In between many albums and tours with the Nits, Henk Hofstede and Rob Kloet found time for other projects such as the Avalanche Quartet and the Ho Orchestra. The first of these bands was dedicated to the songs of Leonard Cohen, the other was an international big band formed with Swiss pianist Simon Ho, including musicians and singers from all over Europe. You will also find a new cover version, a live track of a well known song with Oli Hartung on electric guitar, plus one track of Henk’s that was recorded for Simon Ho’s first album. Guests in this episode include Mari Kaasinen Paaso, Arwen Linnemann, Marjolein van der Klauw, Vera van der Poel, Lorenz Hasler (violinist of the Salonisti), Simon Ho, Pim Kops. Plus Henk Hofstede and Rob Kloet.

The list is long: JOS days, Crane-driver, In the Dutch mountains, Une petite allumette, the Concrete House, Two skaters, Yellow socks and Angst, House of Jacob, the Concrete Brothers, Lits-jumeaux. All of these songs come from one place, contents-wise: they take place in Watergraafsmeer, in singer/lyrics writer Henk Hofstede’s youth, in the past of his parents. We’ve made a small expedition into the dutch mountains, the unspectacular neighborhood in Eastern Amsterdam, behind the polders, at some distance from town centre, in the shadow of the chocolate factory. A small trip back in time. Sometimes, the everyday can be transformed into magic. Walking with Henk, on a cold grey morning, under suburban skies. And then we also sat down to talk about lyrics.

The two albums that followed “Angst” were both born of improvisations – and even the two albums in question sound very different from each other, the basic tracks often come from the same sessions. As its name suggests, “Knot” is the knotty, the more difficult one – it is the perfect soundtrack to a car ride on an Autobahn late on a rainy night. “Neon” is the brighter album, a stylistically more diverse, more impressionistic affair – like an “Omsk” 40 years later.

Rewind to the Seventies. Bands especially in Germany were trying to find their own voices that were not anglophone. Bands such as Kraftwerk or Neu were the first, to be followed by many others in new wave-times. Among these, a band from Berne, Switzerland. Their hit was “Eisbär” and it hit a nerve in neigboring countries. One member was Stephan Eicher who went on to become a very successful solo artist. A contemporary of the Nits. Guitar master Hank Shizzoe is a frequent collaborator of Eicher’s and has collaborated in concerts with the Nits. Stefan Horlitz is a music teacher from Germany who loves the Nits. Joke Roelandt is a Belgian philosopher who writes in depth about the Dutch band. This episode features their insights – and you also get to hear the thoughts of musicians Crawford Blair and Lea Maria Fries about one song: “Flower shop forget-me-not”.

In may of 1940, the Netherlands were attacked by Nazi-Germany. The occupation lasted five years until the country was liberated. Five traumatic years during which Henk Hofstede’s mother grew up in Amsterdam, only to spend liberation day ill in bed. Now fast forward to the Seventies and the relationship between both countries is still less than friendly. The shadow of World War II still hangs in the air. But then things change ever so subtly. To young people, Germany suddenly becomes very attractive, via the motorcycles that young people ride around town with, via the long haired German football players, via the synthesizers from Germany and the mechanical sounds of Kraftwerk and all the other exotic sounds from the neighboring country.

At the start, the idea was simple: to recruit some Swiss musicians to record a couple of Nits-songs for an album to celebrate the 40th birthday of the band. As usual, such ideas can quickly balloon into something bigger. At the end, the project of called “Isnt Nits” turned into a huge production with 51 songs performed by many musicians. Musicians from around the globe, from Australia to Finland, from France to Canada. To celebrate this album, there was a concert in Zurich (the “Isnt Nits Nite”) which was quickly followed by another concert in Haarlem. Many friends and colleagues of the Nits shared the stage with them. In this episode, many of the protagonist talk about the recording of the album. And the three members of the Nits choose their favourites among the many covers on these albums.

“Malpensa”, the title of the new album of 2012, is inspired by the airport of Milan. The Nits – a band that writes a lot about travelling – finally leaves the Werf and records some songs abroad, in a castle in Burio in Northern Italy. “Hotel Europa”, the live album from 2015, collects recordings from different line-ups in different eras of the band, but most importantly, recordings made in cities from all over Europe. In between these two corner stones, the Nits turn 40 in 2014; there’s a Best Of-box set, two celebratory concerts in Haarlem and Zurich, a short tour with the repertoire of the first ten years of the band. To top it all, Henk Hofstede, Rob Kloet and Robert Jan Stips are knighted in the Order of Oranje-Nassau for their contribution to Dutch culture. Busy years!

On the jukebox in 2008 and 2009, the classic combos of British pop of the Sixties, the Beatles, the Kinks, the Zombies, but also some of the early signer/songwriters of the day, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Nick Drake. Both «Doing the Dishes» and «Strawberry Wood» bear all of their influences, whilst strongly having an own character. And once again, the Dutch trios makes a wild turnaround from before. Whereas «Les Nuits» was a darker, brooding album, these two albums are lighter, extremely playful, humorous and less polished in the case of «Dishes». «Strawberry Wood» on the other hand is a more reflective piece of work, with songs about children moving out of the family home. Both albums are companion pieces, also for the reason that they were created more or less parallel to each other. The title oft he second album shows the way, with ist mash-up oft wo famous songs by John Lennon.

«The Nits are friends and a family», says music executive Marc Thonon. They are autonomous, as self-sufficient as is possible. They produce their own music, they had their own work space, they film their own videos and design their own sleeves. This episode is dedicated to the people who work with the Nits or have played with them, as part of the extended family. Which includes manager Aad Link, who has been a friend of Robert Jan Stips forever and throughout the career of other bands. Featured are the brothers Paul and Tom Telman on sound and light, but also the French concert producer Bernard Batzen who has organized many of their concerts in France; and we meet The Squirls. Four musicians who have been members of the Nits or have played with them: Arwen Linnemann, Titia van der Krieken, Vera van der Poel and Oli Hartung sit down in a holiday hut in Holland. Last time they played together was in 2010.

Sound design : Darren Hayne.

On the morning of November 2nd 2004, the publicist and film director Theo van Gogh was murdered by a 26 year old Dutchman of Moroccan descent. This happened in Linnauesstraat in the east of Amsterdam, right around the corner from Henk Hofstede’s house. Three of the songs on this album refer back to that incident that changed Dutch society – or at least indicated that changes had taken place in this society that considered itself very liberal.