Born out of an Ukrainian mother and Dutch father, visual artist Wladimir Duijndam started his musical journey round the age of seven, as a pupil at the “Koorschool Haarlem”, a musical primary school. Around that time Wladimir got attracted to pianos. When there was one around he immediately started to play if possible. Because he couldn’t play any known songs, it already resulted into kind of improvisation. Later on, Wladimir learnt to play the piano himself.
Seeing the artwork of James Bond’s “Thunderball” at the same time, Wladimir was convinced that he also wanted to paint like this. It was the start of his life as an artist. When Wladimir was fourteen years old and heard Rick Wakeman, Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream, he wanted to play synthesizer. Instead, all his money was spent on oilpaint, as most of the synthesizers were unaffordable.
In 1981 Wladimir started to play with bands with a borrowed Korg MS20. A second hand Siel Mono was his first synthesizer purchase. Not much later a Korg Poly 800, piano, Maestro Echoplex, Revox, Boss DR110 and a cassettedeck were added. Via Staalplaat in Amsterdam Wladimir self-released a cassette under his pseudonym Basic Principles. The recordings were made with the use of tapeloops and cutup technique (techniques also used by Cabaret Voltaire and Hula). The international newsletter of Staalplaat described the release as follows: “To evoke with repetitive sounds some sort of dreamstate. Relaxed and sometimes disoriëntating”.
In the meanwhile Wladimir also picked up the guitar, had seven years lessons on classical guitar, and was challenged to play trumpet (inspired by Jon Hassell and Mark Isham), to be part of bands as multi-instrumentalist. Making use of coincidence and letting things happen by means of Frippertronics for synths and guitar.
In 2018 Wladimir started a series of realistic paintings of things on a blue dish of one square meter. At the same times he also created paintings of 13 x 18 cm, with a landscape as base, and where things happen spontaneously.
In a same way Wladimir’s music is being established.
“Colours” is the first official cd-release by Basic Principles. Wladimir’s activities as musician and painter come together on this intense double disc listening experience, where several oil painting colours are converted into ambient, electro and sequential compositions. While the first disc contains minimal, atmospheric and ambient-like pieces, the second carrier will definitely blow away the Berlin School enthusiasts and analog sequencer fetishists.
