.multibeat

The vibrant Dutch city of Utrecht has a rich musical heritage, having birthed artists as diverse as genre defying orchestral collective the Kyteman Orchestra, drum & bass outfit Black Sun Empire and influential native tongued rapper Sticks. It should be no surprise then that a place with such a ripe and varied history of eclectic musicality should be the home of open-minded, forward thinking collective .multibeat.

Taking inspiration from their diverse surroundings this cooperative of musicians and producers bring the broad churches of hip hop and jazz together to create something that is uniquely theirs, keeping the latter part of their sobriquet pulsating at the centre of everything they do.Influenced by Robert Glasper and J Dilla, as well as the current wave of UK jazz, the core trio of Boudewijn Pleij on keys, Thijs van Zutphen on bass and Aron Smit on drums also find inspiration by working with a wide range of, mostly local, artists.

The trio initially met while studying at the conservatoire in Utrecht, at first performing and collaborating as a backing live band to other artists under the moniker of Muddy Grease, before transitioning into a production based outfit, influenced by Golden Era and classic hip hop. Encouraged by the popularity of the lo-fi hip-hop scene in the mid 2010s, they began collaborating with more artists from the genre, expanding the possibilities of their musical remit whilst simultaneously supporting their local community and aiming to foster a more experimental and unique music scene in Utrecht.

They released their debut album, entitled Toolbox, in 2022 in collaboration with Dutch
beatmaker and producer Noflik, followed by the A Muddy, What Else? EP a year later, which really brought their beat driven future jazz sound to the fore. Their second album, entitled Channel Island, was released in 2024, and the collaborations continued apace with Pete Philly, Joya Mooi, GINGE and Butcher Brown horn player and rapper Marcus “Tennishu” Tenney all featured.

Having released the more crossover Have A Nice Weekend EP in 2025, the collective return to their eclectic underground roots with their third LP, and first to be released on esteemed Berlin imprint Sonar Kollektiv, entitled OOO in the autumn of 2026. The album reflects their strong independent spirit, whilst staying true to their live sound, and maintaining the theme of collaboration which has featured so strongly throughout their work.