condition (record/cover): NM / EX- (slightly bumped corner)

Gatefold sleeve.

Balans is a 1986 album by the Dutch ensemble Hoketus, featuring works that define the group's radical minimalist aesthetic. The ensemble, founded by Louis Andriessen, operated as a collective with a manifesto-like dedication to loud, amplified, and rhythmically interlocking music. The album showcases a fierce and uncompromising brand of European minimalism. Louis Andriessen – Hoketus: The group’s namesake and cornerstone piece. It utilizes the medieval hocket technique—interlocking single notes or chords played in alternation between two identical groups of instruments. Unlike American minimalism, it is noted for being chromatic rather than diatonic and has a brutal and relentless energy. Gene Carl – Gray Matter: Reflects the ensemble's preference for dissonant and heavy textures. Huib Emmer – Singing the Pictures: Emmer, who also played bass guitar in the group, contributes a work that aligns with the group's "hard rock" and Stravinskian influences. Klas Torstensson – Spåra: Torstensson’s contribution further explores the ensemble’s unique instrumentation—pianos, electric pianos, panpipes, saxophones, and electric bass guitars.