Bloem de Ligny
Encyclopedia
Bloem de Ligny is a Dutch
musician and artist, who has released music under her own name, and as a member of the bands Fono & Serafina, Polichinelle, and 4Fists. Her image and vocal style have often been compared to Björk
. She is also known (or been known) under the names Bloem, Bloem de Wilde de Ligny, Serafina Ouistiti and Oo is an Instrument.
n father and a Dutch mother. Raised by her father, they moved location twenty times before settling in Haarlem
. After leaving school, she moved into a squat
, and from 1996 began performing music under the name Bloem, appearing on the festival circuit with appearances at the Oerol, Lowlands
and Crossing Border
festivals.
Columbia
. In November 1998, under the name Bloem de Ligny, the album Zink was released, produced by Tricky
associate and ex-Boomtown Rats
guitarist Pete Briquette
, with contributions from musician Maarten Veldhaus, and recorded at the Townhouse Studios
in London
. The album's name derives from De Wilde de Ligny's name for her own fantasy sea.
The record company had high expectations, and the album generally received positive reviews, with many noting her vocal style being similar to Iceland
ic artist Björk
, although De Wilde de Ligny cites Robert Wyatt
as being a bigger influence. The single "Fingiecrookie" was released from the album and received airplay on a number of music TV stations, but album sales disappointed and she parted company with the record label. De Wilde de Ligny later moved to Paris for several months, and in the beginning of 2000 studied fine art in Rotterdam.
Also in 2002, with Ulan Bator
musician Ties van der Linden, she recorded the ambient pop album Bathtub, under band name Fono and Serafina, which was eventually released in 2006. Around this time, De Wilde de Ligny renamed herself Serafina Ouistiti ('Serafina
Marmoset
') and subsequently attended the Willem de Kooning Academy
of Fine
Arts in Rotterdam
(graduating in 2007). In 2005 she formed the band Polichinelle with the artist Bubu, with performances including the Glastonbury Festival
in 2007.
In 2007 De Wilde de Ligny co-founded, with Bubu and artist Kai Nobuko, the surrealist art collective Dream Society, producing animations, songs, films, and art installations based on sounds and images from "everyday life". De Wilde de Ligny performs with the Society under the name Oo is an Instrument. Residing in London since 2003, she was involved in creating Gattoblaster Records, in which she also is active under many different musical alter ego
s. She also performs with Nobuko in the band 4Fists, plays with the band QDOS vs. Audio, and is recording solo albums.
Netherland
Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
musician and artist, who has released music under her own name, and as a member of the bands Fono & Serafina, Polichinelle, and 4Fists. Her image and vocal style have often been compared to Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
. She is also known (or been known) under the names Bloem, Bloem de Wilde de Ligny, Serafina Ouistiti and Oo is an Instrument.
Early years
Bloem (meaning 'flower' in Dutch) de Wilde de Ligny was born to an IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n father and a Dutch mother. Raised by her father, they moved location twenty times before settling in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
. After leaving school, she moved into a squat
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
, and from 1996 began performing music under the name Bloem, appearing on the festival circuit with appearances at the Oerol, Lowlands
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise
A Campingflight to Lowlands Paradise, also known as simply Lowlands, is a music festival, held annually in the Netherlands in August. Lowlands has about 55,000 visitors, over 200 acts and more than ten stages every year which are named according to the NATO phonetic alphabet apart from the Grolsch...
and Crossing Border
Crossing Border Festival
Crossing Border Festival is an annual festival in The Hague, Netherlands focusing on new pop music acts and literature. The first edition took place in 1993. The festival was once held in Amsterdam, but afterwards shifted back to The Hague.-1993:...
festivals.
Zink
De Wilde de Ligny's festival performances brought her to the attention of the record companyRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. In November 1998, under the name Bloem de Ligny, the album Zink was released, produced by Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...
associate and ex-Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock band that had a series of Irish and UK hits between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.-Biography:All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland...
guitarist Pete Briquette
Pete Briquette
Pete Briquette is the stage name of Patrick Cusack . His pseudonym refers to the fact that he hails from the Irish countryside; peat briquettes are a type of refined turf burned in fires instead of coal.-Boomtown Rats:He was the bass guitarist, backing vocalist, occasional songwriter, and sometime...
, with contributions from musician Maarten Veldhaus, and recorded at the Townhouse Studios
Townhouse Studios
Townhouse Studios was a recording studio in west London. Built by Richard Branson in 1978, and managed by Barbara Jeffries as part of the Virgin Studios Group. The Virgin Studios Group was acquired by EMI when Richard sold Virgin Records to EMI in 1992. The Sanctuary Group bought the studio from...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The album's name derives from De Wilde de Ligny's name for her own fantasy sea.
The record company had high expectations, and the album generally received positive reviews, with many noting her vocal style being similar to Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
ic artist Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, although De Wilde de Ligny cites Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
as being a bigger influence. The single "Fingiecrookie" was released from the album and received airplay on a number of music TV stations, but album sales disappointed and she parted company with the record label. De Wilde de Ligny later moved to Paris for several months, and in the beginning of 2000 studied fine art in Rotterdam.
Later work
In 2002, De Wilde de Ligny made a guest appearance on the album We Should Have Been Stars by the band Mist, a project by ex-Miss Universe band member Rick Treffers, and a second track in 2008 for their album Period.Also in 2002, with Ulan Bator
Ulan Bator (band)
Ulan Bator is a French experimental post-rock band founded in 1993 by Amaury Cambuzat and Olivier Manchion. They got their name from Ulan Bator, the capital city of Mongolia...
musician Ties van der Linden, she recorded the ambient pop album Bathtub, under band name Fono and Serafina, which was eventually released in 2006. Around this time, De Wilde de Ligny renamed herself Serafina Ouistiti ('Serafina
Serafina (given name)
Seraphina or Serafina is a given name, and may refer to:* Penny Serafina Petrone , a Canadian writer, educator, patron of the arts, and philanthropist* Saint Serafina , a Thirteenth Century Italian saint...
Marmoset
Marmoset
Marmosets are the 22 New World monkey species of the genera Callithrix, Cebuella, Callibella, and Mico. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term marmoset is also used in reference to the Goeldi's Monkey, Callimico goeldii, which is closely related.Most marmosets...
') and subsequently attended the Willem de Kooning Academy
Willem de Kooning Academy
The Willem de Kooning Academy is a Dutch Academy of art and design based in Rotterdam and named in memory of the famous Dutch artist Willem de Kooning.- Overview :...
of Fine
Arts in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
(graduating in 2007). In 2005 she formed the band Polichinelle with the artist Bubu, with performances including the Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
in 2007.
In 2007 De Wilde de Ligny co-founded, with Bubu and artist Kai Nobuko, the surrealist art collective Dream Society, producing animations, songs, films, and art installations based on sounds and images from "everyday life". De Wilde de Ligny performs with the Society under the name Oo is an Instrument. Residing in London since 2003, she was involved in creating Gattoblaster Records, in which she also is active under many different musical alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
s. She also performs with Nobuko in the band 4Fists, plays with the band QDOS vs. Audio, and is recording solo albums.
Albums
- Zink, as Bloem de Ligny (Small Records (Sony France/Columbia), 1998)
- Bathtub, as Fono and Serafina (Fono Factory, 2006)
- Polikolholio, as 4Fists (Gattoblaster Records, 2008)
- Kaleidophone, forthcoming, as Oo is an Instrument (Gattoblaster Records)
- The Song the Ship, forthcoming, as Oo is an Instrument (Gattoblaster Records)
Singles and other tracks
- "Cells" (Promo single from Zink, 1998; and later on album Nieuw Nederlands Peil 7 (Noorderslag), 1999)
- "Fingiecrookie" (Single from Zink, 1999)
- "Dans My Poitrine", as Polichinelle, on album 30 Days (Peppermill Records, 2006)
- "Using Tacos to Catch a Thief", as Polichinelle, on album 52 Weeks (Peppermill Records, 2008)
External links
- Dutch biography of Bloem de Ligny
- Bloem de Ligny and Zink page
- Fono and Serafina homepage
- Oo is an Instrument page
- Dream Society homepage
- Dream Society review on 3voor12
- Gattoblaster Records homepage