The release of our book ‘Paradigm 12,5 jaar’ is getting closer! In the book you’ll find the story behind Paradigm, its history of origin. But also fun in-depth articles and interviews with Speedy J, Joris Voorn, Stranger, Laura BCR, other artists, visitors and employees. Additionally, we’ve selected the most captivating photos from our journey and included the finest artwork as well. Limited copies will be available for purchase at our 12,5 years anniversary weekender and through pre-sale on our website. Please note that the book is in Dutch! Click here to order yours!

One of the most beautiful spots on our festival grounds is the Treehouse on the Forest stage. In collaboration with Trees for All, a collective that plants trees worldwide to improve the climate, we have devised an exciting activity for this year: the Treehouse space will now be accessible to Paradigm Festival attendees. There will only be a limited number of spots available. It is important to note that a Treehouse ticket does not grant admission to the event itself; therefore, these tickets are only for event ticket holders. All Paradigm Festival ticket holders will receive an email with a special link to the ticket section this week. The proceeds will support Trees for All. By obtaining a ticket, you not only guarantee yourself a great view but also contribute to this important cause.

You might be curious about the origin of the Treehouse. Last year, the Treehouse, a 13-meter high structure, was constructed in an old poplar tree above the DJ booth of the Forest stage. OneTwoTreehouse built the Treehouse in a non-invasive manner, ensuring no harm to the tree. Although the anchors supporting the hut do cause some minimal damage to the tree, trees have mechanisms to cope with this type of injury. According to Stella, the creator of the Treehouse, it is akin to a broken branch: the resulting cavity partially interrupts the sap flow, but the tree immediately begins to heal the wound by selectively storing resins and oils to seal it. Over time, the tree will develop reaction wood around the affected area, making it stronger and eventually incorporating the anchor as it grows. Thanks to their significant energy reserves, trees can easily handle such situations. The difference between an anchor injury and a branch break lies in the way the cut is made. Stella and her colleagues skillfully carved the tree so that the placement of the anchor promptly closed off the incision. Consequently, virtually no insects or fungal spores could enter, which is typically a concern when an opening is created from a broken branch.

When you purchase a ticket, it can be exchanged for a wristband on the day of the event, which grants you access to the Treehouse. These wristbands are provided by Plantjebandje. Plantjebandje ensures that events and festivals become more sustainable. The wristbands are made from hemp and embedded with flower seeds. This way, guests receive something extra beautiful after the event. Traditional wristbands are usually made of polyester and plastic, which are environmentally unfriendly. In contrast, the wristbands provided by Plantjebandje are designed to naturally break down and disintegrate in the soil after use. You can plant it in your garden or in a flower pot on your balcony. 

Paradigm and sustainability in general:

• We no longer use plastic coins and disposable cups. Instead, we have implemented a deposit cup system and a ‘pin only’ payment system at the bars.
• We have become a member of the Green Deal Circular Festivals group. Green Deal Circular Festivals (GDCF) is a collaboration between festival organizations, the Dutch government and the European Union. All parties are working together to create fully circular festivals by 2025.
• We have established various educational programs centered around our vegetable garden and the shared workshop, in collaboration with organizations such as special needs education and the communal workshop.
• Volunteers continually plant new greenery on the premises, often in partnership with artists.
• A fixed power network, powered by battery generators instead of traditional and polluting diesel generators, has been installed on-site.
• Sustainable innovations are regularly tested during the festival through collaborations with organizations like Innofest.
• All food stands exclusively offer vegetarian and vegan options.
• Stages, buildings, art, and decorations are created using as much second-hand (waste) material as possible.
• Paradigm is a co-founder of GROENN//, a collective and consultancy for sustainable events.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, three volunteers from the Fair Future Generators conducted an ecological assessment of the Paradigm grounds.

Teddy’s Last Ride performing times at Planet Paradigm:
14:00 14:15 Locker scene Arno
14:45 15:00 Wooden constructions between dome and sun
15:25 15:45 Wooden constructions between dome and sun
20:15 20:30 Valhalla
21:00 21:20 Valhalla
21:45 22:00 Valhalla
22:15 22:30 Valhalla
22:45 23:00 Valhalla

Planet Paradigm is so close we can almost taste it. In light of this, we want to unveil a collab with Teddy’s Last Ride. Find out more who they are, where they come from and what our collective plans look like for Planet Paradigm, Paradigm Festival and beyond.

What does the future hold for you?

Initial exploration of ideas started in April with A Paradigm of Excellence and will continue throughout the program with a highlighting performance during Paradigm Festival.

In December, we will take Goodbye_porn to Grand Theatre and we’ll have a big opener on 21st and 22nd of December. You’re all invited to follow our journey by following us on Instagram and checking our website. We truly hope this is only the first year of collaborating with Paradigm since there is so much potential and so much to discover and explore. Our dream would be to come back to Paradigm next season with a bigger team of performers who can reach out to more visitors at the same time.

Lastly, can you share some insight into the idea of night life as a new theatre space?

What we love about performing at Paradigm is how close we can get to our audience, how intimate and vulnerable we feel with them when we are all dancing in the same space, on the same beat. Somehow the techno nightlife offers a very sparkling yet accessible stage for us, where theatre and performing arts are not an exclusive activity for the privileged few, but a pop experience for many. We strive to mix and combine the nightlife and the theatre world more than ever in our work. We aim to get closer to our audience and build a sense of community, belonging and care for each other. We believe this is something our generation desperately needs. See you on the dance floor, raving children!

For a period of six months Richard Bolhuis was artist in residence at Paradigm. During his project Wildgroei he made ink drawings under the Paradigm dome. Asphalt made way for earth and several trees and wild flowers were planted in circles around the Dome.

Thanks to Groencentrum Ilex for donating a Ginkgo biloba tree.
Supported by Mondriaan Fund and Kunstraad Groningen.
Check out https://richardbolhuis.com/ for more awesome projects.

We were able to share the SUN stage with you for the first time during Planet Paradigm, which resulted in all kinds of beautiful scenes.

Sunlight is a primal source of energy, life and love. Even when our planet is obscured by clouds, her radiance still finds its way to us.

The sun is colourless by itself but we’re able to see different shades of yellow, orange or red depending on specific variables. This is our philosophy behind the SUN stage, which changes colour, image and perception whenever you look at it from a different angle.

The openness of the design creates a certain interwoven tapestry of DJs, audience and environment. Everything is intertwined and perfectly balanced.

“The bright light and colorful streams of rainbow light will lift your spirits.”

❤️Special thanks to:
Van Anh
Studio Isotoop
Menna+
Jorick.tv
Angelina Nikolaevalina

In response to our upcoming ten year anniversary, we sat down with Paradigm’s three owners to talk about their ongoing journey. They opened up about some of the highlights, the low points, struggles and ambitions they’ve experienced throughout the past ten years. We take a look at Paradigm’s history and their vision for its future. Read all about it as a prelude to coming Saturday.

Ten years of Paradigm. How does that feel?
Paul: It doesn’t really feel like ten years as we’ve been at a standstill for two of them. That’s certainly how I feel. There weren’t really ten Paradigm years to speak of because of the Corona pandemic, more like 8,5. But we still started out ten years ago and that definitely feels like a lifetime ago!

About that starting point, the first club night at the Helsinkistraat. What’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Tom: Sweatiness and stickiness!
Piter: It was also cold, especially the Glazen Loods.
Paul: “Raw” is the first thing that comes to mind. What a raw club that was!
Piter: I remember that it was actually freezing during our first club event with Kollektiv Turmstrasse…
Paul: … Oh yeah! We placed a couple of petroleum heaters in the club to counter the cold. The night started out with everyone gathered around them. This problem didn’t persist when the dance floor filled up with a sizeable crowd and the cold made way for a comfortable warmth.

How did you guys prepare for the event?
Paul: We were awake for about three days straight to finish all of the preparations in time, with literal minutes to spare. It was such a make-do event. We honestly just made it up as we went along. We didn’t have any experience building a club in an old factory, you know?!
Tom: For me as a visitor, it was obvious that something special was happening there. There wasn’t anything like this in Groningen or in the whole northern Netherlands, really. It might’ve been a bit improvised but it was absolutely perfect from start to finish.
Piter: We immediately sold out and we received so many positive reactions. Bizarre.
Paul: It was the event we decided that it had to become an actual club. We signed a lease for the building and we started to invest in this space. How we were going to organize the program technically was still ways away, we just wanted to get started. The first party was a separate event, since we didn’t have a night time permit yet. We were forced to organize it during the day. Then Berlin came to mind with its Sunday events that were happening all over the city. We thought, why shouldn’t we follow suit? Which we did and that’s the origin story of our beloved Sunday Afternoon Collective.
Piter: At some point we conferred and agreed that we should get an official club permit because of all the awesome reactions and our own desire to organize events at night as well. That’s when we requested a meeting at the municipality. They permitted us to keep at it whilst we had to make some mandatory changes and adjustments to the building to meet the standard they set. This all came together when we finally got fully licensed by the end of 2012.

Your feelings the day after?
Paul: We felt so euphoric! I simply couldn’t stop thinking about it. We were all standing on top of the DJ booth when the closing track was playing. Paraformers included, even though they didn’t officially exist as of that moment. It all just came together organically.

What do you remember about that first period at the Helsinkistraat?
Paul: Mainly the afters. They took place after every event, upstairs in our offices.
Piter: The togetherness. But also the whole process of learning on the job, if you will. Not necessarily knowing what we were doing. For example, we had to write a report, assessing the strength of the tower connected to the building. We had to weld stuff left and right. We also had to install sinks for people to wash their hands, as stated in the permit. We had to work through several nights whilst supported by friends and volunteers to finish everything in time for the event. That was really special. We did it all ourselves…
… the events had such a raw and underground feeling. I remember having a couple friends over. They were searching for a way inside, being drawn by the heavy bass sounds coming from the premises. They simply couldn’t find the entrance. It took someone to go outside for them to finally find their way inside. Just really vague stuff, you know.
Paul: We did that on purpose! It was almost impossible to find the entrance. You had to make an effort to get inside.
Piter: Exactly! I loved things like that.
Paul: When you did find the entrance, you would enter something resembling a sluice. It was a corridor that was pitch black filled with pounding beats. Whenever you went past the doorman, it was like you just travelled ten floors down and ended up in a disheveled and grimy basement. It was such a particular effect, it didn’t really get more underground than that. An illusory experience. Together with one of our artists, we’re going to recreate this experience for our Future Club. Entering the club will be transformative. That’s going to be dope!
Tom: I still have a picture up in my bathroom originating from NYE 2011. I was playing as 380Volt and I was also puzzled about where to enter. The volume level went through the roof as well. I will never forget that.
Paul: Initially, when we arranged the sound system for that particular event, we noticed we underestimated the sound levels needed to match the space. So I panic-bought three times as much gear. Massive speaker towers were erected and the sound made the building shake to its foundations, which was insane! Then these guys from Ellendeling started to play pitched-down hardcore tracks at 115 BPM. They completely floored the whole crowd…. …it all was such a playful gathering. No direction at all. Everyone just fell into place and it still is one of my favourite memories.
Tom: Look, this is the picture I’m talking about. You can read it off people’s faces that it was incredibly loud in there.

Piter: One of the things I remember most about that event in 2011 was that it was our first NYE foray. This concluded in us getting a permit to host that particular event at the very last moment on the 31st of December at 5PM in the afternoon.
Paul: Pfoh, that was stressful.
Piter: The municipality didn’t know what to do with it. We already sold a lot of tickets at that point, close to 1500. Then they got wind of it and a permit process was quickly set up because we said: “We simply can’t go back now.” The event itself turned out to be an absolute banger.
Paul: Financially, however, it turned out to be a big loss. It was a very expensive production whilst people showed up late and hardly drank anything.

The finance side wasn’t all that easy then, was it?
Paul: No, it wasn’t, especially the first years
Piter: We turned a small profit in 2011 but it only cost us money from 2012 until 2017.
Paul: We had to invest a lot of financial resources. We obviously had artists for every event and we also couldn’t open our doors as much as we wanted, even though we settled at the Helsinkistraat as our semi-permanent home.
Piter: We were also very inexperienced. It cost us a lot of money just to learn the basics of running a club!
Paul: We’ve given so much away as well. At the time, we would open up the bar at the end of an event for everyone that stuck around. For all of our friends, which would normally consist of half the crowd, really. That’s how those afters started.
Piter: We didn’t have any other options. Well, you always have options but that was just the nature of the work we did, which was incredibly fun. That’s how I used to think and that’s still the case. It led to numerous sleepless nights. But I always had faith that it would all come together in the end.
Tom: Yeah, an intrinsic drive was always there. It was tangible.
Paul: We really felt like we struck gold with this concept but we also lost a lot of money chasing this dream. This sometimes resulted in conflict with our suppliers, which wasn’t ideal to say the least. But they understood our vision, which was an ongoing process whilst striving for success. We just needed time to set it all up. That’s how we basically pulled through year after year. Our goal was to keep everyone happy, but that was a tough challenge with hardly any finances. It was a matter of dividing our financial resources left and right to keep going, sometimes going week by week. As this went on, some years were harder than others but in the end we all knew we had a recipe for success. We thought that if we kept going, we could include more people, streamline our processes and create a healthy growth for Paradigm. It really took a turn for the best after two years of settling ourselves at the Suikerunie terrain…
… those 5 years of investing plus moving our home towards the Suikerunie terrain almost did a number on us. However, this move enabled us to truly do things our way, which was sorely needed!

The move from the Helsinkistraat to the Suikerunie terrain has saved Paradigm’s existence, then?
Paul: Oh for sure. The tension surrounding the whole thing was tangible. Everyone missed the Helsinkistraat, including ourselves. Nobody really wanted to leave but we knew we had to. The costs were becoming almost insurmountable through our landlord constantly increasing our rent. Combine this with the limited capacity the building had and we were basically forced to move out. However, this also signaled the fresh start we were aiming for.
Tom: I already caught some wind of the fact that Paradigm had to move out of the Helsinkistraat when I started supporting Hessel with the programming back in 2014.
Piter: Yeah, we were quite early with regards to brainstorming new ideas for a new location. We were talking about new concepts, how we would arrange everything in Het Zeefgebouw, the frequency of our events as well as down-scaling our organization. We wanted to create a little breathing room for ourselves to increase our ability to face future challenges. That’s why it was so great to experience our first intimate get-together in Het Zeefgebouw, spearheaded by Steve O’Sullivan and Awanto3, which sold out pretty much right away. That gave us a lot of confidence. So much so that we felt ready for bigger productions… and because I knew in advance that we would have to make this move one day. It gave me a chance to properly prepare myself mentally.
Tom: Yeah, you handled the whole thing the best out of everyone, I believe.
Piter: I think so too. It felt like the right call to make, so the desire to do so gripped me very quick.
Paul: That’s right, we were in need of a refresh as an organization: re-evaluate our organizational structure, increasing our control regarding our situation and a heavier focus on sustainable themes. These are the things that we believed would come to fruition whenever we’d find our own place. Both Piter and I also became dads right around that time, which caused a perspective shift in some ways. It was a bit touch-and-go with our first festival as we still were getting to know our terrain and what we could accomplish here. Same goes for Het Zeefgebouw. We had to build and complete different stages from scratch. Our funds were also depleting since we just moved, including the debts we built up over the years. So yeah, that first period after we moved was particularly challenging.
Piter: Agreed, especially the end of 2016 and the first few months of 2017 were tough to work with. We came really close to bankruptcy but we were able to pull through because of the undying support we received from everyone. That’s how we were able to keep going!
Paul: Exactly. Numerous rumours circulated about the health of our organization and people were wondering if we would make it. Despite this, we knew that if we were able to keep going for a little while longer, we would switch from trying to survive to slowly thrive under the circumstances. Our terrain took more and better shape with time, which laid the foundation for great productions and the ability to start cleaning up our debts.
Tom: It was an arduous time, indeed. But everyone knew this: Paradigm has the sickest Festival Terrain in the Netherlands. Our agency regarding our own situation started to increase more and more.
Paul: When we announced that Richie Hawtin would attend Paradigm Festival 2017, our ticket sales skyrocketed. This allowed us to settle with a lot of creditors and shift most of our focus towards our future.

What are some of your proudest moments of the past 10 years?
For me it’s how similar our current terrain and the overall vibe is compared to the situation at the Helsinkistraat. I really feared we wouldn’t reach that level ever again. It’s the way the areas in Het Zeefgebouw are structured. The sweaty Basement area, for instance, feels like a colossal bunker whilst retaining a sense of organic intimacy at the same time.
Paul: The family feeling of our organization and everyone that’s closely connected. It’s a really tight knit and creative community. We create the most incredible shit. We book awesome artists. We host some of the most amazing events. This all comes straight from our hearts with lots of passion, love for everything, for our visitors, for the art and for the scene. The vibe we establish together with our team, our volunteers, suppliers and our visitors; that’s something I’m incredibly proud of.
Tom: So many great things spawn from this foundation. There are so many of us here that feel at home, who experience personal development and growth. It also means a great deal that we found our own home turf. That we’re able to do what we love, harmoniously and on our own terms.
Piter: I’m so, so proud that we’ve been able to keep going for ten years straight, which is a great accomplishment with regards to the challenges we faced doing this.

Paradigm is an established name. From small and intimate parties to mega productions. Which events are the most memorable?
Paul: You’re only as good as the last event you hosted. I feel this all the time. The first time Guy J on NYD: legendary. The first all nighter by Speedy J: legendary. Speedy J all night long in the Basement of Het Zeefgebouw three years ago: legendary. The first Paradigm Festival on a Sunday: legendary. Our first NYE: legendary. The most recent NYE with it’s deco, which was incredibly well organized down to the last detail: legendary. The most recent Paradigm Festival, which felt really complete: legendary. Planet Paradigm in our Forest with Zip among others: legendary. Our collab with ZeeZout and that enormous LED ring at the main stage: legendary. It’s always a challenge and a joy to keep raising the bar. Every event you host should be your best. We strive to reach that goal each time. One that really sticks out is the handwritten letter that Piter sent to Richie Hawtin which convinced him to come and play at Paradigm Festival. Or the time Speedy J said to Tom that Paradigm is the only place where he feels safe to postponing the first drop as much as he does sometimes. Those are the moments that stay with you.
Tom: Don’t forget the fact that we hardly compromised on who we are. I’m filled with pride thinking about that, too!

Tom, you became co-owner in 2018. What has been your experience since then?
Tom: I realized earlier in this conversation that I played my music for the first time at Paradigm in 2011. If you would’ve asked me then: would you like to take charge together with Paul and Piter? I would’ve simply said: tell me where to sign! Because, by then, I was already completely sold. I’m especially thankful to Hessel, who unequivocally put his faith in me in assisting him as a booker. Not to mention Paul and Piter who gave me this chance. I’m unable to do anything else anymore. This is my life. My trade and my business. It’s also personal. All of it is such a thrill! I still remember that Paul and Piter gave me 24 hours to make a decision and me calling them back within the hour to accept! The Paradigm feeling has settled within me and that’s never going to go away.

That Paradigm feeling, what does that mean?
Piter: It’s hard to put into words what it means exactly, you’d really have to come here to experience it. Visit the dance floor, talk to the people. Paradigm stands for freedom and respect towards one another.
Tom: I would say commitment, purity.
Paul: Love for everything and everyone around us.
Piter: When people come over for the first time, they’re usually a little overwhelmed with all the facets Paradigm has to offer. The extraordinary location, the deco, the vibe. But, in the end, they usually feel right at home real quick. They can be themselves and that puts most people at ease immediately. It’s a great feeling. You can find this energy all over the terrain.
Tom: This feeling also extends towards the numerous artists who played here over the years. They feel at home and like to stick around. Most often you can find them talking to various people whenever they come over.
Paul: I would like to reiterate that I’m so incredibly happy with our terrain and the way it looks right now! The way we collectively shape it. We’ve all got our own expertise with our own perspectives, which contribute to the development of all our stages and different areas. It’s the way this collab is going with regards to the terrain and everyone’s influence in its development. It makes us think about what it would look like after eight years?! Whenever I show anyone around I always say: nothing you see is final. Everything is in a constant state of development. It just keeps getting better!

Does Paradigm have a final shape or form?
Tom: I don’t think so. I always like what Piter says about it: “Paradigm is much bigger than we are. If Paradigm stays true to form, it will have a life way after we’re done with it.” We have a responsibility to keep Paradigm on track this way and that people stay involved.
Piter: We are representatives of the brand that Paradigm is. We’ve conjured it up and created it. But it’s something that belongs to everyone and it will stay alive because of everyone’s contribution to it. Especially those of us who put so much time and effort in Paradigm. This is our lifeline.
Tom: I was talking to a group of people last weekend (Intimate Forest Session #1). I asked them if they’ve been here before. They mentioned: “We were here for the first time last year, but we weren’t allowed to enter before.” That’s when I realized that these boys and girls were 9 years of age when Paradigm was founded. The involvement of the younger generation has always been seamless and is truly one of the main reasons we can keep going.

What else would you guys like to accomplish on this terrain?
Piter: We want to completely cover and close up some of our festival stages and make all of it ready to go for our events.
Paul: And, when our lease agreement comes to an end here, we want to set it all up in such a way that it can still be used in another shape or form by the next generation who’ll make this terrain their own. Maybe we can keep growing with our festival, who knows. Paradigm has become such a large brand that it’s impossible to make all of these decisions ourselves. We only try to guide it all in the way we think is best. Our successors will also be able to influence the direction of Paradigm.
Tom: We’re keeping an open mind and attitude with regards to changes and innovations. This is something that’s going to remain this way. We’re here right now, showing leadership and sharing a vision but that doesn’t mean great ideas and innovations may cross our path and we want to embrace this too. To respond adequately. For example, the realization that it’s important to take our environment into account when hosting our events is such a large part of Paradigm today. We’ve shown this more recently but it wasn’t that important to us when we first started.

Anything you’d like to add?
Paul: The world has “hardened” somewhat during the Corona-crisis. There’s more polarization than ever. That’s why I would like to give this message to anyone who reads this: stay true to yourself, don’t stray from your path in life and try not to get riled up by whatever forces that are at play. Let’s try and stay together as much as we can.

We all held our collective breath when we saw fires spreading all around camp Moria on Lesbos (Greece) this week. Thousands of people on the run for war and violence, only to become homeless again in the middle no nowhere without access to any basic necessities.

Almost 50% of the affected people are children who sleep unprotected under the night sky. The nights are cooling down rapidly as winter approaches. We have to act swift and quick as the chaos grows. 

We’re going to collect sleeping bags for Because we Carry. You can use a sleeping bag to simply sit on during the day, wrap it around yourself when it gets cold, it’s soft and clean to change your baby’s diaper and mostly to keep warm at night. At this very moment, 13.000 people sleep in the streets of Lesbos.

SO!
Hereby an appeal to all you lovely people. So much is necessary and we’re looking to do our part. Paradigm is going to be the collection hub for Groningen! We’re looking for quality sleeping bags, preferably thermo bags with an integrated hood if possible. Rolled up and secured with a sturdy rope or something similar, that’s it. No slip-cover or plastic bags around it. The need is high but we’re confident that we’re going to meet it!

HOW?
You can reach the terrain by car, bicycle or by walking there on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to give your sleeping bag(s). Check out the ground plan below.

Opening hours for collection: 10AM – 8PM.

Address Paradigm: Suikerlaan 2, Groningen (take the second exit on the right at the roundabout).
Address Middelberterweg: Middelberterweg 22, 9723 EV Groningen

FOR MORE QUESTIONS
Please call: 0651588349

Park your car directly on the right of the main stage and deposit your sleeping bag(s) at the Romney Loods. All deposits will be transported to Amsterdam on Thursday. Because we Carry will collect all of it on a plane that’s due to Lesbos on Monday September 21.

IMPORTANT
Don’t have a sleeping bag but still want to make a difference?

Click here to donate and we’ll purchase a sleeping bag in your name! If the link doesn’t work, you can deposit a donation on the account number below:

Paradigm
NL46INGB0006676284, indicating: Paradigm for Moria

Ground plan:

Inland provides you with some boredom-breakers in these quarantine times, including an otherworldly mix recorded at Paradigm in February and a new Davenport-household recipe: Pumpkin and Tofu Curry with Peanut-Coconut Sauce!

Hi Ed, we hope you and yours are safe and doing well.
I’m good, hope you’re good as well!

What are your days like in these quarantine times?
It’s been a strange mixture of worrying and relaxing, frustrating and productive moments! But to be honest we have been trying to enjoy the bonus family time – me, my fiancee and our daughter are a very tight unit at this point and we super grateful for that! 

I share a studio space with my long time buddy and techno wizard Patrik Skoog here in Berlin and, so long as the rules regarding leaving the house and going to work remain the same in Berlin (we are allowed too – I ride my bike) we have been lucky enough to continue using the studio. So we take it in turns each day to go in and work. I’ve been making a lot of new high-energy techno tracks, and also working on a bunch of new releases on Counterchange that will get released this year.

Your set has been in the forefront of our minds for months. How did you experience the night?
Ah, it was such a great night! The downstairs floor at Paradigm is such a perfect setting for a rave, with the DJ-booth surrounded by the crowd from all sides, and everything was primed for a great experience, from the insane sound to the top-notch staff and the open-minded, up-for-it ravers. I had played in London the night before at FOLD as part of the ’Stream State’ tour, celebrating the release of a 4 x 12’’ compilation and DJ mix on Counterchange, so I was pumped and excited to get out there and really show off all the contrasting styles of Techno that I like to play. Nuno Dos Santos banged it after my set too – legendary night!

Can you take us through your set?
I opened my set  with a few tracks from ‘Stream State’, which I edited out from the beginning of the recording as you should really go and listen the whole thing! Then I went into a rolling section of new and old releases, just stuff I felt like would work in the room,  from the likes of P.Lopez, Headroom, Hector Oaks (an early deeper track of his), and then reached an early peak with Magna Pia’s stunning ‘Narcissist’ – that got the crowd ready for some heavier cuts as I pushed up the tempo and reached into my ‘vinyl rips’ folder to drop a couple of classic 90s Techno slammers. The 2 hrs flew by and I had a big smile on my face for most the set. Mixing in the booth was a breeze, which as most DJ’s will tell you is not at all common in a room as big as that, so I was super happy with the outcome!

Besides your set, is there something else you would like to share with us?
Indeed. We love cooking over here, so here’s a new Davenport household favourite meal we invented over the last few weeks, give it a try: Pumpkin and Tofu Curry with Peanut-Coconut Sauce.

For the Pumpkin and Tofu:

• 1 Hokaido Pumpkin
• 1 pack of  firm Tofu
• A generous handful of Sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil (Rapeseed Oil)
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder

Pinch of Salt:

Peel and slice the Pumpkin into 1inch cubes, cut the tofu into small cubes and toss in a large bowl with the Oils, soy sauce, curry powder and sesame seeds till they are all coated. Pre-heat your oven to 200 C and when its ready bake the Pumpkin and Tofu on a baking tray (with grease-proof paper) for 20 minutes, or until golden and the pumpkin is cooked through. Meanwhile make the sauce.

For the Sauce:

• 1 White Onion
• Garlic
• Ginger
• 3 tablespoons of pure Peanut Butter (100% peanut, no added sugar!)
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
• 1 can of Coconut Milk
• 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Dash of Soy Sauce
• Dash of Maple Sirup
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Finely dice the onion, garlic and ginger and fry in the coconut oil in a pot until golden brown and soft throughout. Add the Curry Powder and stir it through to release the flavours. Add the coconut milk, stir in the peanut butter, and add the other sauces to taste. Stir it till it’s smooth and allow the sauce to reduce slightly till it thickens a bit. If you need to you can add water at any time in case it gets too thick.

Cook some nice jasmine rice and serve everything in a big bowl topped with lots of chopped coriander, smashed peanuts, lime juice and a big spoonful of Sambal Oelek. Lekker! 🙂

Visionary duo Ghost in the Machine is coming our way next week! We asked them a couple of questions recently and they laid themselves bare. Read all about it below!

Hey Nils and Frank! You first came to Paradigm at the festival back in 2017. What do you remember about that time?

Nils: What I mostly remember was the overall vibe and atmosphere and a very enthusiastic crowd!
Frank: Very different from other festivals, that’s for sure!

The crowd thought so too, seeing as we received numerous compliments about your set! How would you classify your sound?

Frank: We started out playing old school and acid sets. Acid was always a large part of the philosophy behind our work, at least for our first 10+ years as Ghost in the Machine. Nils insisted that we should start producing at some point. The subsequent sound we ended up creating turned out to be part acid (a solid sound with a lot of energy), but also very much techno (deep, hard and not too cheerful).
Nils: Indeed, our sound definitely evolved in the direction of techno over time.

And what do you find important to convey during your performances?
Frank: You can find that constant flow in our sets that is natural for techno, but there’s a lot more going on with us because we’ve often got four decks active all at once.
Nils: Agreed. I also feel like all of our sets contain some type of storytelling.
Frank: Yes. It seems to me that some artists click on the first track they see on the screen. Or just grab the first record they spot in their record case.
Nils: That’s one of the things we’re watch out for. Making sure our story stays coherent and consistent.

How do you make it work? Do you each have a specific role and what do you appreciate in each other when it comes to input during your sets?
Frank: I’ve basically got a clock in my brain and I closely guard our process.
Nils: We check each other’s cues and anticipate accordingly or quickly consult with each other. I do indeed really appreciate Franks feel for timing and the ability to keep track of everything. I also really appreciate our communication and flow during a set, which is practically effortless in my opinion. We’re hardly ever out of sync, which is great when standing behind the decks or working in the studio.
Frank: I actually own a watch, one of those with atomic clock synchronization and precision. So, whenever a stage manager tells me we only have five minutes left, I can retort by showing we have six and a half. You can do a lot in 90 seconds!

What does this look like in the studio?

Frank: Fortunately, Nils likes writing out track arrangements. I can do it, but Nils is way more proficient in that department.
Nils: Frank is very efficient. He’s able to completely focus on something, for instance a single part or element in one of our tracks. While he’s busy working on a short loop, I can already envision how I will create transitions or introduce additional sounds when arranging the loop into a track. And yes, I love doing the arrangement and creating a story. We feel it’s important to physically work together in the studio. This greatly benefits our creativity and speeds up the entire process. I can’t think of a single session where we had to call it quits because ‘it didn’t quite work out that day’. We always managed to create at least something useful we could and would want to continue working on, no matter how short or small. We do get stuck from time to time when we’re working on projects without each other.

Can you tell us something about the studio projects you’re currently working on?

Nils: We’re always working on new material for Perc Trax and our own label. We’ve also done two remixes for two amazing artists recently.
Frank: One of them is for Paula Temple, and should be out next month. The other one we can’t really talk about yet, but we’re very excited about it. We try to release around three records per year. After all, we want to play a lot of our own tracks during our sets!

How do you implement your tracks in your sets and how do you keep a balance between your own and other music? Which other artists do you like?
Frank: The idea is to use tracks from other artists to strengthen and complement our own music. This balance usually ends up being three or four tracks by others for every one of our own.
Nils: Off the top of my head: Perc, Ansome, Randomer, Scalameriya, KRTM, I Hate Models and stranger are artists we play a lot and draw inspiration from.
Frank: We also play a lot of stuff by JoeFarr, Dahryl and Ike Dusk. These are all producers we love.
Nils: We also don’t shy away from older tracks that inspired us back in the day. This results in a balance in our sets where we play a bunch of stuff we love right now and those inspirational tracks from way back when.
Frank: We stated in a past interview that we would play “Snake Eyes” by Ansome in every set. We do.

Why do you create music? Where are you going with your productions?
Frank: There isn’t much of a philosophy besides the storytelling and having fun in the studio. Essentially, I just like working together with Nils. I’d rather work on something together than going it alone.
Nils: Same here. Also, it’s hard to predict anything resulting from us working together. I think it’s an interesting quality that keeps things fresh. I mean, we thought we were going to make 150 BPM acid for a while, and we were wrong.
Frank: And I also really love making things sound enormous. That really gives me a head rush!

What does your cooperation with Perc mean to you?
Frank: Working together with Perc means so, so much for us. We lost interest in techno when it made a shift from energetic, tough and dark sounds towards minimal. However, many years later, we accidentally encountered several great techno tracks, one after the other. Positively speaking, we started to wonder who had approved pressing this insane noise on vinyl. This almost always turned out to be Perc. Take his track “Hyperlink” for example. It’s not really techno, but if someone like Perc releases it on a renowned techno label and plays it in techno sets, it ends up becoming techno! We’ve created a similarly odd track for Perc Trax recently. He’s really the only one who could actually release a track like this.

Thank you for your time! Anything you want to add?
Frank: Well, we’re very much looking forward to play at an indoor Paradigm event! We’ve experienced it from the sidelines a couple of times, which left us hungry.
Nils: The Paradigm Festival was a great first time and we can’t wait to get together again!

NYE is almost upon us and we’re eager to show you how we dressed up the place! We specifically had a quick chat with the visionary creator of our mainstage: Jeroen. Read and find out about why this project is so special!

Hey Jeroen! Can you tell us something about yourself and Konvooi Exceptioneel?
We are Konvooi Exceptioneel and we provide various rental services, such as stages, bars and tents with a creative twist for events. Check out www.konvooi.com for more information about who we are and what we do.

And you had an amazing idea, right? Can you share that with us?
Some time ago, I got the wish from Paradigm to dress up NYE for a certain amount of money. Then an idea started to take root. It was to donate the funds to charity, specifically for (children) refugees out of Lesbos. The project’s name is “Keep Dreaming” and, together with our schoolchildren, they create “dream blankets” for the children in the refugee camps. They have a facebook page and a website http://www.projectkeepdreaming.nl/project-keep-dreaming for more information. 

What are you guys creating for NYE? 
We’re building several large constructs with a group of about 15 people. Lots of friends also signed up to help for this charity purpose, together with numerous others from unexpected places. We can’t wait to show it!