Beginning

The four members of friction* knew each other from previous bands and jam sessions. These happenings discharged into such a outburst of exciting music, that the four musicians decided to form a band in 1994. But soon it appeared that everybody in the new band had his own ideas about music. This led to the sort of inspiring confrontations that make things work - hence the name Friction. And thanks to the combined efforts of the musicians it worked out well. Although the band fired up internationally, their lifespan was short-lived.
*Friction (94-97) was:
Steven de Korver, 'Steven Revrock' (Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar, vocals);
Harm Wierda, 'Harm Weird' (Vox Supercontinentel organ, Fender Rhodes piano, vocals);
Walter de Korver, 'Walter Revrock' (Rickenbacker 4001 bass);
Erik Schoppen, 'Erik Nepposch' (Yahama, Paiste & Zildjian drums, percussion)

Secluded from the world on an old farm in the north of Holland, Friction practiced and wrote material for their first demo. They decided to do it themselves in their own band practice room to capture the unique vibes that shivered up and down their spines during practice. For that they created their own studio-setup to record. The demo was recorded on a 4-track in the summer of 1994 and received good reviews. Music Maker magazine called the opening track 'Epos' in one word amazing. 'An intriguing mix of jazz, rock, soul and symphonic rock.'

Erik: 'The recording was really like a mental and spiritual 'wet dream' to us. We never experienced such feelings and emotions in music before. For me, it was about producing the right funky rhythms and sometimes heavy fundaments that fitted the grooves of all the other band members. The demo contains seven remarkable compositions that vary in lenght from 3 to more than 16 minutes.'

Best of Both

After the first year the band returned to city life and started playing live more often. These developments demanded new material, so the group started new recordings. The second demo 'Daredevil' was recorded in a sixteen-track studio, and released in 1995. That year Friction won the Tonica Music Award (a price for the best performing live band). Winning the award cemented their live reputation as a solid 'acid' rock band, and led to a rapidly growing following. Friction gained more live experience and in '95 they were asked to contribute a song to a compilation CD (Vijf Pijpen, Viadukt).

Steven: 'Our music is described as acid rock, but we don't promote drug use. For us, its more like a 'jazz-dance-space-rock' groovy thing, you can dream away in the soft spacy parts, but also be shaken awake in the heavy rock parts. The nice thing about these worlds is the freedom it has in terms of structure.'

Harm: The Vox-sound offers a wide range and an immense control wich I can change the vibrations in the air. The use of effects like the wah-pedal and the phase-shifter are an extension of my ability to communicate on stage. Especially in my improvisations I want to be able to shift from low to high frequencies in a floating way. As for the Rhodes, to me the touch of this piano has never been equaled by any other keyboard with velocity whatsoever. You can play her very mellow or make her howl and crawl like a cavedweller.

Live at its Best

In January 1996 Friction played Euroslag (now called Eurosonic, an international showcase festival). National music magazine Fret: 'Friction played a home game during Euroslag and showed that the live performance is much more impressive than what can be found on the demos. The strength of the foursome on stage lies in the enthusiasm and virtuosity of the musicians. There is a lot to experience, especially during the long instrumental intermezzos. The songs are mainly a coat rack to hang heavy grooving acid-jazz rock on'. Walter: 'Sometimes I lose control in my enthusiasm while playing, but no one seems to mind.'

In the summer of '96 the group recorded their long-waited CD Glow Within at the Sing Sing Studios in the North of Holland (the cd was released in december that year). The producer was Milan Ćirić, Engineering by Peter Sloots. The Daily Vault (USA) described the outstanding quality of the CD, especially for a debut album. 'They have put together a work that many established artists can only dream about. My one wish: that it had been longer.'

Space Rock Experience

On December 26th of 1996, Friction presented their CD 'Glow Within' in an overcrowded club (Viadukt, Groningen, The Netherlands). Besides a packed music hall, people could experience the concert by screens and audio in the bar next to the hall. The complete concert was recorded on videotape, but was lost for 15 years (hidden in a forgotten cardboard box in a storage-space). Unfortunately, after retrieval, the quality had deteriorated. You can see one song (Insane) of the concert here.

Hay Days

The CD-release raised international media attention and serious interest from the music industry (Sony Music proposed a record deal but that fell through). As a result they rocked the roof at Noorderslag in January 1997, the biggest showcase festival of Europe: 'Friction convinces live with long drawn-out songs, carried by an infectious groove. Jazz, soul, sympho, p-funk, hip-hop and hardcore fight for the upper hand in the close-knit group sound, which is further shaped by a sophisticated mix of enthusiasm and virtuosity.' As Friction was one of the first bands in the Netherlands with a website, the looped webpages were displayed on al main tv-screens during the event.
View a short clip of Friction playing live at Noorderslag '97'