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About

Slaapwel Records is a small record label specialized in music to fall asleep to.

Wim Maesschalck aka Wixel, who started the label, often found himself lying awake in bed, not sleepy enough to fall asleep, not lively enough to keep doing stuff. He figured it would be good if there was more music that soundtracks the thin border between being asleep and lying awake, deliberately choosing the sleepy side of things. So he set out, looking for people that would be good at making mind-soothing songs.

He asked them to write a sleep-inducing record, he listened to it, and when he failed to reach the end because he fell asleep, he released it as a musical record. All artists are various people he met through the years, different yet all connected with their unique talent, yet all very good at making "boring" music. This is not an insult.

"I love their music to death and I think they are all very capable of making wonderful sleep-inducing songs. In any case, don't make too much of it. It is all just good fun. Sleepy fun."

And that is still the philosophy of Slaapwel Records today. 

 

Demo Policy

We're really humbled by all the requests for releasing a record.

It's very flattering you think Slaapwel could be a good home, but, in all honesty: if you made an album and you're looking for a label to release it: Slaapwel can't do that for you.

Slaapwel only releases albums specifically made for people to fall asleep to. Much like scientists, we do a test with each submission before releasing it.

If you want to make something special, feel free to send it over. We promise we'll try it out, if it works, we'll get back to you, if it doesn't, we prefer staying quiet because it is no fun to say it didn't work. :-) 


Elsewhere
Thursday
Dec132007

Machinefabriek + Soccer Committee

Thole by Machinefabriek + Soccer Committee

NO! Slaapwel Records is not becoming a dutch-only record label, but truth is, dutch people seem to be excellent in creating sleep inducing music. After Wouter van Veldhoven it is time to introduce Mariska Baars and Rutger Zuydervelt. Those names maybe won't ring a bell, but if I tell you they are also known as Machinefabriek and Soccer Committee that might make you say "a-haaa". In case it doesn't I highly suggest you check out the raving reviews about them on Boomkat. "Thole" is their 3rd collaboration (I think, I might have lost count with the dozens of Machinefabriek releases coming out each year) and it's probably my favourite too. "Thole" is one long piece that begins quite grainy/breezy/sandy and just slowly ebs away through various guitar motives/theme's, sometimes with Mariska's sweet voice hiding in the back, singing you to sleep. It reminds me a lot of those early Tarentel records, the slowpaced guitarpieces from Labradford & One Mile North also come to mind.. or those incredibly lovely guitar-ambient pieces Godspeed You Black Emperor used to have. "Thole" will be a perfect friend if you want to drift off, just like seeing a ship leave the shore, becoming smaller and finally disappearing behind the horizon. I am very happy they made this for Slaapwel Records. The music comes in a beautiful chipboard box with two lovely pictures taken by my good friend Nilo. It looks/sounds/IS awesome.

MP3/FLAC download available.

 

• slaapwel ii • sold out • released 13.12.2007 • limited edition (100) •

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