De La Vega

De La Vega. The name in itself tells a story. Diego, a.k.a. Zorro, makes you throw down your arms. Give it up for the hero: depending on his disguise, he is robbery or flattery. With or without the mask, there is always a lot to discover beneath the surface. Because De La Vega is an icon. You’re a De La Vega, or you’re not.Remember Joey, Dee Dee, Marky, etc. They too became family in the rehearsal room... Rehearsal room may however be too irreverent a description of the home studio JP De Brabander (guitar, electronics, computer) has excavated in the moist soil of the Eastern Flanders polders. There the male trio of De La Vega had already been concentrating for some time on writing and producing together. Sharing a history as the nucleus of the band Looplizard and with a link sideways to one-time Rock Rally finalists Orgasmaddix, JP, Ben Van De Velde (bass, electronics, computer) and David Van Belleghem (drums, electronics, computer) were in the process of laying the foundations of De La Vega when a voice from above descended upon them: Lize Accoe, somewhat younger then the threesome, was introduced by a friend of a friend. Nourished in the young artist workshop De Kunstbende, she had been looking for vocal fulfilment in various places. An afternoon of ad libbing led to Lize polishing the rough diamond “Speedboy” with a peculiar flow of impromptu lyrics and vocals. They dawned on the music as the final pieces of the puzzle – it was there and then that mathematicians officially established that the sum of various parts working together may indeed be greater than their mere total. Since then, making choices has been a daily challenge. In De La Vegaland no musical cocktail remains unsavoured, guests come ‘round to deliver experimental cherries on the pie, the blender mangles every possible musical ingredient. Wading through the limitless possibilities, with every artistic decision excluding a million others, is therefore a daytime job. It’s the devotion to that job that in the meantime has turned the quartet into a very tight unit. Paraphrasing Speech of Arrested Development, the maxim “We don’t know where we’re going to, but we know we’re going there together…” best describes the nature and the modus operandi of De La Vega. It also hints at the musical heritage inspiring the band. Lize provides sensitivities from the soul, jazz, and hip hop register (with influences from DJ culture thrown in for good measure), while JP, Ben and David spread a backdrop of dub, noise, funk and poignant rock. Directions are always shifting organically, on or off the dancefloor. Think Red Snapper, The Herbalizer, Cinematic Orchestra, DJ Shadow. But not for longer than thirty seconds... On a productional level the De La Vega gentlemen had already learned immensely from the great Adrian Sherwood (with whom Looplizard in their heyday recorded their first album), now there is also the guiding input from engineer Marc François. Listen to the instrumental “Scream For Ibiza”, a pointillist painting from which a panoramic view emerges. Don’t be intimidated by “Surely”, supercharged with sensual violin strokes longing for more. The same goes for Lize’s lyrics: in “He Spends His Days” and “Speedboy” sentences and words stroke details, triggering something bigger. Stream of (un)consciousness? Singing as therapy? At least one thing is for certain: if you hadn’t yet noticed the young lady’s soulful rendition of the song “Breaking Up” on the soundtrack of the TV series “Sedes & Belli” (as composed and recorded by Piet Goddaer/Ozark Henry), from now on there is no ignoring her. The first De La Vega mini-album and the single “Surely” (accompanied by a striking video) should draw all of your attention. Support your local scene !!