Biography
Sounds Like Sander: “Vitamin S”
“Sure to win your heart with summer anthem ‘More’, certain not only to evoke memories but to create them”
“The only pill you need this summer’”
Sander Kalmeijer is a man born with the summer in his heart. His travels have taken him to the furthest flung corners of the globe in search of perfect sounds – which he has collected, distilled, bottled and serves to you in a heady cocktail called Sounds Like Sander. The first fruits of the project are ripe and ready for your listening pleasure, in the form of the album “Vitamin S”.
Born in Holland in 1983, Sander has lived a life of music. As a graduate of the Utrecht School for the Arts – with a major in bass guitar –he has spent the last few years travelling the world, absorbing culture, discovering sounds and plotting… always plotting, the perfect summer album.
But even beach life isn’t without hard work, and in the meantime, Sander has carved a niche for himself as bassist for variety of acclaimed Dutch outfits including Shake Y’all and Eon, as well as performing with English singer-songwriter James Morrison.
A labour of love, and culmination of several years work, “Vitamin S” sees Sander collaborating with musicians from all over the world: Turkey, Mexico, Bulgaria, North America and Australia – living the hedonist dream – playing bass on luxury cruise liners as they sail to far flung, romantic and exotic ports. With every collaboration, the album has grown – as a collection of subtle flavours and colourful personalities, giving “Vitamin S” a truly global perspective.
Of course everyone thinks they have the recipe for the perfect soundtrack to beach culture. But with “Vitamin S”, all the ingredients are there – a laid-back chill-out album, awash with mellow grooves and ambient lounge-jazz – it’s a formula that is as much at home at wild parties on the beach, or simply sitting quietly, meditating as the waves lap around you.
Australia made such a big impression on Sander that he settled in Sydney for a while, as a base from which to live and travel. Sander had already met Australian singer Rebecca Elliot on his travels, and her dreamy vocals drip all over “Vitamin S” like warm honey. Along with fellow collaborators Evert Zeevalkink (Renee van Bavel), Adam Davis (Amos Lee) and Matthew Bayne (Jamiroquai), the result is Sounds Like Sander – a group… a collective… an eclectic bunch of influences who share a common theme – a quest to make music from the exotic Shangri-las of the world and deliver them to our ears, each tune an evocative journey to India, Alaska, New Zealand…. wherever the wind, and your mind, takes you.
You’ve probably got an idea for the music by now. Vibes and grooves are front and centre – lush textures, layers of sounds reminiscent of some of the greats of the genre – from the gentle rhythms, insistent vibes and lounge-jazz of Sven Van Hees (whose album “Gemini” was a starting point for Sander’s love affair with the genre), and from St Germain to Air, from Telepopmusik to Thievery Corporation, from Bebel Gilberto to Gare Du Nord.
Unlike many of his peers, Sounds Like Sander has tried to use as many “real” instruments as possible. It would be easy to create many of the musical signatures within “Vitamin S” using samples, but for our hero, it was time to shake off electronics, to move closer to the organic sound – ensuring that “Vitamin S” is as close as possible to the vision that he was aiming for.
“For me, this cd represents growth”, says Sander, his passion obvious in every word, “I have seen some amazing
places and met some lifetime friends along the way. All of that made me a richer human being and I think I am more confident and just more relaxed than a few years ago”.
But why “Vitamin S”? Perhaps it stands for “Sander” or even “Sounds Like Sander”? Maybe it’s “sun”, “sea”, “sand”, “sex”, “sangria”? Maybe it’s “summer”. Maybe it’s all of those things and more. The truth is, it is whatever you want it to be. The S is in your mind. There’s one thing for sure though, “Everyone needs a good dose of Vitamin S…”, Sander enthuses, “…besides, having your name start with S keeps me in the vicinity of Stevie Wonder and Sting on people’s iPods….”
One of the most exciting elements of Sounds Like Sander is the decision to work within a Creative Commons framework and allow sharing of the mp3 files across the world. After all, there are so many people trying to file share anyway, why not work with the internet, rather than fight against it? Says Sander “It certainly is an exciting time to release new music because there are so many opportunities and new business models arising every day and I am really exciting to be a part of this new music landscape in the 21st century”.
Of course this is typical of the SLS philosophy – even in this age of technology, law suits and litigation, the summer sun slips through and finds a way to make the internet about freedom, happiness, and sharing the love.
The opening track of the album is available as a free download and features a video clip, recorded in Fiji and Vanuatu in the South Pacific. The album will be available via soundslikesander.com as well as all the major digital music platforms including iTunes and eMusic.
But enough words. Sounds Like Sander is about the Sounds of Summer – so settle back in an easy chair, pour a mojito and let your mind drift to azure seas, golden beaches that never end, and give yourself a healthy shot of “Vitamin S”. It Sounds Like Sander. And Sander sounds like summer….
Chris Merriman – May 2009