Dark synth-pop band MTT performing at Northside Festival

Fri, Jun 13 - Fri, Jun 13  2014

Dark synth-pop band MTT will perform at Northside Festival on June 13 at the Grand Victory during ‘Dutch Sounds at Northside‘, and on Saturday June 14 at the Knitting Factory.

MTT (formerly known as Minus the Tiger) is a dark synth-pop band formed early 2010 around songwriter and singer Anne Broekman. MTT draws inspiration from horror movies, ghost stories and blends this other world with universal feelings of anxiety, melancholy and hope. The result is a neatly arranged interplay between deep bass and alienating sounds which place MTT squarely amongst one of the most refreshing Dutch acts today. 

Before 2010, Anne Broekman had been writing dozens of songs, but she was not really satisfied with the singer-songwriter-sound of a girl with a guitar. In 2008 and 2009 Anne and her husband Maarten Besseling, known as a studio producer and initiator of The Green Motel and the In A Cabin With project, reproduced the songs Anne had written. The guitar songs were transformed into a poppy style of synth-pop. While this process was ongoing, Maarten and Anne wrote a few new songs while working on the older songs. In 2012, these efforts resulted in MTT’s self-titled debut album, released by V2 Records Benelux (Bertus Distribution).

After this, the much darker studio album ‘Years From Now’ was released, in cooperation with drummer Jos Terlingen. Having cut their teeth on 80’s new wave and 90’s pop, this album with its deep bass and minimal drums, has a more contemporary sound, that reflects on a sense of loss, of time slipping away through your fingers. With this release, the band decided to change Minus The Tiger to a shorter version: MTT. 

Since MTT released their debut album, their songs have been critically acclaimed: MTT even played the biggest Dutch TV show that hosts music, played showcase festivals like Eurosonic/Noorderslag (Groningen NL), Glimps (BE), Canadian Music Week (CAN 2012 and 2014). Was selected to play at POP Montreal in 2012. Besides their regular club shows in Europe the band also toured Canada (2012 and 2014), Russia (2013) and Turkey (2013).

MTT will also perform at Piano’s on June 12, and at the Delancey on June 16.