The sequel, whether in film, literature, or music, has always held a difficult position. Sometimes, it simply rehashes the original, grasping to rekindle that initial magic and missing the mark entirely. In other cases, it reinvents itself so drastically that it loses sight of what first sparked its creation. But when you love something deeply, when the memory of making it fills you with joy, you owe it to yourself to take that risk again.
In the summer of 2022, fresh off the success of their first collaboration, PLACE, Roel van der Meulen (roelroel) and Jasper Boogaard (Nagasaki Swim) embarked on a mission to create a new instrumental album. Once again, they sought to sculpt soundscapes from field recordings, aiming to build a soundtrack around them. Many days in the studio were spent sketching a new direction, recording acoustic guitar, drums, trying to redefine the idea of what an ambient album could be.
But the result was forced, uninspired. And while working on it for so long, Roel and Jasper tried to keep faith in the idea that all these recordings would at some point find their way into a unified project. Every once in a while they would message each other: “I worked on this track for a little bit!’ ‘Shall we meet up again and try to finish this thing?’
Still, both friends knew there was magic left in their collaboration. Eventually, after discarding enough broken ideas, new ones began to form. One evening in the secluded Katzwijm Studio in Voorhout, Roel played a single piano note repeatedly. Jasper fed it through his modular synthesizer, shaping and morphing the sound. Suddenly, instead of forcing the music, they rediscovered the joy of playing, lost in the moment.
Ultimately, PLACE II is about those in-between moments—when a single sound opens up a world of new ideas, and for a moment, you feel like you get it again.