Back To Mine with Rikaar

‘It’s a pleasure for us to dig and dive deep into these memories, regardless of whether they’re from long ago or from the past month. Music has accompanied both our lives since the absolute earliest childhood. We used to whistle tunes together as kids and bite and scratch each other all the time. Today, fortunately, we only make music together. 

There’s so many tracks that have accompanied us, that we could not list all of them here. So it’s a small selection – regardless, it’s very possible to hear our inclination towards melodies and harmonies in the music.’

1. Mike Oldfield – In High Places feat Jon Anderson (from the album ‘Crises’)

‘This is from our very earliest childhood, and the first record Kas consciously held in his hands and scratched with on a Philips record player. My father did not like it at all. But we loved the song then and I still love it now! I mean, this record got Kas into vinyl – even the cover artwork still resonates with our times. Mike and Jon Anderson composed a great track with prime synthworks.’ 

Mike Oldfield - In High Places (with lyrics)

2. Genesis – Driving The Last Spike (from the album ‘We Can’t Dance)

‘This is an epic tune – mostly because Tony Banks hits the keys in it, proving how much of a virtuoso he is. However, we have both sad and happy memories from this record, which was very present in our lives in the year 1991. For Kas it was the very first concert that he ever saw, at the age of eleven in Rotterdam – Ringo was already 16 years old and had a lot of experience with live shows, but for Kas it was an entirely new experience, that turned out to be a significant memory. However, there was also a lot of sadness present at that time. One year before we went to the concert our mom died of cancer, at the age of 37. We hope she rests in peace.’ 

Genesis - Driving the last spike (1991)

3. Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond   (from the album ‘Wish You Were Here’)

‘Ringo first heard it in school. A teacher played the song to meditate. It’s insane how the track builds up little by little; it’s a masterpiece and if you think about it, he actually had a really cool teacher back then.’

Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond [Official Music Video]

4. Jeru the Damaja –   Come Clean (from the album ‘The Sun Rises in the East’) 

 ‘Kas remembers listening to this the first time when he was 13. He had seen this on MTV and loved the sampling and chopping. Since then, he has felt like the track could easily represent the entire genre. Jeru is the prime rapper of all the rap records Kas has. He contributed so much to Kas’ love for rap music, a genre that he still loves to this day!’

Jeru The Damaja - Come Clean [HQ Ver.]

5. ROB – Power Glove (From the album ‘Don’t Kill)


‘One of us happened to stumble upon this track on a German television music station. We don’t think it exists anymore, but the track is still in our hearts. The fact that it’s fantastic shouldn’t come as a surprise, since the great Sebastian Tellier from ‘La Ritournelle’ is on the keys. It’s such timeless and underrated music!’

6. Ulrich Schnauss – A Forgotten Birthday (from the album ‘A Long Way To Fall’)

‘We have everything by Mr. Schnauss on vinyl. Our first contact with him was around 2003, at a concert in Liège, and he’s still all the way on top of our favorites list. He’s so gifted that you can just hover away to his music.’

Ulrich Schnauss - A Forgotten Birthday

7. Metronomy – Whitsand Bay (from the album ‘Metronomy Forever’)

‘The Look’ certainly everyone knows, but what about ‘Reservoir’, ‘Night Owl’, ‘The Upsetter’,… There’s a ton of gems underneath the surface, usually with great synthwork. That’s why we’re kind of bummed that we couldn’t redeem the 2 concert tickets that we got in 2019… They’re absolutely stunning live. Though the music videos are also very artistic!’ 

Metronomy - Whitsand Bay (Official Music Video)

8. Mayer Hawthorne –   Maybe So, Maybe No (from the album ‘A Strange Arrangement’)

‘What’s so great in this one, is that Mayer Hawtorne near – perfectly captured the motown atmosphere on this album. It’s definitely an all time favorite!’

Mayer Hawthorne - Maybe So Maybe No (Official Video HD)

The Flashbulb – Warm Hands In Cold Fog (from the album ‘Soundtrack to a vacant life’)

‘We really like the lead here, and the warm harmonic pads in this track. It suits the song well that the glitches are not too powerful while the drum cut is great. The whole album is incredibly versatile, just like the Flashbulb. Also there’s not enough time in the world to mention all the great things that are happening in IDM ambient electronica at the moment.’

Warm Hands in Cold Fog

10. Ariel Pink – I Wanna Be Young (from the album ‘Dedicated to Bobby Jameson’)


‘The first time we became aware of Ariel Pink was 7 years ago. During the late evening, we stumbled upon the Belgian Radio channel Studio Brussels playing ‘Black Ballerina’. The two of us were at my construction site and as we heard it, we couldn’t help but think ‘what the fuck is this’??? We never heard it on the radio again after that, but since then it’s in our hearts and on our playlists. “Dedicated to Bobby Jameson” is an absolutely amazing album. Kas bought it back in LA at the legendary Amoeba Store and found it to be lofi at it’s best – it’s very versatile, and ‘I Wanna Be Young’ has Tim Koh’s striking bassline in it.’

Ariel Pink - I Wanna Be Young [Official Video]

Rikaar ‘IC 1848’ (Apollo Records)

Rikaar dryly introduce themselves as ‘makers of remarkable music’, and they’re not wrong there. What the brothers call ‘space ambient’ started with a quirky passion for the music of John Carpenter, ​Star Trek, a​ nd ​Stranger Things, ​and evolved into their own evocative synth sound that is simply mesmerising. ‘We like to seduce with our music,’ say Kas and Ringo, who have been turning thoughts into tunes together since 2013. 2019’s ‘HUDF.YD3_II’ saw the pair’s introduction to the esteemed and long-standing Apollo label, it’s follow up ‘IC 1848’ furthers their reputation with its mature and sensitive sound design. Opening track ‘Dream Structure’ delivers a rich soundscape of ethereal pads and warm bass as subtle but emotive synth melodies glide above. The flipside, ‘Rescan The Infinite IC 840 – A Song For Freedom’ mines a deeper vein, wandering from the slightly ominous to the strikingly harmonic with cinematic grace.