Sound of Amnesia

I was born in The Hague (Netherlands) in 1977.

For as long as I can remember music was always there……

At the age of 12, I joined the local school band as a drummer. We were mainly doing covers back then. Shortly after I joined a Speed Metal band named Inevitable that one of the older guys from school was part of. This band was rehearsing several times a week at the HPC (The Hague Pop Center, which is a local music organization). I was the youngest musician around there and got suddenly confronted with the underground scene and everything that comes with it…the good things, the bad things…

After 3 years, I left the band and became a “freelance drummer” doing some studio recordings and live performances (in my spare time since I was also still studying). I got to play and jam with all sorts of bands, from heavy metal to jazz, reggae, blues etc… Looking back, this was a very good learning process in many different ways. I never took any drum or guitar lessons and couldn’t read a single note…still can’t!

1994 was the year I discovered a band named “Swans”. A new chapter began. This music changed all my musical and life perspectives…. I’m not afraid to say, this music saved me from myself. Still today a great part of my inspiration I thank to the music and lyrics of Swans as well as from all their other projects such as The Angels of Light and Michael Gira.

In 1996, Nezgishma was born; this band had the same musical tendencies. We played and composed together during 2 years. These were very dark years and I felt I was mentally slipping down…. of course the heavy drugs and alcohol abuse didn’t help…. I just turned twenty and already I had enough…. Then it happened… I woke up one morning and decided I wanted nothing to do anymore with music or any bands…. This was the beginning of what I call my Amnesia… I immediately wrote a letter to inform the band, as I couldn’t even bear telling them face to face at that point…. I fully dedicated the next few years to my work and sports (Kickboxing, Karate…) which had always been my second passion. I was trying to focus. It was during these years that I met my wife and I had my beautiful daughter, Mila-Swann… it was them who made me realize that I was only fooling myself… the music was still there in my head night and day all the time…. I was unconsciously composing but not letting it out…. All this time I was the prison to my own music… until today… I finally opened the gate and the album wrote itself. Culture, blood, religion is describing all the feelings I experienced during this period, sadness, loneliness, emptiness but most of all it’s about hope, friendship and beauty.

Now I know……………………I WILL SURVIVE!

All The Best Daniël