Milan Mes, a Dutch Renaissance man musician, is born with “De Achtertuin,” a debut single as strange as it is hypnotic. A virtuosic trumpeter, producer, and vocalist himself, Milan’s entry into Gipsy Rave is one step in a series of long-form flouting of music convention. A reason-stretching fusion of Dutch rave, folk, and disco, the track is a signpost, an entrance into the fertile imagination and sound playground of Milan.
Backyard of Absurdity Of Milan Mes
“De Achtertuin” (or The Backyard of absurdity) is a world of fantasy where frogs. start falling from sky and inflatable dolls are. being attacked by elephants. It’s not any ordinary. backyard—it’s a. metaphor. backyard where. absurd. is. the. ruler. and anything. can. be. imagined. Milan. indulges. in. absurd. with unrestrained charm, drawing an. atmosphere. that’s. whimsical. and. anarchic.
The song starts on a folk-inclined riff that softly invites listeners into a tongue-in-cheek-sounding melody, only to yank the mat out from under them halfway through. The latter half of the song explodes in a bout of hyper energy, rife with rave beats and Balkan trumpets that get the listener moving. That transition is what’s so winsomely seductive about “De Achtertuin” being a rave party-run amok.
Milan Mes’ creation of a genre, Gipsy Rave, is at the heart of “De Achtertuin.” Taking Balkan brass, folk tune melody, and rave beat tempo and turning them into dance space, Gipsy Rave is a sonic high-wire act and anthemic appeal in one genre-busting marriage. Milan’s trumpet leads the way, blending traditional Balkans into the realm of contemporary electronic music. The effect is vibrant mixed work that succeeds because it has cultural history without being entombed in nostalgia.
Milan’s transformation from music style to music style—jazz to pop to electronic—is carried to the extreme in Gipsy Rave, the genre that is apparently his native tongue. His juxtaposition of ancient and modern is flawless, and it is this juxtaposition that makes “De Achtertuin” stand out from electronic or traditional folk music.
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Milan Mes, A Visionary with Credentials
Milan Mes is used to being in the spotlight. Having won the Best Musician award in 2009’s Grote Prijs of The Netherlands, his accolades speak for themselves regarding what he does. Merging and blending, styles and lines–this is Milan’s forte. Milan does not play music; he creates experiences which take his listener elsewhere, where heritage and innovation coalesce together.
Production That Pops
As a production track, “De Achtertuin” is a gem. The taut beats, gritty instrumentation, and filmic rhythm of the track tell us volumes about Milan as a producer. The brass section, especially his defining trumpet, brings the track depth and warmth, while the electronic additions confer it a biting, contemporary quality. The production is as playful, offbeat, and impossible to dismiss as the subject of the song.
“De Achtertuin” is a declaration, not a song. Milan’s pioneering jump into blending surrealism and crazy rave music is a revolt against the mainstream. The song is a proclamation of the surreal and the surreal, a validation that art cannot be put into tidy little pigeonholes in order to be considered.
This first solo isn’t for the masses—but that’s exactly why it succeeds. Milan isn’t attempting to be mass; he’s bringing others into his world, and for those who are willing to take him up on his invitation, the experience is well worth recalling.
Milan Mes’ “De Achtertuin” is a jaw-dropping debut that dispels any doubt on his versatility and creative inclinations. The fusion of Dutch rave, disco, and folk within the track is a genre-transcending jewel that is new, offbeat, and uncompromisingly unique. Milan’s self-proclaimed Gipsy Rave genre redefines the music book on electronic folk music by taking us to the garden where the surreal and the sublime converge.
And in “De Achtertuin,” Milan Mes not only composes music, but constructs a world—one of absurdity, color, and intriguingly so. If the debut album is any indication, then Milan Mes has already far advanced down the road of rethinking “Elektronische Volksmuzik” in manners we can at this point still hardly begin to imagine.
