A unique collaboration between Colin H. van Eeckhout and broeder Dieleman

De Mannen Broeders is the unique collaboration between Amenra chief Colin H. van Eeckhout (BE) and the contemporary troubadour Tonnie Dieleman, better known as broeder Dieleman (NL). 

Dutchman broeder Dieleman has created eccentric (biblical) folk music in the Zeelandic Flemish dialect for many years. On the surface, he might seem a strange match for Colin. But you’d be surprised: in Colin’s project CHVE, for example, the hurdy-gurdy takes centre stage, and Amenra has released multiple low-key renditions of Het Dorp and De Zotte Morgen by Belgian cabaret singer Zjef Vanuytsel. 

Under the moniker De Mannen Broeders, the two musicians share their fascination with the darker side of life: sorrow, grief and ritual. Oor Magazine described their debut album Sober Maal: “At times, it sounds like a Roadburnian Elly en Rikkert. Yet the melodramatic diction is reminiscent of chansonnier Léo Ferré’s later work, and the gloomy feel of contemporary artists such as Lankum and Wovenhand is ever-present.” 

In case you’re still not convinced: “Sober Maal is a sanctified masterpiece that never quite lets you move on, gradually and inescapably worming its way into your mind and soul,” wrote Humo. So don’t even think about missing it.