Cloudmachine was an eclectic

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band hailing from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, founded by songwriter and composer Ruud Houweling (

Alphen aan den Rijn Alphen aan den Rijn (; or "Alphen on the Rhine") is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The city is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn (Old Rhine ...

, July 29, 1968) who fronts the band, singing and playing guitar. ''Dutch Wikipedia'' Ruud Houweling Other band members were: Marco Kuypers (keyboards), Mike Coolen (drums), Richard Lagerweij (guitars) and Ray Edgar Duyns (bass). The style of music can be described as atmospheric with a melancholic undertone. The songs are always constructed with 'real' instruments, part acoustic. Vintage keyboards ( hammond, piano,

wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

pump organ The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...

), various types of guitars, sometimes

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

. Arrangements often incorporate additional string players or a

brass section The brass section of the orchestra, concert band, and jazz ensemble consist of brass instruments, and is one of the main sections in all three ensembles. The British brass band, British-style brass band contains only brass and percussion instrume ...

. The band has released four albums, receiving critical acclaim in the Netherlands and Belgium, before disbanding in december 2014.''Official website'' Cloudmachine
/ref>

History

Houweling started off his music career in the early nineties signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

as Biscuit, releasing two singles.''Netherlands National Music Encyclopedia'' Cloudmachine
(Dutch) Disappointed in the workings of the Dutch music industry, he found ways to make the records he wants to make with Cloudmachine by using his song writing and composing skills working on other projects, investing the money he thus made in album productions. Songs were recorded for or by e.g.

Kinderen voor Kinderen (; ) is a Dutch children's choir maintained by public broadcaster BNNVARA. Since 1980 the choir has released one album of new children's songs each year, and is probably the only act from the 1980s with consecutive albums in the top 40 chart ...

(reaching #21 in the

Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...

Tarja Turunen Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli (born 17 August 1977), known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish Heavy metal music, heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish. Turunen studied lyrical ...

(The song My Little Phoenix on the album '' My Winter Storm'' that won awards in Finland (platinum), Russia (double platinum), Germany (gold) and the Czech Republic (gold) selling more than 500.000 copies), for

Efteling Efteling () is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands. The attractions reflect elements from ancient European myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore. The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a ...

, and Ricky Koole.''Dutch Charts'' position Kinderen Voor Kinderen 24
/ref>''Netherlands National Music Encyclopedia'' Ruud Houweling, credits (Discography)
/ref>''Gold & Platinum Awards database'' German recording industry
He wrote and produced music for various national television series for Dutch public-service broadcasters such as

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for ''Vrijzinnig Protestantse Radio Omroep'', lit. 'Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcaster', nowadays known as ''Omroepvereniging VPRO'') is a Netherlands, Dutch Public broadcasting, public broadca ...

AVRO Avro (an initialism of the founder's name) was a British aircraft manufacturer. Its designs include the Avro 504, used as a trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the d ...

and

Omroep NTR NTR is a Dutch public-service broadcaster, supplying television and radio programming of an informational, educational, and cultural nature to the national public broadcasting system, Nederlandse Publieke Omroep (NPO). NTR was created in 2010, f ...

all part of

Netherlands Public Broadcasting (; abbreviated to NPO ; literally "Dutch Public Broadcaster") or Dutch Foundation for Public Broadcasting () is a Dutch public broadcasting organisation that administers public broadcasting services in the Netherlands. NPO is also the owner of ...

.''Official website'' De Gouden Eeuw, tv series credits
(Dutch)''Netherlands National TV & Film Encyclopedia'' The New York Connection, tv series credits
(Dutch)''53rd Grammy Entry list'' Page 4 #78
/ref>

Biography

Cloudmachine started out with Ruud Houweling (vocals & guitars), Richard Lagerweij (guitars), Michiel van Zundert (drums) and varying session musicians, releasing their debut album ''Sweater For The Cold World'' in 2003. Marco Kuypers joined as a member, prior to recording their second album ''Hum Of Life'' in 2006. Ray Edgar Duyns joined as a member while touring and promoting it. The third album ''Back On Land'' (2009) was partly recorded and fully mixed at the Prairie Sun Recording Studios in California by Oz Fritz, (award winning engineer on various

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

albums such as

Mule Variations ''Mule Variations'' is the thirteenth studio album by American musician Tom Waits, released on April 16, 1999, on the ANTI- label. It was Waits' first studio album in six years, following ''The Black Rider'' (1993). The album was backed by an ex ...

).''Tape Op magazine'' Interview with Oz Fritz
/ref> Mike Coolen replaced van Zundert, while touring and promoting ''Back On Land''. Marco Kuypers and Mike Coolen are longtime friends, attending the Tilburg Conservatory together. At this point the band found its definite form. The video for the single ''Safe Haven'', animated by Harrie Geelen was selected for the Holland Animation Film Festival 2009 and added to the collection of

EYE Film Institute Netherlands Eye Filmmuseum is a film archive, museum, and cinema in Amsterdam that preserves and presents both Dutch and foreign films screened in the Netherlands. Location and history Eye Filmmuseum is located in the Overhoeks neighborhood of Amsterdam in ...

.''IMDB'' Harrie Geelen
/ref> A fourth album titled ''A Gentle Sting'' was released in 2013. The band recorded with British producer Tristan Longworth who caught their attention with his work for Jon Allen.''All Music'' Tristan Longworth album credits
/ref> Allen sings backing vocals on the album and the mastering was done by mastering engineer Mike Marsh who is known for his work on classic albums by e.g.

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

, Prodigy,

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

.''Official website'' Mike Marsh
/ref> In 2014, ''A Gentle Sting'' won the award for ''Best Indie/Alternative Rock Album'' at the 13th Independent Music Awards.''13th Independent Music Awards'' nomination
/ref> The band opened for international acts such as The Veils,

Brett Anderson Brett Lewis Anderson (born 29 September 1967) is an English singer best known as the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted the Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004� ...

, Mew, The Boxer Rebellion and Tim Christensen.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Sweater For The Cold World'' (2003) * ''Hum Of Life'' (2006) * ''Back On Land'' (2009) * ''A Gentle Sting'' (2013)

Singles

* ''Circus Animals''(2003) * ''Some Way'' (2004) * ''When You Feel'' (2006) * ''Make It Better'' (2006) * ''Safe Haven'' (2009) * ''Big Love'' (2009) * ''Fading Picture'' (2010) * ''Stone In The River'' (2012) * ''Time Passes For Everyone'' (2013) * ''Hands On Skin'' (2013)

References

External links

Ruud Houweling official website

All Music
{{Authority control Musical groups from North Holland Dutch alternative rock groups Dutch indie rock groups Culture in Haarlem