Members:
Jaap van Duijvenbode (Guitar), Ruben Bandstra (Drums), Daniel de Jongh (Vocals), Wiebe van den Ende (Raps/Vocals), Jeroen Bax (Bass), Arno Dreef (Guitar).
Winner of a much-coveted Essent Award and triumphant shows at internationally renowned festivals such as Ozzfest and Lowlands – these are just some of the achievements of Dutch Xplocore band Smogus. In May they will release No Matter What The Outcome, which could very well be the band’s big break.
Smogus was founded in 1995 by Jaap, Ruben, Daniel and Jeroen. During the recording of their debut album Everybody’s Fucked Up Twice the four school friends met with Arno and Wiebe. The six of them hit it off immediately and quickly after the release of the debut album, both Arno and Wiebe decided to complete the band’s line-up. They released two tracks on a split EP (also featuring the band Griffin from Leiden, NL) on vinyl on the WOTNXT label, the SmoguS/Griffin EP. Then, Smogus started to conquer all the major Dutch venues, soon establishing themselves as one of the most popular Dutch live-acts.
Besides performing relentlessly – as headliner, as support act (Ill Nino, Disturbed) and at festivals (Ozzfest, Lowlands) – Smogus continuously worked very hard on writing new songs. In 2002, the band signed a deal with BMG and released a 6-track Smogus EP. The band seemed to have finally found their niche with a sound of their own: Xplocore. A fusion of explosive (nu)metal, hiphop and funk, combined with a large dose of energy and humour. Songs with heavy guitars, groovy rhythms, cool rhymes and catchy choruses that have their roots in bands like Anthrax, Faith No More and Cypress Hill.
Unfortunately, the cooperation with BMG came to an end when the band found themselves competing with Idols, the nation-wide craze that conquered The Netherlands in 2003. Smogus refused to sit at the sidelines and see how other, more commercial artists from the Idols TV-show got priority over them, so they decided to start working on their new album without the help of a record label. In March 2003 the band entered the studio and guitarist Arnd-H was appointed as producer. He is mainly responsible for the heavy sound on the new album, significantly titled No Matter What The Outcome. The band has clearly matured in two years time, both musically and personally. Singer Wiebe emphasizes that the band regards this album as their real debut: “We are very proud of the album’s incredible sound, especially since we have done everything ourselves, from the recording to the final mixing. It is an album to be proud of, particularly for a Dutch production.”
The songs on the album are well-structured and characterized by powerful dynamics, an impressive, well-balanced mix of melodic vocals and heavy rap, and a wide range of styles. Smogus is both in-your-face and melodic, aggressive and happy, heavy and commercial, but always extremely energetic. The opening track Don’t Care immediately sets the tone for what’s to come. Other highlights include the groovy and lyrically uplifting Just For Me, the sensitive semi-ballad The Game, the uncompromising and personal Changing Fate and the complex Good Intentions. The highly contagious hiphop bonus track Flush Your Life again has that typical Smogus humour. However, it is not all laughing matters on the album. The lyrics cover a wide range of emotions, as Wiebe explains: “The lyrics are very much about ourselves, about things we go through in life. We sing about love, but also about the need to be free and strained relationships.”
On May 15, 2004 the album was released in the Melkweg, Amsterdam. It has been distributed by a small Dutch oriented label, The Electric Co. which has ties with Universal Records. Although the single and video of Don't Care were fairly popular on vote-based music channel The Box, it turned out that, mainly because the Nu-Metal hype blew over, the album wasn't the big break they had hoped for. This led to Mojo cancelling the contract with the band for the live acts.
Smogus then decided to take a completely different direction with an acoustic tour. A DVD named Live & Unplugged was released in 2005 covering the tour. It turned out to be the last recorded achievement. In 2006 the band decided to split up and on July 7, 2006 they played their last gig on their home stage of Fascinus in Sassenheim.
This Is Who We Are
Smogus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No need to introduce, six suckers on the loose
We're bombing the set 'cause we know how to use it
All together in a stormy weather
Moving all up 'cause it's now or never
So for ever we get stuck at the top
Like an aggressive ferret, never giving it up
with the people who want's us choking
You're the reason why make this (jump)
We take this, (jump)
we break this (jump)
And there's no other reason to it (jump)
We just do it, just jump, jump, jump
We don't need, no fucking turn-tables
To groove the shit an make it able
To move your body
On the beat so we keep on rocking the street
Two voices joined forces,
if it's explosive, well of course it's
so come on, bring on, the shit where we come from
we ain't going 'till we know that we're done
if you're looking for trouble, you're gonna get some
So SEH! move your muscles and hit that drums
Is it worthwhile to continue my style
Well we think that it is so prepare
'cause we won't give up and no price is enough
we're rocking this town so beware
no accusations I hate being patience
I want to get up and do some
That's why we won't stop until we filled our cup
And even then we go on,
We go on
That's why we're not afraid to give some fucking ball, ya'll
I see what's on my mind and throw it in the flow, ya'll
I think it over and I stick it in my rhyme, ya'll
And I can do that,
do it all the time
The lyrics of Smogus's song "This is Who We Are" is about the identity of the group and their passion for music. The first verse talks about six members of the group who are confident in bombing the set as they know how to use it. They move together in any situation, stormy weather or not, since they believe that it is either now or never. They are aiming to be on top and they won't stop until they get there. They crack jokes and create a friendly environment with their listeners. The chorus emphasizes their passion for music and their willingness to just do it and jump right in.
The second verse is about emphasizing their own unique style and showcasing their music without needing turntables. They want their listeners to move their bodies to the beat as they "rock the street." Two members of the group's voices are joined and explosive, and they are bringing the heat from where they originate. They won't stop until they know they are done and are always looking for trouble to cause. The group's identity is shown to be very bold and daring, with a hint of a little arrogance.
The last verse highlights the group's confidence level and how they stick to their style no matter what. They won't give up, no matter what the cost, because they are passionate about what they do. They don't shy away from using strong language, and they are never afraid to throw in their own thoughts into their music. The band loves what it does and does it all the time.
Line by Line Meaning
This is who we are
We are a group of six individuals who are confident in our abilities.
No need to introduce, six suckers on the loose
We don't require any introduction, we are six individuals who are unattached and moving freely.
We're bombing the set 'cause we know how to use it
We are performing excellently because we know our craft very well.
All together in a stormy weather
We are united and can weather any difficulties together.
Moving all up 'cause it's now or never
We are moving forward and taking action because it's urgent.
So for ever we get stuck at the top
We will remain at the top indefinitely.
Like an aggressive ferret, never giving it up
We are persistent in our goals like a determined ferret.
'cause we're smoking, keep on joking with the people who want's us choking
We are relaxed and witty with people who want us to fail.
You're the reason why make this (jump)
We are inspired to take action (jump) because of you (listener).
We take this, (jump) we break this (jump)
We are succeeding (jump) because we are putting in the effort to break down obstacles (jump).
And there's no other reason to it (jump)
We don't need any other motivation to take action (jump).
We just do it, just jump, jump, jump
We take action (jump) repeatedly without hesitation.
We don't need, no fucking turn-tables
We don't need external factors (like turn-tables) to do what we do.
To groove the shit an make it able
We have the innate ability to bring the groove to music.
To move your body
Our music makes people want to dance.
On the beat so we keep on rocking the street
We keep playing music on beat, we keep entertaining people.
Two voices joined forces, if it's explosive, well of course it's
Our combined talents make excellent, explosive music.
so come on, bring on, the shit where we come from we ain't going 'till we know that we're done
We will continue to make music until we are finished, never giving up on where we come from.
if you're looking for trouble, you're gonna get some
If someone tries to interfere or cause trouble, we will respond accordingly.
So SEH! move your muscles and hit that drums
We encourage people to dance and enjoy themselves while we play music.
Is it worthwhile to continue my style
We question if it's worth continuing our music style.
Well we think that it is so prepare
However, we believe it's worth pursuing and will continue to do so.
'cause we won't give up and no price is enough
We won't quit our music, no matter what the cost may be.
we're rocking this town so beware
We are dominating this town with our music, and everyone should be aware of us.
no accusations I hate being patience, I want to get up and do some
We don't like being accused of not being patient, we want to keep making music and improving.
That's why we won't stop until we filled our cup
We will keep making music until we are completely satisfied with our output.
And even then we go on, We go on
Even when we have reached our goals, we will still continue making music.
That's why we're not afraid to give some fucking ball, ya'll
We are not afraid to take risks and try new things in our music.
I see what's on my mind and throw it in the flow, ya'll
We incorporate our thoughts and ideas into our music.
I think it over and I stick it in my rhyme, ya'll
We carefully consider our thoughts and ideas, and weave them into our lyrics.
And I can do that, do it all the time
We are very skilled at incorporating our own ideas into our music, and do so frequently.
Contributed by Alaina K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mohammed Yousef
Amogus
Faltye
Smogus mor like amogus
Faltye
Smogus more like susmogus
Faltye
Sus