@isotoop

bookings: michiel@impresariaat.com

Tactics&Practice [podcast] is an audio extension of Aksioma’s discursive programme of the same name, focused on investigative art, society and new technologies.

Aksioma – Institute for Contemporary Art, Ljubljana is a private, non-profit cultural organisation that produces, presents and disseminates art projects as well as exhibition, discursive and educational programmes with the aim of critically understanding the structures of contemporary society and the role that new technologies play in shaping the way we perceive it.

Creative Coding Utrecht - co-founder and creative director

Mike Kivits isn’t your average DJ/producer. A veteran of some 30 years behind the turntables, the man best known as Aardvarck has spent three decades defying conventions, mixing things up and successfully overcoming personal demons. His story, soon to be published in an autobiography offering advice to those battling depression, is nothing less than extraordinary.

Now based in the Asian paradise of Bali, Kivits continues to divide his time between DJing and music making. Outside his native Netherlands it’s the latter he’s best known for, having built up a bulging discography over the last two decades. While lesser producers would focus on one or two key styles, Kivits has released everything from floor-filling house and techno to broken beat, jazz, jungle, ambient and electronica. Given his now legendary status in Holland, it’s unsurprising that he’s recorded for many of the country’s most acclaimed labels, including Delsin, Djax-Up Beats, Rush Hour, Kindred Spirits, Music For Speakers (an imprint he had a hand in founding), and Voyage Direct. Soon, he’ll also be appearing on Dekmantel, another Dutch imprint that has been wowing critics in recent years, and has an album for Skudge in the pipeline.

It’s DJing, though, that remains Kivits’ greatest passion. “You just give and take them higher,” he enthuses. “It’s fun. I do my best always, and am always happy when I’m DJing.”

He’s been doing this longer than most, of course, and has the scars to prove it. He bagged his first residency in 1985, in his home city of Den Bosch, where he’d join the dots between soul, funk, hip-hop, disco and B-boy electro. As the 1980s progressed he began adding the new sounds of Chicago house and Detroit techno to his repertoire, earning more residencies and a number of regular guest spots at Amsterdam’s legendary Roxy Club, mostly at Joost van Bellen’s infamous Wednesday night parties.

As a musical magpie, Kivits was not content with simply playing the latest house and techno, and spent much of the late ‘90s and early 2000s “avoiding the 4/4 beat”, instead playing a mix of jungle, broken beat, trip-hop and breaks. During that time he extensively travelled the world, playing alongside good friend Steven De Peven with lauded eccentrics Rednose Distrikt.

Since moving to Bali a few years back, Kivits has got his passion back for house and techno. Now, he enjoys playing sets that make connections between contemporary productions and tracks rediscovered in his vast collection of early house and techno. “I love the warm feel and raw energy of early house and techno,” he says. “So many of those records still sound fantastic. It’s great to see the reaction to these records from a new generation of dancers.”

More importantly, he’s now happy. “I spent 20 years battling with depression,” he admits. “I’ve never been happier – I’m better than ever. I’ve lived that life, now I have a new life. I changed my surroundings to help myself, and it worked.”

This newfound happiness is reflected in the quality of his club sets, which have rarely been better. While rooted in 30 years of house and techno, he often finds time to throw in tracks from his other musical passions – a trait that marks out the greatest DJs. “House is about the four to the floor beat, and you can get in and out of that easily if you know music,” he says. “If you keep the energy up, you can play anything.”

Booking: Jorn@voyage-select.com
Management: Christaan@societyfools.com

10.01 ~ garage noord, amsterdam
17.01 ~ tba, basel
12-15.03 ~ mostra, barcelona
05.04 ~ tba, amsterdam
09.05 ~ tba, japan
17.05 ~ endzeit, san francisco
22.05 ~ tba, detroit

booking. mike@berytus.art

Travel just thirty kilometers south from Amsterdam and you’ll find another world where jogging pants are the new cool and people actually feel free to smile when they go out. You have arrived in Utrecht. Call it Little Cornwall if you will, because it was in the South-West corner of England that lads like Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert and Mike Paradinas made their quirky yet emotional electronic music without acting cool as was common practice in the dancemusic scene at the time.
 
It’s exactly this Cornish way of life that appealed to the boys of Utrecht’s dj-collective and recordlabel 030303. Mind you, 030303 are not ashamed of their love for serious IDM and glitch flavoured tunes by contemporary hotshots .But they also enjoy watching the unsure expressions on the faces of their fellow music lovers whilst playing eurotrashy tunes by the likes of Twenty 4 Seven and Quadrophonia in trashy taverns such as Tivoli, Ekko, Melkweg and Kikker.
 
As healthier ways of living came into fashion in the 1980s, acid became more than a mere chemical substance and started to come out of machines as well. Despite their very young age, the 030303 crew became a huge fan of a particular bassline machine made by the Roland corporation and so did other now big names such as Cylob, D’Arcangelo and Ceephax amongst others, all of which come and celebrate the acid bleep at 030303 events around Utrecht and the dandy town of Amsterdam.
 
Being right in the middle of the happening acid-scene, the 030303 crew could not help doing what any other freak would do: they had to start releasing acid-tunes by Braindance veterans as well as by younger musicians. 030303’s chart-toppers range from subtle to bombastic and highly psychedelic, the common denominator always being a very deep bleep.
 
It’s just as fantastic as you’ve just read: 030303 brings a very complete picture that will never be equaled by any other crew. Feel free to rock up at any 030303 event near you but don’t forget to dress up as corny as possible! Aciiiiieeed!!!

info: www.zenovandenbroek.com
booking: info@zenovandenbroek.com

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