Growing up in Bennekom, I spent countless hours wandering the forests and the heathlands, especially the “Ginkelse Heide”. When I wasn’t out there, chances were you’d find me at the local skate spot, where I met the founders of Astrant at a young age. What feels like centuries later, we’re still close friends, and they asked me to collaborate on a very special project. Back in 1983, a compilation LP called “Heidepop ’83” was released, featuring bands from the Ede area. Astrant decided it was time to revive that spirit with a new compilation: “Heiderock 2025”. Once again, it’s a collection of local bands, celebrating the music scene that has always thrived here. This project feels deeply personal to me because I come from this area and from this very scene. I’m currently active in Fluisteraars and before that I spent many years playing in a band called Dr. DUVAL. Being able to contribute to the local counterculture in this way puts a grin on my face that stretches all the way to the stars, and the universe beyond. What I also love is how these rural parts of the Netherlands, still carrying plenty of traces of the Bible Belt; it’s often nicknamed “the buckle of the Bible Belt”; have always nurtured such a vibrant underground culture. There’s something wonderfully defiant about so much anti-establishment creativity flourishing right alongside deeply rooted conservative values. On the cover you’ll see a flock of sheep, a familiar sight on the “Ginkelse Heide”. Less familiar is the missing shepherd, and the fact that the black sheep is leading the flock. Long live the black sheeps!