Nasmak -

Nasmak was a Dutch experimental/art-rock band from Nuenen that released four proper albums and three cassette collections between 1980 and 1983 on Plurex Records.

Members: Henk Janssen (vocals, keyboards, bass), Joop van Brakel (guitar, drums, vocals), Theo van Eenbergen [aka Theo van Rock] (bass, synthesizer, backing vocals), Toon Bressers (drums, percussion, vocals, guitar)

Background

Nasmaak formed in 1978 in Nuenen, Netherlands, when singer Truus de Groot teamed with drummer Toon Bressers and guitarist Joop van Brakel, both members of the local weekend group The Common Starecase.

Initial bassist Aad van Vught came from Flyin’ Spiderz, an Eindhoven punk band that made two albums in 1977/78 on EMI. Guitarist Henk Janssen came from the folk groups Deirdre and Poemfield; Deirdre cut a 1978 Philips album and morphed into Pegasus. De Groot previously sang with the touring Foolsband, a Doe Maar precursor whose repertoire included “Hondepoep.” Van Vught cleared for bassist Theo van Eenbergen, who completed the five-member lineup.

The musicians shared a house on Opwettenseweg in Nuenen and converted a former chicken shed into a rehearsal room. Nasmaak debuted on December 26, 1978, at De Boerderij in Deurne. The group secured further dates through D-Day, a booking network among Dutch youth centers. Nasmaak recorded “Hondepoep” for the 1979 Stichting Popmuziek Nederland compilation Uitholling Overdwars.

Nasmaak played its twenty-fifth concert on May 31, 1979, at Gigant in Apeldoorn. The group subsequently adopted the Nasmak spelling and shifted to an English-language repertoire. Nasmak signed with Wally van Middendorp’s Amsterdam label Plurex, which arranged sessions for the debut album with Van Middendorp as producer.

Discography:

Nasmak Plus Instruments / Instruments Plus Nasmak (1980 • Nasmak Plus Instruments)
Indecent Exposure 1 & 2 (Music for Brass, Woodwind, Drums & Violins) (1981)
Indecent Exposure 3 & 4 (The Smell Remains) (1981)
4our Clicks (1982)
Indecent Exposure 5 & 6 (Only This Day and 77 Others) (1982)
Duel (1983)
Silhouette (1983)

Sources:

Front, “De terugkeer van Nasmak, de new waveband uit Nuenen” (2019): detailed chronological account for the 1978 formation, early personnel, Common Starecase and Flying Spiderz connections, D-Day circuit, Opwettenseweg house, chicken shed, volunteer status, Deurne debut, Uitholling Overdwars, Plurex, and Van Middendorp production. (Front)
VPRO 3voor12, interview with Joop van Brakel and Toon Bressers (2023): independently confirms the shared Nuenen house, studio in the chicken shed, daily work there, and the signing with Wally van Middendorp’s Plurex label. (VPRO 3voor12)
Ernst Jansz: his own account identifies Truus de Groot as a singer in the 1978 Foolsband tour and records the June 24 Vera performance of “Hondepoep.” He states that the four core musicians continued as Doe Maar when that tour ended. (Ernst Jansz)
Vital Weekly, archival Live Gigant 1979–1982 account (2025): identifies the May 31, 1979 performance as Nasmaak concert number twenty-five, confirms the Dec. 26 debut date, places Koen Anker in the 1979 five-piece, and says the group recorded the first LP soon after the Gigant performance under the Nasmak name. (Vital Weekly)
MEST, March 2015: confirms “Hondepoep” as the sole Nasmaak vinyl appearance, the Nuenen villa and chicken-shed rehearsal space, the De Groot/Janssen/Van Brakel/Van Eenbergen/Bressers lineup, and the 1980 debut.
Plus Instruments / Truus de Groot official sites: date Plus Instruments to 1978 and the Bandt + Instruments Plurex EP to 1979. The material also identifies Bregt Camphuijzen as the early bassist and Michel Waisvisz as the link to the Crackle Synthesizer. (Plus Instruments)
VPRO 3voor12 profile of Theo van Eenbergen: Van Eenbergen recalls giving neighborhood concerts at age ten and using a radio that his Philips-employed brother converted into a guitar amplifier. (VPRO 3voor12)
Plurex label discography: lists Nasmak Plus Instruments / Instruments Plus Nasmak as PLUREX 1800 and dates the LP to 1980. Truus de Groot and Plus Instruments also list the album as a 1980 release. (Plurex)
Bacteria Dutch punk discography: places the Uitholling Overdwars sessions at Zeezicht Studio in Haarlem in April 1979. I left that studio/date detail out of the copy because I found only this specialist discography for the precise session information. (bacteria.nl)