The next edition of our Residents’ Hour series comes from Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Resident at the legendary Planet Rose party at Doornroosje DJ Pure (Peter Entjes) explains how he fell in love with electronic dance music in the late 1980s, and his mission to bring Berlin’s “ultimate feeling of freedom” to Nijmegen.
DJ Pure’s Residents’ Hour (and a half) was recorded back in May when Chris Liebing, Volte-Face and many more shelled down Doornroosje’s dancefloor. Mixed entirely on vinyl, the set is a true testament to Planet Rose’s energy, and the passion DJ Pure has for the night he has played at since 1995. Read on to find out more.
“As one of the initiators of Planet Rose, I’m proud the infamous club night at Doornroosje has become the longest running club night of the Netherlands, and honoured that I’m a resident on this legendary night. Over the past 21 years, I’ve played alongside a wide range of national and international artists, live and experimental acts and newcomers who later became superstars. It has been a musical journey through a wide spectrum of electronic music.
“My first encounter with house music was in 1987 through a friend who received records from his brother in New York. The futuristic sounds and beats mesmerised me immediately. It was unlike anything I had heard before. Jacking house, acid house, Detroit techno and electro beats were unifying all kinds of open minded people on club dancefloors.
“I started DJing to become part of the movement. I first played in a small basement club in Nijmegen, and later as a collective called Synergy House Connection. We organised parties in Nijmegen and Arnhem, and did some exchanges with Bablefish and Brighton’s Zapp Club, followed by the bigger raves in Holland. Needless to say my passion for the music continued exploding.”
“From 1989, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I started making trips to Berlin. It was an inspiring and surreal time. The parties that went down were revolutionary, taking place in abandoned factories and derelict communist buildings. These events always culminated in a mixed sense of hedonism, chaos and unity on the dancefloor.
“I went to Berlin on a monthly basis, and attended the opening of Tresor, E-Werk, Planet, the first Mayday at Weissensee, numerous gay tea-dances and clubs scattered over both East and West Berlin. I went to the Love Parade and Cristopher Street Day starting at Kurfürstendamm, and regularly visited cutting edge nights at Amsterdam’s RoXY. I remember seeing Underground Resistance on a Monday night during their first European tour in 1993, High Tech Soul Movement, attending hardcore gay nights and going to the flamboyant nights at Amsterdam’s iT club – as well as many raves and hipster parties in Rotterdam, Antwerp, Brussels and Paris. The list is endless, I was completely hooked.
“I wanted to bring the ultimate feeling of freedom that I experienced at those parties back to Nijmegen. From 1992 we started organising parties with Mike Dred, Robert Leiner and Marcus Lopez, among others. Come 1995, the parties became so popular that the club planned an electronic club night on a regular basis. That became Planet Rose. In the early days we had Jeff Mills, Surgeon’s first gig abroad and Daft Punk, who came by train from Paris and were pretty nervous about their show. The club became the best kept secret among national and international artists because of the diversity of the audience, the open minded crowd and the intimacy of the 400-capacity venue.”
“The location, a former school building which was never intended as a club space, closed in June 2014 with a legendary and emotional 24-hour party with guests, residents DJs and regulars. In October 2014, Doornroosje moved to a state-of-the-art building in the centre of Nijmegen, with a much bigger capacity of 1,600. The opening night was sold out with a special DJ set from Giorgo Moroder, and the crowd lovingly embraced Planet Rose’s new home. After almost two years in this new venue, it’s safe to say that the spirit, vibe and soul of the old location is still alive.”
“Being a resident at Planet Rose is an ongoing process. There’s a sense of responsibility because of the rich history, and you have to keep an open mind to all electronic music styles. Many styles, hypes and crossbreeds came and went, but a good party will always stay. I’m grateful for my never ending drive to play electronic music, and for being able to inspire new generations over the past 29 years. I’m not planning to stop anytime soon.”
“Many styles, hypes and crossbreeds came and went, but a good party will always stay.”
“What makes a good resident is musically respecting the guests on the bill, being a good host and communicating that it’s your combined efforts that can make or break the night. It’s important to ensure the DJs that they’re booked for what they do, not for what they don’t. I try to picture the night of every booking in my head. I think in shapes, colours and moods that I want to set in an opening or closing set, without losing my own musical identity. That’s what works for me.
“In my case I am fortunate to play a range of styles – from house, acid and techno, to ghetto tech, electro, minimal, tribal, dubs and experimental. I try to integrate as much variety in all my sets, depending on the guests I play with. I shift focus to build and layer the night as a whole. You have to be passionate about electronic music and respectful to the crowd that you have the pleasure to be playing for. Last but not least, I want to thank the staff, crew, crowd and friends of Doornroosje for their ongoing support!”
The next Planet Rose party takes place on 18th June with Acid Junkies, The Exaltics and many more. The next Residents’ Hour comes from our extended family in Glasgow. Watch this space.