Elisabeth Esselink

Solex is the pseudonym of cut 'n paste singer-songwriter Elisabeth Esselink. Formerly owner of an Amsterdam record store, Esselink decided to go solo in 1997 and came up with a blend of low-key techno and 'found' sounds. Solex Vs. The Hitmeister was her debut album for Matador in 1998 and was comprised of snippets from all the records in her shop that she couldn't sell. In a change of tack, 1999's Pick Up was constructed from dozens of recordings that she'd secretly made at live shows in Amsterdam. This technique was continued on the albums Low Kick And Hard Bop (2001) and The Laughing Stock of Indie Rock (2004) In 2010 she released Amsterdam Throwdown, King Street Showdown. This record is the result of a collaboration between Solex, Cristina Martinez (Boss Hog) and Jon Spencer (The Blues Explosion). Photo credit: Robert Lagendijk