Name: Abdomen
Members: Roel Meijer (drums), Ate Kamsma (bass), Peter van Beets (vocals,  guitar)
Interviewee: Roel Meijer
Nationality: Dutch
Recent release: Abdomen's new album Yes, I Don’t Know is out February 21st 2025 via FatCat.

If you enjoyed this Abdomen interview and would like to know more about the band and their music, visit them on Instagram, Facebook, and bandcamp.  



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

It depends on the type of music I’m listening to. I listen to a lot of genres, angry music can make me feel riled up but ambient or classical music calms me down. It also makes you get in that mood, but sometimes you already feel that way and music can make that mood stronger.

Mostly I listen to music with my eyes open because I am often listening to music while doing something else.

How do listening with headphones and listening through a stereo system change your experience of sound and music?

It does not make a big difference to me, to be honest, other than the fact that listening through headphones can make you feel you are not part of the world around you for some time.

Tell me about some of the albums or artists that you love specifically for their sound, please.

Lately I am listening to Discharge a whole lot, I like the overwhelming f’ed up distorted sound, speed and relatively simple angry riffs.



When I want something with the same kind of feel but a little more complex I listen to Converge, but that has a lot more sad emotions in it.



I also listen to a lot of L.F.T. who just released a brilliant EP, it is a great combination between techno and punk in some way.



Same goes for Dame Area from Spain.



I am listening to Wire a lot too, their songs are just so well written but the sound of their album changes in a way that you can still hear it’s them. The one album can be a punk record but other records are kind of Joy Division-like.

Then again I listen to a lot of Aphex Twin because it messes up your head kind of, sounds like so many sounds thrown together on a rhythm that constantly changes.

If I want to relax I am listening to Edvard Grieg, or Chopin. I could go on forever though, there are so many things to listen to!

Do you experience strong emotional responses towards certain sounds? If so, what kind of sounds are these and do you have an explanation about the reasons for these responses?

Yes! I try to listen to what the composer felt like when the song was created.

There are no specific sounds that trigger me but I like to hear something new, unexpected, it makes me think about what it could be and how you can think of creating certain sounds. These could be nice, calm notes but also industrial sounds or whatever.

There can be sounds which feel highly irritating to us and then there are others we could gladly listen to for hours. Do you have examples for either one or both of these?

True. Right now I am listening to Jonny Nash’s ‘Make A Wilderness’ which are very calming long sounds and tones. Not sure how he creates certain sounds though but it sounds so relaxed.



But I could listen to a whole Merzbow record with a lot of joy too. It kind of clears my mind and makes me forget about things. But that sounds like a lot of distorted high pitched noise. I can very much imagine that the majority of people do not find that pleasant at all.

Here in Leeuwarden, there is a driving barrel organ that goes through the city center every weekend. It plays modern tunes but way too loud, that annoys the hell out of me, especially when I just want to have a nice beer on a Saturday afternoon or something.

Are there everyday places, spaces, or devices which intrigue you by the way they sound? Which are these?

Yes. I like factory/industry sounds a lot. They are very percussive which inspires me to use this type of sound in music.

Have you ever been in spaces with extreme sonic characteristics, such as anechoic chambers or caves? What was the experience like?

Yeah I have been in caves, the long echoes and reverbs are impressive!

I was in a very big church a few weeks ago. The reverb was like 6 seconds long when I snapped my fingers.

What are among your favourite spaces to record and play your music?

We like to play small venues and be on the same height as the audience. Germany is always great to go to.

For recording, we like to go to a different country as well. Our last record was recorded in Denmark, and our first one in Leeds.

Most important is a place we feel at home at and nice people around us, though.

Do music and sound feel “material” to you? Does working with sound feel like you're sculpting or shaping something?

Pretty much yeah!

Most of the times I do not approach instruments the way you are supposed to play them. But try to do things with them that you should not do with them. That gives interesting results.

How important is sound for our overall well-being and in how far do you feel the "acoustic health" of a society or environment is reflective of its overall health?

I know it is important for me, I have been into music all my life and I know how sound works for me.

For others I am not sure, there are also people that do not listen to music at all. They sit in silence at home. I wonder how certain sounds can influence their daily life or behavior.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds?

Like I said earlier I like industrial sounds a lot.

I made a field recording at the docks in Hamburg a while ago, it’s hard to describe but you can hear the metal from boats scratch against other metal parts in the docks. It was a non stop scratching noise but it also sounded kind of rhythmical. And it is caused by the moving water.

Many animals communicate through sound. Based either on experience or intuition, do you feel as though interspecies communication is possible and important? Is there a creative element to it, would you say?  

I am not sure, it goes for dogs and cats I guess. And horses maybe although I am very scared of them, and therefore do not understand them.

I do not have a lot of experience with other animals to be honest.

Tinnitus and developing hyperacusis are very real risks for anyone working with sound. Do you take precautions in this regard and if you're suffering from these or similar issues – how do you cope with them?

I always wore ear protection. I still do and very strictly. I am not afraid of anything like that, yet.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold?

There are not many moments in my day that there is actual silence. I choose not to have a lot of silence around me too, I enjoy having sound around me.

But it might be important every now and then to have different thoughts than you would normally have.

Seth S. Horowitz called hearing the “universal sense” and emphasised that it was more precise and faster than any of our other senses, including vision. How would our world be different if we paid less attention to looks and listened more instead?

I think people would communicate way better than they do now.

So I kind of wished that people did listen more!