Stöma is a funk/noise duo consisting of Wouter van Wijk on drums and Bruno Ferro Xavier da Silva on bass and vocals. They recently released their fourth album, ‘Reset’.

After Doodoo’s Coffee broke up in 2002, Wouter and Bruno continued as Stöma. Their music is dynamic, tense, psychedelic and moving. Performances shift back and forth between chaos and performance art.

When and how did you start playing music?

Bruno Ferro Xavier da Silva: My father was a musician, songwriter/guitarist, who really liked to play. So music was always around. My first memory of making music with other people was when he took me with him to a school gym he and his friends rented. Just to get together and play. The gym was filled with several drum kits and lots of percussion. They were having drum circle jams. Everyone was playing, the rhythms and energy was amazing, intoxicating. My father sat me down behind a huge drum kit, gave me drumsticks, and smiled at me. When I was 10 years old I started piano lessons. Unfortunately I didn’t learn much because I was a lazy, undisciplined student. But I was good enough to play in the church my mother went to. Everything changed, when I asked the church pastor if I could try the bass guitar they had in storage. I was 17 and this was exactly what I was looking for. I found my instrument.

Was Doodoo’s Coffee your first recording project?

Yes, this was my first studio experience. Doodoo’s Coffee was a trio consisting of Nanko Huisman on guitar/vocals, Wouter van Wijk on drums and me on bass/vocals. Wouter arranged for us to record our first and second demo’s at the studio engineering school he was attending at the time.

Tell us about ‘Chosen Boundaries’.

Chosen Boundaries is the first Doodoo’s Coffee album we recorded. It was the first time we actually had more than one day to record. Three days if I recall correctly. We were on fire and learned so much, I still think it is a good record.

How come it took a few years to release ‘Itch Darling’?

A couple of years after we made ‘Chosen Boundaries,’ Nanko Huisman left the band to work on his own music. Wouter and I wanted to continue to create music together and this led to the formation of Stöma. We released two albums, Stöma’ and ‘Boe’. After some time Nanko, Wouter and I got together again to record “Itch Darling”.

Would you like to discuss the first three releases by the band?

The first Stöma release, ‘Stöma,’ is our black album. I think ‘Kiai’ and ‘Geile Kikker’ were our first compositions as a duo. A time when we were trying to figure out how to create as a duo, when before we had always worked with Nanko in a trio format. This was the first time I recorded, mixed and mastered an album. The basic tracks were recorded in a former strip club, overdubs at home and grand piano in the church where I used to play.

With our second release ‘Boe!,’ we felt more confident to let go of control and recorded the music in our then rehearsal space/studio Sante Boutique, with lots of guest musicians and dear friends helping out. We had been playing live shows with turntablist Enio Ramalho and he recorded a couple of tracks with us on ‘Boe!’. This would lead to Stöma becoming a trio.

As a trio with Enio Ramalho, we recorded the third Stöma album, ‘Up Closer’.

The recordings were done in our new rehearsal space with Bart Heuts, who engineered and mixed ‘Up Closer’. For this record I had started writing songs again. Songs with actual words. The first two albums, ‘Stöma’ and ‘Boe!’ consist of mostly, instrumental music. Purposely not using lyrics, I was trying to use my voice as an instrument.

How’s this last year under lockdown been for you? Have you found the isolation creatively challenging or freeing?

I am a Hermit by nature…drawing, practising, composing, but I did miss a lot the “live” aspect of art/performance that I also love so much. The feeling of anxiety and fear running among us was disturbing. But my good friend Bart Heuts was so kind as to give me a fretless acoustic bass right before the first lockdown. This gave me the impulse I needed to also get a mini keyboard, work on my percussion skills and record my solo ‘Ventrilquism’ album.

How would you compare them to your fourth album, ‘Reset’, which is available on vinyl.

Something about ‘Reset’ that stands out to me, when I compare it to our other albums, is the amount of songs with lyrics. Our other albums consist mostly of instrumental music. We recorded all the music for ‘Reset’ with Bart Heuts at Barn in the Meadow Studio. Vocals were done at my atelier LAB. Wouter is killing it on the drums and Bart did an amazing job recording, mixing and mastering. We even got a compliment from the vinyl cutter. At this point in time I think it is our best album, but the next one will be better.

How would you describe your sound which is a fusion of various influences?

I am influenced by everything, short smart ass answers, haha, But what about ProgFunkGoth…?

<a href="https://collectablevinyl.bandcamp.com/album/reset">Reset by Stöma</a>

Wouter van Wijk plays the drums and you play bass and sing + use loop-pedals… how do you usually approach music making?

Usually Wouter or I bring an idea to our rehearsal space…this could be anything. A drumbeat, bassline, vocal idea, chord progression, a funny story, a movie…really anything. Then we start ripping that apart and putting the pieces back together again. This goes on until we both think it’s finished…and we are looking forward to sharing it.

If you could suddenly “as if by magic” be an expert on any musical instrument that you can’t currently play, what would it be?

Although I thoroughly enjoy the learning and practise process, I wouldn’t mind being able to play the bass clarinet like Eric Dolphy.

What’s the next project that you’ll be working on, or are working on right now?

BXMR – With guitarist Marten Ruiten I am releasing an acoustic duo album on vinyl called ‘Eve’s Naval,’ hopefully before the end of this year.

Cirq – Marten Ruiten, Wouter and I are in the final mixing stages before releasing our debut electric, avant rock circus album.

Ventriloquism – Working with drummer Philipp Ernsting on the fourth Ventriloquism album.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

I really like ‘Flowwithego’ from the instrumental rock band Ploeg from Rotterdam. and ‘Gol Variations’ by One Small Step, a fiddle/double bass/tap dance trio from Norway.