Pierrot is a freelance graphic designer, DJ, and collector with Flemish roots, born in a cold February 1986 somewhere close to the Dutch border. Very exotic, hehe. I was born in Cologne, Germany, dressed in some dirty diapers in Aachen and grew up in a tiny village surrounded by a big recreational area, a lot of agriculture and a lot of football just 20 minutes by car from Rotterdam.
Free as a bird, all the space I could wish for, but zero concrete, culture, and flashing lights. I started studying at Grafisch Lyceum in Rotterdam and soon moved to Amsterdam for an internship before I started renting an apartment with one of my best friends in Crooswijk, Rotterdam. I’ve rented quite a few places in different areas over the last decade, but I’m comfortable right now in the center near Central Station near my studio at Delftseplein.
Which mixtape would you consider perfect and why?
That’s a nice question because there are a lot of crazy mixtapes and podcasts these days. There’s always one popping up in particular thinking about the perfect mixtape/podcast. The Gaslamp Killer’s Resident Advisor mix (RA.329) from September 2012. Perfect. No doubt. Although it includes a bunch of unreleased stuff from that year – it’s timeless. Honestly, I still play it every now and then. I consider it perfect because it contains three parts. Each one has a different kind of style, and yet all the parts blend in perfectly together. For me he created a 45 minutes long rollercoaster ride, passing three kinds of atmospheres, where each individual track has the same dramatic character and level of intensity, although they’re actually all completely different at the same time. What the fuck?! It was probably the first time I’ve heard Nissim as well. It might sound crazy, but that was one of the most beautiful moments in my life. Fuck it, I’m gonna play it right now.
What are some of your favorite spots in (and around) Rotterdam?
There are places popping up on almost every corner in Rotterdam these days and I honestly can’t keep up with them all. There’s definitely one great spot missing since last year with the closing of Bar.
De Zure Bom is definitely one of my favorite spots in Rotterdam. They’re located in a beautiful old greenhouse next to Weelde and I like the way they have become a sort of full-service canteen. Next to serving a great lunch, snacks and natural wine, they host expositions and events as well. Try their waffles with egg or the brioche French toast!
Café HensePeter is one of my favorite cafés on the Nieuwe Binnenweg to hang out for a beer. You can walk in with no clothes on and nobody would give a shit. The owner is Rotterdam’s finest bartender with a crazy taste of music btw.
Mono absolutely is a big asset to the city and its culture, providing a place to work, to meet, a platform for cultural events and crazy club nights. They’re doing a great job freshen things up with a different approach to programming.
Biergarten is still one of my favorite outdoor spots to hang out, have a beer and listen to some proper selectors behind the decks. They somehow manage to have the best crew every season with a great kitchen as well. Sharing the area with Operator, Pinkman Records, Op Het Dak, Annabel and HipHopHuis makes it one of the most diverse and cultural districts in the city, that should be kept up and running. “The sun marks the spot!” right.
What are your favorite books/movies/music/podcasts
To be honest, I don’t read that much. I like graphic books with a lot of images and short essays on typography and graphic design in general. Slanted Magazine for example.
I like Daniel Clowes’ graphic novels, Pepijn Lanen’s vocabulary and the surrealistic journey in Het Wapen van Sjeng. My favorite movies are probably 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rear Window, The Thing, The Breakfast Club and one more recently Jojo Rabbit. They definitely stick around. My favorite music is hard to define. I don’t prefer a specific genre. It can be all kinds of stuff. From obscure funk to Hip Hop and left-field techno to modern classical. A certain kind of intensity, energy, and emotion really hits me. I think you guys know what I mean, hehe.
You recently joined Los Bangeles. What would you like to achieve?
I’m honored to get the chance to connect with Los Bangeles, a group with a wide range of qualities, years of experience, a big network, state of the art technology and obviously a really good ear for music. The music we should hear more often in and around Rotterdam.
I organized a club night called Club Bizarre with my buddy Doo-Bop last November in Mono and it tastes like more. My ambition is to be more active in the creative culture, share more sounds and create content for social platforms. I’m pretty sure we have a lot of mutual interests and we can help each other out. I can’t wait to work with a group of like-minded creatives like the Los Bangeles crew.
Welcome to Los Bangeles #34 • Pierrot
Thanks for your time! And one final question; who should we interview next?
The pleasure is all mine. Thank you! Try asking Daan Timmer. An illustrator with an interesting view and big music orientated mind.
More Pierrot:
For more interviews follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Mixcloud.
Got something to say?