Worldwide Dance: Nachtschaduw

Maxime, to begin with, please tell us about growing up in Belgium... Would you say this ignited a love of music and nightlife from a young age?

I’ve always been a huge music lover. I’ve always loved going to concerts. But it wasn’t until I was twenty years old that I really started going out. It was mostly small bars and clubs, but then came the festivals which lead me to experience bigger music institutions and warehouse raves. Little did I expect to ever work in the music industry back then. As Belgium has always been famed for its nightlife and electronic dance music heritage, thanks to the EBM and new beat music scene and the non-stop party weekend’s back in the nineties, I mostly went to Belgian clubs. But over the past couple years, I’ve travelled around Europe and beyond to experience some other iconic music institutions. I’m fascinated by the cultural aspect of the nightlife industry. It’s very interesting to see how this culture, which is a global phenomenon, differs from country to country. I’m really proud of our belgian nightlife patrimony, and it’s something I’m honored to represent wherever I go.

You describe yourself as a “marathon raver” who can dance and dance for days without drugs. How do you keep going?

I love raves with an open end. They give you all the time in the world to dance your heart out and to recharge your soul, to connect with the music, to connect with strangers. If I’m not partying, I’m documenting multiple raves per weekend somewhere in Belgium or in another country. I go from one rave to another, sometimes I have to travel in between events. The weekend demands a lot of energy. During the week I have to pay a lot of attention on my sleeping schedule. I need at least seven to nine hours of sleep per night to compensate for the lack of sleep during the weekend. I always go really prepared to the raves with protein bars, banana, dextro energy and a rum-cola once every three hours. Whenever I get a little bit tired they recharge me. I do take little disco naps from time to time. But not too long as they’ll eventually make me feel more tired. I absolutely love documenting marathon parties. They’re hardcore, as I’m there from start to finish, but they fascinate me. Somewhere in the fatigue, I’m forced to think outside of the box and I start portraying the events from a more abstract perspective. The final result is always very intriguing and the visual stories I tell, tend to be way more intense.

When did your photography career in nightlife begin? Who are your favourite photographers and who inspired you to take this path in life?

My career started seven years ago, when a little pub near my university was looking for a stand-in photographer, as their photographer was ill. I had a DLSR camera and no clue how to work with it in a dark environment. I took on the challenge and the photos were absolutely horrible. But for some reason people really liked my work and my career took off. What used to be a Thursday night hobby, has gotten a little bit out of control.

Now I have my own brand called “Nachtschaduw”, I was awarded twice as “Best Belgian Nightlife Photographer” and this year I got third place as “Best Belgian Music Photographer”. I get to travel to so many unique venues and create documentaries of warehouse raves, queer parties and festivals. The past seven years have been a really intense journey, but when I look at it now, It was all worth it. “Nachtschaduw” is my creative outlet and it represents my evolution as an individual constructed out of seven years of heartbreaks, learned life lessons and fascinating nocturnal encounters and memories. I had to give up on a lot of things in order to continue my work in nightlife, but I’m very proud of what I have accomplished with my brand so far and I’m really excited to see what the future will bring for me.

One of my inspirations is David LaChappelle. His work is extremely colourful, surreal, fierce and queer. I adore the way he approaches fashion in the sense that it becomes more than just a photograph, it becomes a surreal painting. My work is also very queer and colourful and from time to time I try to construct some surreal scenes. A very important Belgian inspiration is Lieve Blancquaert. She’s a photojournalist and captures portraits around the world showing some controversial society-related themes. Sometimes her photographs can be shocking, but she captures the harsh and raw reality, and that approach is something you can also find in my style of photography.

My style of nightlife photography is something that has naturally evolved over the years I’ve been active. It’s a very cinematographic style, sometimes bold or shocking, with a mixture of different influences which are also references to different phases in my career. I combine elements from music, fashion, lifestyle and architectural photography to create a very complex technical album that in total becomes a visual and atmospheric representation of a night.

Every night I mingle in with the crowd to find these rare unique characters. I go looking for captivating faces that dare to tell me a story, that dare to show me emotions and that dare to show me strength but also vulnerability, and above all, who dare to show their personality in their style. Every element, whether it’s an architectural detail, an overview photo or a picture of a really cool raver, is like a little piece of the puzzle that will form the final album. Nightlife photography for me goes way beyond just portrait photography. It’s all about a correct documentation of the energy and the vibe during the night.

To be honest, I always had really big problems with low self esteem.The confidence I have right now is something that has grown over the last few months. It’s been quite a journey to grow not only as an individual, but also as an artist. I used to be very insecure about my looks and my weight but that all changed when I went to Berlin two years ago. Since then, I started to accept the fact that I’m queer and my friends, family and colleagues were joining me on the rollercoaster. They saw me evolve into the person I am now. Social media has been dictating perfection, but that’s not what it should be about.

I’ve found beauty and a lot of strength in all my imperfections, and that’s what I try to advocate for now. I want to show the world who I am through experimenting with genderfluid outfits, ranging from BDSM to dresses, formal business suits to embellished bodysuits. I want to experiment with different accessories, different fabrics, different styles, different inspirations.Through this I want to give other ravers the necessary support to show their unique personalities to the world. I love to be freaky and I want others to be able to experience that too. It’s a wonderful thing to possess the ability of accepting your true self, regardless of what people will think of you. People will always judge you for who you are, and for what you are worth, but I’ve made it my personal mission to show them wrong and I aim to inspire others to do that too. Be freaky and weird, but above all be your true self.

The most beautiful thing above all, since I’ve started expressing myself through my outfits, not only my closest friends, but also complete strangers have been truly accepting me for who I am. Every night I receive so many positive comments, but to be honest I’ve also received some rather harsh ones. In the end, the only thing that matters is doing what makes me really happy and what inspires others to feel happy and free too.

The way I dress is just a way to show my personality and to make a social statement. I’ve never considered myself to be just a photographer, I’ve always considered myself as a visual artist. I don’t think I would like it when clubs or festivals book me, based on my appearance. I want to be booked for the right reason, and that’s my talent and passion in nightlife photography. The fashion is just who I am as an artist. It helps me to blend in the crowd, but it’s also part of the whole culture in the underground scene I’m active in. It has definitely given me more respect as an artist, but also made me more recognizable in the scene I work in. The way I dress shouldn’t be the reason why I would stand out over other photographers, my style and talent should be the correct reason.

I understand that you are visually impaired? How have you been able to use this as an advantage as a photographer?

When I was 18 I was diagnosed with Keratoconus and due to this I’m not able to properly see at night time. My eyes are not able to correctly absorb light and that causes some very severe night blindness. What I can’t physically see, is something I need to feel. That’s why I capture vibes and energies because I’m continuously following the music, and yeah, sometimes I get blinded by strobes and lasers, but it is something I’ve learned to live with. My doctor told me years ago that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with nightlife photography. We’re now almost five years later and I’m still doing what I love the most and I turned my weakness into my biggest strength.

When we met, you briefly touched on your dreams of studying Astrophysics! Has this always been an interest of yours?

It has! I’ve always had a burning curiosity for complex mathematics and physics, but I’ve always played the game of the simple life. I never really had the confidence to take myself on a challenge. I’ve been accustomed to fight for something I believe in, like my brand “Nachtschaduw”. I fought long and hard for it to be where I am today, and I’m so incredibly proud of all the things I’ve accomplished so far. I feel like in life, I just really need this impossibly hard challenges and the idea of taking this step in combination it my photography work is really something that’s been circulating in my mind the past few weeks. I’ve always followed my heart and I feel like I need this challenge in my life. I’ve always had a really big curiosity to understand what lies beyond the metaphysical truths and to what secrets lie in the dark of the night. I’m not 100% sure if I can handle these kinds of studies, but I do have the motivation to prove myself. Even if I fail, I’ll have at least tried this for myself, and that’s kind of what matters the most. A new year is going to start, and the time has come to take on the task of proving myself in the field of science.

Aside from photography, have you done any other jobs in nightlife in the past?

I’ve worked as a full-time photography specialist for Elrow in Barcelona when I just graduated from University. I had already done and internship there and they had asked me to continue working with them. I was continuously touring to multiple events around Europe, but I was also in charge of the correct selection of photographs for every use, ranging from PR to sponsors and branding. After that I was offered a six month freelance position as Marketing Manager for the notorious Belgian techno club: Kompass, where I also have my in-house residency as nightlife photographer. I’ve been working there for over four years now and have seen the club grown into the institution it is today. That’s a very rewarding feeling, after spending countless hours there every weekend for the last four years. There’s still a lot of things I would love to accomplish in nightlife. I would love to either tour full-time with an artist as both tour manager and tour photographer or either continue to evolve as a touring photographer myself traveling to different clubs and events worldwide.

What are some of your best memories out partying and performing? Any particular anecdote or story that changed your life and stayed with you?

Every night and every weekend is an adventure for me and something really memorable is constantly happening. That can be either by meeting someone really unique or just me being a little bit too excited and climb on the DJ booth in Kompass. It’s really empowering to be able to dance on a stage. I was very fortunate to have a little performance a few months ago at Benediction in Brussels. The Black Madonna was playing a pumping house and disco set and I joined the drag performers on stage a couple of times. I had put my camera aside for a little while and I was just dancing to this lovely warm music wearing 25cm platform shoes, and I was energizing this already incredible vibe on a continuously turning platform on the stage. I got so many compliments afterwards and it felt really empowering.

I think my trips to Berlin have literally changed my life and personality. Every time I’m there I feel so inspired through the wild adventures and countless hours I spend in the clubs there. I’ve met so many unique people that I’m very proud to call my friends, and it’s always super nice to be back in town. Berlin is a city I can call home, were I feel so comfortable. Even though I don’t live there permanently, every time I’m back I live these unforgettable experiences, that just help me to grow as a person. All the beautiful ravers I’ve met there have truly become family to me. One of my favorite weekends in Berlin so far was during Christopher Street Day this year. We went to Gay Pride on Saturday and afterwards we went to Berghain and I stayed with my best friend for the closing on Monday afternoon. I was dancing around at the parade and in the club, wearing this really gorgeous embellished catsuit. That was a really special, but also very empowering weekend for me.

Do you think partying can be radical and socially transformative - or it's just about fun and meeting new people?

When I’m not covering events, I want to be able to enjoy the music and the vibe, without time-constraints. It’s my me-time and it really helps me to process things and at times it can be very healing. Partying for me is way more than just having fun or enjoying the encounters that stumble upon you in a club or at a festival. Partying is a creative outlet and the venue plays a really important role in that. It should be a safe space where you can feel free to be whoever you want to be that night. It should be everyone’s right to always be able to be yourself wherever you go. I know there are parties for all kinds of interest where nobody will ever have to feel excluded in nightlife, and that’s the beauty I find in nightlife culture. The other wonderful thing about raving is the fact that wherever you go, the club and the music becomes like a safe house with like-minded people for you, even if it’s only for one night. I think it’s safe to say that I’ve fallen in love with nightlife culture a long time ago. Even though I have a love-hate relationship with the night sometimes, it’s who I am, and I’m really proud of that.

Interview by Alice Tilley