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. 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 result of these recording sessions is what you’re holding in your hands right now. 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 the music arrives to us from the vast Dutch musical landscape.

We’re extremely thankful 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.

Loyal to the soil, here, is not meant as some form of national pride, but instead sees 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 thank each artist not only for the blessing of putting this intimate project together but trusting us with our aim to unite the local music scene. New EPs, collaborations, and tracks followed from these studio sessions and we hope that the local scene keeps on thriving.

Steppin' Into Tomorrow is an ever-growing Amsterdam-based music platform, built by a collective of like-minded music heads that highlight quality sounds from the Dutch soil and beyond. Thanks to the Steppin’ fam for building this platform together.

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