town centre, in the shadow of the chocolate factory. A small trip back in time. Sometimes, the everyday can be transformed into magic. Walking with Henk, on a cold grey morning, under suburban skies. And then we also sat down to talk about lyrics. Music by the Nits, Oli Hartung, Simon Ho and the Squirls. Sound design Darren Hayne.
Transcribe →
The Tomtom Three
Jun 1200:40:06Tap to summarizeA celebration of the Dutch band Nits EP 26 The two albums that followed “Angst” were both born of improvisations – and even the two albums in question sound very different from each other, the basic tracks often come from the same sessions. As its name suggests, “Knot” is the knotty, the more difficult one – it is the perfect soundtrack to a car ride on an Autobahn late on a rainy night. “Neon” is the brighter album, a stylistically more diverse, more impressionistic affair – like an “Omsk” 40 years later. In this episode, you hear Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and Robert Jan Stips talk about the improvising and their work schedule. The guests are Ephrem Lüchinger, Swiss keyboard player extraordinaire, with whom we sat down to listen to some songs from “Knot” that he did not know. Swiss (music) journalist Markus Ganz has been following the band from the beginning of the 80ies; we asked him about the invisible ties of this music to German Krautock. Music by the Nits and Ephrem Lüchinger Production and Sound Design by Darren Hayne.
Transcribe →
Forget-me-not (Mix Tape IV)
May 5, 202500:34:14Tap to summarizeA celebration of the Dutch band Nits EP 25 Rewind to the Seventies. Bands especially in Germany were trying to find their own voices that were not anglophone. Bands such as Kraftwerk or Neu were the first, to be followed by many others in new wave-times. Among these, a band from Berne, Switzerland. Their hit was “Eisbär” and it hit a nerve in neigboring countries. One member was Stephan Eicher who went on to become a very successful solo artist. A contemporary of the Nits. Guitar master Hank Shizzoe is a frequent collaborator of Eicher’s and has collaborated in concerts with the Nits. Stefan Horlitz is a music teacher from Germany who loves the Nits. Joke Roelandt is a Belgian philosopher who writes in depth about the Dutch band. This episode features their insights – and you also get to hear the thoughts of musicians Crawford Blair and Lea Maria Fries about one song: “Flower shop forget-me-not”. Joke Roelandt’s writing can be found on https://joke-roelandt.com/. Roman Wyss: “Guggisberglied” Stefan Horlitz: Music for Joke
Transcribe →
Radio Oranje
Apr 12, 202500:36:42Tap to summarizeA celebration of the Dutch band Nits EP 24 In may of 1940, the Netherlands were attacked by Nazi-Germany. The occupation lasted five years until the country was liberated. Five traumatic years during which Henk Hofstede’s mother grew up in Amsterdam, only to spend liberation day ill in bed. Now fast forward to the Seventies and the relationship between both countries is still less than friendly. The shadow of World War II still hangs in the air. But then things change ever so subtly. To young people, Germany suddenly becomes very attractive, via the motorcycles that young people ride around town with, via the long haired German football players, via the synthesizers from Germany and the mechanical sounds of Kraftwerk and all the other exotic sounds from the neighboring country. Once again, the Nits choose a different approach to their work, not working with a concept or prepared demoes, but building on improvising sessions at their workspace, the WERF. Sound design and production: Darren Hayne.
Transcribe →Isnt Nits
Mar 9, 202500:59:07Tap to summarizeA celebration of the Dutch band Nits EP 23 At the start, the idea was simple: to recruit some Swiss musicians to record a couple of Nits-songs for an album to celebrate the 40th birthday of the band. As usual, such ideas can quickly balloon into something bigger. At the end, the project of called “Isnt Nits” turned into a huge production with 51 songs performed by many musicians. Musicians from around the globe, from Australia to Finland, from France to Canada. To celebrate this album, there was a concert in Zurich (the “Isnt Nits Nite”) which was quickly followed by another concert in Haarlem. Many friends and colleagues of the Nits shared the stage with them. In this episode, many of the protagonist talk about the recording of the album. And the three members of the Nits choose their favourites among the many covers on these albums. Production: Darren Hayne.
Transcribe →
Love Locks
Feb 23, 202500:41:33Tap to summarizeA celebration of the Dutch band Nits EP 22 “Malpensa”, the title of the new album of 2012, is inspired by the airport of Milan. The Nits – a band that writes a lot about travelling – finally leaves the Werf and records some songs abroad, in a castle in Burio in Northern Italy. “Hotel Europa”, the live album from 2015, collects recordings from different line-ups in different eras of the band, but most importantly, recordings made in cities from all over Europe. In between these two corner stones, the Nits turn 40 in 2014; there’s a Best Of-box set, two celebratory concerts in Haarlem and Zurich, a short tour with the repertoire of the first ten years of the band. To top it all, Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and Robert Jan Stips are knighted in the Order of Oranje-Nassau for their contribution to Dutch culture. Busy years! Ipad recordings: Henk Hofstede Loops: Rob Kloet Production: Darren Hayne
Transcribe →
Jukebox Diaries
Jan 7, 202500:31:19Tap to summarizeA celebration of the Dutch band Nits EP 21 On the jukebox in 2008 and 2009, the classic combos of British pop of the Sixties, the Beatles, the Kinks, the Zombies, but also some of the early signer/songwriters of the day, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake. Both «Doing the Dishes» and «Strawberry Wood» bear all of their influences, whilst strongly having an own character. And once again, the Dutch trios makes a wild turnaround from before. Whereas «Les Nuits» was a darker, brooding album, these two albums are lighter, extremely playful, humorous and less polished in the case of «Dishes». «Strawberry Wood» on the other hand is a more reflective piece of work, with songs about children moving out of the family home. Both albums are companion pieces, also for the reason that they were created more or less parallel to each other. The title oft he second album shows the way, with ist mash-up oft wo famous songs by John Lennon. Bar piano: Roman Wyss.
Transcribe →