What Steiger does with the classic piano trio format is not so much a deviation from that rich tradition, let alone an attack on it: it is more of an investigation of its potential. The members of the trio are twenty-first century musicians who are not intimidated by genre boundaries or unfamiliar zones. Pianist Gilles Vandecaveye-Pinoy (Peenoise, Bardo, PJDS, Uma Chine), double bassist Kobe Boon (The Milk Factory, mòs ensemble, Stompin' Caravan, Kreis, Volpe) and drummer Simon Raman (Uma Chine, mòs ensemble, MDCIII) draw on an incredible array of musical sources, apparently to create something new of their own every time.
piano, keyboards
Gilles Vandecaveye-Pinoy
double bass
Kobe Boon
drums
Simon Raman
“Nothing short of a triumph for this Ghent-based trio.”
★★★★ De Morgen on The New Lady Llama
If And Above All (2017), Give Space (2018) and the EP Brick Smoke Basement (2020) proved anything at all, it was that Steiger is not so much a band as an ongoing work-in-progress. The New Lady Llama was released in early 2021. This acclaimed album has turned out to be another big step along the road of innovation and experimentation. Steiger aims to tell stories and get lost in its imagination, all in a time when the absurdity of fiction is surpassed by reality.
“The New Lady Llama is a masterful musical crystal ball that reveals new colours every time you hear it. These guys should be given every possible freedom in their laboratory of impressive sounds.”
★★★★ ½ Written In Music
