Although there’s plenty of Dutch artists on the line-up (for example Job Jobse, Prunk, Mees Dierdorp, GERD and De Sluwe Vos), the international DJ’s are billed first. Do they make the difference for the audience whether or not to buy a ticket?
Billing process is always a difficult thing for a booker. But no, our audience will also buy a ticket for the Dutch artist. That’s one of the reasons Job Jobse is playing in-between Agoria & Adriatique. Prunk is closing the Westerliefde and de Sluwe Vos is closing the Westerunie. We’re taking our Dutch artists really seriously.
DGTL, another event you’re responsible for, just announced its 2015 line-up with even more headliners than this year’s edition. Is ‘bigger and better’ the only way to survive in a competitive market?
No, not at all. There certainly is a competitive market nowadays. But the smaller and newer acts make the line-up complete. Of course you also need the bigger ones, but with the DGTL line-up we also have Dutch artists and new talent billed. They are really special and more than worth to check. Without them, the line-up isn’t complete at all.
What do you see as a good mix of big names and upcoming talent?
Can I say DGTL? Or does it sound arrogant? We really did our best to find a combination between the bigger names but also the Dutch guys and the younger talent.
If commercial aspects didn’t play a role, what would be your ideal line-up for a festival?
One stage, one artist doing a 10 hour set. You can guess the names I think.
Trouw’s Olaf Boswijk isn’t too happy with the exclusivity deals major organizations have with certain big DJ’s. What is your view on this?
Yes it’s difficult, but in my opinion we need it in the festival market. The artist can play in Holland every week if he wants, because of the many festivals in and around Amsterdam. It’s not just for ourselves that we work with exclusivity deals, but also for the artist. He is worth more when he’s doing two festivals and two or three club shows a year, than every month in the same city. Because then after a year he wouldn’t be that special anymore.
Since a couple of months the new club De Marktkantine is also a project of yours. How is programming for a venue different than for a single event?
To do the program of a club is totally different than some parties/festivals. It has to grow, you need to grow a feeling with the place, and you have to learn your crowd and how everything works in the club. You can’t do the same sort of sound every week, you have to work with organizations who are promoting the club, it takes time.
What can we expect there this winter?
As I described before, it takes time to find the direction we want to take. You can already see what we’re doing and the direction we’ve chosen with nights like Pampa, Klear, NMH, Sounds Like Trouble, and STRAF_WERK. But we also need the Rommelige Zondag for example. It breaks something in the line of the program. To find a balance between all these nights, we need to experiment in a way. But there’s coming more and more, it’s just the beginning.
Who is on top of your list that you haven’t booked before?
That’s my secret. Keep an eye out and you’ll find out soon enough.
George Fitzgerald | Agoria | Finnebassen | Waze & Odyssey (UK) | Patrick Topping | Ripperton | Gerd | De Sluwe Vos (NL) | Job Jobse | Prunk | Cristoph | Tsepo | KERK! | Mees Dierdorp | Kevin Duane |
December 30 | Straf_Werk Closing | Tickets | Transformatorhuis + Westerliefde + Westerunie |