www.thepetproject.nl. Somewhere in the past Martien van Bergen, being in his twenties, paid a visit to a local club. He was immediately struck by a cute teenage girl behind the bar who was wearing a t-shirt with the Velvet Underground debut album sleeve printed on it. This creation of Andy Warhol on such a young person made him dazzle; could she possibly like this bohemian underground music, with its odd tunings and dark lyrics? Yes, she did. She'd never heard anything like this before, she said. Van Bergen agreed. Had he himself not been completely overwhelmed when he first listened to songs like 'Venus in furs', Lady Godiva's operation and 'Sunday Morning'? 'What's your name?' he asked. Esther was her name, Esther van Waalwijk. And she was 15 years old and played the guitar. 'I've got one too, and I play a lot,' van Bergen said, 'that is: I try.'
Somewhere in the presence van Bergen feels like surprising his beloved. His beloved? Yes, indeed, Esther became his girlfriend. And even more than that. They married and now have a little son, called Igmar. The weirdest creature ever. But what about this surprise? Well, van Bergen decided to start an independent record label: PP-records. And now he's releasing some tracks that Esther and him recorded in 2004. Hometaped recordings, lo-fi, nearly all first takes, and undoubtedly inspired by the Velvets. It's an EP (vinyl) containing 12 short songs. Esther doesn't know anything about it. Van Bergen's accomplice is called Katelijne Arts, a roguish little creature and a very good friend of the couple. She's taking care of artwork and is dying to see Esther's face when she's presented the finished product. But now we're already talking about...
THE PET PROJECT, MARTIEN VAN BERGEN, ESTHER VAN WAALWIJK, BLIMEY!, BLIMEY, VELVET UNDERGROUND, LOFI, LO-FI
