Spinifex Beats The Plague was recorded in June 2021 by Olivier van Betsbrugge, mixed and mastered by the legendary Pierre Vervloesem, and provided with beautiful cover art and graphic design by Gonalo Almeida. The album consists of 9 tunes, among which a cover of a Madurai N. Krishnan thillana, a composition by Bart Maris inspired by burning airships, two miniatures by Goncalo Almeida chasing out the pest demons, and an epic by Jasper Stadhouders. The four remaining pieces are compositions by Tobias Klein, one of them a homage to Selim Sesler and another dedicated to Mohammad Reza Shajarian. The tune Zoowiezoo celebrates a memorable night at the Berlin venue Sowieso, while Four20 is not really a reference to the herb but alludes to its themes 420 notes.Amsterdam-based Spinifex, named after a tough Australian species of grass, may at first sound like a combination of free jazz, punkrock and other typically Western contemporary music. However, beneath the surface the listener will discover ancient cyclical rhythms from Turkish and Indian musical cultures.Dave Foxall (Jazz Journal, UK) wrote: ambitious yet unpretentious, tight, catchy, but also fearlessly exploratory and experimental. Drummer and astro-physicist Philipp Moser is known for his work with Dutch progressive metal band Cilice. Guitarist Jasper Stadhouders sets the tone in the Amsterdam and Berlin underground or touring with Ken Vandermarks Made To Break. The Portuguese, Rotterdam-based bassist Gonalo Almeida switches effortlessly between a beautifully rounded sound and heavy electric distortion. Tenor saxophonist John Dikeman has been impressing audiences performing with his trio with William Parker and Hamid Drake, as well as with Universal Indians/Joe McPhee. Trumpet master Bart Maris has been a singular voice in European improvised music for some decades. Alto saxophonist Tobias Klein, the motor behind the band, has also made a name for himself as a bass clarinet player and composer.