VA - Steppin' Into Tomorrow presents Loyal To The Soil Vol. 1 (Live at Flowriders Studio) (2023)

During the height of the pandemic, the lockdowns were really taking a toll on people in the music industry. We all had to get creative and look for ways in which musicians could play, record, and perform for a small audience in the heart of Amsterdam. Between October and December 2021, Steppin’ Into Tomorrow, Amarte Studio Concerts, and Flowriders Studio joined forces and came up with a solution for local artists in particular: intimate studio concerts.

Over the course of these two months, the Dutch-based artists invited their close friends and family as an audience to set foot on the ground they make their music from, creating a private and sonically soothing atmosphere. The live studio audience was listening in through a set of headphones, to ensure the highest quality experience for both audio-recording and in-person listening, as it was being captured live, both sonically and visually (special shoutout to Tijmen de Nooy for the beautiful photography & Leslie Wilkes for capturing these moments on camera).

The result of these recording sessions is 'Loyal To The Soil, Vol.1', a compilation to be released on January 27th on Wicked Wax digitally & also on vinyl (pre-order here). Looking back, it was a unique moment in time, historically, but creatively as well. The artists all managed to capture serenity in the midst of disorder existing beyond the confines of the studio. Every recording attains a piece of tranquility in its own respective way, but all converge on the fact that the music reaches us from the vast Dutch musical landscape.

Loyal to the soil, here, is not meant as some form of national pride, but instead as seeing musicians being situated in a cultural environment that they deem either useful or contestable, which is presented through their music. It sees musicians as interpreters of what happens around us and translates this into their own creative makings.

We’re extremely grateful for the opportunity to create these moments where live music and honest expressions intertwine. In conversation with the artists, we selected one track of each performance for this compilation, to present you with a glimpse into the heterogeneous ways in which Dutch artists interpret and shape the music from Dutch soil. Let's take a moment to individually introduce all of the acts that are represented within this selection, along with glimpses from the recording sessions.