VI.BE

Brussels-based trio schroothoop (Dutch for ‘junk yard’) is formed by Rik Staelens (wind & string instruments), Timo Vantyghem (bass & clarinet) and Margo Maex (percussion).

In May 2020, they released their tribal oriented mini-album 'Klein Gevaarlijk Afval (translates Small Hazardous Waste), featuring homemade instruments built from lost and found objects like scrap wood, old metal or anything that would end up in a landfill. The band’s music is infused with sounds from around the world orchestrated by PVC flute melodies, jerry can beats and washtub bass lines. The trio effortlessly incorporates Northern African Chaabi, jazz and reggaeton with Eastern melodies and Afro-Cuban rhythms, resulting in a danceable and hypnotic trip through the Brussels melting pot.

Schroothoop came into being on the border of the boroughs Jette and Laken. Some would call it the residential 'nothing is ever gonna happen here' part of Brussels. The evening before a local jam session, Rik, Margo and Timo met up in Jette and noticed a pile of illegally dumped tyres, mattresses, cans and buckets and spontaneously decided to turn this rubbish into a concert. Margo built a drum from found waste bins, a washing line suddenly became a double bass and PVC pipes were transformed by Rik into flutes and clarinets. That evening schroothoop played a jam of improvised, tribal junk sounds and the crowd wanted more. They came up with a plan to record a mini-album that became a musical road trip through seven semi-improvised tracks. Proper canned junk to enjoy.