At OPPERCLAES,  who is responsible for what tasks?

We don’t really have a tight distribution of tasks. There are a lot of things that have to be done, considering there’s only two of us. The curating and assembling of exhibitions, communicating and running appointments with artists and clients, global planning, promoting of exhibitions or events, preparing and realizing openings, stocking up on materials for projects and off course, hosting our space for people on our regular opening-hours.

We’ve both got enough know-how of everything going on around here, so we pretty much compliment each other and can easily switch tasks when needed.

How do you maintain a project like OPPERCLAES?

It all started out back in 2010, as a three-month project which we financed ourselves. In the meantime, three years later, we’re still independent. The positive feedback from visitors on our exhibtions really motivate us to keep up the good work. Due to the great enthusiasm and motivation brought on by the artists we work with, we feel useful, and it shows that OPPERCLAES is welcome in Rotterdam.

Next to being an art-gallery, OPPERCLAES is also functional as a management bureau. These are mostly commercial assignments, giving us some extra space in our finances. Sometimes we also team up with companies or brands to help carry out projects.

Image any artist to host an exhibition at OPPERCLAES. Who would you choose?

One artist only? We can think of a few:
[Linda]: Sea Hyun Lee, a female artist from South-Korea who creates insanely nice, red paintings influenced by Korean landscapes. And Bert Danckaert, a photographer from Belgium.
[Bruce]: The painter Paul Wackers, or painter Marco Zamora, They’re both from the USA.

Do you guys have any heroes or rolemodels?

For sure. Check out Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, the most noble and sincere art-collectors in this world, which documentary is a must see!
We’re also big fans of designers Charles and Ray Eames, they also have a great documentary.

In what direction are you guys heading, what are the big plans for the future?

I think we can safely say we’re doing a good job here. Everything is going as planned, and with every new project and exhibition we’re making some steps in the right direction. We’ll keep on developing and keep having an eye out for new talent. Eventually, we want people to come to us because of our feeling for contemporary talent and original methods for solving problems.

We want to expand our funtionality as a management bureau, and become an art-gallery with (inter)national status. And after all of this, in about fifty years, we want to be approached by a documentary-maker, preferably in a tropical place, who wants to do a documentary about our empire and impressive art-collection.

What are your five favourite art galleries, national and international?

That would be the following galleries:

• Saatchi Gallery, Londen
• Alley Gallery, Hasselt
• Fecal Face, San Francisco
• V1, Copenhagen
• Ship of Fools, Den Haag (unfortunately out of work)

What music do you like listening to?

Amongst others: Prince, Grandmaster Flash, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, Chic, Joy Division, Stevie Wonder, R.Kelly, Jai Paul, Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Bob Marley, Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Gaslampkiller, Shlohmo, WuTang Clan, J Dilla, James Brown, NWA, Westside Connection, Aaliyah, Temptations, SBTRKT, Ryan Hemsworth, Minnie Ripperton, Lapalux, Gang Starr, New Edition, The Cure, Foals, Hudson Mohawke, Rick James, Schoolboy Q, El-P, Talking Heads, Little DragonAntony and The Johnsons, Madlib, MF Doom, Bobby Womack, Nirvana, Raphael Saadiq, Erykah Badu, The Four Tops, Afrika Bambaataa, EPMD, KRS-One, Beastie Boys, A Tribe Called Quest, Eric B & Rakim, Dr. Dre, Curtis Mayfield, M.I.A., Peanut Butter Wolf, Isley Brothers, Mos Def, Lunice, Talib Kweli, Jeremih, Flume, Moods, Sam a la Bamalot, Ta-Ku, coke rap mixtapes by Datpiff, the shows by BBC radio 1, Redlightradio and mixes approved by Los Bangeles.

Can you name out one exhibition that you guys look up to?

Most definitely Beautiful Losers. This documentary beatifully captures the whole romantic story behind it. A must see!

Can you name out some unknown artists who deserve some more attention from the crowd?

About every artist we worked with in the past, or who we’re going to work with in the future. There are just so much hardworking and upcoming talents  around that deserve attention, we can keep hosting exhibitions in OPPERCLAES for years!

What are your favorite dishes?

Everything they make me! We have a rotating chef specials menu, and this keeps them working on new ideas. I like to taste those new ideas while i walk through the kitchen.

What city in the world has the best restaurant / food?

Definitely Saigon, (Vietnam). Even their street food is amazing. I just try as much as a can. I’m always down to get exotic in parts of the world as well. I literally have eaten scorpion in China, and horse sashimi in Japan. It’s a part of the game. Next time in Saigon, I’ll be on a mission to eat cobra heart [laughs]. They do that. It’s crazy, it’s like a beating cobra heart and they put in a shot of Vodka and you have to drink it and eat the snake. That’s on my bucket list for sure.

Can you describe some elements of the LA culture that inspired you personal?

My experience making my weekly treks to LA around the late 90s/early 2000′s taught me a lot… and it really started from going to different club nights out there. That’s where a lot of LA culture and the communities began. down low raves, warehouse parties, bar residencies, after parties; this is where a lot of like minded people congregated and collaborated. These are the places you would meet different Musicians, artists, designers, dancers, jewelers, chefs, people with random crazy ideas who made them work.

What are your future plans and do you got anything else to say?

What’s the deeper meaning of GROOS?

GROOS is an old word from Rotterdam, it means as much as proud, monkeyproud (hehe). The name and it’s meaning perfectly describes what the store wants: paying attention to all the goods from Rotterdam and making people groos again of their lovely city!

Where did you find your inspiration for GROOS?

We took the most inspiration out of Rotterdam itself, it’s about the people and the things they make. That always has to be the main point of the store. For us it’s not about the store itself, but mainly about the products that it has to offer. In that way, the store is just a tool to do this. We don’t just buy the products, everything at GROOS is based on consignation. The producers of the items are still the owners, we’re just there to sell it. That’s the way I work in the store: I can sell your products and tell your story.

Can you name a few brands you would really like to have around in your store?

At the moment we can’t take any new products in, we’re just being overrun with new applications. In the course of this month and from next month on, we’re seeing through the applications again. There are so many up and coming talents that we don’t have in GROOS right now, but who I would love to work with. Giving the talented people a stage.

Can you tell us something about the products you’re most proud of?

Well, it’s pretty hard to choose because every item comes with a good story.
If I had to pick one, it would be the work by Galerie Herenplaats. It’s great to have art with such high quality at GROOS.They tend to call it outsider art, but sometimes it just takes your breath away.

What kind of music do you like play in the store?

Rotterdam music… A lot of music which we also sell in the store, labels like Redrum, Clone, Moustache, but also AFKA, the Kik or Arie van de Krogt.

What’s the best song you’ve ever listened to?

The Beautiful South – Rotterdam or anywhere

What would be the greatest thing to achieve with your work?

Being published in a book, Two books… A whole lot of books!

Besides photography, and I guess the music industry, what does inspire you?

My son.

You’ve

 shot some of our favourite artists, how did you come in touch with them. Do you just visit their concerts and take pics, or are you invited / hired?

I have a lot of friends, some of them being promoters. They help me out with getting in touch with artists. When I meet them for the first time, I don’t speak to them and act like a harassing backstage groupie. I get my shots and make sure I get out their way. Afterwards I make sure they get to see the shots. When we meet again, we usually have something to talk about. I than start to build on a work relationship from there. For me it’s easier to shoot an artist I love.

Hard work almost always pays off.

I see you’re doing something of a live experience performance with Asher Roth, can you tell a little more about this project?

Yes we’ve got this project called NO(w) FUTUR with my man DJ SIMSIMA. The idea is to chase the Hip Hop we love. First by doing a mix-tape every two months exclusively with okayplayer. Then we want to make people come and promote the future of Hip Hop.

I’m getting bored of this old cats vs new cats, boom bap was better, Hip Hop is dead, swagg/cloud/trap hipster shit. Internet is a good thing, but you have so many material that people get lost. We want to help and educate those people. With NOwFUTUR we share the love for Hip Hop regardless of fame and followers.

As for the live experience with Asher Roth. He contacted me with the idea of throwing a party in Paris. It fitted the NOwFUTUR concept, so we decided to throw parties to give newcomers a stage.

With everyone being a “photographer” nowadays, how do you make yourself stand out?

My pictures have a strong identity. You can recognize them easily. A lot of people told me to take it down a notch. But why should I? Fuck them (hehe)! Now they are back behind some boring desk at an office. While I get to do what I love. I can say, without bragging, that I work 50 times harder than most of those photobloggers.

You are doing a great job using social media and online services to expose your work. What would your advice be to other photographers on using the web, maybe regarding to sharing and giving credit.

You have to expose your work, it’s All about communication. Becoming a Brand. Show your work in the places that your audience visit. Online this is twitter, tumblr and instagram. Great tools if you use them properly.

BTW, your Tumblr Theme is DOPE.

What is the biggest mistake you’ve made during your work as photographer?

Arriving to a show without a battery in my cam.

Trick question: Who was your favorite person to work with?

Easy: MOS DEF and DOOM but the first one to share my work was Black Milk.

Do you secretly make stockphotos to pay the bills?

Nope! I get hired for what I do. I don’ t do weddings, Bar Mitzvah and stuff like that.
Even though I should and take all their money :-)

Trick question: If someone would give you a shitload of money to make their wedding pictures, with the requirement that they need to be published on the masscorp website, would you do it?

Nope! I don’t work strictly for the money. I consider myself as an artist. Not some ordinary wedding photographer.

What are your plans for the future?

Live happily ever after.

What would you like to add to this interview?

Thanks for having me. It’s always pretty cool to see people you like, being interested in your work. That gives me the energy to keep on going.

One last thing: #Gumballer for life… for you, is it about the cars, or living life in the fast lane?

I don’t have a divers license and I don’t know much about cars except for: “oh this car is NICE”…

I met Maximillion Cooper, Gumball originator, While doing a shooting for EVE in the south of France. He liked the pictures and asked me if I only did stage/live/music pictures. I answered that I’d take pictures of anything as long as i could do it my way. 6 months later he got back at me, and asked me to join Gumball. It was the experience of a lifetime. Very addictive, great people, great cars, great parties, great spots, great f*cking everything! At the end it felt like a family experience. Doing 3000 miles in 5 days with no sleep gets people closer. Regardless of their bank account, status or whatever. It got me totally hooked. So i’ll be a Gumballer for life, that’s for sure.

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How did you come up with the name Damage Playground?

The name Damage was acquired from a former Rotterdam t-shirt label working primarily with local hip-hop artists. Playground as a synonym for possibilities. The possibility of figuring out how different things work, falling down, getting back up, and giving it another spin. A space for amusement. Similar to an actual playground. Fun coincidence, there’s actually one located in an inner courtyard right behind from where we are located. Through the shafts you can hear kids play during their school breaks. All in all giving a literal dimension to it.

Who / what inspired you to start this store and do you have some examples of other stores you like?

No one person or something in particular. Merely a process of thought of other ways of approaching retail and at the same creating  a serene welcoming space. A person drawn lessons from is Tadao Ando, a self taught architect. Taking away from his transparent geometry approach and having also started without prior knowledge of interior design whatsoever. Simply drawing ideas from observing real building spaces and or visual reference thereof, reading about it, and trying to figure out the logic in it. It involves everything from natural light flooding in to even the music subtly playing along in the background.

What made you choose this specific location in Rotterdam to open your store?

It’s all about potential and possibilities. Being at a crossing point in Rotterdam’s ever developing Southbank  along the ambitious Kop van Zuid project spanning buildings by Pritzker prize winners, gentrified formerly no-go-district Katendrecht and a transforming Afrikaanderwijk, still known as a deprived area. It has everything from a hidden gem of an apartment hotel offering rooms for two persons at thirty-five euro’s a night to a small apparel atelier doing production for Jean Paul Gaultier, de Bijenkorf, and other designers and private individuals.

Damage Playground isn’t only a store, what else do you guys do?

We strive to be a platform for a variety of small-scale activities beside a mini gallery. Think of film screenings, book presentations, lectures, music features, graduation projects and product-related activities.

What kind of people shop at Damage Playground

We’re still trying to finger point this. We’ve noticed visitors vary from people active in the creative industry like freelancers, writers, artists, graphic designers, photographers, designers and musicians to fathers, politicians, and women who are disappointed that we do not carry womenswear in a similar style. It is a mix of young and old, with young (up to a year or 38) prevailing. Online, our reach is global. Locally and nationally it’s been increasing steadily since our opening in late 2012.

What was the idea behind having a webshop as well?

It was already there before the brick store. Keeping it is essential in terms of survival and being able to reach a broad audience . Globalisation has already taken place. So why ignore it?

There are some collabs between Damage Playground and artists, how important is art to you?

If art is about creativity, then and that’s what we aim to support.

What about the future of Damage Playground? What can we expect?

Kindred satellites, not franchises, in cities like Dusseldorf, Groningen, Ghent, Vancouver, Seattle, and Sao Paolo. At least we hope. Although we wouldn’t mind sticking to just the one store in Rotterdam with on and off pop-ups. It still amazes me that a store like Colette only has kept one location where the credo seems to be. Besides New York, London and Paris, in which Asian city do we open our next flagship store?

Any cool stuff going on you want to tell us we can expect very soon?

We just had a wonderful opening of an exhibition by the talented Jordy van den Nieuwendijk on April 5th, accompanied by the equally masterful duo Boef en de Gelogeerde Aap.

The release of Babar Meets Soulland commemorating 80 years of Babar the Elephant accompanied by Babar all over our windows. Colette will do the kick-off starting April 3rd.

Plus something that has to do with an hammer…

What are you most proud of?

We’re not there yet. We haven’t achieved anything yet. Being satisfied could make you dull. There are always ways of doing things differently.

How did 5 Days Off start and what’s the idea behind it?

This year it’s the thirteenth time we’re organizing 5 Days Off. The festival started out in 2001, as the little brother of 10 Days Off in Gent, Belgium. Mojo Concerts, the Melkweg and 5voor12 brought the concept to Holland, later on Paradiso and De Balie joined as partners.

5 Days Off is a progressive music festival that brings the best dj’s and producers from all around the globe to Amsterdam. For a solid five days visitors can check out parties in the Melkweg, Paradiso and De Balie. It’s a festival for everyone that has a little bit of electronic music flowing through their veins. (Almost) all music genres are present at the festival, and we’re always on the lookout for fresh and upcoming talents. Pretty much all big dj’s from Holland already had a gig here at 5 Days Off, except DJ Tiësto. We just can’t afford that guy… ;-)

Is there a comparison with 10 Days Off? Do you have contact about how you both run things like the line-ups?

As said before, 5 Days Off started out as a collaboration with 10 Days Off, but nowadays we’re somewhat more independent. Of course, we still have close contact and we visit each other’s festival to see how they’re getting things done. Especially the recent days with the crisis and all, 10 Days Off are also cut off on their local funds just like 5 Days Off. This 2013 edition is the first one edition we pulled off without any funds by the government.

Who’s your main inspiration when it comes to music?

Daan and me are both widely interested in all kinds of music. We keep an close eye on what hits the internet and try to listen as much music as possible. Blogs, Soundcloud, Twitter and Spotify are all great sources for inspiring new music. Daan is a big fan of that groovy techno sound, I’m more an experimental music type of guy. For instance, Conforce is doing a great job on his latest releases, and for my own upcoming party Antenna I’ve even booked Stellar OM Source!

Who are you favorite artists at the moment?

The new James Blake ‘Retrograde’ is pretty awesome and recently I’m listening to Objekt, Lando Kal and Marcellus Pittmann a lot. Last week I’ve discovered Unknown Mortal Orchestra and that sound is completely different from what I usually listen. Thom Yorke’s new project ‘Atom For Peace’ is on repeat too.

How do you guys decide on the lineup?

We choose our line-up in close consult with our programming commission. This commission consists of people from the Melkweg (Camiel), Paradiso (Eva, Ben and Kees), Mojo (Hidde, Maurice and David) and 5 Days Off (Daan and me). We create a big longlist at first and check out what’s attainable. After this we have to check out who’s available and what are they going to cost us. We choose the headliners first, then we try to fill in the lineup per evening. The programming already starts in the summer.

What’s the craziest requirement you’ve ever received from an act?

I’ve recently read that the guys of HOMEWORK always have an indoor plant and cucumber on their wishlist. Don’t ask me why. Someone else explicitly told the programmers nobody was allowed to offer him drugs during his show.

Can you name a couple of your favorite sites, next to Los Bangeles of course…

I have a standard ‘to-do’ list with bookmarks in my browser containing websites I visit daily. Next to Facebook and Twitter I try to check XLR8R, 3voor12, Pitchfork, DJBroadcast and Factmag every day.

Can you describe a day at the office in the life of Bas, Daan and Marloe?

We have our own office in the Melkweg, our day starts off somewhere between nine and ten ‘o clock. Usually Marloe is the first one at the office, Daan and I are both not a big fan of early mornings so we tend to start around ten ‘o clock. Our day is filled with replying and sending emails, collecting the latest news for our social media, consulting with the designers over at Grrr to check on our campaign and meeting with the people over at the Melkweg and Paradiso. Sometimes we forget to lunch, but there’s a great bakery around the corner for some sandwiches. Music is key in our office, we take turns playing our favourite music and when necessary, we throw in some old gabber tracks to refresh our energy!

How do you keep it fresh? After all, you’ve been doing this for 12 years now.

Of course it’s difficult to keep on innovating since dance is getting bigger each day. 5 Days Off was the first overnight festival in Amsterdam, it’s amazing to see how much it has grown since then. There’s no need to go on holidays, just get yourself some tickets for different parties and you’ll be having some major fun, guaranteed. We also try to aim higher every next edition, our music programmers are doing a hell of job getting the freshest artists each year.

How do you respond to negative feedback or reactions like ‘back then it was better’?

It’s funny to see how many people react positive regarding 5 Days Off. People just like the festival, so we’ve got a reputation to take care of. We can’t afford to slow down, we have to keep innovating in fields of artwork, communications and programming. Of course you’ll find some occasional haters on Twitter, but without hate there’s no love eventually.

In your opinion, what were some of the most memorable moments of 5 Days Off?

Last year we had Noisa Invites in the Melkweg, that show was just plain crazy. Completely sold out and the crowd was going buckwild. I was checking out the big mosh pit from the balcony, unbelieveable. Another good one was the show by Autechre back in 2005. All the lights were turned off and the beats that came out of the soundsystem literally shook my pants!

Looking back at all the artists 5 Days Off has had, which one was the best thus far?

That’s hard to say. I’ve got loads of respect for Jeff Mills and had a great time seeing him perform a straight six-hour set in the Melkweg last year. It’s was almost touching to see him up close like that, in his white shirt. Devoted like crazy, pulling banger after banger and still finding a perfect balance between deep and hard.

In The Netherlands 5 Days Off is a household name. Any plans to go international?

That’s a good idea, 5 Days Off is a genuine Amsterdam festival but I’m sure it would work in any big city around the world. I currently don’t think we have enough manpower and a wallet that’s big enough to pull this off yet. But I can imagine if there’s some international interest, I’m sure Paradiso and the Melkweg would like to help out for future possibilities.

If money were no object, what would an all star lineup look like at 5 Days off?

That would be a dream come true! These would be the headliners: Richie Hawtin (8 hour set), Radiohead, Aphex Twin, James Blake, Kanye West & Jay-Z feat. Hudson Mohawke, Daft Punk, Plaid, Theo Parrish, Kraftwerk, The Knife, Carl Craig, TNGHT, The Weeknd, Autechre, Legowelt and a whole lot more…

What don’t we know, but what would you like us to know about 5 Days off?

It’s important to know that the core of 5 Days Off only exists of a mere three people, Daan Spoek, Marloe Boon and me. Of course we’re being supported by the marketing- and production department of Paradiso and the Melkweg, without those guys we wouldn’t be anywhere. Just remember that we’re working our asses off to deliver our visitors a awesome experience over at 5 Days Off!

What’s the idea behind the parrots on the Guanyin Psittacines cover?

Stephen Serrato, me and Kindred Spirits.

Could you tell us something about the collaboration with Stephen Serrato?

Kindred Spirits reached out to him at the time of the release of my first 7”. Stephen designed my logo back then. When my first E.P. was finished, I wanted to work with him again. Luckily he had some time, he’s a busy man.

You are also a DJ. What can you tell us about the response from the audience?

I have noticed you are often a reflection of your audience and vice versa. If you are just standing there and not trying to convey the music’s energy, the audience will most likely give not much energy back. By the way, I have been doing a lot of great gigs lately!

The strangest instrument I have used? A watering can that sounds like Ramses Shaffy.

Are there any plans for the future, other than music?

I do have certain aspirations, but no definitive plans yet…

With who would you like to work on a record?

Dimlite. Also I would like to work with Benny Sings some time!

Who is doing your PR / communication?

At the moment I am doing this myself. Ronald de Keizer, who is doing Jungle by Night amongst others, used to do it before.

We saw a photo of a rooster in your kitchen? Why a pet rooster?

Pep things up!

Jazz-music clearly has a great impact on your lives. Can you tell some more about your love for jazz?

We don’t listen to as much jazz as we used to but we will always be influenced by: Bill Evans, Eric Dolphy, Sam Rivers, Miles, Coltrane and Wayne obviously, Art Blakey, Herbie, Tony Williams, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Andrew Hill, Mingus, Monk, Grachan Moncur III. Also wanna give a quick shout out to Portico Quartet and Supersilent.

Can you name out some of your personal favorites in hiphop?

Between the three of us we pretty much listen to the entire spectrum of hip-hop so it’s hard to answer accurately but recently we’ve been listening to: Clipse, Wu-Tang, Organized Konfusion, DOOM, Earl and Tyler, ESG, UGK, Outkast, Danny Brown, Tree, Death Grips, 2Chainz, Kanye, Kendrick, Schoolboy Q, Juicy J, Gansta Pat, Dr. Dre, there’s just too many to name.

At the moment, which music do you guys listen to often?

Charles Bradley, Can, Hudson Mowhawk, Menahan Street Band, Serge Gainsbourg, BEAK>, Freddie Gibbs, Lunice, Talk Talk, Frank Ocean and James Carr.

Do you guys see any similarities between your hometown Toronto and Amsterdam?

I mean they’re pretty different given one’s way older than the other. We have streetcars and stuff but yours are way better. Toronto is organized into these nice symmetrical blocks whereas Amsterdam has winding streets and canals that intersect every road, it’s way more beautiful.

What was your best and / or weirdest performance yet?

We did this one J Dilla tribute concert where we played a whole set of our interpretations of his songs and it kept on getting rowdier and rowdier with people crowd surfing and dancing and having an amazing time. Towards the end of the show it got so rowdy that as Chester was taking a monster bass solo these girls came on stage and started grinding in front of him. First jazz show that we’ve been to where that’s happened.

A track like Bugg’n isn’t really your usual cup of tea to work with right? How do you transform a musical work like this into a BBNG jazz track?

It depends on the type of song, but normally we’ll try to deconstruct the song to it’s most basic elements and rebuild it to our liking.

We can image the name BADBADNOTGOOD can produce some pretty lame jokes. What’s the worst joke you’ve heard so far concerning your bandname?

There’s this bass player who taught at our old school who didn’t say anything to our face, but after we dropped out he posted on facebook that we “Sucksucksthissucks”. Which is funny because our name is already BADBADNOTGOOD, and even more funny because he plays a 6 string electric bass.

Would you guys survive a hardcore zombie apocalypse? If so, how?

Absolutely not.

If you guys would win a million dollar each tomorrow, what’s the first thing you’re going to buy?

We would probably buy all of the 6-string electric basses in the world so we can break them or convert them back to four string basses.

What decision was, hands down, the best one you made last year?

Dropping out of school to pursue music and using all of the money we made touring to build our own studio because we had to leave Alex’s Dad’s basement.

What do you envision yourself doing when you guys turn 80?

Chilling out and hopefully still making music that we think is interesting.

Can you tell us something more about any new collaborations coming up?

We actually just finished mixing a track we did with Earl and Frank Ocean for Earl’s new album and we’re really proud of it. We’ve also been working on a couple things with this rapper Tree from Chicago, he’s really dope.

Next to world domination, what are the plans for the (near) future?

To make a really good third full length and take it from there, were spending a pretty insane amount of time on it because we just want to make sure that it’s awesome.

Where did the name H+R come from?

Mike: Originally I had the idea of printing up a limited-edition t-shirt that would only be available at a live event. We’d go in and be the “hit” of the party, and before you knew it, the shirts would “run” out, then we
would pack up and disappear…

What triggered your interest in art and screenprinting?

Brandy: When I was in high school, I remember first falling in love with screenprinted posters from the late 60′s San Francisco psychedelic music scene. Rick Griffin’s illustrations & hand-lettering were mind-altering and truly life changing. I met Mike at a graphic design class in college where he showed me his book of walls that he had spray painted. Hip-hop and graffiti are still huge influences on us both. I’m a giant fan of 70′s/80′s punk rock and their edgy, photocopied flyers, plus the collages of Winston Smith, as well as modern disciples like Art Chantry and earlier pioneers like John Heartfield. Mike and I are both big admirers of Pop Art, Dada & Abstract Expressionism movements, especially the work of artists like Rauchenberg, Ruscha, Richter, Salle, Schwitters, Hoch, Hausmann, Vassarely, Koons, Basquiat and of course Warhol. Don’t forget Banksy! We’re also giant supporters of local LA luminaries such as Retna, Kofie, Restitution Press, Cryptik, Mear, Fro-Hawk Two Feathers, Stephen Serrato, Abcnt, Kime Buzzelli, Ambusch, Annie Madison, Shark Toof, Alison Cassen, Mark Of The Beast, Jay Kelly, Gary Garay… there’s just too many to list and they all inspire us!

Most layers on a print?

Brandy: When we started out, it was all about the mash-up…putting as many designs in the most unorthodox places imaginable. Too much was never enough!

Mike: Each year we have an anniversary party called “Repeat Offender” and invite 20+ artists to contribute a design. There are so many great designs each year its hard to decide which ones to choose and usually people get all their favorite art into one big mash-up on a t-shirt.

Brandy: Yeah man, they are truly pieces of art! We’re currently compiling a book of some of the Crew’s favorite personal masterpieces up until now.. you gotta wait for the book to see!

You work for some pretty big clients, how do you promote yourself?

Brandy: Even though we have printed at more than 1000 events around the world, and worked with some giant companies (Microsoft, Nike, Google, Fox, Levi’s, etc) we have never solicited a single corporate client. Every booked gig is based on a referral or by word of mouth… its actually kind of amazing and proof that if you make it, they will come!

What makes Los Angeles a perfect home for you?

Brandy: Mike and I were both born in Southern California and have lived here for all of our lives. We grew up near the beach, but Mike is the surfer dude. Everybody loves the sunshine, but LA is so geographically expansive that you can find where you fit in and almost disappear if you want. You can start at the beach and drive for over in hour in most directions and still be in Los Angeles!

Mike: Growing up in Southern California with a subculture of skate, surf, punk and hip hop helped cultivate many of the emerging and established LA/SoCal artists today, including us. Los Angeles is perfect because of the sun, city and culture which shape and produce true innovators.

Prefer working in studio or on location?

Mike: We’re always printing up shirts for musician friends and local artists at the studio, but its the most fun when we are on-site at a party printing up custom tees for people.

Tell us something about the creative process, from idea to print?

Brandy: We speak through images, its like another language that everyone can understand.

Still going strong after 7 years, what’s coming up?

Brandy: We just held “Repeat Offender 7″ last month at the Echoplex (shout outs to Liz + Ray!) in LA with a rad cross-section of some of our favorite musicians (GLK, Samiyam, Mono/Poly, Cozy, Esgar, Elos, Crimekillz and Guy Blakeslee from The Entrance Band) performing alongside the H+R printing on three different screen presses with over 25 designs by the Crew (Mike C, Abcnt, Eli Sipsas, Cryptik, Coto, Mago, Shelzeye, Cabbibo and always some brand new heads). On the music side to celebrate our 7 years, in 2013 we are collaborating with Rush Hour in Amsterdam to produce seven limited-edition split 7″ vinyl records by our favorite producers. We are only making 300 copies of each, housed in a one-of-a-kind silkscreened jacket and pressed on coloured vinyl. The first one in coming out in February 2013 with unreleased heat by Gonjasufi and Ras G…. Watch out for IZWID too!

Mike: We just started the Crew down in Australia with t-shirt icon Eddie Zammit (T-World) + screenprint master Shannon McKinnon (Aisle 6), so we’re excited to see how they grow! Right now we’re finalizing the details for starting our second U.S. Crew based up in San Francisco.

Brandy: We have some more fun in the works, but I’m not gonna spill the beans… the world needs more mystery! Shout out to Hugo and Scott in the UK, Kiat & Cherry in Singapore, plus Geoff and Betsy, our behind-the-scenes US production Crew helping make the magic happen and the train rollin’ all over the world!

CREW RUNS DEEP!!!!!

YAAM. Nicely situated near the -recently fully painted- Eastern Gallery of the Berlin Wall. The laidback atmosphere and the sun were perfectly setting the tone for “HomieLoverFriend”, organized by Through my Speakers and WEBOOGIE. All ages, and (sub)cultural backgrounds could peacefully take their space at the Yaam venue.

Isn’t it what we all stand for? Due to some touristic sightseeing in Berlin, it took us a while before we reached the sunny partyzone. After a short walk from Kreuzberg to Yaam’s Backyard we heard Machinedrum’s subwoofer sounds from a solid mile away. To be honest we expected a live set, but we were happily surprised to hear him play some good ol’ 80′s boogie.

Full Crate and FS Green had a solid start but after a while they were searching a bit. It was fresh to hear some dancehall tunes, but personally we preferred a sooner switch to the more hiphop-orientated sound that they’re known for. But after all, the crowd was all ear and eventually the duo laid down a good energetic gig.

Cinnaman from the Amsterdam lineage was next, as closing act. A pretty common name on the higher-quality parties nowadays, and still expanding his reputation like crazy. Known for his wide variation in music and embracing other (music)styles like no other, he had the crowd bouncing within a few seconds!

Merging fresh new tracks with some older tracks like Prodigy’s ‘No Good’ and Dune’s ‘Hardcore Vibes’, proving that a journey through time is possible.

As mentioned earlier, there wasn’t any real stage-lighting. But on the other hand: during Cinnaman’s set, there couldn’t be a more climaxing light effect than the stadium torches on the stage-roof. It’s impossible for us to be critical about that! Crazy!

For the part of the crowd willing to start the following mondaymorning with a double dosage of coffee or some antioxidant bomb, the afterparty started in the Yaam indoor venue. It was a good day. And yes, Berlin proves again that it’s playing a major part in the Wordwide Sunshine State.

Photography-wise, Who are your heroes/heroines?

I have two main photography-heroes and they are both from Japan, although it is completely different from what I do, there is something in their work which in my opinion is a ‘one of a kind’-thing. The photographers I am talking about are Daido Moriyama and Araki.

Do you have any specific music to work to?

Depends on where I am, in Europe / Holland I don’t really work with music. In Tokyo I work on all kinds of music, from classical music to traditional Japanese folk music, French chansons and so, too hard of a question. The reason for me to listen music while taking photos is that in Tokyo I’ll do more things for myself and what I’m interested in personally. Back in Holland it feels more like working instead of actual personal stuff.

Describe a picture-perfect day in the life of Simon van Wijk…

The perfect day is just being able to walk through Tokyo with my camera. Meet up with some friends and take photos of them, then some boarding through Harajuku to find interesting stuff to take photos of. After that, finishing the day off with a nice bowl of Ramen and a nice cold beer with my friends.

How many camera’s do you own right now, and what’s your personal favorite?

At the moment I am the proud owner of 5 cameras. Those are the Ricoh GR1S, Nikon F3, Nikon F60, Hasselblad 500 C/M and the Nikon D90. The Ricoh GR1S and the Hasselblad are my favorites. They’re both kind of new and therefore there is this form of excitement, of trying something unknown and discovering new things with fresh cameras.

Mostly your work is shot in black and white, why this choice?

First of all, black and white is classic. Black and white are also the roots of a lot of things. And next to that, there is this nostalgic feeling that starts growing when I’m looking at a black and white photo. Secondly, I can develop black and white myself, so that gives me some more independence and control. And hey, it’s cheaper because I don’t need to pay any third party to get the job done. So it’s definitely a win-win situation.

Where does your big fascination for Japan come from?

I really have no idea. As far as I know, I wanted to go there since I was just 8 / 10 years old. I always had this feeling and I still have. After having lived there, nothing has changed yet. I belong there and it feels like my city. Simple as that.

In collaboration with Los Bangeles, what would you like to work on?

I have some pretty cool friends in Tokyo that would fit the Los Bangeles lifestyle perfectly. So, let them wear some of Los Bangeles-gear, I’ll take some photos of them with whatever they’ll be doing at that time and it will work out. No doubt about it.

What is your own personal masterpiece yet?

I have three personal masterpieces (as seen in the slider), here they are :

1. Destroyer Jacket
2. Genki Ikkei Shibuya Tokyo
3. Miyashita Park Shibuya Tokyo

Do you prefer working inside or outside?

Both.

Do you have any hidden talents no-one is aware of?

More then enough but they aren’t called ‘hidden’ for nothing…

If you weren’t into photography, what would you be doing right now?

Honestly, I have no idea what I would be doing. I love doing what I’m doing right now, but this might change in the future. If this changes comes, I’ll just have to drop this and start doing something else. I have no idea what that ‘something’ would be though, and I don’t see this change-thing happen either, haha.

Image your hosue on fire, what are the things you just can’t leave behind?

My bag with my cameras and every single frame I can find!

What are you currently working on?

At the moment I’m living in Tasmania, working, sorting things out and writing my thesis for school. So, not too busy, but soon we’re (me and my girl) moving back to Japan. From there on out I would be able to tell you guys about some more interesting stuff.

Next to photography, what are your other ambitions?

Work for a advertising agency or something like that. At the moment it’s a bit hard to focus on other stuff, since I still haven’t graduated yet. Graduating is a thing that certainly needs to be done. I realised that until today, school has always been slowing me down. So once I’ve got my diploma, I can finally go a full 100 percent on a lot of different things.

With which brand or artist did you have your finest collaboration yet?

The most fun job yet was with the French boutique next door, and of course with Los Bangeles. Sounds cheesy but it’s seriously true!

With which brand or artist are you dying to work with?

Too many! But if I had to choose one, it would definitely be Supreme. Might sound a bit cliché, but there isn’t much I can do about that.

What do you hope is coming up in the future?

Hopefully even more love, luck and prosperity.

Allright, lets start off with a brief introduction. Tell us something about who you are and what you do.

Okay, the name is Saskia Haex, pronounced Haaks. I’m an illustrator, graphic designer and mostly I do stuff I like.

How did your love for screenprinting and making illustrations began?

As a child I was always pretty busy making little drawings and just making random stuff. Through the rise of street-art I saw people reproducing their own work and spread these works all over the streets. Because of this I did some research on techniques to do this myself and so I started to experiment with screenprinting. I’m still a huge fan of screenprinting because of the numerous possibillities it brings.

Which people are your big rolemodels?

Ehh, people like Margaret Kilgallen, Davind Hockney, Stephen Powers and René Knip to name a few.

You’ve been around for a while right now. How do you keep catching inspiration for your work?

Probably my constant surroundings, everything that is present around me is my inspiration. Observing is key. You can relate to this in my work by colour, meaning and form. Also the recurring themes in my work are examples of my inspirational surroundings, like: traffic, bikes, tattoos, fonts etc.

When you’re working, what kind of music do you often listen to?

I don’t really have specific music I listen to while working. Usually I’ll put on 22Tracks, preferably the ‘Beats’, ‘Originals’ or just the frontpage. Next to that I have some mixtapes by The Flexican or Yellow Claw and otherwise I’ll tune in on the ‘Luisterpaal’ at 3voor12.

Tell us what a perfect day in the life of Saskia Haex would look like.

That would be a day filled up with new brilliant ideas, some drawing, not too much emailing, some good food and ripping the streets on bikes with some homies.

When you’re working you’ll probably have hundreds of choices in materials to work with. What are you personal favourites?

My all-time favourite tools are wide brushes with ink or some thinned acrylic paint to write or draw with.

What would you like to do in collaboraton with Los Bangeles?

I would really really like to set up a nice party on the beach and decorate it and stuff, but we ended up with a nice tee and a print about cats from LA. Maybe something for the future?

When working, do you prefer to work it in your own studio or on location?

I prefer working in my own studio over working on location. In my studio I can work on different projects simultaneously which I later on eventually can build with Marianne Lock.

We now know that you’re all in to screenprinting and drawing and stuff, but do you have any secret talents nobody knows about?

Right now I’m doing a lot of different stuff and I like it a lot, I like the alternation of it . In the morning I’ll do some logos or objects made of textile and in the afternoon I’m organising events and connecting with sponsors. I’m also very fond of riding my bicycle, but I’m not killing it to be honest…

What’s a thing you really can’t do?

Sitting still and doing nothing. And working all alone in a studio sounds like hell to me too.

If you weren’t doing what you’re doing right now, then what?

I would be totally miserable, unhappy like crazy.

Last question, if suddenly your house is on fire, what things you just can’t leave behind?

Katleen, my cat. For sure. Cats make the world go round!

What kind of music genre and which DJs should we (definitely) keep an eye on in 2013?

You should definitely check out Makam, D-Ribeiro, Four TET, Julio Bashmore, Cappuccino and those guys from Freak for Love. I think it’s also better to refer to music as ‘sound’ rather than ‘style’!

The theme for the upcoming Now&Wow Fest is ‘Like Me’. Why this theme and what makes this edition different from the other editions?

We chose this theme because we want the people to meet on a more ‘natural’ and human basis. Get away from your PC, laptop and smartphone and go meet each other in real life please!

Is social media a blessing or a curse for the party-scene nowadays?

Haha, wow. I would say ambiguous; communication-wise it’s a huge blessing, but pretty much everyone is hiding in their own comfort zone because of social media right now. A lot of people who I talk to are fond of non-digital stuff, like regular flyers printed on paper and stuff. People should live their lives ‘out of the box’ a little more!

What does a regular day in the life of Ted Langenbach look like?

Let’s start off with some sports, sex, inspiration, working out new ideas, flirt and a little bit of sleep. Carpe diem, then creativity comes by itself!

If you could play an instrument, which one would that be?

I play the bass-guitar, I’ve been doing this since I was 16 years old.

Do you have any hidden talents that nobody is aware of?

I always wanted to be a porn star or a professional soccer player, but eventually I started organizing parties.

What would you be doing right now if you had a solid 10 million bucks on your bank account?

I would live in different hotels, waking up in another city every morning… Wow! I did this kind of stuff back in the days when I played in bands.

What inspired you when you were 10 years old and 20 years old?

When I was ten years old my biggest inspirations were Glam Rock and Batman. When I was around 20 years old Arthur Schopenhauer was a big inspiration for me. Ten years later when I was around thirty years old I only wanted to survive this boring world by throwing as many parties as possible.

What’s your retirement plan (if you’re ever planning to retire)?

I haven’t celebrated my birthday for the last twenty years, so I don’t have a clue what my age is! ;-)

What do you like most about The Netherlands and why is it so important to you?

A country that supports art and culture and recognizes its value is always a good look. Being able to practice graphic design here will always be very special to me. Such a strong history and understanding. In general, I feel there is a lot of trust and support for young designers. So many talented and amazing people in Amsterdam alone. Lots of diversity, dialog, collaboration and mixing of generations too. It’s incredible really.

What is the biggest difference between LA and Amsterdam?

Los Angeles is sprawling and Amsterdam is very cosy. In LA you have to really plan well when you are going out. And better believe you will have to drive for at least half an hour. In Amsterdam, pick up your bike and go! I can’t tell you how many times I have went from one event to the next and meeting with friends along the way. Its a very liberating feeling to have so much access and mobility. LA’s large scale also has a charm to it, its hard to explain but when you live here and embrace its complexity, its a city that you can continually discover.

In LA, you’ve got small centers like Culver City and Echo Park. These neighborhoods, are they known to be more creative?

Yes. There are many different centers throughout Los Angeles: Downtown, Highland Park, Echo Park and Silverlake, Culver City… I would have to name every neighborhood or town, because in each one you have  a sort of community there that is unique. Depending on your lifestyle and profession, you can find a place where you are comfortable and have the sort of quality of life that you prefer. For example, the North East part of LA (Highland Park, Mount Washington, Glassell Park etc…) There are so many musicians, artists, designers, film makers and so on and so on… I love this side of town and this is where many of my friends and colleagues have also chose to make it their home. And it helps to have an array of amazing taco trucks and stands sprinkled around this neighborhood. So good…

What kind of possibilities do you see in the future of music and design combined with new media like ipads / tablets and social media?

There is no doubt that this an exciting time   for the integration of sound and form in the digital world. We have seen lots of experimentation in the programming of applications and tools, interactive installations, the proliferation of video, fully integrated visuals with the live shows (see Plastikman) etc… One thing that i feel can be explored more, is how we interface with our personal music collections. For example, itunes. Okay so there is coverflow where you can see the artwork in a decent resolution, and you have your library in list format where you can sort by date added, artist, title, genre etc… But where is the serendipity? How do you create your own order of things here and why can’t you control how it appears? There should be plugins being made or other applications that cater to this sort of logic. Why should your music collection take the same form as any other group of files on your computer?

You have two sort of projects, your music / art related projects and more commercial work. How do you ‘survive’?

I survive through design of course. I prefer to work in the cultural sector (visual and performative arts, architecture, film, music etc.) This allows me to have a dialog with other creatives whom I respect. When you really try to have an understanding of someone’s work, process, ideas—this also influences the way you think about your own practice and methods. You also bring your experience and knowledge to the table and somewhere in that dialog magic happens. Some jobs may be paid better than others, but spending most of my time designing for things I am genuinely interested in, makes me happy and results in more honest work. Believe me, I have done and still do work for more commercial clients from time to time. I also learn a great deal from these experiences and it pays the bills.

What do you have for breakfast?

*laughs. It depends. On a normal day, Muesli with grated apple, banana… Greek yogurt and some honey. Sunday brunch in Amsterdam, I’m gonna have to order Uitsmijters… In Los Angeles, Chilaquiles. An orange juice and coffee to wash it all down.

Do you have any hidden talents that nobody knows of?

If you know me, then you know I have a habit of singing. (I got this talent from my mom!) I hear a word, it sparks a song, and I’m going all in. I don’t have to know all of the words, I’ll make them up for my own amusement.

You recently did the artwork for Flying Lotus’ new album, ‘Until the Quiet Comes’. Can you tell us something about that collaboration?

It was a perfect triangle really: Lotus leading the way with his intricate and cinematic sounds, Brian Cross (B+) conjuring dreamlike images, and myself art directing and bringing it all together. Seriously, B+ and I went over to Lotus’s studio, got our minds right, sat back and listened to the album start to finish. Immediately, we were both inspired and had similar ideas of color palette, lighting references etc… It was kind of crazy how in tune we were that day. It was his idea to bring the shoot underwater and our friend and creative comrade, Dan Kitchens, who is experienced in underwater photography came through to make sure we could pull it off. I do believe we achieved capturing a sort of lucidity or a dream state moment. To quote B+ “When we exist between awake and asleep, or in those transitional spaces of the consciousness, it is as though foreground and background become one.”

Anything else you want the viewers of Los Bangeles to know?

Los Angeles is everything and nothing like you have seen on the movie screen. (See ‘LA Plays Itself’)

The always bouncing ‘Hood Pass’ was tight, and the track ‘Mirrors’ shurely reminded some folks that they haven’t spoken to their close relatives for a while. With the rework of Baron Zen’s ‘Burn Rubber’, they managed to turn the party up. With DaM blending into the audience, we think we saw Rotterdam based producer Tyler Wat Doe Je going ape on DaM-FunK’s keytar..

Lucky Dubz and Thelonious got the people on the dancefloor afterwards. After all, it was a good one. We feel free to thank DaM-FunK and band, on behalf of Toko MC Amsterdam and Bird Rotterdam.

“What are you smoking right now?” Dâm–Funk: “Cloves man…”

» Simon van Wijk
» BIRD Rotterdam
» Galactic Funk Federation

Despite some electronica fails, the area was appealing enough to become a full-scale partycrowd at the end of the day. The programming felt good, with enough variation climaxing with Cinnaman behind the decks. It was worth his stagedive: A daring selection with R&B-, grime-, dubstep-, hiphop- and houseclassics, all glued together flawlessly.

The rehab was at the afterparty in club Trouw. While entering the industrial building we were blessed with a tight set by Sarah Farina from the Berlin-based WEBOOGIE crew. The line up for the afterparty was kept secret, but with SP, Nebulon, Disclosure and Breach it was pretty complete. Forgive us if we missed out on some names, but fatigue was calling.

And the vibe? The vibe was so nice that it could be a school example of how it should be.

More pics on our Facebook, also check the Appelsap Facebook for even more pics.

And in Brussels? Is that totally different?

Yeah. Brussels is densely built, the buildings in residential areas are a lot taller as well.

‘Lève-tôt’ means ‘Early bird’. We know you had this name in your graffiti-past, but please tell us more.

It’s true my name was given to me in my tagging days. We used to come back home early in the morning and three hours later I was back up and running again. I don’t drink and smoke so I guess that helps in someway. Everytime I woke up early I realized that I would work better and faster than any other moment of day. The city, nature and people also have another vibe in the morning: still a little bit sleepy, quiet and not really on point and not too busy yet. I can focus more on my work in the morning, it’s more relaxed.

Talk us trough a typical Lefto Day. Imagine you have a gig somewhere later on. You have only one hour before leaving for the airport. What kind of meal will do best for you?

If I only had one hour? I’d go straight to the airport! I take every precaution because I don’t want to be late. When I’m at the airport I can always go online, get some work done and have a croissant or a sandwich or something.

No specific powerfood?

Oh I do have some powerfood actually, it’s called durum, but it’s so heavy that it’s impossible to have only one hour to eat and still be able to walk afterwards! It consists of bread with fries, meat, salad, onion, mayonaise and garlicsauce. Then you’re set for at least 4 hours. In Brussels you find the best ones.
In my neighborhood we also have the best Turkish köfte, made in an authentic woodoven. Bread with tender meat, peppers and onion. While sizzling in the oven, all the flavours creep into the bread. It’s crazy nice. Man, we have the best köfte, no doubt!

Well thanks, now we’re hungry.

You’re welcome. (laughs)

Do you have a manager or can you still manage to do everything for yourself?

It depends. In the US, Asia, South Africa and Switzerland I have people that can arrange most things for me. I try to do it all by myself, but I know some good people who can assist me when needed. Once, I received a request from an international booking agency that wanted to put me on their roster, but I said: “Sweet, but no thanks.” I like to be in control and check out for myself if a gig suits me and my style. If not, I can suggest another, more matching artist to them.

You’re a busy person. Do you have any tips and tricks for other busy people?

Ehm, sex helps. (laughs) Good food and sports, like running. The best thing for me is DJ-ing, I’m so busy and concentrated with what I’m doing I don’t feel anything that could harm me. At that particular time I’m in another dimension. I really feel the energy from the audience. When I’m hopping back in the car, that’s when I find myself again.

While travelling you meet lots of people. Of course we all preach world peace and positivity, but when do you think: “To hell with forgiveness”?

When I see acts of ‘free violence’. It’s getting worse: one wrong eye and that’s enough. I think it’s because parents are slacking in raising their children the right way and the lack of self-knowledge. You often hurt another person when you don’t know yourself and you are afraid.

Do you think that’s a new thing?

It has probably always been that way, but nowadays I realize it more and more often. Nowadays free violence has become worse and the penalties have become milder. I think zero-tolerance is okay sometimes in some areas. But still, it all starts at home. Parents need to take a look in the mirror and try to understand what they do wrong raising their children, who become tomorrows parents. Next to that, you have the politicians who don’t take their responsibilities. Unfortunately they tend to look the other way and just blame it on hiphop for example.The other thing I really don’t like is manipulation by media and big corporations. They want to make us believe things for their own profit. They really like to scare us, make us afraid of the future, and that’s supposed to make people go out and spend more…

What was your worst, funniest or weirdest gig?

The worst gigs are those when the audience doesn’t feel what you do. Totally no chemistry. The best are those when you really feel connected, and that can happen anywhere, whether it’s in LA, Tokyo or Seoul.
Sometimes it’s more difficult to find such chemistry closer to home, but in the end, when I return to Europe, I feel that there’s a better climate for DJ’s out here.

How come?

Well, there are a lot of different cultures within this small surface, so people hear and feel a huge diversity in music. That makes people more open minded. I think in the long run, Europe will be a melting pot of all cultures and ethnicities and that will take only a few generations to grow.. I’m of Italian origin and my girlfriend is from European-African descent. Our children will have all of that! I don’t feel Belgian but more like a world citizen. It’s a small world after all.

People tend to look at their differences with others from an egocentric point of view, instead of crossing borders and trying to learn from each other.

True. I like to think about the unthinkable: having no borders. If you watch the world from above, you don’t see anything such. But through all centuries, we have divided ourselves from each other and we drew lines. Now, with more open borders we can not cope with one another anymore. If the world was borderless from the beginning, we could have been one big culture with understanding for each other and no big culture clashes and fear like we see now. I learned to understand other cultures at an early age because I had an African, Moroccan and a Jewish friend. Quite like the movie ‘La Haine’.
A beautiful dream. But we have to stay positive though. Look at the drama that took place at Pukkelpop (during the Belgian music festival, a heavy storm knocked down tents and heavy equipment, leaving many casualties. red.) ; lots of people living close to the disaster-area, took care of those young people. It’s wonderful to see that kind of solidarity.

Speaking about having no borders, where does your traveling spirit come from?

Maybe it’s because my father worked at a travel agency. I don’t want to have a 9 to 5 job. If I did, I would be a sad person. Once I had a taste of what I do now, I only wanted more. I don’t see myself staying in Belgium when I’m old. When I quit, I would definitely do something with nature, because I really love nature. Recently I was on a little boat in Canada and we saw a whale coming to the surface just some 30 meters away. Wow.
The whole experience was so fascinating and I think I would be okay living in and with nature.
My girlfriend says that I can’t live without internet and my mobile phone. But I would go back to the essence of life and live with nature without destroying it. That’s the only thing that counts, the human race is so busy within its own world it doesn’t have the time to understand what nature really is, and nobody understands the planet better than nature, the animals, and plants are the ones who can read the needs of our planet. Reminds me of the Thailand tsunami where the population saw animals leave to higher grounds.

“I love the morning sun, wearing my flipflops and tank top, to breathe in all that fresh air. In the afternoon and evening the city is too foggy though.”

I’m a true animist and I believe that earth itself will pull out the plugs. Control, Alt, Delete and then it’s done for us. Fashion and technology are two things that interest me, but there will be a moment I say nature is so much more fascinating. Glad to realize that. There are too many people who don’t look further than their newest gadget or fashion item.

Education and good upbringing is so important. We should pay attention to the fact that people are getting more and more narrowminded. At school you don’t learn that much anymore, and often you become smarter by reading books you picked yourself and doing your own research. Before that it’s important to ‘learn how to learn’. Also, teachers have hard times getting the class under control on top of that.

In music I also see a lot of narrowminded heads. For example: hiphop originally brought a message about social circumstances, but nowadays it’s more like a huge advertisement. Youngsters grow up with the ideal of luxury and riches. I feel that hiphop used to be more of peoples own expression; they cared less about whether their music would be picked up by the masses or not. The same goes for DJ’s that play what everybody wants to hear. Kinda like a popmusic-jukebox. I’m lucky to have another type of audience.

Final Question: what kind of work would you do if you weren’t a DJ?

I would be happy if I was a forester! (laughs)

More about Lefto

lefto.be
mixcloud.com/leftooo
vimeo.com/lefto
youtube.com/lefteezy
dragontape.com
strangefruitmusic.wordpress.com

The Appelsap Festival at Oosterpark, Amsterdam. Known by many for years now, but Los Bangeles wants to get to know them a little bit better.

We hooked up with Rogier de Reiger, creative director at Appelsap Fresh Music Festival at their office in Amsterdam. We had some beers and a nice chat on their incredible rooftop, check it out!

Who are you and what do you do?

The name is Rogier de Reiger and I’m the creative director Appelsap Fresh Music Festival.

How was the concept of Appelsap originated and what’s the story behind it?

Twelve years ago we came up with the idea to throw a party in the park, inspired by hiphop in New York in the seventies: wire electricity from streetlights and let’s party! We then asked for a permit to do this in the Oosterpark and to our surprise, we actually got it. We called a few befriended DJ’s to spin at our party. Back then it was SP, Mr. Wix and Kid Sublime.

Who are your heroes/heroines?

Festivalwise: Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival, Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn but also Dutch festivals like North Sea Jazz, ToDays Art and Into The Great Wide Open.

What are your favorite artists at the moment?

Okay, let’s see. French Montana, ScHoolboy Q, Faberyayo, Lil’ Kleine, Danny Brown, Ab-Soul, Disclosure, Joey Bada$$, 2-Chainz, Tweet, Rhye, Django Django, BBNG, Sbtrkt, Dimlite, Krystal Klear, xxyyxx, Oneroom, 2morrows Victory, New Look and Frank Ocean.

What are your favorite websites?

TheFader, Hypetrak, Hypebeast, XLR8R, Cocaine Blunts, Nowness, 3voor12, WeTransfer and 22Tracks are some websites I visit on a daily basis.

What does a regular day at the Appelsap office look like?

We open the day with a lot of e-mails, some meetings, coffee and sometimes, we go outside.

How do you stay fresh after 12 years already?

Be open to everything that’s new. And keep a critical eye on everything you’re doing.

How do you cope with negative feedback, or things like: ‘Back in the day it used to be better!’ (as in: for free)?

We try not to comment on those things too much, because it’s a long and complicated story. It’s sad that some people really don’t understand that, but are really eager to post things on Facebook and Twitter. I sometimes have to stop myself from replying. I’m thinking: Why don’t you try organizing a free festival for 10 years, I’ll talk to you later buddy! But, usually, I try to focus on the positive things.

Who came up with the name Appelsap?

No clue. All of a sudden it was there. But it was kind of like rebelling against all English names for hiphopparties in Amsterdam like Bassline, STPDFRSH, Chocolate, etc. We live in The Netherlands right? But we were fresh, ofcourse.

Appelsap has been green and fresh for the last 12 years, who’s responsible for the artwork?

I used to do everything myself. Nowadays I let other people do it most of the time, but I still take the lead in art-direction.

What are your best/sweetest/most memorable moments in the history of Appelsap?

Our first foreign booking Kurtis Blow, a performance by Buitenwesten crew, J. Dilla’s last show in the Netherlands a few months before his death, Kendrick Lamar for the first time in The Nederlands, the cooperations with Colors and Boiler Room, legendary DJ sets by Edzon and ofcourse DJ SP, who hasn’t missed any edition yet. Honestly, there’s just too much.

Over all festivals, which acts were the best?

Clipse, Kleine Viezerik, Adje & Jayh, Cinnaman and DJ’s SP & Edzon. For sure.

Which artist would you like to see as a headliner on the hologram-stage next year?

Big L and Otis Redding.

Big, bigger, biggest? What’s next?

Let’s just wait and see how this edition goes.

What do you do next to the Appelsap events?

Right now, nothing. We try to work for Appelsap fulltime and we want to do more under the same name.

What is your ultimate dream?

To be the best in our league, internationally. Best would be if Jay-Z and Kanye’s management called us and said they really want to play our festival, something like that.

With what brand or artist would you like to work?

Lara Stone, Q-Tip, ALIFE, Romain Gavras, M.I.A., Jay-Z, Anton Corbijn, Terry Richardson, AJAX, Nico Dijkshoorn, TheFader, Mos Def, Worldwide Festival, het Bimhuis, Appelsientje and Ben-G.

What are you going to do in the future, with all these cuts in funding by the gouvernment and all?

We just keep doing what we’re doing. Hopefully we continue to grow a little and who knows, we might still get some funding for a special programme. But in the future, we want to be self sufficient.