After his debut ‘Nadja’ multidisciplinary artist Yannick Verhoeven, better known as Ramses3000, is back with a new album. Recorded in a monastery, Verhoeven aimed to compose music that allows the listener to relax and process the stimuli of daily life. Earlier, ‘Thalamus’ was showcased at art installations at Museum De Pont, Kunstinstituut Melly and Stedelijk Museum Breda and music festivals such as Amsterdam Dance Event, November Music and Boring Festival. Last year, Verhoeven’s journey was on display at In-Edit, a music documentary festival at the Melkweg, Amsterdam.

(Verhoeven’s artistic trajectory is one marked by innovation and cultural convergence. From pioneering the integration of Egyptian electro-cha3bi music into Western consciousness as initiator of Cairo Liberation Front, to founding Eurabia, a festival celebrating Middle-Eastern artists, Verhoeven has continually pushed artistic boundaries. His previous album ‘Nadja’, an eclectic melange of afrobeat, breakbeat and nu-jazz, unscored his visionary approach to alternative dance music, while working with talented vocalists from West-Africa. After ‘Nadja’, Verhoeven had the desire to explore unknown, musical territory).

Like many other creatives Verhoeven deals with ADHD-disorder and relaxing music helps him on a daily basis to calm down and get his head straight. Driven by a desire to share this sense of tranquility with others, Verhoeven relocated his studio to Park Zuiderhout, a historic monastery and nursing home for elderly people, located in the south of the Netherlands. In addition to the natural surroundings, the residents had a significant impact on Verhoeven's creative process. Through conversations and attending church services, Verhoeven became enamored with classical music styles, which he combined with sounds from his own musical world—the world of synthesizers, vintage keyboards and analogue effects.

During Verhoeven's time in the monastery he explored the function of the brain, gaining more insight about how music calms people down. This led to 'Thalamus,' the name for the brain nucleus essential in processing music. To elevate his music to new heights, Verhoeven worked with nine instrumentalists on this album, including Bart van de Sande on guitar, Jostijn Ligtvoet on cello, Christian Streit Smith on percussion, Tom Sanderman on saxophone and Mathilde Nobel on vocals. Crafting the album for two years resulted in a dazzling trip that, according to the musician, should be heard as a whole. ‘Thalamus’ is a remarkable cross-pollination where the classical and digital worlds meet, incorporating influences from ambient, jazz, new age and psychedelic music