Eventual

‘Eventual’ is the first album by double bass player Gonçalo Almeida and ’knob twidler’ Rutger Zuydervelt. It’s not exactly their first collaboration though, having released two EPs, ‘Doze Ruinas’ and ‘Jangadas’, and being colleagues in Hydra Ensemble (with cellists Lucija Gregov and Nina Hitz)
When film maker Lex Reitsma commissioned Rutger Zuydervelt for the soundtrack of his documentary about photographer Koos Breukel, Zuydervelt proposed to involve Gonçalo Almeida. Reitsma agreed and visited Almeida to record a selection of double bass improvisations. The plan was for Zuydervelt to weave these recordings into the score, but in the end not much of it was used
Both Almeida and Zuydervelt felt that the wealth of recorded material was too beautiful to lay to waste, and since they had plans to create more music as a duo anyway, it was logic step to give this session a new purpose. After a few false starts (and more than a year after the recording), Zuydervelt found a successful angle and constructed ‘Eventual’; a long-form drone composition, created by combining multiple edits of Reitsma’s recordings, and making use of the gorgeous harmonics and overtones of Gonçalo’s playing. While Almeida is also a master in furious skronk, ‘Eventual’ highlights his more minimalistic and patient side, combined with the detailed and multi-layered sound design by Zuydervelt. The icing on the cake is the beautiful mastering by Jos Smolders