(Courtesy of Erasmus Huis)

Dutch jazz musician Wouter Hamel has embarked on a risky adventure with his new album Pompadour, which has taken him to a much more up-tempo pop playground.

'€œMy last album Lohengrin was very much an acoustic album. I'€™ve always wanted to do a much more electric album with keyboards and synthesizers. In this album, I have set out to try out new stuff,'€ Hamel told The Jakarta Post in a recent interview in Jakarta.

The 36-year-old artist was in Jakarta earlier this month to promote his latest album through a number of gigs, including a performance at the Dutch cultural center Erasmus Huis and a live show broadcast on a national TV station.

Hamel said he was very happy with the outcome of his new album, which was first released in his homeland in April.

'€œThis album has a very different sound from the previous ones, with a little bit more electronic in place. The last album was melancholic. This one is a lot happier; it makes you wanna dance.'€

Hamel said that he still included some ballads in the album. '€œBecause I'€™m a songwriter, I like to write all kinds of songs; but there are more upbeat songs in this album,'€ he said.

The musician said that electronic sounds and upbeat songs were a side of the music field he had not yet explored until now. '€œMy previous albums were much more acoustic. Our piano player is an amazing acoustic player, but we also love to do sounds using a synthesizer. This album is an excellent opportunity to explore stuff like that,'€ he said.

In Pompadour, Hamel once again teamed up with producer Benny Sings, who produced his self-titled debut in 2007 and the sophomore release Nobody'€™s Tune in 2009.

'€œBenny and I complement one another when it comes to our ideas about sound and how a song should be presented,'€ Hamel noted. Pompadour is the first album recorded in Hamel'€™s own studio in Amsterdam.

Hamel also said that he was more open when working on the new album, calling it a very social album. '€In my previous album, I wrote songs alone, but in this one I invited people to come and write with me. It was much more fun,'€ said the musician who loves Brazilian style of music like bossa nova and samba.

Pompadour'€™s first single '€œHollywood'€, for example is an upbeat pop song with the chorus written by Hamel and composer Simon Gitsels, a former classmate of his. The song was later taken over by Sings and had its verses and harmonies fine-tuned before singer Shirma Rouse contributed her powerful voice to the track.

The Hague-born musician caught a big break in his singing career after winning the Dutch Jazz Vocal Competition in 2005. Playing guitar in addition to singing and writing many of his own songs, Hamel released his eponymous album through Dox Records in 2007. The debut was a Top 20 hit on the Dutch albums chart when it was released and remained on the charts for over a year.

Nobody'€™s Tune surpassed his debut album by breaking into the Top Five in the Dutch charts upon its release.

Hamel is backed by a big band that includes Kofi Anonymous (guitar), Sven Happel (bass), Jasper van Hulten (drums), Pieter de Graaf (piano), Gijs Anders van Stralen (percussion), Vincent Houdijk (xylophone), Benjamin Herman (saxophone, flute), Kobi Arditi (trombone) and Salle de Jonge (drums).

'€œAfter all these years, I think I can feel pretty satisfied. We'€™ve been to a lot of countries, we'€™ve done some great gigs,'€ said the musician who enjoys riding his small boat through Amsterdam'€™s canals during his free time.

Hamel, however, feels that he has not been productive enough as a musician, producing only four albums so far.

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