Choreomanic (PESTILENCE Bassist Joost van der Graaf’s Experimental Prog/Funk Project) Posts Rehearsal Video "Walk With Urgency"

CHOREOMANIC, the experimental prog / funk project created by PESTILENCE bassist Joost van der Graaf, has posted a rehearsal room video performing "Walk With Urgency" with drummer Koen Herfst (VandenBerg, I CHAOS, Dew-Scented). The track is off his latest debut self-titled album released on February 18th.

"The cool thing about this song is that the main groove and bassline are inspired by the intro of another recording by my first serious band Creepmime! That song was called ‘King Of Misrule’, from the album ‘Chiaroscuro’ 1995... Instrumental. The title refers to the way a junky walks with urgency on the way to scoring." adds Graaf.

Watch "Walk With Urgency" at https://youtu.be/zlY3FNyuRS0

CHOREOMANIC is the experimental prog / funk project created by bassist Joost van der Graaf (Pestilence, Dew-Scented, I CHAOS) when the world came to a halt in spring 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. With canceled tours and no local gigs, Graaf started writing music in which different influences from his past came together. The final product was an album that features twelve bass-orientated tracks experimenting in realms of prog, funk, and everything else on the planet that has musically inspired Graaf over his thirty-plus year career. The full length’s lyrical concept explores Choreomania, an uncontrollable urge to dance, especially in a frenzied, convulsive manner also known as the Medieval Dancing plagues. Graaf explains in further detail:

“In 2019, I became pretty obsessed by the mysterious dancing plagues of the middle-ages. I started reading different studies, learning about the different theories about the cause. It’s still one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in history! One of the theories that made the most sense to me is that people had been suppressed by the ruling class (church, inquisition) for generations. There was collective fear of God and let’s not forget about the black plague! So there was this anxiety relief at a certain point that became infectious and caused convulsions and psychotic dancing, resulting in exhaustion, dehydration, and even death. It spread across Europe and there were large gatherings in towns and villages with frantically dancing people, accompanied by traveling musicians and all kinds of interested parties. These things sometimes became true festivals with people selling food, etc. With today’s reality, the phenomenon seems to have become relevant once again! This project is not only a musical statement, but also a call to action against (cultural) oppression. May everyone move and create in freedom!”

For the record's guest musicians, Graaf recruited drummer Koen Herfst (VandenBerg, I CHAOS, Dew-Scented), keyboardist Thijs Ronteltap (Disuse, Epistulum), saxophonist Tommie Freke (Gallow Street), trombonist Jeroen Verberne (Sjef’s Special) along with trumpeter and bugler Gidon Nunes Vaz. Once the full-length was mixed and mastered at Nutsville Noiselab, The Hague, the self-titled debut “CHOREOMANIC” was a fact and ready to take on the world.

Recommended for fans of Mr. Bungle, Zappa, John Zorn, Infectious Grooves, and Brian Setzer Orchestra, CHOREOMANIC is available for digital pre-save at https://emubands.ffm.to/choreomanic and limited edition CD order at https://choreomanic.bandcamp.com.

Bass Playthrough Videos:

Time To Let It Out - https://youtu.be/VZpFI2A9yoU

Off With The Figurehead - https://youtu.be/MG1LIATHOkE