Have you come across any criticisms of AIR in all those years, which you find particularly misguided?
Maartje: There’s one thing people often complain about because it’s different than in the other clubs. It’s our payment system. We have a cashless payment system. You use an AIR-card, which you charge and you can use it for your locker and for the bar. We’re constantly trying to remind everyone of the plus our system offers. It is safer, because we don’t have cash in the club. It’s environment friendly because we don’t need transportation for the money. Plus your card stays valid for two years. We’re even planning on launching a new system, which allows those who have an AIR-card to get more benefits out of it. You become a member of the club, you set up your membership online, and we’re able to give you benefits if you visit the club often.
Michiel: There are actually many upsides with the card. You can also upload your money online. And you can use it with your locker, which means you can open it all the time and don’t have to put two Euros in it every time you need something. And it’s a lot faster at the bar too. I think it’s just because it is something new. It is something which people are not used to. People are always complaining about these new things. But if you look at it, it is actually way better.
Now that you are about to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of AIR, what have you found to be the most difficult aspect of staying relevant in the current nightlife environment?
Michiel: I think it really is about staying up to date and maybe even a bit further than that. What are people listening to in five years? What suits the club? And then you just have to balance those aspects and make a steady program.
Maartje: And that’s also very difficult. If you’re too far ahead the audience won’t get it. They will look at a line up or design and are wondering what it is. The last thing you want is having to explain why you do what you do. You hope hat you organize your events in a way that the early adapters get it and share their enthusiasms with their peers. But, everybody in Amsterdam is a music lover and they all seem to know what the next trend is.
Is there a certain artist you booked where people didn’t respond in the way you thought?
Michiel: For example we got guys like Ben Pearce, Claptone and Adana Twins really early on Thursdays. So we booked them when nobody knew them in Amsterdam and if you see how big they’re now it’s really cool to see.
Maartje: The first time Oliver Heldens played at AIR we still had to make that little bridge to tell the audience: “This is Oliver Heldens. He’s happening! Believe us!” And half a year later the guy blew up and was travelling internationally. But I remember when he played at our club his parents where in the dressing room and he just got his High School diploma that day. He was that young back then and now he’s a big artist. This always makes me proud!
As Amsterdam is a very eclectic and diverse city with several musical tastes, as well as “scenes,” what is the audience you ultimately strive to bring to AIR?
Michiel: I think it really depends on the night, because we have so many different ones. We don’t really aim on one group because it’s just impossible. You see, in the scenes, people are shifting more than they used to. Commercially, fans will also go to underground events. I know people that can appreciate TIKTAK but also enjoy themselves at events such as to Ricardo Villalobos at Hyte, which are two worlds apart. For us it’s too difficult to have one group to aim on.
Maartje: I do think we strive for a certain kind of attitude in our audience. If you’re not down with this, you’re not down with us. And that has to do with an open-minded attitude. Welcoming to all sorts of different people from all sorts of different parts of the city or even tourists. It doesn’t matter if you’re in AIR at a Techno night or at one of our open-minded gay parties. If you’re not there to have a good time it might be wise to consider going somewhere else, because those values are really important to us. No matter what kind of music you like or where you’re from. This is the attitude we want you to have once you’re inside the club.
As mentioned, AIR will be celebrating its 5 year anniversary this weekend with a slew of events. We are particularly interested in ‘Don’t Wait For the Weekend’ and ‘Frenzy Invites Moda Black’. What can you say about these two events? Why would you say they are proper events to attend and how do they represent the AIR philosophy towards nightlife?
Michiel: Yes and don’t forget about The Martinez Brothers on Sunday! On Thursday we have ‘Don’t Wait For the Weekend’ with Thomas Jack. He has a new tropical sound, which is getting really big. We had Kygo last November, which sold out within 24 hours when we went online in August. And I think Thomas Jack is second in line for a guy like Kygo. He’s already really popular on blogs and he has million plays on Soundcloud. He’s like the new tropical-guy. On Saturday during ‘Frenzy’ we have Claptone, who has played at AIR many times already. It’s cool to have him back again. Next to Claptone we also have Ben Pearce, which is cool because he’s a big artist whom we’ve supported for many years now. We also invited the Moda Black Label with Jaymo & Andy George and I think they’re doing a really good job. They have really good releases by Groove Armada for example. They’re friends of the club as well and had a label night during ADE two years ago and last year too.
Maartje: ‘Frenzy’ is a new concept for us. It is only the second edition. We set out to create an event that basically connects our digital generation, the “heads down generation”, to the way the “chemical generation” used to party, with lots of entertainment and insane stage design. There’s a really cool balance between the experience and some great artists. It’s one of my favorite new concepts, because you don’t only book DJs. We start with the feeling we want to create and the music is supposed the feeling.
Thanks for the interview!