September 17th, 2022.

Don’t ask me what the weather was like (sunny! – ‘cause why not?). Or if it was a busy or slow Saturday in our little record shop (crowded and alive – right?). Ask me about the evening, because that specific night of that specific day I do remember. And always will.

Only two days after the release of his 8th studio album, Gaman, Stefan Breuer aka The World of Dust took to our stage to celebrate just that: a new album filled with well-crafted songs, each of them longing to be heard and eager to reach fresh ears. Right in front of Stefan there were at least 30 pairs and their respective owners, ready to receive. The World of Dust was well prepared, fully focused and relaxed at the same time – in short: ready to captivate an audience with an intimate set of songs, centered around Gaman, but additionally digging deeper into the World of Dust back catalogue.

It was a night you wished you had recorded. Not hastily on a mobile phone, but properly. Luckily, that is exactly what we did.

With no intention other than to document the evening, we decided to hit ‘record’ before Stefan entered the stage. And frankly, we only thought of listening to this recording after we received Ab al Tamimi’s incredible photographs of the gig. Somehow Ab had captured the serenity, the warmth, the delicacy, the overall atmosphere – each shot brilliant in itself, but one of them stood out. This was the kind of image you’d use on an album cover, me and Stefan agreed, days after the show. Oh, and by the way, didn’t we record the concert? Unknowingly we opened up a conversation and a series of acts that led to this release, these words, this moment.

The recording reflected the evening perfectly, adding value to the photographs and vice versa. This material seemed to offer us no choice – it was as if the release was already there, the only thing left to do was physically make it happen. Which we did.

A Parallel Universe Inside – Live At De Groeverij is our first release. It is limited to 100 copies on vinyl and can only be purchased via De Groeverij or Stefan, making it quite the collectable. I’m very proud of the result and convinced we’ve captured a magical moment in our shop. Of course there wouldn’t have been a release at all, if it weren’t for Stefans brilliance and dedication. So thank you, Stefan, for offering us the opportunity to learn, develop and cooperate – and most of all: to never forget the best bits of September 17th, 2022!

Share in the magic and get your copy of The World of Dust: A Parallel Universe – Live At De Groeverij now. You’ll love it.

Johan van den Berg
De Groeverij – Houten