“Permeate”, meaning “to spread or flow throughout”, is a word used to describe a ray of sunlight pervading a
room. Most of Heliophile’s lyrics are melancholic, but carry a hint of optimism, so thi s album title is the perfect
metaphor for that.
Musically, Heliophile aims to create catchy and timeless songs. The relatively dense, but carefully thought out
arrangements provide many clever subtleties that the listener can discover over time. Many of the sounds
heard on “Permeate” were patched by hand on a modular synthesizer. This instrument is a unique combination
of modules from many different manufacturers, big and small, from all over the world. Its thick and organic
tones cannot be saved, so when the cables are pulled out, not even the band can bring the sounds back exactly
as they were!
Although Heliophile celebrates the fact that synthpop is a type of music that brings brotherhood to people all
over the world, it was a long-held ambition of Gijs to sing a song in his native Dutch language. ‘Tranen van de
Regen’, a very personal semi-autobiographical break-up song, was the perfect opportunity to make that wish
come true.
With craftmanship, passion, musicality and artistic integrity, Heliophile brings you an album you can enjoy for
years to come. Fans of Mesh, Diorama and De/Vision should take notice!