Draaimolen Festival always has been a burst of impressions as the main goal seems to be to - almost stubbornly - make the undoable doable. The ambitious curation in which the synergy of art, music and nature is pursued, reached a true peak last September when the festival covered two days in the Tilburg forests. As next year’s edition just got announced, we invite you to take a look back at one of The Netherlands' most exuberant festivals with one-of-a-kind b2b acts and extensive stage designs.
Playing it safe is not really the name of the game for Draaimolen. Even during the darker Covid-19 times, the organisation took the leap to stretch the festival up to ten days with 700 visitors each day to avoid cancellation. With just one stage then, the festival now scattered six stages across its MOB Complex terrain. Like every year, Draaimolen invited several musical partners to take on the task of hosting a stage. The notorious Berlin rave crew Herrensauna, producer and DJ Blawan, Rotterdam label Nous’klaer and house couple Octo Octa and Eris Drew got the honour this year, with this time two days to curate.
We arrive early on Friday, the day that attracts the younger visitors and the music geeks willing to give up their work day. Slowly discovering the festival terrain, sweet surprises are around every corner. The Chapel stage by Heleen Blanken was the visual pinnacle during the 10-day festival sequence in 2021. Now, the sci-fi feeling booth is suddenly accompanied by a sister Chapel at the other side of the terrain, communicating with each other through the forces of light. Here we witness the imposing show by Nene H with a 7-headed Georgian choir, bringing together ecclesiastical singing and brutal rave beats.
Strolling through the pine woods, we notice another dichotomous stage design at Blawan’s techno stage Some Planet. The square booth is placed in the middle of the tunnel of trees, splitting the crowd into two on both sides. Above the booth, the impressive laser installation by Architecture Social Club, which pumps grids of light into the tunnel as Blawan pulls out his live machinery techno and Claire Morgan and Draaimolen’s upcoming talent Julie perform a perfect harmonious b2b.
The cosiest area of the festival certainly is the Forest Stage where Eris Drew and Octo Octa are the curators of what feels like an intimate illegal forest rave, enclosed with floaty pink curtains. During the refreshingly slow and dubby set of Russell E.L. Butler and swiping bouncy beats of Ehua, Octo Octa takes care of her ravers, handing out earplugs while dancing through the crowd in a see-through poncho. The weather sadly is not on the side of the organization, but the moist air and dripping leaves do have their charm in this pink and purple corner.
Even more water falls from the sky at the Aura stage where Rotterdam label Nous’klaer holds sway supported by the massive waterfall artwork ‘Monolith’ in the back. A peak moment here is the progressive set by Konduku which is so well-balanced, trippy and deep, that not only the mud keeps you stuck to his dancefloor. And if this sky-high insanity wasn’t enough, there is the 14-meter triangle-shaped screen at the MainStage designed by digital art studio Iregular with visuals by New York-based artist Jack Anderson projected on it. It’s a digital screen that is supposed to get you in contact with the nature around it but to be quite frank, it’s a challenge to get your eyes off these morphing and crumbling structures surrounded by rows and rows of light beams.
The absurdity of the overflowing ambition that Draaimolen radiates truly finds its climax though when reaching the Herrensauna-hosted Pit at night: a stage dug three metres below floor level with the immense light installation ‘Aether’ hanging above it. The casually floating artwork, also designed by Architecture Social Club, in the middle of the Tilburg forest with a pounding crowd under it is a scene that asks for a bit of processing. Functioning as both a sensory and musical instrument in and of itself, the work is in beautiful conversation with jungle b2b Skee Mask and Djrum, and the psychotropic two hours by CEM and DJ Nobu. Literal jaw-dropping moments.
The absurdity of the overflowing ambition that Draaimolen radiates truly finds its climax though when reaching the Herrensauna-hosted Pit at night: a stage dug three metres below floor level with the immense light installation ‘Aether’ hanging above it. The casually floating artwork, also designed by Architecture Social Club, in the middle of the Tilburg forest with a pounding crowd under it is a scene that asks for a bit of processing. Functioning as both a sensory and musical instrument in and of itself, the work is in beautiful conversation with jungle b2b Skee Mask and Djrum, and the psychotropic two hours by CEM and DJ Nobu. Literal jaw-dropping moments.
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There ain’t no stopping at Draaimolen. Next year the adventure will continue with another two-day festival in September amidst the woods, with hopefully better weather elevating this festival to its full potential. Important note: you are able to contribute to the festival this year. Draaimolen is looking for talented visual artists with a ‘seemingly undoable idea’. You can email your dream project to info@draaimolen.nu - and chances are we will be covering your work during the next edition.
