(PV) Gonzo Circus Magazine Oct-23
Actually Plus Instruments stands for everything Truus de Groot puts her hands on. This could be a Korg-MS-20 synthesizer, but it could also be a television or a plastic toy guitar. Since 1978, when she was still a member of Nasmak, she has been pushing musical boundaries. On her own or in occasional collaborations. The music on '79/80' is a compilation of her earliest work and contains eight tracks from the untraceable cassette "Truss Plus Instruments" from 1980. De Groot opened her archives for the six other songs. About the buzzing synthesizers, an echo room and a primitive rhythm box, De Groot improvises with her voice. Unlike many contemporaries, the atmosphere is playful rather than dark. Comparative material is not so obvious, or it would have to be BeNe GeSSeRiT, because of the bizarre vocals and combination of electronics plus toy instruments. None other than Wally van Middendorp (Minny Pops) makes a guest appearance on the fun minimal-electronics experiment “Drama”. This LP is highly recommended to diggers who get a kick out of obscure material from the 1980s. Who still remembers it all? For those who wants something more exclusive, hunt for one of the seventy-five copies on purple vinyl, with the added bonus of a cassette with two live performances from that same era.
Actually Plus Instruments stands for everything Truus de Groot puts her hands on. This could be a Korg-MS-20 synthesizer, but it could also be a television or a plastic toy guitar. Since 1978, when she was still a member of Nasmak, she has been pushing musical boundaries. On her own or in occasional collaborations. The music on '79/80' is a compilation of her earliest work and contains eight tracks from the untraceable cassette "Truss Plus Instruments" from 1980. De Groot opened her archives for the six other songs. About the buzzing synthesizers, an echo room and a primitive rhythm box, De Groot improvises with her voice. Unlike many contemporaries, the atmosphere is playful rather than dark. Comparative material is not so obvious, or it would have to be BeNe GeSSeRiT, because of the bizarre vocals and combination of electronics plus toy instruments. None other than Wally van Middendorp (Minny Pops) makes a guest appearance on the fun minimal-electronics experiment “Drama”. This LP is highly recommended to diggers who get a kick out of obscure material from the 1980s. Who still remembers it all? For those who wants something more exclusive, hunt for one of the seventy-five copies on purple vinyl, with the added bonus of a cassette with two live performances from that same era.
Boomkat Product Review - September 23
'79/80' examines the earliest days of Plus Instruments, Dutch vanguard Truus de Groot's freewheeling experimental project. This anthology bundles a handful of tracks from her rare debut cassette with archival tracks from the same period. Properly spannered gear, it's an industrial-adjacent boil of broken synths, haunted vocals and sozzled tape noise that plays like a cross between The Shadow Ring, Throbbing Gristle, Wolf Eyes and Tolerance.
De Groot was still a member of cult Dutch experimental new wave band Nasmak in 1978 when she officially established herself as a solo artist, using the name Truss + Instruments for the project. She wouldn't stay solo for long, escaping the Netherlands for New York in the early '80s and bringing in assistance from artists like Lee Ranaldo and James Sclavunos, but this collection focuses on the project's genesis. The bulk of the record is snipped from De Groot's 1980-released debut, trimmed slightly and then fleshed out with unreleased tracks from the same time period. And it's remarkably coherent, sounding just as alien and unique now as it no doubt did back then. De Groot has a way of working that sounds haphazard but endlessly endearing, meshing her bizarre vocalizations with off-kilter beatbox blasts, oscillator squeaks and lashings of tape-damaged noise. It's tempting to call it industrial, but there's more going on here - De Groot doesn't sound as if she's in the thrall of any particular genre or other, but experimenting at her own pace, working out exactly what she can do with her modest setup.
Using a multi-track recorder with "whatever crappy gadgets she could find", De Groot trains her focus on snot and attitude, making songs that sound so battered they could fall apart at any moment. 'Lucky Day' introduced the original cassette and welcomes us to this set, bursting into the frame with hoarse screams and ghosted, saturated synth vamps that splinter into springy echoes. The roots of later noise upstarts like Wolf Eyes are right here, buried in De Groot's mucky tangle of distorted, nonchalant vocals, screaming feedback and irregular rhythms. On 'Herhalingen', she loops a single syllable until it's a pulse, spritzing it with tinny keyboard wails and breaking for a moment to remind us "the show must go on". And on 'True Love Stallion', one of the anthology's archival finds, she turns seemingly random synth bleeps into a detuned lullaby, using a disconcerting hum as accompaniment and stabbing at the keys erratically.
Another of the unheard rarities is 'Improv 1', a short blast of LFO noise that mutates into bleeps and damaged vocals, before 'Dance', 'So' and 'Music-Zak' bring us back to the original release. The latter is a serious highlight, a humid, hummable ditty that sounds like a cheap organ being played underwater. 'Improv 10' meanwhile glues a robotic voice to De Groot's pained screams and electrical fluctuations, and 'Mountain' sounds like a loping dancefloor melter, with a stumbling kick drum set against haunted echoes and distant recorder blasts. Utterly bonkers, this one'll have your head spinning - forget what you know, this is as punk as it gets.
'79/80' examines the earliest days of Plus Instruments, Dutch vanguard Truus de Groot's freewheeling experimental project. This anthology bundles a handful of tracks from her rare debut cassette with archival tracks from the same period. Properly spannered gear, it's an industrial-adjacent boil of broken synths, haunted vocals and sozzled tape noise that plays like a cross between The Shadow Ring, Throbbing Gristle, Wolf Eyes and Tolerance.
De Groot was still a member of cult Dutch experimental new wave band Nasmak in 1978 when she officially established herself as a solo artist, using the name Truss + Instruments for the project. She wouldn't stay solo for long, escaping the Netherlands for New York in the early '80s and bringing in assistance from artists like Lee Ranaldo and James Sclavunos, but this collection focuses on the project's genesis. The bulk of the record is snipped from De Groot's 1980-released debut, trimmed slightly and then fleshed out with unreleased tracks from the same time period. And it's remarkably coherent, sounding just as alien and unique now as it no doubt did back then. De Groot has a way of working that sounds haphazard but endlessly endearing, meshing her bizarre vocalizations with off-kilter beatbox blasts, oscillator squeaks and lashings of tape-damaged noise. It's tempting to call it industrial, but there's more going on here - De Groot doesn't sound as if she's in the thrall of any particular genre or other, but experimenting at her own pace, working out exactly what she can do with her modest setup.
Using a multi-track recorder with "whatever crappy gadgets she could find", De Groot trains her focus on snot and attitude, making songs that sound so battered they could fall apart at any moment. 'Lucky Day' introduced the original cassette and welcomes us to this set, bursting into the frame with hoarse screams and ghosted, saturated synth vamps that splinter into springy echoes. The roots of later noise upstarts like Wolf Eyes are right here, buried in De Groot's mucky tangle of distorted, nonchalant vocals, screaming feedback and irregular rhythms. On 'Herhalingen', she loops a single syllable until it's a pulse, spritzing it with tinny keyboard wails and breaking for a moment to remind us "the show must go on". And on 'True Love Stallion', one of the anthology's archival finds, she turns seemingly random synth bleeps into a detuned lullaby, using a disconcerting hum as accompaniment and stabbing at the keys erratically.
Another of the unheard rarities is 'Improv 1', a short blast of LFO noise that mutates into bleeps and damaged vocals, before 'Dance', 'So' and 'Music-Zak' bring us back to the original release. The latter is a serious highlight, a humid, hummable ditty that sounds like a cheap organ being played underwater. 'Improv 10' meanwhile glues a robotic voice to De Groot's pained screams and electrical fluctuations, and 'Mountain' sounds like a loping dancefloor melter, with a stumbling kick drum set against haunted echoes and distant recorder blasts. Utterly bonkers, this one'll have your head spinning - forget what you know, this is as punk as it gets.
Vital Weekly - August 23
The Plus Instruments LP is, technically, not a Plus Instruments LP but Truss + Instruments, as it says on the cover of the original cassette. I can perfectly understand why Truus de Groot and the label decided on using the name Plus Instruments. De Groot was, in 1980, part of Nasmak, but restless as she is, she moved away and started the second version of Plus Instruments with Lee Ranaldo and James Sclavunos. The 'Truss + Instruments' she recorded before that and is the result of experimenting with sounds with the help of Wally van Middendorp, best known as the singer of Minny Pops and Michel Waisvisz, the famous inventor of the crackle box and founder of Steim. De Groot worked in private studios or at home, using a variety of instruments; Korg MS20, the Putney synthesizer, crackle box (and as such, the big version of which Michel Waisvisz only made two), guitar, rhythm box, plastic toy guitar, flute, organ, TV, microphone, echo machine and "anything that came in handy". If you like Plus Instruments based on the 'Februari - April 81' record from 1981, which was re-issued in 2013 and 2022, or the later work, with its motorik-driven beats, you are in for a surprise here. The original cassette had fourteen tracks, of which seven are on this LP, plus seven more from De Groot's archive. These pieces are pretty experimental, scratchy, buzzing and whirring songs. Minimal and simple rhythms, small music as it were, some sketches and ideas, and some more worked-out songs and soundscapes.
In a limited edition, there is also a cassette release with a live recording from 1979 and one from 1980. The first is from Notre Dame Hall in London, with Plus Instruments being De Grrot and Waisvisz. They deliver an exciting set, both using voices over improvised electronics that have a slightly rhythmic impact. This side of Plus Instruments is quite raw and punky and different from the LP here or later work. On the other side is De Groot's solo, with a recording from Eindhoven, and here you find early seeds of the later work. Slightly more extensive use of rhythm, more song-based, and also in the use of the voice. Combined with the recordings on the LP here, this gives a great insight into the early and rapid evolution of her music. (FdW)
The Plus Instruments LP is, technically, not a Plus Instruments LP but Truss + Instruments, as it says on the cover of the original cassette. I can perfectly understand why Truus de Groot and the label decided on using the name Plus Instruments. De Groot was, in 1980, part of Nasmak, but restless as she is, she moved away and started the second version of Plus Instruments with Lee Ranaldo and James Sclavunos. The 'Truss + Instruments' she recorded before that and is the result of experimenting with sounds with the help of Wally van Middendorp, best known as the singer of Minny Pops and Michel Waisvisz, the famous inventor of the crackle box and founder of Steim. De Groot worked in private studios or at home, using a variety of instruments; Korg MS20, the Putney synthesizer, crackle box (and as such, the big version of which Michel Waisvisz only made two), guitar, rhythm box, plastic toy guitar, flute, organ, TV, microphone, echo machine and "anything that came in handy". If you like Plus Instruments based on the 'Februari - April 81' record from 1981, which was re-issued in 2013 and 2022, or the later work, with its motorik-driven beats, you are in for a surprise here. The original cassette had fourteen tracks, of which seven are on this LP, plus seven more from De Groot's archive. These pieces are pretty experimental, scratchy, buzzing and whirring songs. Minimal and simple rhythms, small music as it were, some sketches and ideas, and some more worked-out songs and soundscapes.
In a limited edition, there is also a cassette release with a live recording from 1979 and one from 1980. The first is from Notre Dame Hall in London, with Plus Instruments being De Grrot and Waisvisz. They deliver an exciting set, both using voices over improvised electronics that have a slightly rhythmic impact. This side of Plus Instruments is quite raw and punky and different from the LP here or later work. On the other side is De Groot's solo, with a recording from Eindhoven, and here you find early seeds of the later work. Slightly more extensive use of rhythm, more song-based, and also in the use of the voice. Combined with the recordings on the LP here, this gives a great insight into the early and rapid evolution of her music. (FdW)
https://smikkelbaard.bandcamp.com
By Richard Foster
BandT + Instruments (1979) EP - Plurex label
What the bloody heck is this? The sound of the FUTURE that's what. The Plurex debut of the wonderful + Instruments and Truus de Groot. This sounds out of time and ahead of its time all at once, and could only come from a working class town built on technology and elbow grease: Eindhoven. Simultaneously digging Paul Panhuysen and bubblegum pop, Truus de Groot's vision, when welded onto the dour lads from Plus Instruments/Nasmaak [sic] produced incredible results. The lead track "Special Agreement" could be an advert for a new light bulb, it's that way out. And "Sweet Bananas" and "Words" are more out there and FAR less pretentious and academic than Ruth White. And encased in thee cutest sleeve imaginable. You can see how far we've regressed in this Facebook age. How de Groot's work gets overlooked when Heads like Cosi Fanni Tutti & Delia Derbyshire get (rightfully) praised is a mystery.
By Richard Foster
BandT + Instruments (1979) EP - Plurex label
What the bloody heck is this? The sound of the FUTURE that's what. The Plurex debut of the wonderful + Instruments and Truus de Groot. This sounds out of time and ahead of its time all at once, and could only come from a working class town built on technology and elbow grease: Eindhoven. Simultaneously digging Paul Panhuysen and bubblegum pop, Truus de Groot's vision, when welded onto the dour lads from Plus Instruments/Nasmaak [sic] produced incredible results. The lead track "Special Agreement" could be an advert for a new light bulb, it's that way out. And "Sweet Bananas" and "Words" are more out there and FAR less pretentious and academic than Ruth White. And encased in thee cutest sleeve imaginable. You can see how far we've regressed in this Facebook age. How de Groot's work gets overlooked when Heads like Cosi Fanni Tutti & Delia Derbyshire get (rightfully) praised is a mystery.
Newsletter Vital Weekly:Number 1198-Week 37
by; Frans de Waard
PLUS INSTRUMENTS - AIM FOR THE CENTER (CDR by Dewclaw Ditties)
Is that title, and the target cover, for real or is it a remark on the current state of the USA where unfortunately any idiot can own a gun and sadly enough also use them a bit too much? I metTruus de Groot, the woman behind Plus Instruments a couple of times, and didn't ask for herpolitical ideas (I rarely do that, actually), but I am sure it is her cynic comment on the country where she resides since many years and not a plea for more guns. Originally she was from The Netherlands, member of Nasmak and then forming Plus Instruments, along with Lee Renaldo(before his time in Sonic Youth) and David Linton, but since many years Plus Instruments is now her solo project. Sometimes she works as Truus de Groot and does a bit of other music, such as her 'surf' album, 'The Wave Widows' (see Vital Weekly 1162). I like that other work, but for me, Plus Instruments is where she delivers her strongest work. Over the years she gathered quite a bit of synthesizer, including a big crackle box of which only two copies exists and made by Steim in Amsterdam, where she recorded parts of this album. On previous occasions, I called Plus Instruments the feminine version of D.A.F. for the use of motorik beats and icy synths because of De Groot's soulful voice (well, not as in soul music, but you get my drift, I guess). Over recent years, that sound is less D.A.F. inspired, growing slowly into a more electronic project of all kinds. Plus Instruments can be poppy, noisy (the crackle box gets the headline in 'Love Comes In Waves'), techno-based or krautrock alike. De Groot's voice, whether or not treated with a Kaos-pad is sweet, angry, demanding and in a likewise ever-changing mood. The ten pieces last forty minutes and they are all great, without anyone especially leaping out; no straight forward hit single this time, but that doesn't matter. In many of the songs there is that fine rough-edged synth sound, bubbling and bursting away, in a very free role, underneath but various times also right on top of things. That gives the music a fine raw edge, one that works in fine contrast with the voice of De Groot and the strict tempos used. And damn, so I thought, with all the interest in electronic pop-related music, especially from those who have been around so long, and with all the love for vinyl, why is this not released on vinyl, but a CDR? I could see this reaching to all the people who happily shop at all the usual labels with re-issues. That is something that eludes me (unless
Truus de Groot has some hang-up on being independent and wants to have something cheap to mail!) as Plus Instruments is something that I could see reach a larger audience. She aims for the center, now the center has to respond! (FdW)
Josephine Bosma (9-25-19)
Listening to Plus Instruments is like being somewhere between an upbeat techno club, a carnival and a surrealist ball. It is almost unbelievable this is a one-woman band: noises, beats, beeps, blips, the oddest sounds and Truus de Groot's voice fill the room and seem to come from everywhere. De Groot's lyrics are poetic and absurd, yet always fun and light, an absolute pleasure to listen to. All in all Plus Instruments makes poppy anti-pop, from gripping ballads to sometimes quirky and other times really highly energizing dance music. Her new album Aim for the Center shows her ongoing development towards stardom. You cannot do without Robot Dream in your playlist. Love Comes in Waves is already stuck in mine. Kylie Minogue wished she had De Groot give her Touch Me Goodbye. Who knows where Plus Instruments' amazing journey will go next.
by; Frans de Waard
PLUS INSTRUMENTS - AIM FOR THE CENTER (CDR by Dewclaw Ditties)
Is that title, and the target cover, for real or is it a remark on the current state of the USA where unfortunately any idiot can own a gun and sadly enough also use them a bit too much? I metTruus de Groot, the woman behind Plus Instruments a couple of times, and didn't ask for herpolitical ideas (I rarely do that, actually), but I am sure it is her cynic comment on the country where she resides since many years and not a plea for more guns. Originally she was from The Netherlands, member of Nasmak and then forming Plus Instruments, along with Lee Renaldo(before his time in Sonic Youth) and David Linton, but since many years Plus Instruments is now her solo project. Sometimes she works as Truus de Groot and does a bit of other music, such as her 'surf' album, 'The Wave Widows' (see Vital Weekly 1162). I like that other work, but for me, Plus Instruments is where she delivers her strongest work. Over the years she gathered quite a bit of synthesizer, including a big crackle box of which only two copies exists and made by Steim in Amsterdam, where she recorded parts of this album. On previous occasions, I called Plus Instruments the feminine version of D.A.F. for the use of motorik beats and icy synths because of De Groot's soulful voice (well, not as in soul music, but you get my drift, I guess). Over recent years, that sound is less D.A.F. inspired, growing slowly into a more electronic project of all kinds. Plus Instruments can be poppy, noisy (the crackle box gets the headline in 'Love Comes In Waves'), techno-based or krautrock alike. De Groot's voice, whether or not treated with a Kaos-pad is sweet, angry, demanding and in a likewise ever-changing mood. The ten pieces last forty minutes and they are all great, without anyone especially leaping out; no straight forward hit single this time, but that doesn't matter. In many of the songs there is that fine rough-edged synth sound, bubbling and bursting away, in a very free role, underneath but various times also right on top of things. That gives the music a fine raw edge, one that works in fine contrast with the voice of De Groot and the strict tempos used. And damn, so I thought, with all the interest in electronic pop-related music, especially from those who have been around so long, and with all the love for vinyl, why is this not released on vinyl, but a CDR? I could see this reaching to all the people who happily shop at all the usual labels with re-issues. That is something that eludes me (unless
Truus de Groot has some hang-up on being independent and wants to have something cheap to mail!) as Plus Instruments is something that I could see reach a larger audience. She aims for the center, now the center has to respond! (FdW)
Josephine Bosma (9-25-19)
Listening to Plus Instruments is like being somewhere between an upbeat techno club, a carnival and a surrealist ball. It is almost unbelievable this is a one-woman band: noises, beats, beeps, blips, the oddest sounds and Truus de Groot's voice fill the room and seem to come from everywhere. De Groot's lyrics are poetic and absurd, yet always fun and light, an absolute pleasure to listen to. All in all Plus Instruments makes poppy anti-pop, from gripping ballads to sometimes quirky and other times really highly energizing dance music. Her new album Aim for the Center shows her ongoing development towards stardom. You cannot do without Robot Dream in your playlist. Love Comes in Waves is already stuck in mine. Kylie Minogue wished she had De Groot give her Touch Me Goodbye. Who knows where Plus Instruments' amazing journey will go next.
Review for Plus Instruments & Cold Void "Same"
8.5/10
Louder Than War’s Ioan Humphreys falls in love with the recently unearthed and resurrected collaborative LP from NY No Wave experimental composer Plus Instruments and Cold Void.
Following on from her critically acclaimed release Lineality, Truus De Groot aka Plus Instruments has unearthed a recording that was somewhat forgotten about / mistaken for released from 2013. Same was a collaboration between Truus and Luuk Bouwman and Rafaël Rozendaal (Cold Void). The band approached Truus with a set of instrumental tracks. Over a period of a few months of back and forward WAV file exchange they completed this 13 song album. The lyrics are surrealist poems written and sung by Truus to take you somewhere you have never been before. By her own omission, De Groot hadn’t realized it had never been released until now. Amazing stuff Here we go then…
The opening track Drops Like Lead has a gentle and playful run of chords that when De Groot’s vocals come in, plays out almost like a child’s nursery rhyme. Albeit one from a particularly creepy horror film. It’s an unsettling start to this LP. Smithereens Blow It Up has a brilliant John Carpenter esque throb to it which is quickly augmented with playful electronica, noisy elements and ‘heys!’ thrown in towards the end. With de Groots vocals weaved in on top, this track is unbelievably catchy and stays in the head for long after. It’s actually quite brilliant and a stand out track.
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/plusinstruments3
Beasts has an ominous keyboard sound which again could be from a menacing horror film. De Groot’s vocals are low in the mix and are deliciously distorted, yet again there is a ‘tune’ here which is infectious. Follow up Cell Structure begins with a beautiful piano chord structure. De Groot’s vocal’s come in and are ethereal in meld perfectly with the gentle electronica piano. Short, yet a beautiful track and another one of the highlights of the LP. The title track Same has a gentle xylophone twinkles and shines with De Groot’s measure, echoey and graceful vocals. Whereas Civilisation is a tender track with shimmering vocals singling about the ‘ocean’ along with delicate instrumentation.
Lonely Ones has a sparse electronic throbs and space age effects run throughout this track. Gossamer vocals fuse to create a short, yet perfectly formed piece of elegance from the collaboration. The brilliantly named Savage Punishment has another John Carpenter esque electronica throb that starts this brief bridging track with its ominous instrumentation and forbidding sound. This quickly followed by ‘Breath which brings a gorgeous crisp electronica, multi tracked layered vocals and a repetitive strand that is hypnotic.
Final track Revenge Sugar Spun’taut, fraught and short. De Groots vocals border on the theatrical as they often do through the 13 tracks. It’s a restrained finish to an album that takes in many influences and produces incredible outputs.
This LP may have been in limbo for five years, but it feels right and it feels in the ‘now’. Across the 13 tracks there is an exuberance that is uplifting and inspiring, as well as an unsettling and meditative quality that shifts the mood. These results may not be for everyone, but fans of Plus Instruments and Truus’s work will not be disappointed. In fact, they will be left slavering for more. Listen now.
Album available here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/plusinstruments3
Truus de Groot can be found via her website, Plus Instruments and Facebook.
~
Words by Ioan Humphreys. More writing by Ioan can be found at his author’s archive. You can also find him on Twitter at @ioan_humphreys.
8.5/10
Louder Than War’s Ioan Humphreys falls in love with the recently unearthed and resurrected collaborative LP from NY No Wave experimental composer Plus Instruments and Cold Void.
Following on from her critically acclaimed release Lineality, Truus De Groot aka Plus Instruments has unearthed a recording that was somewhat forgotten about / mistaken for released from 2013. Same was a collaboration between Truus and Luuk Bouwman and Rafaël Rozendaal (Cold Void). The band approached Truus with a set of instrumental tracks. Over a period of a few months of back and forward WAV file exchange they completed this 13 song album. The lyrics are surrealist poems written and sung by Truus to take you somewhere you have never been before. By her own omission, De Groot hadn’t realized it had never been released until now. Amazing stuff Here we go then…
The opening track Drops Like Lead has a gentle and playful run of chords that when De Groot’s vocals come in, plays out almost like a child’s nursery rhyme. Albeit one from a particularly creepy horror film. It’s an unsettling start to this LP. Smithereens Blow It Up has a brilliant John Carpenter esque throb to it which is quickly augmented with playful electronica, noisy elements and ‘heys!’ thrown in towards the end. With de Groots vocals weaved in on top, this track is unbelievably catchy and stays in the head for long after. It’s actually quite brilliant and a stand out track.
https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/plusinstruments3
Beasts has an ominous keyboard sound which again could be from a menacing horror film. De Groot’s vocals are low in the mix and are deliciously distorted, yet again there is a ‘tune’ here which is infectious. Follow up Cell Structure begins with a beautiful piano chord structure. De Groot’s vocal’s come in and are ethereal in meld perfectly with the gentle electronica piano. Short, yet a beautiful track and another one of the highlights of the LP. The title track Same has a gentle xylophone twinkles and shines with De Groot’s measure, echoey and graceful vocals. Whereas Civilisation is a tender track with shimmering vocals singling about the ‘ocean’ along with delicate instrumentation.
Lonely Ones has a sparse electronic throbs and space age effects run throughout this track. Gossamer vocals fuse to create a short, yet perfectly formed piece of elegance from the collaboration. The brilliantly named Savage Punishment has another John Carpenter esque electronica throb that starts this brief bridging track with its ominous instrumentation and forbidding sound. This quickly followed by ‘Breath which brings a gorgeous crisp electronica, multi tracked layered vocals and a repetitive strand that is hypnotic.
Final track Revenge Sugar Spun’taut, fraught and short. De Groots vocals border on the theatrical as they often do through the 13 tracks. It’s a restrained finish to an album that takes in many influences and produces incredible outputs.
This LP may have been in limbo for five years, but it feels right and it feels in the ‘now’. Across the 13 tracks there is an exuberance that is uplifting and inspiring, as well as an unsettling and meditative quality that shifts the mood. These results may not be for everyone, but fans of Plus Instruments and Truus’s work will not be disappointed. In fact, they will be left slavering for more. Listen now.
Album available here: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/plusinstruments3
Truus de Groot can be found via her website, Plus Instruments and Facebook.
~
Words by Ioan Humphreys. More writing by Ioan can be found at his author’s archive. You can also find him on Twitter at @ioan_humphreys.
Reviews for Plus Instruments / Intige Taluure
Rene van Peer - Gonzo Magazine
INTIGUE TALUURE & PLUS INSTRUMENTS - NEWTONS FLAT FIDELITY VOL. 2 (cassette by Bananafishing Records)Belgian Duo Intige Taluure cites influences as varied as they come. In their heart and soul The Shangri-Las rub shoulders with The Residents and This Heat. On Newton’s Flat Fidelity Vol 2 they combined their talents with Truus de Groot, who takes unexpected twist and turns in her dance tunes. She steps to the left where you would expect her to move to the right. All this with angelic
elegance and a wink so fat you could cook a soup from it. In this bizarre collaborative conspiracy they create a mix of Pacific hula-hoop music with the perverted alienation of the above mentioned Residents. Their chosen themes are hardy stuff indeed; dandruff, chandeliers of meat and the liberation of concrete; even Ali Baba, as we remember him from a Dutch childhood song in
which he investigates certain parts of his physical being into some depth. All this cosmic madness does drive songs that are quite danceable. Be invited to cut the rug but don’t forget to go left when your brain commands you to turn right. You are allowed to listen sitting down, by the way. The only thing you’ll have to fear is your brains to be wrung and twisted..
Frans de Waard - Vital Weekly
Quite rightly you could ask what Volume 1 if this is Volume 2. That one saw Intige Taluure working with Rudy Trouve and now with Geertruda de Groot, best known as Plus Instruments (see also Vital Weekly 1034, 894 and 814). This is my first introduction with Intige Taluure, a duo of Phlitman and Kang, from Belgium. Their cassettes are about working with other people. So in this case we have songs that are started by Plus Instruments and finished by Intige Taluure and vice versa. With eleven pieces the balance is in favour of Intige Taluure when it comes to starting them. As I haven’t heard of them before, I cannot judge easily who’s doing what. Surely the voice of De Groot is a clear presence in most of these pieces. Throughout I think the sound owes quite a bit to De Groot’s work as Plus Instruments (but also her work outside that context), especially her singing. The music is all-electronic and the one thing that Plus Instruments didn’t bring to the table, it seems, is the sequencer, motorik beats that she is also known for. The mood is more atmospheric here, more poetic, and songs as poetry, such as in ‘Curtain Call’ or even the funnier ’Sjeik El Pfff’. It is perhaps also a bit more surrealistic, nightclub atmospheric, intimate than wholly extravert. A nice game can be played by closing your eyes and think which one was started and which was finished by either one (in my case, knowing De Groot’s music better, of course I was thinking of her contribution), but in reality (and honesty) I should say that this is almost an impossible job. These eleven pieces sound very coherent as they are, and it’s not that one influence prevails over the other, but in reality they all sound as the result of three people in a room writing these songs together. I heard lesser music from people that actually were together when recording, so all the greater the achievement here. (FdW)
Reviews for Plus Instruments – Signal Through The Waves (cd, Blowpipe)
Review: Chain D.L.K. website by Steve Mecca on 2016-07-03
Artist: Plus Instruments
Title: Signal Through The Waves
Format: CD
Label: Blowpipe Records
Rated: 4 1/2 stars!
My last encounter with Plus Instruments was the 'Trancesonics' album from 2013, and since then, Truus de Groot has been kinda busy, sneaking by a limited vinyl release ('Exile in Paradise') that I wasn't even aware of prior to this one. Whereas on 'Trancesonics' Truus had only a little help from a single musician (Jimmy Virani on theremin and moog), here she employs additional musicians Paulo Bento (synths, bass, guitar) from Anvil FX and James Sclavunos (drums) from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Grinderman. The result is something a lot less raw and a lot more controllled than 'Trancesonics,' yet still with that kind of "synth electronics as synth electronics" (as opposed to synths trying to emulate real instruments) ethic that seems integral to de Groot's music. Here Plus Instruments sounds a lot more like a real band than a solo artist with a lot of synths as on 'Trancesonics'.
Truus's vocal stylings have changed too; less experimental, less New Waveish, a lot more melodic, and somewhat jazzy and slightly soulful. Imagine Anette Peacock meets Amy Winehouse with someone else I've heard but can't remember her name. Plus Instruments tackles a variety of themes over the ten tracks on this album - a strange supernatural encounter ("Ghost"); passion ("This Fire Burns"); romantic breakup ("It's Over"); seduction ("Come Closer"). Some of the songs that work the best though can't be pigeon-holed to a specific theme, such as the title track "Signal Through the Waves". This little gem relies heavily on a distinctive sample & hold synth riff, a ring modulated chordal descending chordal progression and Sclavunos's snazzy drumming. Truus's voice is at her most appealing on this track, and the lyrics are great too. This track alone makes the disc a worthy purchase. Another great track is "Bad Mood" (rather self-explanatory) where drudgy broom-swept synths and plodding drums and bass back Truus's misery-tinged bluesy vocals. "You and Me" is as close as Plus Instruments gets to some of the chaotic 80's style experimentation so prevalent on 'Trancesonics'. But the most atypical song on 'Signal Through The Waves' is the last- "Your Mind" with guitar as the main instrument, and seething synths in the background. The poetic nature of this number is comparable to Patti Smith at the height of her powers.
'Signal Through The Waves' shows just how much de Groot has grown as an artist, and the songs are worth revisiting over and over again. While these tracks are more accessible, don't mistake accessibility for commerciality. This ain't mainstream, and we can be very thankful for that.
De Subjectivisten - SCHADUWKABINET – Web Magazine - http://subjectivisten.nl/?p=5204
By: Jan Willem 24 mei 2016
I must admit that I've never heard of the group Plus Instruments. Yet since 1978, this is already a fact in the Dutch music scene. This brainchild of Truus de Groot (Nasmak, Doe Maar, Trigger And The Thrill Kings) delivers in early 80s two releases that lie somewhere between new wave, no wave, synth-pop and experimental music. After another 30 years they restart and release a few more albums. Truus meanwhile released a few solo releases. Signal Through The Waves is yet another solid presentation of this group. Besides Truus (vocals, arrangements) are the drummer Jim Sclavunos (8 Eyed Spy, Grinderman, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Sonic Youth, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, The Cramps, Trigger And The Thrill Kings) and keyboard player and bassist Paulo Beto (Anvil Fx, Freak Plasma, Shiva Las Vegas). The passage of time seems to have absolutely no effect on this trio, let alone any hype of today to influence their style. Uniquely they bring a mixture of the above styles, which has virtually nothing in common with any other artists. That alone is a great thing in this beaten musical landscape of today. The true roots lie in the 80s, but the music is completely here and now. For those who want to have some reference, think of a kaleidoscopic cross-fertilization of AGF, Diamanda Galas, Lydia Lunch, No Safety, Peaches, The Residents, Sonic Youth, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Diana Rogerson. Utterly unique that deserves our full attention. Pleasant introduction!
By: Peter Bruyn - Lust For Life Magazine – April 2016
The Dutch Ultra movement revival of a few years back was highlighted by the return of Plus Instruments (AKA Truus de Groot). Truus, vocalist and electronica musician, was a member of Dutch group Nasmak around the late 70’s, in 1981 she left for the US where she still resides. She still makes music with the same naivety, yet as torrid and exciting as she did 35 years ago. This was the case with her previous album Trancesonics of a few years back, but this new Album “Signal Through The Waves” has even more of these aspects and it is actually much better. True, this electro pop sounds quite vintage, you can call it “the future of yesterday”, but the songs are very strong and the production is exciting. Sometimes a Kraftwerk-like Robot mood predominates the sound, other songs are organic and melodic. Collaborators are James Sclavunos (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) who was a Plus Instruments member in the 80’s and Paulo Beto (Anvil FX).
VITAL WEEKLY - Frans de Waard
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Number 1034
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Week 22
PLUS INSTRUMENTS — SIGNAL THROUGH THE WAVES (CD by Blowpipe)
Here's another release by Plus Instruments; I also reported on the two previous releases. That was 'Dance With Me' (Vital Weekly 814) and 'Trancesonics' (Vital Weekly 894), all of which continues a string of works that has been going on for some thirty-five years now. Right in the centre of Plus Instruments is Truus de Groot, in the late seventies singer for Nasmaak, later Nasmak and then with Lee Ranaldo and David Linton forming Plus Instruments in 1981. A group with a guitar, drums, vocals and tapes. Later on she played more rockabilly tunes as Trigger And The Thrill Kings, but in 2012 Plus Instruments became part of the 'Ultra' revival — the Dutch version of No New York (the shortest description I can think off), and since then there have been releases and concerts. Recently De Groot toured the Netherlands, with former Nasmak drummer Toon Bressers on drums. On her releases, De Groot plays most of the synthesizers, sequences, rhythms and sings, and it sometimes reminded this listener of the old D.A.F. sound: cold, motorik rhythms with a great vocal. That worked on 'Trancesonics' even better than on 'Dance With Me', which I thought was a bit un- balanced, so expectations are high and we are not disappointed, but there are minor changes. For me the music of Plus Instruments works best if it is machine/sequencer driven with a motorik beat (think D.A.F. at their height) and on top Truus de Groot's soulful voice. It brings warmth to the machine and that's what she does best. The minor changes are due to the fact that in some of these pieces there is James Sclavunos playing the drums and Paulo Beto on synthesizers, bass and guitar.Those pieces add a more rock like beat to the music, even when it is trying to sound as machine-like. James Sclavunos we know from 8 Eyed Spy, Nick Cave, Grinderman, and Teenage Jesus And The Jerks and working with Truus before in Trigger And The Thrill Kings, while Beto is for me unknown (he played in Freakplasma, LCD and Shiva Las Vegas). By playing these more rock inspired tunes, Plus Instruments loose a bit of the coolness that it has when Truus does it all solo, I guess, but there are still some excellent pieces on this release, such as 'Come Closer', the moody 'Unlikely Crush' and 'Bad Mood' (which sounds like an electronic Nick Cave song), the joyous 'On The Other Side' (with full band, but still not as rocky) to which we also find some rockers as 'Your Mind' and the title piece. While I think the majority of the songs are great, I think Plus Instruments is at it's best with it's mechanical swing and Truus vocal delivery that goes along and the rock format is something that
makes it a bit too normal for me. Keep the boys in the same line and don't let do their rock poses and all will be fine. (FdW)
––– Address: http://www.blowpipe.org/
Oor Magazine – 6/2016 (NL)
Oscar Smit
PLUS INSTRUMENTS-SIGNAL THROUGH THE WAVES (BLOWPIPE)
Dutch
Een van de verworvenheden van 40 jaar punk is do it yourself. Maak je eigen instrument, neem je eigen plaat op en breng hem zelfstandig uit. Plus Instruments en Bene Gesserit zijn twee vertegenwoordigers van dit diy adagio. Truus de Groot uit Eindhoven zat eind jaren zeventig kort in de formatie Nasmak. Haar eigen band heet(te) Plus Instruments. Zij was in 1980 een van de eerste popmuzikanten die samenwerkte met het elektronische muziekinstituut STEIM. De door STEIM ontwikkelde kraakdoos werd haar handelsmerk. Dat is onmiddellijk hoorbaar op Signal Through The Waves. Haar freaky analoge geluiden uit zelfgebouwde synthesizers en kraakdozen vormen de boventoon en haar twee begeleiders passen zich hierbij aan. Truus zingt en laat intussen haar elektronica op hol slaan. Op Come Closer klinkt dit dreigend met donkere eighties-achtige synthesizerpartijen. In Unlikely Crush staan space sounds centraal die de jazzy zang van Truus op een spannende manier omarmen.
English One of the legacies of 40 years of punk is do it yourself. Make your own instrument, record your own record and self-release. Plus Instruments is evident of this DIY modus. Truus de Groot from Eindhoven was in late seventies briefly in the band Nasmak . Her own band is Plus Instruments. Truus was in 1980 one of the first pop musicians who worked with electronic music institute STEIM . The crackle box developed by STEIM became her trademark. That is immediately evident on Signal Through The Waves. Her freaky analog sounding self-built synthesizers and crackle boxes predominate the overal sound and her two companions connect with this. Truus sings and her electronics go wild. Come Closer sounds ominous with dark eighties synth -like parts. On Unlikely Crush space sounds are central to the jazzy vocals of Truus embracing it an enchanting way.
Review Excile in Paradise (VOD Records)
Obskure Magazine (FR) October 2013
The release of this never before released album from 1982 is quiet a gift. If it would have been released at that time, it would have probably become a classic. On this album the cult track "Bodies" that was released on the Dokument compilation, and "things" can be found on an EP released by Zickzack. Recorded when Truus lived between the USA and her native Holland, the album is dominated by euro-beat grooves and an electronic disco-punk lead by a sensual voice and a constant carnal tension. "paradise" is like a femine version of Suicide, and the rythm of "don't forget me" could evoque "Der Rauber und der Prinz" by DAF. The mood get darker and the synth goes gothic on "horrible", the minimal disco of "Irgendwo" gets an exotic and enchanted singing. The richness of Truus de Groot vocal register is there again one of the asset of the record, from cabaret styled Bertold Brecht (das ist gut so) to macabre delirium (he's dead) or delicious iced complaints (13 sailors). Even more than on their previous records, the percussion dominates here, and takes us to all this cold funk/post punk of the early 80's with bands like A Certain Ratio, 23 Skidoo and mainly Nasmak, the excellent nederland project in wich Truus had raged at the end of the 70's. Except that the approach of Plus Instruments is way more refine. "Exile in Paradise" is really interesting to listen in comparison to the more recent compositions of the band, as the continuity appears evident.
84%
Maxime Lachaud
Oor Magazine (NL) 8/2013
Until last year Truus was just a short footnote in the Dutch music history. However in 2012 some events took place around the Dutch “Ultra” music movement. Eindhoven native, Truus (ex Nasmak), was an important component of this genre. She performed a series of concerts in 2012, which was evident that Plus Instruments did not only survive the sands of time, but in fact appealed to an entire younger more current public.
Now Truus’ Plus Instruments has debuted a brand new Album and brief tour in September of Benelux & France. With “Trancesonics” Truus does not disappoint with danceable, rhythmic, upbeat Electronica, without the “clicks and cuts” but with analog “bleeps and squeaks”. She re-invents her basic musical concept dating back to the early 80’s without drawing back to that time. The Album opens with pleasant noisy beats where Truus’ Vocals are mixed in at sound level. On track 2 the electronic noise becomes apparent paired with a high Dance Beat. The high dance factor persists throughout the album.
Trancesonics is a raw dance album that flirts with EBM (Industrial Dance), most obvious in “In My Dreams”. On “Obsolete”, her trademark “Crackle Synth” noise is highlighted. Trancesonics is a progression building on Plus Instruments’ own legacy from the early 80’s, regardless of the analog mood, Truus is a visionary riding the ultimate post Ultra wave, straight into the future!
Oscar Smit
Vital Weekly 8/13
PLUS INSTRUMENTS - TRANCESONICS (CD by Declaw Ditties/Blowpipe)
Last year saw a small revival of Ultra - the Dutch version of post-punk (in 2 words). You'd better browse back to Vital Weekly 822 and read more. It brought back a lot of happy memories and old musicians, but it seems that the one artist who benefitted most was Truus de Groot. Once a member of Nasmak, then Plus Instruments (in a first incarnation with Lee Ranaldo and David Linton). Just before the revival started she released a great CD 'Dance With Me', of all new songs, which showed she still had the same great charm as she had thirty years ago. It brought her a retrospective album on Vinyl On Demand (which sadly didn't make it to these pages) and concerts in The Netherlands and France. Plus of course new work, and here's another album of twelve new songs. 'Dance With Me' was great, but this new one is even better. More coherent altogether, variations on what Truus does. And what's that, you may ask? Truus de Groot plays her crackle box, synthesizers, rhythm machines and sings. She does that with great style. The music is pretty much straight forward, sequenced rhythms, to which she bends her voice to sing songs. Not moan, howl, whisper, but actually singing great songs. Her crackle box functions as machine to create weird songs that float around her strict beats. Music that reminds you of DAF at their peak, but less macho, more feminine and, perhaps, listening to sweat ditty as 'Magic Carpet', also a bit more hippy like. That whole thing makes this something which is something that surely some people will like, who found DAF a bit too pathetic, too German. It still sounds like 1982, but then updated and way more poppy. 'Detour Square Dance' is her version of 'Der Mussolini' and should be an underground dance classic. Excellent!
Plus Instruments – TrancesonicsSubmitted by Richard Foster on Wed, 09/04/2013 - 17:18This is a marvelous LP; one which employs a mix of mad sounds and considerable know how. Not to mention bags of charm. At times it’s a weird pop master class.
http://www.plusinstruments.com (Blowpipe records)
Not many people know of Truus de Groot’s work, or at best will have only a fleeting knowledge of it. Which is a terrible shame; because, like the other long-lost, (and recently reified) Dutch experimental pop pioneers Minny Pops, Truus’s work with Naasmak and Plus Instruments is of the highest order. It really is.
And now she’s back with Trancesonics – replete with her “crackle box” and disarmingly simple way of looking at the world. She’s great at setting a seemingly simple message over a plethora of noise and this LP is a set of thumping and often strange tunes that constantly have you itching to dance or wondering just what planet she’s beaming in from.
It’s Complicated and Into Oblivion are magnificent mantras of Weirdo Pop, taking the template of the old Plus Instruments classic Bodies, and giving it a glossy, very modern twist. The latter ends up as a sort of confessional, albeit one that should be rendered unto Darth Vader or something. Love Is Enough is an industrial space stomp par excellence, the beat crashing through town like some praetorian guard (or the women police from the Two Ronnies’ sketch, The Worm Has Turned) whilst de Groot croons over the top to all intents and purposes reworking Peter Cook’s Great Garbo impression. The bass line is ridiculously lush too; almost the sort of mellifluous run that Nile Rogers would slap down in something like Happy Man. And what is happening on Obsolete? A shuddering synth neat redolent of late 80s club land is given a hard time by the noises emanating from that magical “crackle box”. Like most tracks it’s over before you know it.
Things get more relaxed with Magic Carpet and Snake Charmer, two mid-paced tracks that play on a sort of kooky dreaminess and where you can hear a sort of kinship with Tom Tom Club and where you can finally draw breath from the giddy nonsense that fizzes through the rest of Trancesonics. But best on the LP is (incredibly) saved till late on: Detour Square Dance is asset over a sort of D.A.F.-like riff, you know, sharp, electronic, slightly dystopian. You Make Me Stomp is, (guess), a high tempo mantra full of weird noises and Moogs, and a track which also seems to utilize the beat from Byrne & Eno’s Help Me Somebody, though it is very likely that I could be making that up. I could also be fabricating the connection between When The Rain Comes and anything off Hector Zazou’s Reivax Au Bongo, the but they do share the same magical weirdness and alien beauty. It’s a fabulous track. Not as fab as the last though, In My Dreams is the ultimate nightmare dance track, the simple melody whipped to within an inch of its life by that damned crackle box. Briljant.
Anyway, I should shut up now. Apart from reiterating that this is a marvellous LP; one which employs a mix of mad sounds and considerable know how. Not to mention bags of charm. At times it’s a weird pop master class. You really need to give it a listen or two.
CD review OOR Magazine, October 2011
translation:
Truus plus instruments
(Dewclaw Ditties/Import)
Truus de Groot! Young readers will be scratching their heads. Those of us who need reading glasses are making a victory dance.
Truus was the lead singer of groundbreaking new wave band Nasmak some 30 years ago. She went her own intercontinental way 30 years ago with her own project “Plus Instruments”. Using New York City as her base, with member of Sonic Youth nonetheless!
She toyed around with Cow punk and exotica (to name a few), now she lives on a ranch in Southern California and is checking in with this inviting record. It is reverting to the electronica of back then and this in 2011, it feels almost primitive. But don’t get me wrong, it is quite charming. Towards the end of the record the exotica genre prevails and reminds me of a mono version of Stereolab. The title track “Dance with Me” conveys an odd mood yet it feels good and that is the charm of this record.
Posté par Mäx Lachaud dans Albums, Chroniques
C’est l’album du retour de Truus de Groot sous le nom de Plus Instruments, et la première chose qui frappe, c’est que le son a gardé son aspect primitif et sale comme en pleine gloire after-punk. Les boîtes à rythmes commencent d’emblée très fort, menées par des synthés analogiques bien granuleux, et une tension électronique aux relents très Suicide (« Crazy Train », « Fly to the Stars »). La sensualité du chant se mêle à des sonorités criardes, presque proto-industrielles dans leur aspect brut de décoffrage (« Only one »). Il n’y a pas à dire, beaucoup d’artistes de cette époque devraient prendre modèle sur Truus. L’énergie d’une époque reste ici intacte, sans céder à la tendance à lisser les entournures, si bien que l’on a du mal à croire que ces titres ont été composés en 2011. Truus n’en tire pas pour autant un trait sur les expériences qu’elle a connues entre-temps : « Git along » pioche volontiers dans le blues et dans les aventures américaines de la dame, alors que « Padudidum Italiano » se situe plus dans la lignée des travaux plus exotica ou easy listening expérimentaux qu’elle a explorés sur Ritualis, album solo qu’elle avait sorti il y a trois ans. Elle se plaît d’ailleurs à utiliser ces rythmes de synthés préprogrammés, ce qui peut donner lieu à des bossas-novas déglinguées (« Bored »), des valses ultra ralenties (« I can’t sing ») ou des slows bizarroïdes (« Drinking Song »), alors que le pied sur « Wild Turkeys » ou « Dance with me » apporte une touche technoïde, qui contrebalance la folie de synthés hystériques. On appréciera en particulier ces morceaux où le robotique côtoie l’aléatoire et le frappadingue. L’esprit d’une époque revitalisé.
Obskure Magazine -France April 2012
This album is the return of Truus de Groot as "more instruments", and the first thing you notice is that the sound has kept its original primitiveness and dirtieness like in glory after-punk. The drum starts immediately very strong, led by well grainy analog synths, and an electronic tension that sounds very Suicide ("Crazy Train", "Fly to the Stars"). The sensuality of the singing mingles with the garish sounds, almost proto-industrial in their appearance rough around the edges ("Only one"). Many artists of that era should imitate Truus. The energy of the era is here intact, without succumbing to the tendency to smoothing the seams, so it's hard to believe that these tracks were written in 2011. Truus does not put the experiences she had known the meantime behind her: "Git along" gladly pick in blues and American adventures of the lady, while "Padudidum Italiano" is more like the easy listening / exotica experimental that she explored on Ritualis, her solo album released three years ago. She also likes to use these pre-programmed synth rhythms, which can lead to dilapidated bossas-ovas ("Bored"), ultra slow waltzes ("I can not sing") bizarre slows ("Drinking Song "), while the foot on" Wild Turkeys "and" Dance with me "brings a technoid touch, which counterbalances the madness of the hysterical synths. We'll appreciate those pieces where the robotism is near the random and crazyness. The spirit of an era revitalized.
CD review FRET Magazine, Netherlands Feb 2012
Translation
Truus' approach to music has been experimental and idiosyncratic to the bone for more than 30 years.
With her new work "Dance with me" she produced a work no one else could have made. Her endeavor for the most awesome sounds and unusual electronic instruments are established. Her up beat, dark, often repetitive vocal create a cohesiveness. Those who remember Truus as Lead singer of Nasmak will find familiarity on this album. Although her love for Exotica is clearly recognizable. Her most recent work is more a type of sounds scapes as opposed to polished songs. This is also the case with Dance with me, a world of sounds and a hint of moody synth pop.
Truus keeps growing is what she is really good at, creating music without borders..
Vinyl Magazine 2012 - review - Truus Plus Instruments Dance with Me
Now the Minny Pops may have been in hibernation for thirty years, Truus de Groot never stopped. She was in a band called Nasmaak, singing and playing the crackle box, before they turned into Nasmak and she shortly left after that. Together with Lee Ranaldo and David Linton she formed Plus Instruments, guitar, drums, tapes and vocals. Later on she had a band called Trigger And The Thrill Kings (actually a band playing blues and rockabilly), but these days took back on the name Plus Instruments, still using the crackle box, still singing and she manages to still sound like Plus Instruments the way I remember best. Somewhere after Nasmak's first LP and Truus' departure, they played as Nasmak Plus Instruments and in this short, transitional period they toured with DAF, picking up along the lines some of their motorik drum patterns and sequencers (check out their 12" for Zig Zag). Now while it remains to be seen if Minny Pops will find a way to update their 80s sound to 2012, PlusInstruments certainly did. Each of these thirteen pieces have that motorik drive that was a prominent feature in the early 80s, but now its much fuller with the addition of a lot more instruments all sequenced to go along with the beats. No doubt thanks to today's technology, which allows musicians to play along with themselves more easily, De Groot adds crackle box, analogue synthesizers, sampled toys, sampled percussion and De Groot's more spoken than sung delivery make this an excellent updated form of Plus Instruments. Starting with 'Drinking Song' the album collapses a bit with pieces that don't seem to belong to the others, like they have been added afterwards to fill up an otherwise good album. These are more pop like tunes with simple drum machines and singing. Only four of those, but those nine previous pieces are more than excellent.
Frans de Waard
LIVE by Richard Foster - De Duyker Hoofddorp
..one thing Truus de Groot has is presence, and an awareness of how to use the stage.
Ah blissful fun! But in Hoofddorp? Well, yes… team Incendiary were there to see Rats on Rafts for the umpteenth time this year along with a more rare catch, Plus Instruments / Nsmk. In their current incarnation Plus Instruments / Nsmk is the legendary Truus de Groot and Toon Bressers, coupled with the very talented Younes Riad. We reckoned that we’d probably never see the band again - given Truus’ residency in the US – so there was no way we were going to miss them. Added to all of this, Gonzo/Vinyl deejay and all round good guy Oscar Smit was deejaying, which meant we’d get to hear a few loved ULTRA tracks, old and new.
A word about the venue is in order. De Duyker is a fine podium, very well equipped with great sound and an attractive set of stages and practise rooms (as well as a very nice bar indeed). It’s part of a massive arts complex which, by virtue of its very scale, could have been designed for a minor despot. That it’s bang in the middle of Hoofdorp must be a bone of contention with the locals, considering how few had bothered to turn up for the gig, a no-show made all the more remarkable given Rats on Rafts’ appearance. Maybe they just like Pizza Hut better.
Incredibly by the time Toon & Younes set up and the clatter of the Nasmak Melody rang out the crowd had thinned again, but more fool them as the sounds emanating from the stage were nothing short of epic. Nasmak’s old numbers, these strident and sharp shards of memories lodged in the back of many an old punk mind were given fluidity and power, qualities that had the audience gasping. Bressers is a powerhouse of a drummer, but it’s not really obvious where he gets such a thump, his actions seem methodical, almost scholarly at times. Riad, bent over an amalgam of contraptions seemed to be intuitively aware of how to colour the incredible sonic framework set up by his partner. This was vaulting, steely music, ambitious as a skyscraper and hard as iron. The rhythms at times became merciless, akin to the sensual toughness of Afrobeat: once Truus stepped on stage the audience were pretty much battered into a submissive and receptive state.
But that’s not to intimate that she didn’t seek to work the audience; one thing Truus de Groot has is presence, and an awareness of how to use the stage. Despite using a whole host of articles on a table (including the famous “crackle box”) she is aware of the power of the smallest move, the subtlest inflection or attitude. It was quite weird seeing this brassy confident showmanship given full vent on a provincial Dutch platform. We got a whole host of new tracks from the latest LP, the brilliant Dance with Me (including a pulsating take on the title track) and Bored, not to mention the infuriatingly catchy Wrong Right (which my girlfriend insists on singing ad nauseum). Did we get Freundschaft and Git Along? Maybe we did, but at that point my head had dived into the tank of beer prepared for it. Sadly we had to cut half of the gig and run to get the train, missing any chance of seeing the band play Bodies (I just have to console myself that they probably didn’t do it). What a night, and what a waste only a handful of people saw it.
May 2012 - Issue 84
VPRO 3voor12 Den Haag Review/ Verslag State-X New Forms 2012: de vrijdag
Kunst en curiosa By Frank Veldkamp,
English Translation
Review Live performance at State Ex Festival, Paard van Troje, Den Haag
At 10 PM Plus Instruments starts their set. A band by Truus de Groot that has been around since the late 70’s. You are transported to a loft party in New York City circa 1980. No wave sounds, reminiscent of Suicide blast from the speakers with Truus’ vocal over it. The difference is a real drummer and a bearded Theremin player to create its own mood. It’s about Wild Turkeys. Boring cities and flying carpets. After about a half hour the venue nearly empties itself (as Mission of Burma takes the large stage). Undeterred and with a big smile, Truus announces: “Glad to see we scared away all the bad people”. The monotone of Plus Instruments makes it absurd as well as fascinating; same goes for the vibrant Truus de Groot. Truus is the entertaining aunt you want to invite to your birthday party to antidote the drabness of your boring family ..
pictured here Plus Instruments with Truus de Groot, David Linton & Lee Ranaldo 1981
Review: Chain D.L.K. website by Steve Mecca on 2016-07-03
Artist: Plus Instruments
Title: Signal Through The Waves
Format: CD
Label: Blowpipe Records
Rated: 4 1/2 stars!
My last encounter with Plus Instruments was the 'Trancesonics' album from 2013, and since then, Truus de Groot has been kinda busy, sneaking by a limited vinyl release ('Exile in Paradise') that I wasn't even aware of prior to this one. Whereas on 'Trancesonics' Truus had only a little help from a single musician (Jimmy Virani on theremin and moog), here she employs additional musicians Paulo Bento (synths, bass, guitar) from Anvil FX and James Sclavunos (drums) from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Grinderman. The result is something a lot less raw and a lot more controllled than 'Trancesonics,' yet still with that kind of "synth electronics as synth electronics" (as opposed to synths trying to emulate real instruments) ethic that seems integral to de Groot's music. Here Plus Instruments sounds a lot more like a real band than a solo artist with a lot of synths as on 'Trancesonics'.
Truus's vocal stylings have changed too; less experimental, less New Waveish, a lot more melodic, and somewhat jazzy and slightly soulful. Imagine Anette Peacock meets Amy Winehouse with someone else I've heard but can't remember her name. Plus Instruments tackles a variety of themes over the ten tracks on this album - a strange supernatural encounter ("Ghost"); passion ("This Fire Burns"); romantic breakup ("It's Over"); seduction ("Come Closer"). Some of the songs that work the best though can't be pigeon-holed to a specific theme, such as the title track "Signal Through the Waves". This little gem relies heavily on a distinctive sample & hold synth riff, a ring modulated chordal descending chordal progression and Sclavunos's snazzy drumming. Truus's voice is at her most appealing on this track, and the lyrics are great too. This track alone makes the disc a worthy purchase. Another great track is "Bad Mood" (rather self-explanatory) where drudgy broom-swept synths and plodding drums and bass back Truus's misery-tinged bluesy vocals. "You and Me" is as close as Plus Instruments gets to some of the chaotic 80's style experimentation so prevalent on 'Trancesonics'. But the most atypical song on 'Signal Through The Waves' is the last- "Your Mind" with guitar as the main instrument, and seething synths in the background. The poetic nature of this number is comparable to Patti Smith at the height of her powers.
'Signal Through The Waves' shows just how much de Groot has grown as an artist, and the songs are worth revisiting over and over again. While these tracks are more accessible, don't mistake accessibility for commerciality. This ain't mainstream, and we can be very thankful for that.
De Subjectivisten - SCHADUWKABINET – Web Magazine - http://subjectivisten.nl/?p=5204
By: Jan Willem 24 mei 2016
I must admit that I've never heard of the group Plus Instruments. Yet since 1978, this is already a fact in the Dutch music scene. This brainchild of Truus de Groot (Nasmak, Doe Maar, Trigger And The Thrill Kings) delivers in early 80s two releases that lie somewhere between new wave, no wave, synth-pop and experimental music. After another 30 years they restart and release a few more albums. Truus meanwhile released a few solo releases. Signal Through The Waves is yet another solid presentation of this group. Besides Truus (vocals, arrangements) are the drummer Jim Sclavunos (8 Eyed Spy, Grinderman, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Sonic Youth, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, The Cramps, Trigger And The Thrill Kings) and keyboard player and bassist Paulo Beto (Anvil Fx, Freak Plasma, Shiva Las Vegas). The passage of time seems to have absolutely no effect on this trio, let alone any hype of today to influence their style. Uniquely they bring a mixture of the above styles, which has virtually nothing in common with any other artists. That alone is a great thing in this beaten musical landscape of today. The true roots lie in the 80s, but the music is completely here and now. For those who want to have some reference, think of a kaleidoscopic cross-fertilization of AGF, Diamanda Galas, Lydia Lunch, No Safety, Peaches, The Residents, Sonic Youth, Siouxsie & The Banshees and Diana Rogerson. Utterly unique that deserves our full attention. Pleasant introduction!
By: Peter Bruyn - Lust For Life Magazine – April 2016
The Dutch Ultra movement revival of a few years back was highlighted by the return of Plus Instruments (AKA Truus de Groot). Truus, vocalist and electronica musician, was a member of Dutch group Nasmak around the late 70’s, in 1981 she left for the US where she still resides. She still makes music with the same naivety, yet as torrid and exciting as she did 35 years ago. This was the case with her previous album Trancesonics of a few years back, but this new Album “Signal Through The Waves” has even more of these aspects and it is actually much better. True, this electro pop sounds quite vintage, you can call it “the future of yesterday”, but the songs are very strong and the production is exciting. Sometimes a Kraftwerk-like Robot mood predominates the sound, other songs are organic and melodic. Collaborators are James Sclavunos (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds) who was a Plus Instruments member in the 80’s and Paulo Beto (Anvil FX).
VITAL WEEKLY - Frans de Waard
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Number 1034
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Week 22
PLUS INSTRUMENTS — SIGNAL THROUGH THE WAVES (CD by Blowpipe)
Here's another release by Plus Instruments; I also reported on the two previous releases. That was 'Dance With Me' (Vital Weekly 814) and 'Trancesonics' (Vital Weekly 894), all of which continues a string of works that has been going on for some thirty-five years now. Right in the centre of Plus Instruments is Truus de Groot, in the late seventies singer for Nasmaak, later Nasmak and then with Lee Ranaldo and David Linton forming Plus Instruments in 1981. A group with a guitar, drums, vocals and tapes. Later on she played more rockabilly tunes as Trigger And The Thrill Kings, but in 2012 Plus Instruments became part of the 'Ultra' revival — the Dutch version of No New York (the shortest description I can think off), and since then there have been releases and concerts. Recently De Groot toured the Netherlands, with former Nasmak drummer Toon Bressers on drums. On her releases, De Groot plays most of the synthesizers, sequences, rhythms and sings, and it sometimes reminded this listener of the old D.A.F. sound: cold, motorik rhythms with a great vocal. That worked on 'Trancesonics' even better than on 'Dance With Me', which I thought was a bit un- balanced, so expectations are high and we are not disappointed, but there are minor changes. For me the music of Plus Instruments works best if it is machine/sequencer driven with a motorik beat (think D.A.F. at their height) and on top Truus de Groot's soulful voice. It brings warmth to the machine and that's what she does best. The minor changes are due to the fact that in some of these pieces there is James Sclavunos playing the drums and Paulo Beto on synthesizers, bass and guitar.Those pieces add a more rock like beat to the music, even when it is trying to sound as machine-like. James Sclavunos we know from 8 Eyed Spy, Nick Cave, Grinderman, and Teenage Jesus And The Jerks and working with Truus before in Trigger And The Thrill Kings, while Beto is for me unknown (he played in Freakplasma, LCD and Shiva Las Vegas). By playing these more rock inspired tunes, Plus Instruments loose a bit of the coolness that it has when Truus does it all solo, I guess, but there are still some excellent pieces on this release, such as 'Come Closer', the moody 'Unlikely Crush' and 'Bad Mood' (which sounds like an electronic Nick Cave song), the joyous 'On The Other Side' (with full band, but still not as rocky) to which we also find some rockers as 'Your Mind' and the title piece. While I think the majority of the songs are great, I think Plus Instruments is at it's best with it's mechanical swing and Truus vocal delivery that goes along and the rock format is something that
makes it a bit too normal for me. Keep the boys in the same line and don't let do their rock poses and all will be fine. (FdW)
––– Address: http://www.blowpipe.org/
Oor Magazine – 6/2016 (NL)
Oscar Smit
PLUS INSTRUMENTS-SIGNAL THROUGH THE WAVES (BLOWPIPE)
Dutch
Een van de verworvenheden van 40 jaar punk is do it yourself. Maak je eigen instrument, neem je eigen plaat op en breng hem zelfstandig uit. Plus Instruments en Bene Gesserit zijn twee vertegenwoordigers van dit diy adagio. Truus de Groot uit Eindhoven zat eind jaren zeventig kort in de formatie Nasmak. Haar eigen band heet(te) Plus Instruments. Zij was in 1980 een van de eerste popmuzikanten die samenwerkte met het elektronische muziekinstituut STEIM. De door STEIM ontwikkelde kraakdoos werd haar handelsmerk. Dat is onmiddellijk hoorbaar op Signal Through The Waves. Haar freaky analoge geluiden uit zelfgebouwde synthesizers en kraakdozen vormen de boventoon en haar twee begeleiders passen zich hierbij aan. Truus zingt en laat intussen haar elektronica op hol slaan. Op Come Closer klinkt dit dreigend met donkere eighties-achtige synthesizerpartijen. In Unlikely Crush staan space sounds centraal die de jazzy zang van Truus op een spannende manier omarmen.
English One of the legacies of 40 years of punk is do it yourself. Make your own instrument, record your own record and self-release. Plus Instruments is evident of this DIY modus. Truus de Groot from Eindhoven was in late seventies briefly in the band Nasmak . Her own band is Plus Instruments. Truus was in 1980 one of the first pop musicians who worked with electronic music institute STEIM . The crackle box developed by STEIM became her trademark. That is immediately evident on Signal Through The Waves. Her freaky analog sounding self-built synthesizers and crackle boxes predominate the overal sound and her two companions connect with this. Truus sings and her electronics go wild. Come Closer sounds ominous with dark eighties synth -like parts. On Unlikely Crush space sounds are central to the jazzy vocals of Truus embracing it an enchanting way.
Review Excile in Paradise (VOD Records)
Obskure Magazine (FR) October 2013
The release of this never before released album from 1982 is quiet a gift. If it would have been released at that time, it would have probably become a classic. On this album the cult track "Bodies" that was released on the Dokument compilation, and "things" can be found on an EP released by Zickzack. Recorded when Truus lived between the USA and her native Holland, the album is dominated by euro-beat grooves and an electronic disco-punk lead by a sensual voice and a constant carnal tension. "paradise" is like a femine version of Suicide, and the rythm of "don't forget me" could evoque "Der Rauber und der Prinz" by DAF. The mood get darker and the synth goes gothic on "horrible", the minimal disco of "Irgendwo" gets an exotic and enchanted singing. The richness of Truus de Groot vocal register is there again one of the asset of the record, from cabaret styled Bertold Brecht (das ist gut so) to macabre delirium (he's dead) or delicious iced complaints (13 sailors). Even more than on their previous records, the percussion dominates here, and takes us to all this cold funk/post punk of the early 80's with bands like A Certain Ratio, 23 Skidoo and mainly Nasmak, the excellent nederland project in wich Truus had raged at the end of the 70's. Except that the approach of Plus Instruments is way more refine. "Exile in Paradise" is really interesting to listen in comparison to the more recent compositions of the band, as the continuity appears evident.
84%
Maxime Lachaud
Oor Magazine (NL) 8/2013
Until last year Truus was just a short footnote in the Dutch music history. However in 2012 some events took place around the Dutch “Ultra” music movement. Eindhoven native, Truus (ex Nasmak), was an important component of this genre. She performed a series of concerts in 2012, which was evident that Plus Instruments did not only survive the sands of time, but in fact appealed to an entire younger more current public.
Now Truus’ Plus Instruments has debuted a brand new Album and brief tour in September of Benelux & France. With “Trancesonics” Truus does not disappoint with danceable, rhythmic, upbeat Electronica, without the “clicks and cuts” but with analog “bleeps and squeaks”. She re-invents her basic musical concept dating back to the early 80’s without drawing back to that time. The Album opens with pleasant noisy beats where Truus’ Vocals are mixed in at sound level. On track 2 the electronic noise becomes apparent paired with a high Dance Beat. The high dance factor persists throughout the album.
Trancesonics is a raw dance album that flirts with EBM (Industrial Dance), most obvious in “In My Dreams”. On “Obsolete”, her trademark “Crackle Synth” noise is highlighted. Trancesonics is a progression building on Plus Instruments’ own legacy from the early 80’s, regardless of the analog mood, Truus is a visionary riding the ultimate post Ultra wave, straight into the future!
Oscar Smit
Vital Weekly 8/13
PLUS INSTRUMENTS - TRANCESONICS (CD by Declaw Ditties/Blowpipe)
Last year saw a small revival of Ultra - the Dutch version of post-punk (in 2 words). You'd better browse back to Vital Weekly 822 and read more. It brought back a lot of happy memories and old musicians, but it seems that the one artist who benefitted most was Truus de Groot. Once a member of Nasmak, then Plus Instruments (in a first incarnation with Lee Ranaldo and David Linton). Just before the revival started she released a great CD 'Dance With Me', of all new songs, which showed she still had the same great charm as she had thirty years ago. It brought her a retrospective album on Vinyl On Demand (which sadly didn't make it to these pages) and concerts in The Netherlands and France. Plus of course new work, and here's another album of twelve new songs. 'Dance With Me' was great, but this new one is even better. More coherent altogether, variations on what Truus does. And what's that, you may ask? Truus de Groot plays her crackle box, synthesizers, rhythm machines and sings. She does that with great style. The music is pretty much straight forward, sequenced rhythms, to which she bends her voice to sing songs. Not moan, howl, whisper, but actually singing great songs. Her crackle box functions as machine to create weird songs that float around her strict beats. Music that reminds you of DAF at their peak, but less macho, more feminine and, perhaps, listening to sweat ditty as 'Magic Carpet', also a bit more hippy like. That whole thing makes this something which is something that surely some people will like, who found DAF a bit too pathetic, too German. It still sounds like 1982, but then updated and way more poppy. 'Detour Square Dance' is her version of 'Der Mussolini' and should be an underground dance classic. Excellent!
Plus Instruments – TrancesonicsSubmitted by Richard Foster on Wed, 09/04/2013 - 17:18This is a marvelous LP; one which employs a mix of mad sounds and considerable know how. Not to mention bags of charm. At times it’s a weird pop master class.
http://www.plusinstruments.com (Blowpipe records)
Not many people know of Truus de Groot’s work, or at best will have only a fleeting knowledge of it. Which is a terrible shame; because, like the other long-lost, (and recently reified) Dutch experimental pop pioneers Minny Pops, Truus’s work with Naasmak and Plus Instruments is of the highest order. It really is.
And now she’s back with Trancesonics – replete with her “crackle box” and disarmingly simple way of looking at the world. She’s great at setting a seemingly simple message over a plethora of noise and this LP is a set of thumping and often strange tunes that constantly have you itching to dance or wondering just what planet she’s beaming in from.
It’s Complicated and Into Oblivion are magnificent mantras of Weirdo Pop, taking the template of the old Plus Instruments classic Bodies, and giving it a glossy, very modern twist. The latter ends up as a sort of confessional, albeit one that should be rendered unto Darth Vader or something. Love Is Enough is an industrial space stomp par excellence, the beat crashing through town like some praetorian guard (or the women police from the Two Ronnies’ sketch, The Worm Has Turned) whilst de Groot croons over the top to all intents and purposes reworking Peter Cook’s Great Garbo impression. The bass line is ridiculously lush too; almost the sort of mellifluous run that Nile Rogers would slap down in something like Happy Man. And what is happening on Obsolete? A shuddering synth neat redolent of late 80s club land is given a hard time by the noises emanating from that magical “crackle box”. Like most tracks it’s over before you know it.
Things get more relaxed with Magic Carpet and Snake Charmer, two mid-paced tracks that play on a sort of kooky dreaminess and where you can hear a sort of kinship with Tom Tom Club and where you can finally draw breath from the giddy nonsense that fizzes through the rest of Trancesonics. But best on the LP is (incredibly) saved till late on: Detour Square Dance is asset over a sort of D.A.F.-like riff, you know, sharp, electronic, slightly dystopian. You Make Me Stomp is, (guess), a high tempo mantra full of weird noises and Moogs, and a track which also seems to utilize the beat from Byrne & Eno’s Help Me Somebody, though it is very likely that I could be making that up. I could also be fabricating the connection between When The Rain Comes and anything off Hector Zazou’s Reivax Au Bongo, the but they do share the same magical weirdness and alien beauty. It’s a fabulous track. Not as fab as the last though, In My Dreams is the ultimate nightmare dance track, the simple melody whipped to within an inch of its life by that damned crackle box. Briljant.
Anyway, I should shut up now. Apart from reiterating that this is a marvellous LP; one which employs a mix of mad sounds and considerable know how. Not to mention bags of charm. At times it’s a weird pop master class. You really need to give it a listen or two.
CD review OOR Magazine, October 2011
translation:
Truus plus instruments
(Dewclaw Ditties/Import)
Truus de Groot! Young readers will be scratching their heads. Those of us who need reading glasses are making a victory dance.
Truus was the lead singer of groundbreaking new wave band Nasmak some 30 years ago. She went her own intercontinental way 30 years ago with her own project “Plus Instruments”. Using New York City as her base, with member of Sonic Youth nonetheless!
She toyed around with Cow punk and exotica (to name a few), now she lives on a ranch in Southern California and is checking in with this inviting record. It is reverting to the electronica of back then and this in 2011, it feels almost primitive. But don’t get me wrong, it is quite charming. Towards the end of the record the exotica genre prevails and reminds me of a mono version of Stereolab. The title track “Dance with Me” conveys an odd mood yet it feels good and that is the charm of this record.
Posté par Mäx Lachaud dans Albums, Chroniques
C’est l’album du retour de Truus de Groot sous le nom de Plus Instruments, et la première chose qui frappe, c’est que le son a gardé son aspect primitif et sale comme en pleine gloire after-punk. Les boîtes à rythmes commencent d’emblée très fort, menées par des synthés analogiques bien granuleux, et une tension électronique aux relents très Suicide (« Crazy Train », « Fly to the Stars »). La sensualité du chant se mêle à des sonorités criardes, presque proto-industrielles dans leur aspect brut de décoffrage (« Only one »). Il n’y a pas à dire, beaucoup d’artistes de cette époque devraient prendre modèle sur Truus. L’énergie d’une époque reste ici intacte, sans céder à la tendance à lisser les entournures, si bien que l’on a du mal à croire que ces titres ont été composés en 2011. Truus n’en tire pas pour autant un trait sur les expériences qu’elle a connues entre-temps : « Git along » pioche volontiers dans le blues et dans les aventures américaines de la dame, alors que « Padudidum Italiano » se situe plus dans la lignée des travaux plus exotica ou easy listening expérimentaux qu’elle a explorés sur Ritualis, album solo qu’elle avait sorti il y a trois ans. Elle se plaît d’ailleurs à utiliser ces rythmes de synthés préprogrammés, ce qui peut donner lieu à des bossas-novas déglinguées (« Bored »), des valses ultra ralenties (« I can’t sing ») ou des slows bizarroïdes (« Drinking Song »), alors que le pied sur « Wild Turkeys » ou « Dance with me » apporte une touche technoïde, qui contrebalance la folie de synthés hystériques. On appréciera en particulier ces morceaux où le robotique côtoie l’aléatoire et le frappadingue. L’esprit d’une époque revitalisé.
Obskure Magazine -France April 2012
This album is the return of Truus de Groot as "more instruments", and the first thing you notice is that the sound has kept its original primitiveness and dirtieness like in glory after-punk. The drum starts immediately very strong, led by well grainy analog synths, and an electronic tension that sounds very Suicide ("Crazy Train", "Fly to the Stars"). The sensuality of the singing mingles with the garish sounds, almost proto-industrial in their appearance rough around the edges ("Only one"). Many artists of that era should imitate Truus. The energy of the era is here intact, without succumbing to the tendency to smoothing the seams, so it's hard to believe that these tracks were written in 2011. Truus does not put the experiences she had known the meantime behind her: "Git along" gladly pick in blues and American adventures of the lady, while "Padudidum Italiano" is more like the easy listening / exotica experimental that she explored on Ritualis, her solo album released three years ago. She also likes to use these pre-programmed synth rhythms, which can lead to dilapidated bossas-ovas ("Bored"), ultra slow waltzes ("I can not sing") bizarre slows ("Drinking Song "), while the foot on" Wild Turkeys "and" Dance with me "brings a technoid touch, which counterbalances the madness of the hysterical synths. We'll appreciate those pieces where the robotism is near the random and crazyness. The spirit of an era revitalized.
CD review FRET Magazine, Netherlands Feb 2012
Translation
Truus' approach to music has been experimental and idiosyncratic to the bone for more than 30 years.
With her new work "Dance with me" she produced a work no one else could have made. Her endeavor for the most awesome sounds and unusual electronic instruments are established. Her up beat, dark, often repetitive vocal create a cohesiveness. Those who remember Truus as Lead singer of Nasmak will find familiarity on this album. Although her love for Exotica is clearly recognizable. Her most recent work is more a type of sounds scapes as opposed to polished songs. This is also the case with Dance with me, a world of sounds and a hint of moody synth pop.
Truus keeps growing is what she is really good at, creating music without borders..
Vinyl Magazine 2012 - review - Truus Plus Instruments Dance with Me
Now the Minny Pops may have been in hibernation for thirty years, Truus de Groot never stopped. She was in a band called Nasmaak, singing and playing the crackle box, before they turned into Nasmak and she shortly left after that. Together with Lee Ranaldo and David Linton she formed Plus Instruments, guitar, drums, tapes and vocals. Later on she had a band called Trigger And The Thrill Kings (actually a band playing blues and rockabilly), but these days took back on the name Plus Instruments, still using the crackle box, still singing and she manages to still sound like Plus Instruments the way I remember best. Somewhere after Nasmak's first LP and Truus' departure, they played as Nasmak Plus Instruments and in this short, transitional period they toured with DAF, picking up along the lines some of their motorik drum patterns and sequencers (check out their 12" for Zig Zag). Now while it remains to be seen if Minny Pops will find a way to update their 80s sound to 2012, PlusInstruments certainly did. Each of these thirteen pieces have that motorik drive that was a prominent feature in the early 80s, but now its much fuller with the addition of a lot more instruments all sequenced to go along with the beats. No doubt thanks to today's technology, which allows musicians to play along with themselves more easily, De Groot adds crackle box, analogue synthesizers, sampled toys, sampled percussion and De Groot's more spoken than sung delivery make this an excellent updated form of Plus Instruments. Starting with 'Drinking Song' the album collapses a bit with pieces that don't seem to belong to the others, like they have been added afterwards to fill up an otherwise good album. These are more pop like tunes with simple drum machines and singing. Only four of those, but those nine previous pieces are more than excellent.
Frans de Waard
LIVE by Richard Foster - De Duyker Hoofddorp
..one thing Truus de Groot has is presence, and an awareness of how to use the stage.
Ah blissful fun! But in Hoofddorp? Well, yes… team Incendiary were there to see Rats on Rafts for the umpteenth time this year along with a more rare catch, Plus Instruments / Nsmk. In their current incarnation Plus Instruments / Nsmk is the legendary Truus de Groot and Toon Bressers, coupled with the very talented Younes Riad. We reckoned that we’d probably never see the band again - given Truus’ residency in the US – so there was no way we were going to miss them. Added to all of this, Gonzo/Vinyl deejay and all round good guy Oscar Smit was deejaying, which meant we’d get to hear a few loved ULTRA tracks, old and new.
A word about the venue is in order. De Duyker is a fine podium, very well equipped with great sound and an attractive set of stages and practise rooms (as well as a very nice bar indeed). It’s part of a massive arts complex which, by virtue of its very scale, could have been designed for a minor despot. That it’s bang in the middle of Hoofdorp must be a bone of contention with the locals, considering how few had bothered to turn up for the gig, a no-show made all the more remarkable given Rats on Rafts’ appearance. Maybe they just like Pizza Hut better.
Incredibly by the time Toon & Younes set up and the clatter of the Nasmak Melody rang out the crowd had thinned again, but more fool them as the sounds emanating from the stage were nothing short of epic. Nasmak’s old numbers, these strident and sharp shards of memories lodged in the back of many an old punk mind were given fluidity and power, qualities that had the audience gasping. Bressers is a powerhouse of a drummer, but it’s not really obvious where he gets such a thump, his actions seem methodical, almost scholarly at times. Riad, bent over an amalgam of contraptions seemed to be intuitively aware of how to colour the incredible sonic framework set up by his partner. This was vaulting, steely music, ambitious as a skyscraper and hard as iron. The rhythms at times became merciless, akin to the sensual toughness of Afrobeat: once Truus stepped on stage the audience were pretty much battered into a submissive and receptive state.
But that’s not to intimate that she didn’t seek to work the audience; one thing Truus de Groot has is presence, and an awareness of how to use the stage. Despite using a whole host of articles on a table (including the famous “crackle box”) she is aware of the power of the smallest move, the subtlest inflection or attitude. It was quite weird seeing this brassy confident showmanship given full vent on a provincial Dutch platform. We got a whole host of new tracks from the latest LP, the brilliant Dance with Me (including a pulsating take on the title track) and Bored, not to mention the infuriatingly catchy Wrong Right (which my girlfriend insists on singing ad nauseum). Did we get Freundschaft and Git Along? Maybe we did, but at that point my head had dived into the tank of beer prepared for it. Sadly we had to cut half of the gig and run to get the train, missing any chance of seeing the band play Bodies (I just have to console myself that they probably didn’t do it). What a night, and what a waste only a handful of people saw it.
May 2012 - Issue 84
VPRO 3voor12 Den Haag Review/ Verslag State-X New Forms 2012: de vrijdag
Kunst en curiosa By Frank Veldkamp,
- 17 december 2012
English Translation
Review Live performance at State Ex Festival, Paard van Troje, Den Haag
At 10 PM Plus Instruments starts their set. A band by Truus de Groot that has been around since the late 70’s. You are transported to a loft party in New York City circa 1980. No wave sounds, reminiscent of Suicide blast from the speakers with Truus’ vocal over it. The difference is a real drummer and a bearded Theremin player to create its own mood. It’s about Wild Turkeys. Boring cities and flying carpets. After about a half hour the venue nearly empties itself (as Mission of Burma takes the large stage). Undeterred and with a big smile, Truus announces: “Glad to see we scared away all the bad people”. The monotone of Plus Instruments makes it absurd as well as fascinating; same goes for the vibrant Truus de Groot. Truus is the entertaining aunt you want to invite to your birthday party to antidote the drabness of your boring family ..
pictured here Plus Instruments with Truus de Groot, David Linton & Lee Ranaldo 1981
