Ever wondered what those legendary raves in the early 90s would have felt like? On Saturday October 12, you can find out for yourself. Two of Belgium's most prominent names in the club scene, Kompass and Fuse, will team up for an epic 14-hour-long rave at Brussels’ Palais 12. With Solomun, Adana Twins, Joris Voorn, Maceo Plex, Pan-Pot, Maxim Lany and Lola Haro on the lineup, it looks like we're in for a treat. Add a massive sound system and an overwhelming lighting system to the mix, and you have the recipe for a night for the books. As we stretch our dancing feet, we called up the two masterminds behind Rave Rebels, Fuse’s Nick Ramoudt and Kompass’ Jens Grieten, and begged them for a little taste of what’s to come.

Nick, let’s start with you. How was the Fuse 25^th birthday party at Palais 12 back in April?

Nick: It was great! We had a little bit of doubt beforehand. A few years earlier, we organised events at Tour & Taxis in multiple rooms, so we didn't know if we were taking a step back with just one stage or not. In the end, we just went for it, and we gave it all we had. Now, we have put all our budget in one big room instead of three. That played out pretty well. 

Where did the idea to collaborate with Kompass come from?

Jens: We were already working and going out together regularly, and we're good friends, so it was just a logical next step. We were waiting for a big project to come along. Now that it’s here, we can work together as one strong team. Both of us have a competitive mindset, which is crucial if you’re going to cooperate.

Nick: Yes, exactly. But we are not competitors, we are complementary, and the cooperation between us feels intuitive. When you want to pull off a spectacular show, you need a big budget. So realising a project like this becomes a lot more feasible when you have two organisations who are willing to go for it. Nightlife can be like a team sport: you can only win if the whole squad delivers. If everyone trusts each other, that will rub off on your event, and people will notice that. An event has got to have ‘soul’. To give you an example: Tomorrowland has a lot of critics, but you can’t deny it has got a soul. That’s why it keeps working so well. That is what convinces people to buy a ticket and dance until the end.

As two of Belgium’s biggest house and techno clubs, are you coordinating your schedules throughout the year to avoid date clashes?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNick:\nThat's wishful thinking I'm afraid. If you really want to go for a particular\nartist, you probably don't have a lot of options for dates. Sometimes we clash,\nbut that's ok. Our clubs are far apart. If anything, an environment with\nmultiple strong clubs only strengthens the scene. One big club would never be\nable to support a whole country of music fans. Take Berlin, for example. People\ngo there because the club scene as a whole is incredibly strong.

So does that mean more Fuse x Kompass collaborations are coming throughout the year?

Nick: If you would like to know if we’re going to start a ‘Fompass’, I’m going to have to disappoint you (laughs).

How do you try to keep the intimacy of a nightclub when you’re dealing with a massive venue like Palais 12?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJens: I\ndon’t know if that’s what we want, to be honest. It’s because we have such an impressive venue at our disposal that we\nwill go all out for once. Rave Rebels has a different identity than those of\nKompass or Fuse. There are limits to what you can do in our nightclubs, so\nthat's why we take it a few steps further here. We have teamed up with some\nforeign production firms that have done crazy things in the past. That's what\nwe want. That night has to be a completely mind-blowing experience from start\nto finish.

Why Palais 12 and not another like-sized venue?

Jens: It was essential for us to do this in Brussels, you can't beat that central location in Belgium. Compared to other venues of this size, Palais 12 have treated their acoustics well. That's something you can hear clearly.

Nick: Everything in that venue is just right. D&B Audiotechnik have recently launched a new KSL line array system with active reverb killing functions on the mid and high tones. Usually, you're going to have some reverb when you suddenly kill the audio in a big room like that. But that's not going to happen with this new system. You can hear the difference; there is simply no reverb, nor echoes. That's something I haven't seen in other places all that much. Jens and I are dancefloor people. We have both seen a lot of events in the world, good and bad. It's a shame when you visit a massive rave, and they haven't fixed their acoustics. That's when I think, \"get your basics right\".

What about Rave Rebels’ lineup. What’s the motivation behind these choices?

Jens: A lot of people think rave techno only deals with tempo’s above 145 bpm. We couldn’t disagree more. That’s why we are rave rebels. When you look back to the beginning of rave, 145 bpm techno wasn’t a thing yet. We want to push the many different sides of rave music instead.

Nick: Rave started in a time where the division between different genres wasn't clear at all. The offer of music just wasn't as big as it is now, so the DJ gave almost everything available in the record stores a chance: breakbeat, trance, etc. That's where we want to go, starting over with a clean slate. We're not just techno.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJens:\nTrue. You can see that even within the techno scene. Guys like Marcel Dettmann\nplay a lot of EBM, for example. That proves that we can finally leave this\ncompartmentalisation. Rave should be a utopia of the weekend where you can\nescape segregation and embrace diversity.

Which artists on this lineup are your personal favourites?

Nick: Maceo Plex. He is a true craftsman in his profession. He has a broad taste, and he can make the people dance without the need to prove he can go deep. After every set he played in Fuse, he asks me if I liked it. That's the kind of mentality I want.

Jens: For me, that has to be Maxim Lany. This local artist has worked so hard over the last couple of years, and the results speak for themselves. Big up!

Rave Rebels takes place at Palais 12 Brussels on Saturday October 12. Follow Rave Rebels on Facebook or attend the event page to stay in the loop. Tickets can be found here.

Glints is a name that’s been floating around in our Spotify playlists for a good couple of years now. The 25-year-old singer-rapper Jan Maarschalk Lemmens is a prime specimen of a vocal chameleon that can handle any beat in fine style. 

Although his earlier work is characterised by a moody gloom that predominantly depended on the singing part, last year’s single ‘Bugatti’ proved he can drop some heavy bars over a hard beat. It marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Antwerp-native; one where he is ready to let the world take a peek inside his head. If his recent single ‘Fear’ is anything to go by, we’re in for a wild ride when his long-awaited debut album drops. Before that happens, though, we visited Lemmens for a rather lengthy conversation about his battle with anxiety, performing alone in front of thousands and his countless upcoming projects that may or may not involve a couple of juicy collaborations.

Hi Jan! How was your summer?

Good! I've spent all my time in either the studio or on stage. There were big stages, small stages and even a show in Marseille; but Pukkelpop had to be the most impressive one.

It’s the third year in a row you’ve played there. Have you seen the crowds grow in size each time?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nYeah, I have! Three years ago I was still\nplaying with a band, last year I played the Lift (one of the smaller stages of\nthe festival, dedicated to upcoming talent, ed.) and this year it was just\naround ten thousand people and me! That was the biggest crowd I've ever played\nfor.

You were alone on stage. No band, no DJ. That’s a remarkable choice, as many new artists feel a certain pressure to prove themselves and they feel like they would only be taken seriously if they have a full live band with them…

In the beginning of my career, the music I made was a great match with a live band. Since then, my sound has evolved into something that suited a more direct approach. Two things lead to this. Firstly, I was looking for a pure medium in my own way. There are only two things on that stage: me and my music. That forces you to nail your delivery and stage performance without room for error. Secondly, I have learned a lot of things I wouldn't have known otherwise. Entertaining a crowd of thousands with just your voice and your beats is one of them.

Let's dive into some more in-depth stuff. You recently made a post where you addressed your battle with anxiety. How has this part of your life shaped you as an artist?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMy anxiety is something I used to suffer from a\nlot when I was younger, because I didn't know what it was: derealisation,\ndepersonalisation, dissociation, etc. When you're young, you think you're the\nonly one who's going crazy. But at one point, I met people that had the same\nissues, which helped me put everything in context gradually. Some ups and downs\ncan come up at any time, and when that happens, you’re just gone for anything\nbetween one hour and three days.

So does standing on alone stage help you deal with that? Or could it make the problem worse?

In many ways, my job on that stage is obvious and straightforward: let go completely. You're not really thinking, and adrenaline is pumping. Then again, sometimes you snap out of it, and you suddenly realise there are thousands of faces staring at you. That could be triggering, although I feel comfortably in control doing my shows lately.

Is it wrong to say that anxiety can be a great source of inspiration for an artist?

Not at all. Anxiety has formed who I am and what I make. You have to get your inspiration from somewhere, and you can't always choose where you get it from. So, of course, my demons are connected to my music.

So is there a difference between you as an artist and you as a person?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI think there's not much difference, to be\nhonest; or at least I hope so. There has to be some difference, of course. You\nhave to keep a certain edge when\nyou’re about to mount the stage, because that isn’t a normal situation. But yeah, what you see on stage is pretty much\nwho I am in real life too.

Earlier, you have said you feel connected with the UK culture, the country where you have roots. In which ways can we hear that in your output?

People often say my parents are from the UK, but that's not true. My aunt is from London, and because I had a cousin of the same age, I often visited from a very young age. She didn't speak any Dutch, and so I picked up English pretty fast and early. My grandparents passed away, so I would go to visit my surrogate grandparents every year. Looking back on it now, that time was pretty crazy. Me and my cousin must have been thirteen, and we just spent countless days hanging around London. Especially at that age, this place would feel like a weird parallel universe, and I liked that. Add the local music culture to the mix, and I developed a deep love for that scene. Artists like The Streets, Skepta, Kano or Wiley were huge discoveries for me. Their music, their vibe and their accents were so different to what we had over here during that time. It just made sense for me.

Which of those early UK underground genres did you feel most? Were you a junglist, a raver or a grime fan?

Of course, I had a brief drum ‘n' bass phase like most kids of my age at the time, but it was grime that completely enchanted me. It never felt like a genre that fitted with the rest. Now it has become a lot bigger, but it used to be outsider music. So I identified myself with that. From there, I got into artists like Mount Kimbie, James Blake, King Krule, etc. All these artists who were making leftfield stuff. They made me realise you can also sing over a weird electronic beat. It was so eclectic, and that felt right for me.

Alright, let’s get into your production process. How do you usually start making a song?

I have my ways. I never start with a beat that someone else has just sent me – unless another artist asks me for a feature. Either I have a clear idea that includes the chorus, the melody and the overall theme, or I start from scratch without a plan. All the tracks on my album belong in that first category. Last year’s ‘Bugatti' is another great example of that. The harmony and the verses were in my head long before the first note was written. The next step is taking that idea to Yello (Staelens aka Yong Yello, Maarschalk’s close friend, roommate and producer, ed.). Then we usually sit down and plan everything out in front of us. What will be the tempo? Which synths and chords will I use? Should we use an 808 or a more organic drum? Once we have everything set, I finish off my lyrics and – voila – we made a song. That said, inspiration doesn’t strike every day, and productivity requires discipline.

Do you have the feeling that you have evolved a lot as an artist compared to when you first started?

I have evolved so much! In the last two years alone, I have made so much progress. I now have a lot more faith in collaborating with other people. The click I made with Yello helped me realise that. As a young artist, you need to know where you want to go, because there are so many options in front of you, even within just hip hop. It takes time to make that decision. But at one point you’ll know what you want your music to sound like, and you’ll need some good friends to help you get there.

I heard you are taking that advice to the next level. You’re moving into a new house with a whole bunch of other artist friends. Is this a new chapter in your life?

Well, I can't give you too many details on that (laughs). But yeah, me, Yello Staelens, Faisal Chatar (a well-known DJ and producer who goes by his first name, ed.), Iljen Put (who is an excellent painter and who also designs my artwork), Thor Salden (a talented photographer who’s always on the road with me) and Pieter Fivez (my trusted friend from day one). Together, we’re moving in an old halal slaughterhouse in the centre of Antwerp. We’re currently renovating the place and building our studio’s in there. All I can say is that a lot of music will be made there (laughs).

Working alongside and together with other artists seems to be your new thing indeed. In the past few months, you have been in the studio with The Subs, DVTCH NORRIS, Martha Da’ro and Eddy Ape, just to name a few. Many artists see collaborations as a necessary step to widen your audience, but you can't seem to get enough of it…

I think you can learn something from everyone, because none of us work in the same way. By inviting another artist into your creative hub, you both take something useful back to your own space. I don't see this as a necessary evil, as it forces you to step out of your bubble. Finding the balance between your ways and those of another is an interaction everybody benefits from. Not only do you learn to know the other person better, you learn to understand yourself better. That's how scenes are created and strengthened. Imagine I work together with a producer and that person turns out to be the inspiration I have been missing all my life? It would be crazy to deny yourself opportunities like that, right?

So there will be a lot of collaborations on your upcoming album I assume?

There won’t be that many, to be honest. The single ‘Fear' with DVTCH NORRIS will be on there, but other than that, I don't want to share too much information just yet. It's a super personal album that will deal about a rather dark chapter in my life. Don't worry; I've moved out of that mindset already, in huge part because of the people around me. But the story I want to tell in the album is my story, hence the relative lack of collaborations on there.

It did take you a while to start working on a debut album. Did you not feel any pressure?

After ‘Bugatti’, things shifted into a higher gear. I could have made ten different Bugatti songs and put it on an album, and that might have worked out well. But that’s not I wanted to do. I wanted to tell a story, I wanted to create my own sound, and not just copy paste something that I’d already done before. So we took our time with it until all the pieces fell into place. I don’t like to rush things; the music is always a priority. Sometimes everything falls works out in a month, but sometimes it takes years. If there’s one piece of advice I can give to people, it’s to make sure you take your time.

A little bird told me you’re already working on the second album…

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIt's true. I'm already deep into a new project\nthat will have a lot more collaborations on there (but I can't tell you with\nwho) because it's an entirely different project. That project has been going\ngreat, and I'm glad people will see another side of Glints.

Glint's debut album is hitting the shelves this winter. Follow the man on Facebook, Spotify and Instagram to stay in the loop with the latest and greatest. You can witness the man live on stage on Saturday September 21 at Docklands Festival in Antwerp. Tickets for that can be found right here.

Organizing parties in our capital can hardly be considered as a walk in the park. Running a vinyl label nowadays neither is. Nuff respect to those passionate souls who invest their time and energy into these activities. Meet Michiel Claus aka Walrus, one half of the duo running the Basic Moves imprint and Diego Cozzi aka Fais Le Beau, one half of the Gay Haze collective & DJ duo. As both have made their name in the Brussels underground scene, we sat down for a chat about outsider club music, organizing parties in Brussels, DIY philosophy and their upcoming performance at Horst festival.

Let us start with you Michiel; what is the story behind the Basic Moves label?

\n\n\n\nMichiel Claus aka Walrus: ‘It was founded by Ailsa Cavers (aka Islas) &\nmyself in March 2017. My role at Basic Moves is mainly A&R (Artists &\nRepertoire, responsible for talent scouting & overseeing the artistic\ndevelopment of artists signed to the label, red.) and production, but also\ncurating and organizing the events. Ailsa takes care of promotion, artwork\n& communication. We run the label in collaboration with Crevette\nDistribution. In fact, we are pushing each other forward. Because of our label,\nCrevette started its distribution channel, and we provide them with feedback\nand visa versa, it's like a conversation, learning together, slowly and surely.

As regards the musical output, we already have an idea of what to release. We are not the kind of label to send your demos to. We release old music as well as fresh music. I worked from 2012 to 2017 at the Dr Vinyl record shop (still existing today at downtown Brussels, ed.). It was there I met those guys from the early Brussels techno scene such as Sebastian S., Acid Kirk, Mike DMA and Deg. They made loads of music in the nineties, but there was no opportunity to release because around that time techno became mainstream in Belgium and surroundings. I always kept their story in mind, and after years I finally managed to convince them to let me hear it. It was a slow process, but eventually, I became friends with Mike and Deg, and they accepted to release their music. That, meeting Ailsa and the start of Crevette Records was the turning point for me to start the Basic Moves label.

In the liner notes of the 10th release you suggest, it might be the last release of the label. You think about quitting?

Michiel: ‘The original idea was to put the label on hold after ten releases and focus on an ambient label from 2020. But in those three years since we started, we discovered so much good music to be released that we decided to continue. So we are settled now for ten more releases (laughs). However, we change the format starting from release 11. All releases will consist of a double 12\" with six tracks in total, almost a mini album. This allows the artist and us to have more freedom in track selection and show a broader palette of sounds. All our records are released on 500 copies. At the time, they are not separately digitally available. I work in a record shop, the tracks have been remastered for vinyl and cut on vinyl, so we want our music first to be available on vinyl. Which doesn't mean that the music will never be released in digital format; we are thinking to release the first ten releases digitally on Bandcamp in one package next year. Let's see... 

Every Basic Moves release is accompanied by a story. How important is it for you to not just release the music but tell a whole story?

Michiel: ‘We put a lot of effort into it, maybe too much. We think it is nice to tell you about the background of the music and the artist. It also is a good way to distinguish from the enormous amount of music that is being released these days. From release 11 on, we will shorten the stories a bit and print them on the artwork instead of a separate paper'.

Diego: ‘I think you should continue doing that. Buying vinyl is more expensive than buying digital, so it is nice when you get an extra, being it artwork or a story.'

What is the idea behind the Basic Moves Chronicles?

Michiel: ‘With the chronicles, we plunge into the history of Belgian dance music culture. Next is the story behind the ‘Netwerk club/Cave de la Chapelle'. Michael Stordeur – better known as Mike DMA - used to organize parties at that place between 1994 and 1996. Music-wise there were no boundaries: DJs mixed ambient and downtempo tunes, breakbeat, drum \"n\" bass, deep house, broken beat and techno. I am happy to see those kind of sets resurging: nowadays DJ DJ's again dare to play sets ranging from 60-160 bpm. We will document the chronicles with texts, pictures and recorded sets from back in the days. We did a 2-hour radio show last year around this subject for The Word magazine. It contains an interview with Mike and a mix of Deg, and you can listen to it here.

We also have an interview with Jeff Mills coming up about decolonization and Afrofuturism and their relation towards electronic music. It is a collaboration together with Wiet Lengeler (aka Sagat) and the theatre magazine Rekto:Verso'.

Basic Moves describes its music as ‘outsider club music'. Can an outsider become an insider?

Diego: ‘Aren't we there yet? Considering the success of festivals such as Dekmantel, I would think this kind of music has become the mainstream of the underground.'

Michiel:' I suppose those festivals have a business plan. Basic Moves doesn't. We are happy to get break even. Our main goal is building an archive of good music that otherwise would never see daylight. Some of the tracks have gathered dust for twenty or almost thirty years before being released on our label.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nI am not talking about reissues, which have\nbecome big business nowadays. With Basic Moves, we only release music that has\nnever been released. ‘Outsider club music' stands for an outsider state of mind\ntowards the dance music industry. We have no fixed formula or formatted sound,\nwhich doesn't mean that we won't repress a release that has been sold out.

Are there any plans for a Gay Haze label or producing music?

Diego: ‘There are no specific plans for a label or music production. At the moment we focus on regular parties every month: every second Sunday of the month starting September 8th. We put a lot of energy and effort in looking for new venues. The basic idea is to have an excellent underground location which is not a club. It is a struggle to find party locations in Brussels. However, we did find one for our monthly parties: l'uZinne, a socio-cultural centre in an abandoned warehouse next to the canal. It isn't big: it has a capacity of 200 people, but that is how we like it. ‘

Could you tell us the story behind Gay Haze?

Diego: ‘Gay Haze exists for two years now. When my residency at Catclub ended, I felt a bit lost. I was wondering about what to do, and I decided to start my own parties. At that period, I often travelled to Berlin, and I wondered if a small gay party with the same vibe would work here. Brussels had Los Ninos and Catclub, but there were almost no small parties at underground venues. When I met Guillaume (Bleret, the other half of the collective behind the Gay Haze parties, ed.), we decided to work together. At our parties, we usually invite one or two international guests, mostly upcoming artists I meet on the road. This personal approach is important to me. Instead of sending emails to a booker I have never met to invite a DJ I never heard performing live, I prefer to connect directly. It also fits our DIY (Do-It-Yourself) philosophy.'

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichiel: ‘The same principle counts for us. We do everything\nourselves. Consider it as a counter-reaction against the commercialization of\nthe dance music industry: big stages, big agencies, big star DJ's, big budgets.\nNo thanks, let us keep it on a human scale. We host two different concepts: we\nhave our Basic Moves club nights at one hand.

The first two years we organized them in a small Latino club in the centre of Molenbeek: ‘Chez Jacques'. But it took so much time and energy to build everything up from scratch for one night. Nowadays we mostly host them in C12 /C11) where everything is available. For our third anniversary, we are hosting three nights: one in Brussels, one in Barcelona & one in Leeds/UK. Next to our club nights, we organize regular ambient listening sessions under the ‘Gems Under The Horizon' moniker. These listening sessions take place in a small 100 capacity jazz club in Anderlecht, and people can sit or lay down and let their mind dance. For these sessions, we have a very undogmatic approach: it can be ethnic music, jazz, modern classical, sound art, trip-hop, dub, electronic and acoustic music.'

Guillaume is also active for 24h Brussels which aims for a better nightlife in Brussels. In Leuven, Ghent and Antwerp, we see a similar movement and claims. In Brussels, the first charter is a fact in the St Jacques Quartier. Is this a first step towards a better nightlife in our capital?..

\n\n\n\nMichiel: \"We have a few well-known clubs in Brussels such\nas C12 or Fuse, but there aren't many off-grid locations for small parties.\nUnless you want to go dodgy and illegal taking the risk to lose your sound\nsystem and money if the police turn up, so the 24 Brussels initiative is\nnecessary. But a lot depends on the audience: many people are going out to\nseduce girls or get completely wasted, not for the music or the party. I think\nit is important to open up a dialogue with your audience a bit. When organizing\nparties, you have to dare to say ‘no' to people at the door. It is not about\nbeing elitist, but the wrong bunch of guys can ruin the atmosphere of the whole\nevening. But things are getting better recently, with C12, Kiosk Radio &\nthe Crevette Records shop creating a real scene. Brussels isn't that big. We\noften see the same people at the Basic Moves parties frequenting the Gay Haze\nparties and/or the record shop.'

Diego: ‘That is how Michiel and I met: we ended up at the same afterhours talking and playing records hour after hour! Those kind of moments are missing: where everyone connects around the music and plays more loose and weird stuff you wouldn't hear at the club before! With Gay Haze, we target an audience that knows what our party stands for and likes what we do. We always explain our concept when we announce a party. There is definitely still a need for gay parties where gay people feel safe and can freely express themselves. Which doesn't necessarily have to be exclusively gay, all open-minded souls are welcome. We attract a regular audience that takes good care of each other. It once happened that a guy was harassing two girls at our party. Immediately one of our regulars intervened. That is amazing. We are one family.'

You are both playing at Horst festival next weekend. Horst aims to blend and celebrate the worlds of art and music in an immersive festival experience with a focus on experiment and adventure. What can we expect at Horst Festival from you?

Diego: ‘I have never been to Horst, so I am as curious as you are. With Gay Haze DJ's we will be playing the closing slot on Sunday. Usually, we gather two days in advance, and we select our music for the gig. We prefer to go in different directions over creating a constant monotonous vibe.'

Michiel: ‘I am warming up on Saturday for Paquita Gordon. I saw her twice this Summer playing fast (Italian) trance so I might play a bit faster than usual at that hour. But sometimes she plays more eclectic, and I might ask her what she is up for, so we will see. I am much looking forward to sharing my records with the people at Horst.'

You can check both Gay Haze DJ's and Walrus at Horst festival in Vilvoorde this weekend. Wanna stay up to date with these guys? You can follow Basic Moves on Soundcloud and Facebook - and you can do exactly the same for Gay Haze's Facebook and Mixcloud pages.

Working as a trio is becoming a rarity in electronic music these days. For the Lennik-based Bredren, that’s not a problem, it’s their strength. These childhood friends have already proven their worth in the drum ‘n’ bass scene – and that success might spill over now that they have been giving the blessing of one of Belgium’s premier techno institutions: Fuse. With their main room takeover on October 18 marked on our calendars, Adrien Van Dijk, Sebastien Albert and Dieter Geerinck sat down with us to talk about the past, present and future of what goes on behind the scenes of Bredren.

Give us a little introduction of who you are and how you guys met…

Adrien: Me and Sebastien have known each other since we were toddlers. We’ve been to the same school for 14 years, so we basically grew up together. During our teenage years, we often went to the same youth centre (JK Paddestoel in Groot-Bijgaarden) with our friends. It’s here we met Dieter during a DJ-contest in 2009. We immediately had a vibe going on. Dieter learned me how to mix and everything fell into place from there.

You guys started as Requake: what was this project about?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAdrien: Initially, this was a\ndrum ‘n’ bass DJ-duo created by a good friend of ours, Vincent, and myself.\nHe’s the one who got me into the genre in the first place. I wouldn’t be here\nif it wasn’t for him. Sebastien was always hanging out on our rehearsals and at\na certain point, he started making us beats for fun under the same moniker. The\ndubstep tracks got picked up quite fast by some record labels. They became so\npopular it transformed Requake into a dubstep act. After a while, Vincent lost\nhis interest in bass music and Sebastien and I took the project under our wings\ntogether.

Sebastien, we’ve read you’re the production guy, while Adrien and Dieter are the DJ’s. How does that arrangement work for you?

Sebastien: At the beginning of Requake, I saw Adrien and Vincent play all that music on parties and all I could think about was how you could actually make such tunes… From that moment on, I became passionate about making music. As I was more of a technical person (or you can say computer nerd) I saw myself as the producer, while they were the DJ’s. Additionally, 3 people standing behind a DJ-deck is somewhat impractical. Other than that, being out there in the spotlight isn’t really my thing. I did try it out a couple of times, but after a few years, I realized that I preferred being in the studio. So when we started Bredren with Dieter, the roles were quite clear to all of us. That said, it’s all quite fluid. They always join me in the studio and I do tag along on gigs when I can. It works pretty well for all of us.

I guess you still have to meet up regularly to align yourselves, since you are all part of a group.

Dieter: Almost every track we’ve written yet was made while we were all in the studio. This has been the goal from the start: one main producer who converts the ideas from all of us in the software. It has to be a joint-venture with intellectual instead of capital input. Regarding practical agreements, we decide everything together. Sometimes we have a small business meeting before we start our studio-session.

What are the upsides and downsides of being in a group as opposed to producing/DJ-ing solo?

Adrien: I only see advantages. The only thing I can think of is that sometimes, it’s hard to find a moment to get into the studio when everyone has a busy life outside the music business. The good thing is we’re all well-aligned and we generally have the same ideas.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Sebastien: Another obvious advantage is that we can easily divide the less glamorous work among us. For example, administration, managing social media accounts, keeping up with emails, cleaning the studio (laughs). Sometimes I start making a track on my own, but it always ends up sounding less like ‘Bredren’. To make sure we have continuity in our output, all three of us should be involved from start to finish.

Most of your bookings are outside of the country. Why do you think that is?

Adrien: That’s because drum ‘n’ bass is still quite niche. It has seen a steady advance in the last few years, but despite some major achievements, you can’t say the genre has broken through on a major level. That shouldn’t be the goal anyway. It’s still (relatively) underground - and it’s better if it stays like that.

On the one hand, Belgium has the supersized stadium event RAMPAGE, on the other hand, it doesn’t look like drum ‘n’ bass as widespread as, say, techno or hip hop. Many have been discussing the supposed rise and fall of the genre over the decades, but what’s the current state of the Belgian scene right now?

Adrien: The Belgian scene is definitely on the rise. If you’ve been following the genre for the last 10 years as we have, you can notice that. Homegrown concepts like RAMPAGE, Star Warz, Steam, What-U-On-About, Concrete, Mentality, Drum Room and our concept in Brussels are great examples of that. The fan base is small but incredibly strong. I get shivers down my spine when I think about it (laughs).

Who’s killing it in the local scene right now?

Dieter: There are a couple, many of whom we try to support through our events. One87, Phase, M-zine, Scepticz, Lavance, Solace, Corrupted, SVB, Cedex & Higher Underground, Glÿph, M-soul & S-27, Nmber8, Mtwn, … The list goes on. Some of these guys are not as active anymore as they used to, but still, they had a massive influence on us.

Which other unlikely genres or artists do you guys listen to if you want to get inspired?

Adrien: I listen to almost everything. From blues to downtempo and from classical music to punk, there’s not much I don’t listen to. I was raised listening to a lot of music, played saxophone when I was a kid so music has always been a big part of my life.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDieter: I’m listening to all\nkinds of music genres, from jazz to 80’s classics, from house to indie rock. I\ndon’t listen to other music for inspiration, I do it to get out of the drum ‘n’\nbass vibe from time to time (laughs).

Sebastien: Almost every night before I go to sleep, I listen to ambient stuff like Synkro, Steve Hauschildt or Sam KDC. That inspires me. I’ve always been drawn to the greater realm of electronic music because me and my brother grew up with trance, techno, house, and hip-hop. I remember sitting next to him for hours, watching how he created trance tracks with the Music 2000 software on his Playstation.

Some might assume drum ‘n’ bass and Belgium’s longest-running techno club Fuse don’t match, but you guys have something good going on over there. How did this collaboration got to be?

Adrien: We already had been throwing parties for some years under different names. They were decent, but there was no real common denominator. We took a little break from the event business, but upon returning, we wanted to do it the right way. That meant finding a good club, having our residency, keeping it exclusive and fine-tuning a certain concept. We contacted Fuse, told them our idea and we’ve been working together ever since.

It looks like this edition of Bredren Invites will be a special one. What have you guys got planned?

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDieter: After 7 successful standalone editions of Bredren\nInvites we thought the time was right to move to Fuse’s main room. The idea\nwould be to bring over a record label we’re really into and thus the choice\nwas Lenzman’s The North Quarter. This guy is one of the\nbest in translating those lush and soulful vibes reminiscent of 90’s hip hop on\nto a drum ‘n’ bass dancefloor. That should be a perfect night out to celebrate\nthe end of the summer.

Bredren Invites The North Quarter will take place at Fuse on Friday October 18. All information and tickets can be found on the event page. 'Bredren Invites EP' is out now on the RAMPAGE record label. Follow Bredren on Facebook to stay up to date.

As hip hop is taking over the global pop charts, event promoters are increasingly looking to their own backyard for inspiration. Enter Hip Hub Hooray, the platform for urban culture that aims to support and connect artists and fans across the Meuse-Rhine Euregion (aka the area around the Hasselt-Liège-Maastricht-Aachen corridor), taking place in Tongeren’s Ambiorixkazerne on Saturday September 14. After a successful first edition last year – they landed a second place in the Best Breakthrough Event on the Red Bull Elektropedia Awards 2018 – they are back for more. Think ‘hubs’, workshops, showcases and performances that shine a light on the broader hip hop culture and cross linguistic boundaries. We sat down with two of the festival’s leading figures Kaer (who’s a part of the rap collective Starflam) and Jules Thys (better known as Jewels). And before we forget, we’re giving away 5x2 tickets for Hip Hub Hooray. Scroll all the way down if you want to take your chance.

Hi guys, what’s Hip Hub Hooray’s mission statement exactly?

Kaer: Hip Hub Hooray is a cultural operation in the Euregion, between Belgium’s Flanders and Wallonia, the Netherlands and Germany. Specifically, Hip Hub Hooray is about street art, music and dance using different ways to promote urban culture. We curate murals across the cities of the Euregion, we organize creative retreats with musicians, MC’s, beat makers, street artists and dancers and the results of those will be programmed alongside international artists on the festival. This is our second edition, so our audience is still growing, as well as our ambitions.

How ‘alive’ is the hip hop scene across the Euregion? Is there a certain degree of interconnectedness?

Jules: Good rap collectives and hip hop parties have been active in the the Euregion for years, but international borders have made it difficult to connect in the past. Solidifying that connection is what our project is all about. Hip Hub Hooray has given all these youngsters an excuse to start working more closely and for an example, we’ve seen youngsters from Aachen linking up those in Heerlen. Or people from Limburg that now go to Liège. We bring them together and they help each other out. That’s great to see.  

As you’ve mentioned, hip hop culture is about more than music. Which other activities are you planning?

\n\n\n\nKaer:\nMusic is the key for reaching a young audience. Our aim is to support that\nextensive hip hop culture by extending our activities further than just the\nfestival. For example, we visited Les Ardentes and Use-In with the former\nparticipants of the hubs. That was really a nice experience. We launched our\nmural operation in the city of Tongeren with a piece painted by Adele Renault, one of the top street\nartist in the world. We worked hard on the look and feel of the festival and connected\nwith a number of designers and graffiti artists to build massive sculptures in\nrecycled wood. Additionally, our breakdance artists are preparing a show for\nthe new creative zone, another innovation to discover this year.

You’re talking about ‘hubs’, what’s the deal with those?

Jules: Each year, we ask coaches and professionals to organize workshops for young hip hop talent from the region. Our recruiters found talent in Aachen, Brussels and both the Belgian and Dutch Limburg provinces. The activities take place over an entire week in the Ambiorixkazerne in Tongeren. We offer 5 music studios for them to work in. Kaer then prepares them for a show at the festival with the productions they made during that week. Simultaneously, dancers and street artists come together and go through a similar process. Their art gets showcased on the festival too. It’s nice to have different people in different fields of creativity create something together.

This year you’re presenting the Hooray Zone. What does that mean exactly?

Kaer: It’s\na new area where you can chill and discover local talents from Belgium and\nabroad. It’s the spot where you can show your skills in an open mic session,\npractice your dance moves or just have some fun. We like the idea that everybody\ncan be a part of Hip Hub Hooray. We are a small festival, but we can make the\ndifference by having a simple human approach, connecting people in the process.\nI think this kind of initiative will make the audience feel more at ease. Hip hop\nis about sharing, giving, having fun and this dimension can often be overlooked\nwhen you just look at it from the outside. We come from the scene, we know\nwhere we are from. 

The lineup is a mix of big names and upcoming talent. I guess that’s what you guys were going for?

\n\n\n\nJules:\nDefinitely, not only does our project facilitate young talent from the Hubs to\nset their first steps on a big stage, they do so next to their idols. Kaer and\nI work on the lineup together, booking headliners like Zwangere Guy and Josylvio,\nbut we always keep track of what’s moving in the underground. In our opinion, guys\nlike Fosa YG & Loopey from The\nNetherlands or Slimka & Di-Meh\nfrom Switzerland are the coolest new acts in the scene right now.

Has hip hop become the dominant pop culture of this age? If so, what impact does this have on the existing scenes?

\n\n\n\nKaer: I\nthink hip hop has influenced pop culture for years now. Back in the 2000’s, the\nadvertising industry started using graphic cues from graffiti culture and urban\nmusic in their ads. Meanwhile, the internet had a massive impact on today’s\nyouth, solidifying hip hop as a major source of inspiration and identity. You\ncan say that urban culture is the dominant pop culture nowadays. At the same\ntime, hip hop remains true to its roots and values. I enjoy the diversity in\nour music, and I am proud to be part of it. That’s why this music is so influential\nand our aesthetic and vocabulary so popular. We\nlive in a depressing world and the rapper’s career is a model of freedom, so\nthat speaks to young people across the world.

Where do you see Hip Hub Hooray (and hip hop in general) evolve towards down the line? Are we at the highest point of the wave? Or are we still climbing?

Kaer: I think we are on top of the wave at the moment. For us Europeans, it may all seem pretty new, but in the US, it has been well established for years. I hope we can still take it further and further. Sometimes I’m afraid that we could face a backlash. When I see how the artists’ booking fees are getting disproportionally expensive, I expect that it could be a potential problem.

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJules: I\nagree. People assume there will be a new genre waiting in line, but I don’t see\nanything take over quite like hip hop has done in the last decade. It’s incredibly universal, crossing international, cultural, racial and linguistic\nboundaries. It’s really inclusive too, that’s why I can only see it gain even more\ninfluence. The recent peak in popularity hasn’t made it easy for festivals and\nbookers, like Kaer says, but we’re looking at it from the upside and try to\ntranslate that into a good strategy for our festival.

Hip Hub Hooray will take place at the Ambiorixkazerne in Tongeren on Saturday September 14. All information and tickets can be found here. Rather wanna try your luck and take a chance to win one of 5x2 tickets? Take part in our ticket contest below!