“Benjamin Lew was an enlightened amateur, in the noble and almost Renaissance-like sense of the word: he dabbled with equal grace in photography, writing, visual arts ... and worked part-time as a cocktail mixer in a tropical bar which was one of the favourite watering holes of Brussels’ thriving artistic community of the early ‘80s. Tuxedomoon had just moved to Brussels, and Steven Brown was among the many musicians, designers & artists who patronized the bar. Benjamin had a secret passion: he wasn’t a musician, but had acquired a small analog computer, with which he had started creating these strange mysterious little pieces. Benjamin played them to Steven and asked him if he’d agree to record with him. Steven was taken with them and accepted. The Douzième Journée was largely created in the studio by both protagonists, with the help of Gilles Martin and myself, in the spring of ‘82. Listening to his albums (he went on to record four more with Crammed) is like embarking on a dream journey to the Sahara or the Far East. You’d think that some of the pieces feature non-European musicians or samples but: no... this is just Benjamin’s imagination, his synths, and his friends…”
Marc Hollander, Feb. 2019
Tracklist:
1. Profondeurs des eaux des laques 03:38
2. Moments 04:38
3. Le personnage principal est un peuple isolé 03:58
4. Face a ce qui se derobe 04:00
5. Qu’il fasse nuit 03:25
6. The Wheel 02:11
7. Little Birds Sit On Your Shoulder 01:42
8. Etendue 04:32
9. Ces personnages 03:07
10. Joyeux regrets imprécis 02:46
11. Hommes assis devant un mur chaulé 03:03
12. La magnifique alcoolique 03:27
Format: 12-inch Vinyl LP
Label: Stroom TV
Catalog: STRLP-027
Released: May 2019
Genre: Electronic / New Age / Wave