JEANS is one of our hometown heroes. He played at our clubnights and his two hour b2b with Spekki Webu at TCF19 was legendary. He released his debut album, Talking to the Entities, on his own label, Oracle Bones, in 2020. Listen to his selection while reading about his love for Nike Air and booking his first big act.
You’ve been active in the The Hague music scene for some time now, as a DJ, producer, booker and you also have your own record label. When did you realise music was more than a hobby for you?
That realization came around 2010. Together with some buddies I organized many illegal parties in and around The Hague. That started as a hobby but eventually became so much work that it started to get a bit annoying (lol). Of course the parties were good but it was a lot of hassle. Especially with the coppers on our heels sometimes, also we didn’t make any money at all. That was fine for a number of years, but at a certain point it started to feel a bit like ‘carrying water to the sea’. Then came the realization that I had to think of a way to earn a living with it.
As a booker, you’ve programmed artists like DJ Stingray, Palms Trax and more, what was the first time you booked a bigger international artist, and what was that like?
That was Kristian, one of the men behind Âme. At that time I took over Floris Groeneveld’s job. He was then a programmer for both Whoosah and Naturel Beach Clubs and he had booked Âme at Naturel for several years in a row. So basically I could just copy and paste his actions from the years before. It was still exciting but the evening sold out within a few minutes so from that point on it was only making sure that the advancing (booking flight etc.) was in order and that there was a good light show plus sound system. Furthermore, I was looking forward to the party itself with one of the coolest personalities (I still think that) I’ve ever booked.
So aside from music, you also have an obsession with Nike, specifically Air Max. Who has the bigger collection, you or David Vunk?
Looooool, I think when it comes to Air max in general David has a bigger collection than I do. But my Air Max BW (classic) collection is bigger for sure 🙂
Have you and David ever done business with each other, shoes-wise?
We haven’t done that for a very long time. Last year that changed when the Air Max BW Rotterdam tribute came out. David then made sure that I didn’t have to queue at Woei for 12 hours or pay double for it via Goat if StockX. David has been good friends with Woei for a long time and fixed a pair in my size! Thnx David!
Did you ever regret wearing a special pair of Air Max to a rave?
For sure! Mysteryland 1997. Back than it was strictly a hardcore festival and I was wearing my new Persians and a double-sided Aussie. I think it was the wettest festival I’ve ever experienced and I was covered in mud up to my hips. Destroyed my whole outfit.
Anything coming up on your label Oracle Bones in the near future?
I am currently working very hard on my full length album. It will be released on vinyl and digital sometime this year. I’m already very excited about it. I have never made something that is so close to me on all fronts and at the same time mega diverse. I really can’t wait to share it. It is literally a reflection of who I am expressed in sound. It feels very liberating to be able to do that. Out of the box, my aim is to create something that doesn’t exist yet, yet is inspired by everything I’ve ever heard. Call it a life’s work.
So, tell us about your Secret Weapon.
Very lame to grab a track of my own, isn’t it? And yet I do it. I hope to get some extra views this way. All in for the money!…… I am joking of course! I chose A Weapon because, well, the name says it all… it’s a weapon.
In the years before I released the track there was an older version on 1 of the usb sticks that I took to club gigs. I often build tracks on the days before i have gigs that i use in my sets as a weapon. This is one of them.
The track starts very boring with a 4×4 drum kick and an acid bassline… this goes on for a few minutes but after the break the drums drop both 4×4 and 3/4 at the same time… this puts you on the wrong foot until the hats come in again. I really like the effect when people get lost in sound for a while. I also really like it in DJ sets when unexpected things happen…
Check out JEANS’ full playlist here.