Solo is the musical outfit of Dutch musicians Michiel Flamman and Simon Gitsels. The duo released two albums, of which the latest ''Solopeople'' was the biggest success. The album released on label

Excelsior Recordings Excelsior Recordings is an independent record label located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. History Excelsior was founded by Ferry Roseboom and Frans Hagenaars under the name "Nothing Sucks Like Electrolux", releasing a few limited-run seven inch si ...

spawned a Dutch top 20 hit with ''Come Back To Me''.

Biography

Songs ’n Sounds (2003–2005)

In 2003 Flamman and Gitsels team up under the name Solo. By then both have already paid their dues in the music industry. Flamman performed under the name J. Perkin and wrote songs for other artists. Gitsels worked as sessions musician for Mathilde Santing and Birgit. A year later the duo signs with

. On this label Solo releases its debut album ''Songs ‘n Sounds'' on 16 August. The record is produced by Martijn Groeneveld and contains contributions from Minco Eggersman (at the close of every day), Rowin Tettero (Mindmeners) and Marg van Eenbergen (Seedling). The latter two also support Flamman and Gitsels during live shows. In November Solo receives an Essent award.

Solopeople (2005–2006)

In January 2005 Solo performs at Noorderslag. In February the band supports

Spinvis Spinvis is a Dutch one-man music project centred on Erik de Jong (born 2 February 1961, Spijkenisse). Using experimental, lo-fi music, Spinvis has earned two gold records in the Netherlands, and performed sold-out tours in both the Netherlands ...

on his Lotus Europa tour, playing throughout the Netherlands. At the end of April Solo enters the studio to record the tracks of their second album. The recording sessions finish in November. In radio show 2 Meter Sessies the band previews a number of tracks. At the end of the year Solo also records a cover version of de ''Pingpongsong'' for a tribute album for Dutch singer Herman van Veen. Solopeople, the band's second album, is released in January 2006. The Dutch press receives the record well and the band makes appearances in popular Dutch TV shows such as ''Barend & Van Dorp'' and ''De Wereld Draait Door''. The band manages to sell out the rock club Ekko in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

three times within a month. In the summer of 2006 the band manages to play at one of Europe's biggest festivals

Lowlands Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

twice. ''Solopeople's'' second single ''Opportunities'' follows in September.

Before we part (2007–2008)

In 2007 Solo works on new material and played at Touring Theater Festival De

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

. With befriended musicians they play songs written by Dutch composer

Harry Bannink Harry Bannink (10 April 1929, Enschede – 19 October 1999, Bosch en Duin) was a Dutch composer, arranger and pianist. He wrote over 3,000 songs. Bannink studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, receiving his degree in 1946. He star ...

for the seventies television show

De Stratemakeropzeeshow ''De Stratemakeropzeeshow'' (English: ''The road worker at sea show'') was a Dutch children's television programme that ran from 1972 to 1974 and was aired by the VARA broadcasting organization. ''De Stratemakeropzeeshow'' is regarded as one of ...

. In October Solo head for the studio. The recordings are only finished in April 2008 after working with

Scott Solter Scott Solter is an American recording engineer, record producer, mixer, remixer and musician. As a producer and mixer, Solter has worked with numerous indie rock artists, including Maps & Atlases, St. Vincent, Spoon, Sarah Jaffe, Becca Stevens ...

and Aaron Prellwitz at Tiny Telephone studios in San Francisco, California. When the record is released in November, Solo is down to one man; Michiel Flamman. The album title refers to the breakup of the band. Flamman states in interviews that though Gitsels left the band Solo will continue and a new record is due to be released in April 2009. Meanwhile, the album is hailed as another piece of perfect songwriting.

References

{{Authority control Dutch musical groups