Profiling and overemphasis of biographies is often unnecessary, making it hard to write about certain artists. In many cases this is a good thing. Take this Saturdays’ Subculture guest Kerstin Egert (Tama Sumo) for example. With no obvious production career and only one notable commercial output on CD. Tama is however very highly rated amongst her peers and is now well and truly recognised as one of Europe’s best DJs. There are no gimmicks or games with Tama, she is simply an out and out expert when it comes to playing House & Techno records.
As the night approaches and for anyone who doesn’t know and wants to, we thought we’d get to grips with some selected musical highlights from her career, and treat you to some of the best mixes and live sessions from the archives…
Although she is more recently of Panorama Bar fame, Tama Sumo started playing out in the early ‘90s at local Berlin spots, Kreuzberg’s Drama and Café Moskau, and later ended up a firm fixture at the citys’ legendary club Tresor.
Musically she is very diverse which sits her sound half way up the steps between the dark depths of the Berghain and the towering house setting of Panorama Bar. Her recent sets would easily be described as more House than Techno but either way, we are expecting a lot of bass from this week’s Subculture debutant.
In September 2009, she recorded a compilation CD for her residency at Panorama Bar. This is a true classic which features a very rare track which was produced as a collaboration with her good friend, fellow pub quiz host, and another Sub Club favourite, Prosumer. This track also featured as the B Side to Marcel Dettmann’s ‘Helix’ on The Diamond & Pearls EP Phantasma Vol.3.
The following year Tama Sumo and Prosumer both chatted to DJ Bag ahead of a joint festival appearance at the Jazz not Dead festival in Vicenza, North East Italy.
The top Berlin doyenne of House emptied her record bag on the floor of Guardian Music in 2011. Check it out!
A quick chat and promo mix with our pals at Fabric London back in 2012. Worth a read!
Another very rare 2012 Solo Production on Ostgut Ton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fxd62nHZEGQ
Those industry leading specialists in the know over at FACT Mag asked Tama Sumo to recorded this mix. It’s been a favourite inside the Subbie HQ since it dropped into our snail mail back in 2012…
Here she is on some remix duties with a more tribal vibe created for Mary Boyoi. This summertime beach anthem was a big hit from the Süd Electronic Imprint.
As we know here at Subculture, there is nothing quite like a good old Boiler Room session to showcase your shit to tastemakers and party people who don’t live just up the road, via the world wide web. Here is a double helping from Tama Sumo live on Boiler Room TV…
This one is a pretty special daytime edition live from her own flat. You can’t get more House music than this…
With appearances at all of the best clubs around Europe already under her belt, this Saturday represents a long overdue Sub Club debut so let’s give Berlin’s first lady of house a right good Glasgow welcome.
Advance tickets are on sale from RA or TICKETS SCOTLAND and more will also be available on the door from 11pm…
Sensu are delighted that this Sunday May 4th we will once again be joined by Berlin based duo Tale of Us as we finish off an exceptional Bank Holiday weekend at the Sub Club. Recognised globally for twisting house and techno enthusiasts worldwide with their beautifully mastered and enjoyable musical style. Carmine & Matteo’s rapid ascent led to them being voted #2 in Resident Advisor Top DJs of 2013. If their last visit in September is anything to go by we are in for a treat as they bring their big hooks and unrivalled pulsating grooves to what is set to be another raucous night of party mayhem underground on Jamaica Street.
Ahead of the event on an enigmatic top 5 kinda vibe we caught up with the guys for a brief insight away from the music, Tale of Us have a penchant for gaming when they aren’t in the studio or on the road. Here are there top 5 of all time….
1) The Secret of Evermore (Super Nintendo)
Secret of Evermore is unique in that it is the only game developed by renowned Square designers in North America. The game received positive reviews for graphics and gameplay, but was criticised for not being up to the standards of what many reviewers were used to by its developer at this time. Interestingly almost 20 years ago, this wasn’t good enough for some expert gamers.
This was third installment in The Legend of Zelda series and was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in North America and Europe. The plot of A Link to the Past focuses on Link as he travels on a journey to save Hyrule, defeat Ganon and rescue the seven descendants of the Sages. Released to both critical and profit-making success, A Link to the Past was a groundbreaking title for Nintendo and is widely considered to this day to be one of the greatest video games of all time. This particular favourite sold over 4million unit and in more recent time as since been recreated for Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console and Wii.
3) ICO (Original Playstation)
Ico is an action-adventure game developed by Team Ico and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, released for the PlayStation 2 video game console in 2001 and 2002. It was created as a minimalist game around a “boy meets girl” concept. Originally planned for the PlayStation, Ico took approximately four years to develop.
The protagonist is a young boy named Ico who was born with horns, which his village considers a bad omen. Warriors lock him away in an abandoned fortress. During his explorations of the fortress, Ico encounters Yorda, the daughter of the castle’s Queen. The Queen plans to use Yorda’s body to extend her own lifespan. This particular introduced several design and technical elements, including a story told with nominal dialog and narrative throughout., bloom lighting and key frame animation, that have influenced subsequent games. A bit of a game changer! Although not a commercial success, it was critically acclaimed and received several awards, including “Game of the Year” recommendations.
FULL DETAILS AND EMULATOR LINKS ARE AVAILABLE HERE via EUROGAMER.NET.
4) Final Fantasy 7 and 8 (Psone)
Final Fantasy Seven, (FANTASY VII) is a role-playing video game developed as the seventh instalment in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation, in 1998 for Microsoft Windows, in 2009 on the PlayStation Network, in 2012 on PC Digital Download, and more recently 2013 on Steam. The game is the first in the series to use 3D computer graphics, featuring fully rendered characters on pre-rendered backgrounds, and was the first game in the main series to be released in Europe.
Final Fantasy VII follows protagonist Cloud Strife, a mercenary who initially joins the eco-terrorist rebel organisation AVALANCHE to stop an evil mega corporation from draining the life of the planet for use as an energy source. The game was originally planned for release on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, but was moved to the Nintendo 64. However, since the Nintendo 64″cartridges didn’t meet the right required storage capacity, Square chose to release the game for the CD-ROM based PlayStation instead. The music was composed by Final Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu (Have a listen below). Helped by a large pre-release multi channel marketing campaign, Final Fantasy VII became an instant hit. It has continued to sell consistently for almost two decades—10 million copies were sold by May 2010, recognising it as the best-selling title in the series.
HEAD OVER TO VIZZED GAMES ROOM FOR EMULATOR LINKS TO PLAY THIS ONLINE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA3ilw3rQiU
5) Machinarium (PS3)
Machinarium is a puzzle point-and-click adventure game developed by Amanita Design. It was released on October 16, 2009 for Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, and 2011 for iPad 2 on the App Store and BlackBerry PlayBook, 2012 for Android and PlayStation 3. Interestingly it was planned for the Wii but was cancelled due to some technical barriers. Many customers paid over the average price for the mobile app version. The Windows Phone version was released as recent as March 22, 2014.
Machinarium starts with an overview of the eponymous city as a disposal flier launches from its highest tower. The player character, a robot called Josef (named after Josef Čapek, the creator of the word “robot” is dumped on a scrapheap, where he re-assembles himself and sets off for the city. Entering the city, he discovers a plot by the Black Cap Brotherhood, and the rest is history as they say…
Big thanks to Tale of Us for for an insight into their virtual world of tales and two dimensional towers.
Now back to business. The guys are at the Sub Club tonight alongside the Sensu residents. GAME ON…
DOORS OPENT AT 11PM. THE SUB CLUB IS OPEN TILL 4AM THIS WEEKEND!
As many of his generation were, Sheffield lad Chris Duckenfield was massively and irrevocably affected by the late ’80s acid-house craze which swept through the coolest British clubs. After bopping about at Sheffield’s Jive Turkey parties, Duckenfield bought himself a still hard to come by pair of Technics and set right about making a noise. Sheffield’s vibrant illegal party scene at the end of the eighties introduced Chris to a different style of music and DJing altogether; he was hooked.
Cutting his production teeth with Warp subsidiary Nucleus in 1991 Chris went on to forge an enduring partnership with studio engineer Richard Brown and together under the Swag moniker they released a series of Eps and an album on Junior Boys Own to heavy acclaim. After the pair formed their own Primitive label in 1999 they released the album Felony Funk with the likes of Mathew Herbert and even Bjork calling on their studio remix skills.
With a swathe of other labels under his belt and a DJ pedigree to match his production skills, we are delighted to have him back in the Subbie booth.
As a true brother in arms it’s also entirely fitting for him to make an overdue Subculture reappearance as we continue to celebrate 20YSC !
We caught up with Chris for a quick natter about Subculture, Residents, The Steel City, warehouse parties, record distribution and cleaning up crap…
1. Do you have any standout memories of your own Subculture experience? Why do you think the night has lasted 20 years?
I’ve been a good few times as a punter and a guest, over the last 15 odd years, I think my first visit was the most memorable. It was kind of pre-internet age, and we were in Glasgow for a Music In The City event I think, all a bit blurry. I’d heard about the place, of course, and was expecting something special. Now it would have been pretty easy for Harri & Dom to treat the collection of A&R idiots and music hangers on they had in that night with the contempt they deserved, and play Nick Berry records (as Elliot Eastwick had done with such aplomb earlier in the evening somewhere else) or just toss it off, but they didn’t, it was a masterclass in building a vibe, then having the whole place hanging on every change and shift. Caps were doffed, and we journeyed back to South Yorkshire with smiles and fond memories. Every subsequent visit has been just as special, so many good times, meeting new friends and just generally laughing a lot and dancing. What more could you ask for ?
2. What’s your thoughts on the role of the resident?
It’s certainly more ‘me’ than being the air-punching, floodlit main event that guest DJ’s became!
Not that I’m happier always being the bridesmaid mind, but it’s true to say most of my return gigs as a guest, have been at clubs helmed by outstanding residents. Without them at the controls, guiding the musical direction and feel of the night, I guess I wouldn’t have a place there to do what I do. I enjoy that sense of partnership a residency gives you as a DJ, the opportunity to play early, late or whenever and know a crowd intimately enough to play around with their expectations and preconceptions.
I recently took up residency at the Hopeworks warehouse space in Sheffield, it’s been fantastic to be involved, to tailor the music around a diverse range of guests & still manage to put my own stamp on the musical identity of the place. It’s no coincidence that the clubs which prevail through thick and thin, and fall in and out of favour and weather changing fashions all have remarkable resident DJ’s at the controls.
In an age when ridiculous fees and grasping agents – who treat the clubs which enable their careers with contempt – are the norm, I think the penny is dropping (again) with clubbers that a quality resident is worth far more, in every sense. It’s also worth noting the ones who do it best often resist the transition to airport departure lounges & boring PR initiatives But, you know – horses for courses. Nightlife is a broad & bumpy battlefield.
3. You were telling me you’re busy now with family life. Are your still managing making tunes along the way and if so, how often? As well as playing records and being a cool dad, are you still actively involved in your ‘All Ears (Distribution)’ business?
Well, it obviously does change things quite dramatically. Cleaning up crap, crying, tantrums and sleeplessness are all part and parcel of it – and parenting is tough too ! I’ve never been able to schedule studio time and perform to order really, so with a more 9 to 5 style day job and a little one to take care of it gets kind of pushed down the list. I’ve always just pottered musically anyway in all honesty, sampled a load of bits and stashed them, then gone and assembled them later. So I’m still doing that, but there’s a lot more midfield play, and a lot less finishing these days. Plus there is a huge amount of amazing music around, so I’m very aware that if I’m throwing stuff into the ring it needs to be up there with the best of the rest.
I kind of got away from the more traditional approach a long time ago (running a label, using one artist name etc, etc) and adopted a more reactive approach, doing one-offs or small series, so I’ve put some stuff out, but not made a fuss about it or even put my name to it. It generally sells far better!
Here are a some outputs from Chris as part of production groups or collaborations:
All Ears (Distribution) has been a lot of hard work, but we’re in a good place now, largely thanks to a resurgence in the format & us having stuck to our guns in terms of quality over quantity. We’re trusted and have a great group of 30 or so regular labels we work with, all with a huge amount of passion and commitment to what they do, as well as lots of one-offs and specials. I’ve always peddled music in one shape or another so I enjoy it immensely (most of the time!) and realise I’m very lucky to earn a crust doing so…
4. Your role in the industry has been prominent for two decades. Who have been your biggest influences musically throughout this time?
Forever shifting, while staying quite familiar, to sum it up I guess. I love discovering things both old and new, and it’s that that keeps you going – just knowing that you’ll never know it all doesn’t ever dissuade you from trying. In terms of inspiration, it comes from many sources. You can hear a tune you know quite intimately in a whole new light, depending on context. I think knowing your classics is a good place to start, like anything creative, an understanding of the best of what has gone before is the best foundation for freshening up your ears for the future which, thanks to the internet and our ever-growing interconnectedness is changing at an unprecedented rate, all very exciting.
5. Your home town Sheffield is renowned for it’s post industrial musical heritage which is up there with any city in the UK and boasts an impressive array of innovative and successful bands and artists over the years. Do you have any particular favourites and have you ever bumped into any of them down the local pub?
It’s a great place to live actually, and there’s always been a great deal of musical innovation and trailblazing going on here, but due to a bedrock of working class guilt, nobody ever makes too much noise about their output, down the pub or not!
6. We have enjoyed a few weekend raves at Hopeworks, Kabal and the likes – is the after party / warehouse scene still going strong down there?
Absolutely! It’s a city whose nightlife is built very much on our large student population and in the last couple of years they’ve been less and less inclined to all look the same while settling for the 50p a shot and Top 40 routine and far more interested in subculture and going their own way.
This has brought back a vibrancy and freshness that we’ve been missing for a while. A lot of interesting stuff happening again, and I’m happy to still be a part of it!
7. You recently recorded your own exclusive 20YSC mix for us. Do you enjoy digging out some old classic for special occasions?
Surely, I tend to prep a lot for gigs, and have never really gone to play anywhere with the intention of doing what I did the week before In a world where predictability is king, this can obviously work against you! That’s why I stepped back from the ‘Saturday night treadmill’ of new gigs and concentrated on revisiting places I knew I had a lot more freedom in. I’m very aware that it’s entertainment, with a huge responsibility to soundtrack people’s hard earned weekends as well as you can, and that process as well as joining the dots between old and new is the bit that keeps me doing what I do.
Being one of the UK’s true gentlemen of house music, Chris recorded this absolutely exclusive “20 Years of Subculture” mix as a birthday treat for all of us…
£10 Advance Tickets for this event are available from RA & Tickets Scotland. More will also be available on the door from 11pm.
Like every other English teenager living within 150 miles of London or Manchester, Chris Duckenfield was significantly affected by the late ’80s acid-house craze. After bopping about at Sheffield’s Jive Turkey parties, Duckenfield bought himself a pair of Technics and began to put together a set. Sheffield’s vibrant illegal party scene at the end of the eighties introduced Chris to a different style of music and DJing altogether; he was hooked.
With a swathe of productions and a label under his belt and a great pedigree as a DJ to match his production skills, we are delighted to have him back in the booth at Subculture, and, as a true brother in arms it’s also very fitting for him to be here again as we celebrate 20 Years of Subculture.
In true gentleman style, as a treat for Harri & Domenic, ahead of his return to the Subbie, he recorded this exclusive 20 years of Subculture mix for your listening pleasure.
If that’s not enough he also pulled together a History Of Acid House mix in Manchester a few years back, it’s proved very popular and if it’s more good music you are looking for this fits the bill pretty accurately.
Enjoy…
Tickets to catch Chris alongside Harri & Domenic at Subculture this Saturday the 26th of April, can be purchased from RA & in store and online at Tickets Scotland.
This Saturday at Subculture Juju and Jordash are bringing an Amsterdam analogue sound, some freaky free jazz sensibilities and a whole lotta lovely hardware. Harri & Domenic and everyone at Sub Club HQ are all set for a performance from these two untethered Israeli purveyors of Techno Primitivism, otherwise known as Gal and Jordan.
Harri & Domenic have been intrigued by their part experimental jam, part psychedelic sensory exploration since the start. Subculture’s residents caught up with them in advance of their Scottish debut this weekend…
1. Where does the name Juju and Jordash come from?
Gal: that was long ago… but basically Juju was similar to my nickname and also my favourite Wayne Shorter record.
Jordan: Jordash was a nickname of mine in high school, so when we had to choose what name to put on our first 12” we just went with a no brainer and used already existing names instead of coming up with a ‘band name.’
2. You guys produced something different with Unleash the Gollum and a few other tracks influenced by film. What was the idea behind that? How did it come about?
Gal: Both of us really like ambient and cinematic music. The Golem specifically was made for a live performance accompanying the silent film ‘Der Golem: how he came into the world’ (1920). That was a great opportunity to explore this vibe, and we got so much material while working on it that the project took a life of it’s own (very much like the Golem’s story) and extended to more records inspired by it.
3. Your collaboration with Move D was one of our tunes of last year, any other hook up’s in the pipeline?
Jordan: Thanks! We have a bunch of unreleased material with Move D (as Magic Mountain High) – we just have to polish some stuff up and decide what to do with it, where to release it etc.
…besides that we recently collaborated with Andrew from the Beautiful Swimmers/ Maximilion Dunbar/ Max D) and pissflaps and put out a 12” last week under the name ZSA GANG.
4. You played in jazz bands back in the day ,if you could do a super group of various jazz musicians and contemporary electronic artists .who would be in it?
Jordan: good question, I guess Jamal Moss with Ornette Coleman would be a trip.
5. What producers/labels out there just now do you look out for?
Gal: I guess the usual suspects would be Morphosis and Marcelus Pittman.
Jordan: I check out what Rushhour gets in the store, there has been a lot of great music the past couple of years.
6. 100 years into the future tell me how you think music will be made?
Gal: Bio oscillators, directly from your brains. for the rest pretty much the same.
Jordan: Bones, sticks and rocks unfortunately!
7. Have you ever made a track and thought thats the best thing we have ever done and then listened back a while later and thought its actually pretty average?
Gal: Love/hate relationship with almost every track is what it’s all about…
CHECK OUT MORE OF THIS ANALOGUE PRODUCTION MAGIC OVER AT THEIR SOUNDCLOUD PAGE.
J&J’s fully improvised hardware live shows have been highly regarded in the past few years for their musicality and versatility and we’re look forward to having them in Glasgow for a Subculture debut. Here is a teaser they sent us of what to expect..
In the lead up to their 1st Birthday Celebration with Ellen Allien those pesky Vicious Creatures guys have put together some of their favourite releases from Ellen’s legendary Berlin imprint BPitch Control.
BPitch is a label in the truest sense: a seal of quality. The BPC imprint is reserved for surprise parcels packed with groove, style and identity. It’s the banner for a global network of friendships, creative relationships and – let’s not forget – parties.
Here we go in no particular order…
Ellen Allien – My Tree (Ripperton Backslash remix):
Ben Klock – Big Time:
Paul Kalkbrenner – Aaron:
Moderat – Rusty Nails:
Chaim & Meital De Razon – Alive (Deniz Kurtel Remix):
Kiki – Good Voodoo ft. Chela Simone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU5oEDFtq1A
Joy Wellboy – What Baby (Douglas Greeds Bassline Remix ):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjm-zTWfZSY
Fritz & Paul Kalkbrenner – Sky and Sand:
Sascha Funke – Mango :
Paul Kalkrenner – Press On (Joris Voorn Remix):
The men behind the masks are offering an exclusive Birthday prize giveaway, giving you guys the chance to win:
2 x Guest list Spots for the night
2 x Shots of Cafe Patron on arrival
1 x Signed (by Ellen) Vinyl copy of Paul Kalkbrenner Sky & Sand.
To win simply post your favourite ever BPitch Control track on the FB event page and we’ll pick by a winner by 4pm Thursday. With releases from Ben Klock, Moderat, Paul Kalkbrenner and Modeselektor to pick from we’re expecting some absolute stonkers…
Advance tickets are on sale from RA & there will be more available at the door when the party kicks off at 11pm.
Get your ears round this DC10 recording of Ellen Allien from 2013…
Ahead of their Subculture debut Israeli purveyors of the hardware analogue sound Juju & Jordash sent us this live 40 minute recording of their live set at Stattbad, Berlin from March 8th, 2014.
This is exclusive to the Sub Club website. A wee treat of what to expect from this oddball house duo when they touch down in Glasgow for Subculture on Saturday April 19th… Enjoy!
The closing seconds of Funkineven’s Roland-propelled jam on 20th March will mark more than just the finale of a night at Scotland’s most revered nightclub. It will complete another year Rubix have spent plying their trade in Glasgow from their Sub Club home.
Established in the city in early 2012, having made waves in Newcastle’s bubbling nightlife scene the year before, Rubix arrived at 22 Jamaica St. intent on offering something new to Thursday nights. The collective, brought together by an avid love of good music, yearned to add its own ingredients to Glasgow’s flavoursome cauldron of sound. It’s method? Welcoming innovative artists to have their first spin in Sub Club.
So began a spate of parties featuring debutant headliners. Over the past two years they’ve brought a diverse batch of artists from the waters of techno, house and bass to strut their stuff at Subby for the first time. The list includes Karenn’s bludgeoning hardware show, Tessela’s bass-fuelled mayhem, the darker sounds of Boddika and Pariah, softer tones from Andrew Ashong, Dauwd and Werkha and other pioneers such as Bondax, Hackman, Arkist, Eliphino and South London Ordnance. Out of all their guests, only Objekt – entrusted with headlining last year’s birthday celebrations – had played Jamaica St. before.
There is such ripeness in Glasgow’s current music scene that continuing to book credible new acts is a tough feat. Yet Rubix managed to secure another coup for their second birthday celebrations, turning once more to a live performance after the success of Karenn in December.
The man and his machines is the one and only Funkineven. Stalwart on both Eglo and his own imprint Apron records, the Londoner has been churning out a range of stellar productions for the past five years. Drawing on funk, acid, techno, disco, and at times hip-hop, he has collaged an ingeniously crafted sound that stands alone. Putting your ear to a Funkineven record resembles hearing both an old classic from golden years past and a futuristic composition racing ahead of the game.
Exploits on his trusty Roland 303 and 808 have led to acclaimed collaborations with Fatima, Delroy Edwards and Kyle Hall, with whom he spawned the astounding Funkinevil project. Another Jamaica St. debut will see him bring his gear to the Subby stage for an exclusive performance: his new analogue hardware show.
It promises to be another special night for Rubix on 20th March at Sub Club as low-slung funk and acid techno tear up the dance floor. But as their second year comes to a close, the candle is far from blowing out, with exciting plans in the pipeline for their May date and beyond. After enjoying Thursday’s festivities, keep your ears and eyes peeled for even funkier things down the line!
Check out this Funkineven EPK interview where he chats about his haircutting days and musical influences etc…
On Saturday 15th, with the residents AWOL, Subculture are drafting in a damn fine Dutch contingent to keep things moving. Situated on the Wibautstraat in East Amsterdam, Trouw club is the electronic beating heart of this most hedonistic of cities and certainly a Sub Club soulmate if ever there was one.
Their world-leading nightlife natives Young Marco and Olaf Boswijk are in the house. DJ and producer Young Marco has been on the forefront of his city’s underground scene for nearly a decade. With several now infamous residencies under his belt and a notoriety for exemplary and unique sets his releases have become sought after collectables and garnered props from the likes of Dixon and James Murphy.
Olaf Boswijk, the man behind Trouw and one of Amsterdam’s most influential shakers and makers. Leading the way as club owner, dj and booker, he has established a fresh, more diverse and cutting edge sound in the city. His strong musical vision has brought slow- burning madness to his dance floor and his Sunday residency at Trouw is a favourite night of many locals for that exact reason.
We caught up with Olaf for a quick babbelen about programming, his role at Trouw, the original newspaper and Amsterdam’s all night partying laws..
1. Trouw is something more than a club, being an art and cultural space and also incorporating an excellent restaurant within the actual club space which is pretty unique. How easy is it to manage the different elements of the space without compromising the dance floor experience and to what extent is the whole venue focussed on the club’s music program?
To be honest it has been hard to get all three basic elements of Trouw (food, music, art) at the level at which they are right now. Although Trouw is one entity, in fact running a restaurant, a club or an art space is a craft on its own. So it has taken a lot of effort to get it right and will continue to take all our energy until the very last day. The club is the biggest in size and name, but we try to give each element all the attention it deserves and to make decisions that benefit Trouw as a whole, not just the club or the restaurant alone.
2. The history of the print factory is not only a major part of the Trouw story but presumably it’s primary inspiration. Can you explain a little of the historical background and particularly the role Trouw played in the life of Amsterdam in the war years?
The name Trouw in Holland was synonymous for the newspaper Trouw, to this day still an important national newspaper. When we found the building, we just started referring to it as Trouw, because there was a big Trouw logo on it. At the same time, the word ‘trouw’ has a really nice meaning: being loyal or faithful. For the newspaper it meant being true to the Dutch flag, as it started as a resistance paper against the Germans during the 2nd World War. Luckily the newspaper gave us permission to use the name Trouw, officially we are called TrouwAmsterdam to make the difference visible between the club and newspaper. For us the word Trouw means staying true to our own values, being true to our guests, artists and making our own dreams come true.
3. Can you tell us how you came to be 1st involved with the Trouw project and how your previous experience was important in you getting involved?
Before Trouw our company and its founders did another temporary club/restaurant/art space called 11. This was on the 11th floor of the former Dutch Post building next to the Central Station.
This was run by my older brother and it’s there that I learnt how to program a club. When 11 had to close because the building was torn down, I was convinced we had to do another project, which would continue the legacy of 11, but would hopefully reach even further. Due to the success of 11, we were offered a lot of empty buidlings, of which Trouw was the dream spot and we were had to the opportunity to continue. It was down to my brother Brian and his partner Koen, who I see as the true founding fathers of the 11 and Trouw projects, that I got the chance to give it a try myself.
4. You are a respected DJ yourself and also responsible for programming DJs and artists at the club. What other roles do you undertake at Trouw and how do you find time?
I would say most of my time is still in running and programming the club, but as one of the owners I’m also involved in all the other parts of the company. Luckily we have a tremendous team of people, each specialised in what they do and they actually give me the freedom to have the role that I have. Time management is always a challenge though! haha
5. Do you have a life outside Trouw or has it completely overtaken your being?
I didn’t in the first 3 years after opening, ask my wife! But especially in the last few months I’ve really tried to have a social life again, take more time off and to enjoy the other pleasures of life. At the same time, Trouw is my home and the place where practically all my friends are involved in some way or another which makes it a very special place to be able to work.
6. Part of the Trouw ideology is “what happens in Trouw stays in Trouw” which I think we can all relate to but in practice how easy is it to maintain this approach and how much interference to you have from local authorities such as police and licence control.
Well, it’s not so much ‘what happens in Trouw stays in Trouw’ in the sense that we want to create a myth of mysterious things happening in the club. The no photo/video policy for instance is more about asking and stimulating people to be in the moment, enjoy music, experience the club and to interact with each other. Instead of shooting crappy video/photo images that flood YouTube and actually stop you from experience the place and music that you are witnessing. As to local authorities, we had a difficult start with a licence until 3am in the first months of our existence. But by proving ourselves to the police and city council, lots of open communication and really taking care of the local environment and our guests, we have gained their trust.
Ultimately resulting in the first 24 hour permit the city of Amsterdam has even seen, which was celebrated by the Mayor of Amsterdam himself coming to play the first record at the club. Nightlife will also be closely monitored by the authorities, but we have never felt so much support from the Mayor and authorities as now. They truly value the importance of nightlife culture for the city.
Check out Trouw’s House Rules on their Website homepage.
7. It would be fair to say that socially, and perhaps culturally, Amsterdam is a less repressive and more enlightened city than Glasgow.You mention that the Mayor of Amsterdam got behind the decks at Trouw last January. How did this come about and was he any good?
I’m not completely up to date on the situation in Glasgow, but judging from the opening times of clubs, it does look a bit more conservative than Amsterdam. Amsterdam is and was of course known as a city of pleasure and freedom for years, but that in fact was not true in the last 5-10 years. With the rise of property prices, economic boom, the freedom Amsterdam was known for actually declined and various Mayors have not been pro nightlife at all in the past years. But since 2 years Eberhard van der Laan has changed that.
Thanks to him, the various night mayors and the hard work of lots of other creative people connected to nightlife, the city is on the map again and he realises is that it’s important for a city like Amsterdam to have good nightlife in order to market the city and compete with places like Berlin, Paris or London. As a DJ, Eberhard was clever enough to ask his son (who visits Trouw regularly) for assistance and he chose a record by the local guys Detroit Swindle. After that Tom Trago played, so we will never know if he can really play!
8. Trouw has become established as one of the great clubs in Europe within a comparatively short space of time having only opened in 2009. Why was the decision taken to close at the end of 2014? Was this always part of the plan?
Trouw as always a temporary project, because we knew the building was destined to be redeveloped. Initially we only had a 2-year lease and we are very fortunate to have been able to run it until now, or I would have been pealing potatoes for the rest of my life. We like this temporary nature as it forces us to make things happen now, instead of tomorrow. It great to build something special and to stop it at its climax and start something new. The decision to close is also forced on us, as the building has been sold and will be redeveloped into a student hotel in 2015.
9. What is in the pipeline for life after Trouw?
I’m not sure, I’m hoping to take some time off and travel to think about it. But I’m sure music, art and food will always be in my private and work life. It would be great if we could get a new spot for another project, and could pass something on to the next generation. I would love to see a new project, run by the young guns of Trouw.
10. And finally, sometimes club operators take themselves a bit seriously but we think a club should always be 1st and foremost about a good time and a happy experience for the people who attend. What do you have in mind to make sure the final year of Trouw is remembered as one of the great party experiences of all time?
We are constantly thinking about crazy and fun things we can do to make the last year extra special. One of those things is the pop-up bowling alley called Club Lebowski we just installed downstairs in our basement.It’s so successful that we’ve just extend it another month so people can go bowling during the week and during clubnights.
Trouw is indeed serious about music and what we do, but we also enjoy to mock ourselves and not take things too seriously, for instance with our Summer Closing movies or the infamous Carnaval of last sunday, where everyone dresses up and all our resident DJ play 30 minute sets with the shittiest Carnaval hits around.
Met vriendelijke groet!
Advance Tickets for Saturday are available from here and both in store and online from Tickets Scotland.
To wrap things up here is a recording of the disco/house set that Olaf Boswijk played in De Verdieping during the LET Weekender at Trouw Last Year…
On Friday DJ Koze is making both his Sensu & Sub Club debut. This event will take place almost eight years to the day since his last appearance in Scotland back in 2006.
He has been a massive influence on Sensu musically and through his versatility as a DJ whenever they have been lucky enough to see him play. This should be pretty special.
As the night approaches and for the uninitiated amongst us, we thought we’d get to grips with some selected highlights from his musical career, treat your ears to some bar raising DJ mixes and share Sensu’s love of one of our favourite electronic music artists ever…
Stefan started off on a Hip Hop vibe, and spent some time recording under the name Adolf Noise. Here at Subbie HQ he first came in to our collective consciousness around 2003 when he released this Geklöppel number on Michael Mayer’s Kompakt Records…
Here is another killer from Koze on Kompakt
Since then Koze spent the noughties earning a reputation as a DJ and producer worth checking out with some exceptional releases from the trusted Kompakt imprint. Stefan recorded three full length albums during that decade, on top of numbers standout singles and remixes, here are two of our favourites..
He started his own recording label,Pampa, in 2010. Here are few of Koze’s highlights from this imprint. It’s worth checking the back catalogue for some more outstanding music from a whole host of other artists.
In 2013 Stefan released his latest full-length recording, Amygdala, which reached #61 in the German album charts. It’s worth checking out this fitting review from Pitchfork’s Andrew Rice.
Here is Koze chatting about the changing industry, as he performs “Homesick” at Primavera, Barcelona, June 2013…
Check him out in video, on the couch at RBMA for a Fireside Chat. “All people is his friends.” The terrific DJ Koze brings his Hamburg City wisdom and chats to the Music Academy about the world and it’s meaning… .
With just over 24 hours till he arrives in Glasgow on Reindeer back , to keep you going here is 51 minutes of a magical DJ mix from Koze courtesy of our in the know go to guy Fader…
Saving the best till last??? Here’s the DJ Koze remix of Mathew Herbert’s “It’s Only” with superb video from Sacha Powell / Osnabeats. Resident Advisor’s top track of 2013 and featuring a haunting bitter sweet vocal from Dani Siciliano, prepare for a hairs on the back of the neck moment if Koze chooses to drop it on the Subbie system on Friday night!
TO SEE THE REAL THING AND HEAR IT FOR YOURSELF THERE ARE ADVANCE TICKETS ON SALE FROM RESIDENT ADVISOR & TICKETS SCOTLAND, THERE WILL ALSO BE MORE AVAILABLE ON THE DOOR.
DOORS OPEN AT 10:30PM , WHERE SENSU’S BARRY PRICE WILL BE ON WARM UP DUTIES…
