In 2001, Erik de Jong, or Spinvis, at the age of 40, sent a three song demo to the Dutch indie label, Excelsior Recordings. Within two weeks, a record deal was signed. The label decided to keep the songs that had been recorded by Spinvis on his home computer. With some minor mixing touch-ups these songs comprised Spinvis' first album, released in the Netherlands on 1 April 2002. The music press responded with very positive reviews and the album reached the number one position in Oor magazine’s Moordlijst, an important alternative chart in the Netherlands. Even though Spinvis is a one-man project, De Jong decided to take his music on the road. Together with renowned musicians, including Toots Thielemans, he played at the Crossing Border Festival in Amsterdam. At the end of 2002, Spinvis’ song "Smalfilm" was second in the VPRO’s Song of the Year 2002 contest. In addition to this De Jong received an Essent Award, a prize for breakthrough artists. Read more on Last.fm.