Maurice De Jong aka ‘Mories’ is a real prolific artist hailing from The Netherlands. He’s involved with numerous projects. Gnaw Their Tongues and Aderlating both are for sure some of his most renowned projects, but he also produced music as It Only Gets Worse, Caput Mortuum, Cloak Of Altering, De Magia Veterum, Hagetisse, Pyriphlegethon ao. Offerbeest is one of his newest sonic creations, which he started in 2017. He recently released the “Afrika”-album on Malignant Records. The work is an analogue creation dealing with hard-electronics and power-noise. Time for a brief introduction to the harsh world of Offerbeest.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: What incited you to set up Offerbeest and what makes this project different from all the other ones you’ve been involved with?

Maurice: I wanted to do music without using samples/computer/DAW. Just using analogue gear; limiting myself in a way. At the time I found that doing ambient/noise/drone (like Aderlating) with digital gear was just too easy, not a challenge anymore. I use my DAW as a recording device of course, but there is no editing or manipulation. I think Offerbeest is my most straight up industrial/power electronics project.

The focus lays on the rhythms, bass sounds, noise and ambient sounds. And of course spitting hatred into the mic.

Q: Tell us a bit more about your way of working and composing and how did the “Afrika-“CD came to life?

Maurice: I just messed around with my gear until I found something that sounded interesting to me. Or something that sounds really nasty and sick. For “Afrika” I had a general feel and theme. So I worked from there.

Q: Analogue gear takes an important part in your composing process. What makes the magic of analogue equipment and also the main differences with software equipment? Do you’ve favorite tools?

Maurice: There’s no magic imo. I just was fed up with using digital gear and samples creating drone/noise etc. I use both a lot, but for Offerbeest I made a conscious decision to only use analogue gear. My favorite tools are my Eurorack set up (mostly Doepfer modules) and my Hades bass synth.

Q: Considering the booklet and title of the tracks, “Afrika” appears to be an ‘engaged’ work. What did you try to express and do you consider yourself as an ‘engaged/reactional’ artist?

Maurice: No engagement. No expression. No reaction. Just trancy numbness. People need to make their own minds up about the music and themes. I have been interested in the more gruesome side of the continent since I was a kid.

Q: The debut work of Offerbeest has been released on cassette format. I noticed there’s a kind of resurrection from the cassette format going on. How do you explain this evolution and do you as an artist have favorite formats?

Maurice: Cassettes are cheap and quick to produce. It’s indeed weird to see how many new cassettes I buy/get/own. I have no favorite format. Vinyl is always nice though.. but I mostly enjoy music the most regardless of the format. If I have the physical format I will play that over a digital stream.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Power-electronics, death-industrial, experimental.

Background/Info: Behind Offerbeest is hiding Maurice De Jong, who’s an artist you know from his involvement in multiple projects, but especially Gnaw Their Tongues and Aderlating. Offerbeest previously released the “Black Teeth”-album on cassette- and digital format and now joined hands with Tumor/Malignant Records to unleash its debut CD.

Content: The least I can say is that “Afrika” is a very engaged album about all kind of atrocities that ever happened on the African continent… and, which unfortunately have never changed. It’s illustrated with several pictures and newspaper fragments in the booklet of 12 pages.

The music is meant to transpose this horror. You can see at the titles, but you also can feel certain rage emerging from the heavy sonic treatments and the arsenal of noises used by Offerbeest. The vocals are pretty ghost-like, but also revealing the feeling of anger like a wounded beast hunted by its aggressor.

+ + + : Offerbeest doesn’t sound that different from Maurice De Jong’s other projects; it has something different and rather unique, somewhat anarchistic in its approach. “Afrika” is revealing an impressive canvas of electronic treatments mixed with dark atmospheres. This album has something very disturbing, which is accentuated by the documentary-aspect of the booklet. “Afrika” is a poignant production, which can’t leave listeners unmoved.

– – – : “Afrika” features 7 songs, which will take you away for 31 minutes of sonic pleasure and political horror. I would have liked to get a few more cuts featured.

Conclusion: Offerbeest is the sonic symbiosis between multiple genres, which are all related to a higher conceptual goal; this is an album with a message!

Best songs: “Cut Out Their Hearts”, “Kill Everything In”.

Rate: (7½).

Artist: www.facebook.com/Offerbeest

Label: www.malingnantrecords.com / www.facebook.com/malignantrecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com