Douglas Firs

An album,
in the dark,
in its entirety,
from high-quality vinyl,
through superior equipment,
over the best speakers.

That's the concept behind De Donkere Kamer, or in other words: the exclusive listening session in movie theaters. Listening to an album in such a setting is a special sensory experience. Especially in the case of a sublime album like Happy Pt. 2 by Douglas Firs. Enjoy this exclusive prelistening, three days before the album will be released!

Afterwards, Otto-Jan Ham talks to Gertjan Van Hellemont, the musical mastermind behind Douglas Firs.

Two years after Heart of a Mother - the album about the death of his mother and the birth of his son in the same period - Douglas Firs has created a sequel: Happy Pt. 2: a record on which, in addition to melancholy, energy and hope can be found. The loss remains, but life goes on. Finding happiness again will be possible after a while, but it will never be the same. 

Gertjan Van Hellemont recorded 10 songs with his faithful band: bassist Simon Casier (Balthazar), drummer Laurens Billiet, brother Sem Van Hellemont and Senne Guns on keys, and backing vocals by Roos Denayer (Rosa Butsi). But there's more to hear: pedal steel! Saxophone! A 16-piece Hungarian string orchestra! Even little son Georges, now 3, can be heard on the new Douglas Firs.

Van Hellemont went to Los Angeles to mix the record with Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket, Ray Lamontagne, Afghan Whigs), in the studio where Feist also completed their last album. Fred Kevorkian (The White Stripes, The National) did the mastering in New York.