Writing this live and direct from the MOB Complex as the first day of Draaimolen Festival is about to kick off. Probably our favourite stage at the festival is the Aura stage which is curated by the long-standing Rotterdam-based label Nous’klaer Audio, founded by Oberman. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Nous’klaer Audio has become a staple for DJs around the world with its eclectic sound which we would say is more driven by emotion and melody rather than a specific style or genre in mind. Releasing records from much-loved locals, the label has put out stand-out releases from the likes of Konduku, Martinou, Oceanic, Tammo Hesselink, Human Space Machine, Mata Disk, comforter2 and more. To tie in with its momentous anniversary, Oberman hosted the first ever Nous’klaer festival in Rotterdam which brought together a whole host of the label affiliates as well as artists who are considered part of the family – it was a real community affair.
Returning to Draaimolen Festival to curate the Aura stage for the third year, we chat to Oberman about what reaching this 10 year milestone means to him, the evolution of the label so far, his approach to label curation, how he works with Draaimolen on the stage curation and how it differs from hosting his own Nous’klaer events.
Hey Sjoerd, thanks for taking the time to do this interview with me! How are you doing? What has your summer been like so far?
Hey Chanel, Thank you for asking me! My summer started a little intense work-wise with our label’s anniversary party in June. Since then I’ve had nice festival gigs and trying to catch up on the label work.
Congratulations on 10 years of Nous’klaer Audio! What a huge milestone for you and the label. What does this milestone mean to you? How does it feel to reach 10 years?
Thank you! It started out as a hobby without a big masterplan and slowly-by-slowly turned into something I spent most of my time on. I feel very lucky that the label is still going strong. Honestly reaching 10 years has given me a lot of motivation to go on a little longer. The big masterplan still doesn’t exist though, haha.
What has the evolution of the label looked like over the years? What has changed since you started?
I find it hard to judge that myself. Because in principle I’m still doing the same things as ten years ago. I try to process demos with an open mind and spend a lot of time wrapping my head around the music and developing that into concepts for a release. The first years were mostly my personal training in mix engineering and mastering, which enabled me to get a deeper sense of the music. In a way that counts for all facets of running a label – I like to be able to do it myself and take the time to learn new skills. This DIY approach has become the core of how I run the label.
There is still a strong focus on discovering new local talents, but what has changed perhaps is that gradually the roster grew from a few close friends to artists around the world. Sound-wise the label changed as well, but since it’s all still music I personally enjoy deeply I don’t see that as a change myself.
Is there a story or feeling you are trying to achieve through the label? What do you hope people take away from it when they’re digging through the catalogue?
I always hope that there is a certain synergy between the different styles of music we release. For example, some releases would probably be appreciated most by techno purists but I hope those listeners will also enjoy some of the indie pop we release – and vice versa.
What is it that draws you to a particular release or artist in order to want to sign them to the label? Is there a particular quality or sound that you are looking for?
To answer questions like these I really feel I lack the vocabulary. Because however cliché this may sound it is all about a feeling and how the music touches me. For recurring artists I also find it important to grasp how the release fits into their existing catalogue and their personal development. I see the label also as a documentation of the progress an artist makes. While some artists might hate their older releases, I think there’s a certain beauty in being able to hear their evolution.
Are there any label goals that you haven’t achieved yet?
For the label to exist another ten years I think it will have to grow in different ways at some point. I basically like all facets of running a label, but I shouldn’t be doing them all myself anymore I feel. My biggest passion lies with the development of an album by an artist, the studio work and the conversations with the artist about their work. Someday I would love to have a space where we can facilitate in-house recording sessions and make the label a physical space for creation.
To celebrate, you hosted your first ever label-focused festival in Rotterdam which was a real representation of everything the label has achieved so far and also what it stands for. Just from what I saw on socials, it looked like such a beautiful community gathering. Where did the idea come from to host your own festival?
Generally I’m quite a risk-averse person so this idea wasn’t mine, haha. It came from a close friend of mine, Ruud Tjepkema. There is this crazy artist, Joep van Lieshout, who runs a museum and workshop close to our homes. Ruud came up with the idea to do a small-scale festival there. I for sure still wanted to celebrate our anniversary in a unique way – so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
What was the experience like on the ground at NOUS’KLAER XYF?
It was absolutely beautiful. The crowd, the artists and the location really became one. People arrived early and felt at home instantly, deep-listening and raving from the get-go. As if it was the third day of a festival weekender – you know what I mean?
It’s also such a unique experience to have almost all artists from the label come together. Seeing everyone help each other with soundchecks and build-ups, giving each other space and time to feel at ease and get the most out of their performances. It truly felt like a family.
Can you see yourself doing more of those large-scale label events in the future?
On the one hand I don’t really have the ambition to make this into a huge recurring event. On the other hand I feel like: why not? Haha. I do feel the urge to do something exciting and special again in our home town. Rotterdam is in need for more events and spaces that focus on artistic quality over commercial gains. So we are currently looking into doing it again next year on June 28. It won’t be super large-scale though. We will try to remain the intimate vibe with a max capacity of around 2000, with around 5 stages.
Other than that I would love to do more label events across Europe.
Speaking of festivals, you’ll be returning to Draaimolen this year to curate the Aura stage again – what is your approach to stage curation? Do you have a specific concept or idea in mind when it comes to selecting artists to play?
What I find most important is the flow of the day. Two days in this case. By having open conversations with Milo about this we create an outline, a framework, that the artists will fill up.
This year we’re aiming for darker, more introspective techno on the first day that will be followed by an open, warm, liberating Saturday morning. From there it can go anywhere.
How does this collaboration with Draaimolen feed into your wider artistic narrative? What does it allow you to do that maybe you haven’t been able to do within your own artistry? How much has the label anniversary informed the stage curation this year?
We really tried to make our hosting at Draaimolen and our own festival two separate things. The anniversary was very much focused on the label artists themselves. With the Draaimolen hosting we take a broader approach and book artists that we feel are kindred spirits. With the label I can only do so many things, for example a maximum of around 12 releases a year, and I like to keep a big part of that reserved for the current roster as well. So Draaimolen is the perfect occasion to look beyond our own artists.
A good example is the live-show of Anthony Linell and Mattheis. I’ve always admired Anthony and his label Northern Electronics, and I feel there is a sonic connection between him and Mattheis fro my label. So we asked them to make a special live-show for our Draaimolen hosting.
What have been some of the biggest joys and challenges you’ve faced curating the 2024 stage?
It’s our third year now and I think we’ve reached a point where Milo and I work very well together. We both accept very direct, strong opinions from each other. It makes us go an extra mile in creating the lineup. This year’s curation went quite smoothly with pieces coming together organically – and I think that counts for more aspects of the Draaimolen production this year. Their beautiful team has always been on point, but this year the festival will even open on time!
You’ll be playing back-to-back with Aaron J for this year’s edition, which I also believe will be the first time you meet. How did this back-to-back idea come about? What are you looking forward to the most about playing with Aaron?
Sometimes I hear music from an artist I don’t know personally and think like “yeah, we could be friends”. That’s very important for me to feel when we make the Draaimolen lineup, and that was definitely the case with Aaron. So I’m very much looking forward to experiencing how this spiritual connection will play out behind the decks.
What do you enjoy the most about going back-to-back with someone? What does it allow you to do that playing solo doesn’t?
The surprise factor, the deep dive into the unknown. You have to feel, solve and create in the moment. You’re suddenly confronted with a different technique of playing, tracks you don’t know,
You have to trust it will be fine and that whatever happens it is going to work. This gives me a real rush. My last two b2b’s at Draaimolen with John Talabot and Nicola Cruz were eye-opening for me. I learned new things in both of them and I’m very thankful for that.
What has the prep looked like so far for this set? Have you been bouncing ideas and tracks off of each other?
Yep exactly that! Firstly we talk about the style and feeling, and then send each other 5-10 tracks.
Are there any other standouts from the Aura stage this year that you feel shouldn’t be missed by the guests?
Cio D’or her comeback performance for sure. It will be her first gig in five years time due to illness. We are very lucky to have her among us still. I’m also thrilled to have Erik Luebs over from Japan for his first live-show ever here in Europe. He’s not so known with a wider audience yet but his tracks are being played all the time by loads of DJs. To me he is the producer equivalent of a DJ’s DJ. I’m also thrilled to have Benny Rodrigues finally playing on one of our label events. He is just such a legend and a very important figure in our local scene and to me personally.
Feels weird to highlight only three artists here though, because I could go on about every single artist we have performing at the Aura stage.
What are you excited about the most for this year’s Draaimolen Festival?
It feels like our collaboration with Draaimolen has reached a certain maturity where the pieces have fallen together beautifully. So I’m excited to enjoy it to the fullest.
you can catch Oberman and his Nous’Klaer stage takeover at draaimolen festival from the 6th – 7th september – buy tickets here.