- Techno trance, STROOM style.
- If we were to pick one word to describe Ziggy Devriendt, AKA Nosedrip, it would probably be humble. He runs a one-man empire out of the modest Belgian coastal town of Ostend, and his STROOM label is one of the most quietly brilliant outfits in Western Europe. (You can read more about the label in our feature from 2019.) A mixture of obscurer-than-obscure reissues and quirky new material makes for a label as unpredictable as it is essential, and Devriendt's unusual touch is all over it—he prefers to make up his own compilations and sequences instead of just repackaging old records, for example, which explains how important curation and putting songs together is to him.
So it's not a surprise that , in addition to being a music nerd supreme, Devriendt is also a remarkably good DJ, whose ear for oddball cuts translates well into intuitively danceable music. Judging from his RA Podcast, he's had trance on the mind—the mix features flighty beats that range from CJ Bolland and Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia to new-school practitioners like J-Zbel, plus a major highlight from Peter Van Hoesen that you might remember from Marcel Fengler's Berghain 05 mix and plenty of new material from Stroom. (He's also putting out a compilation of Belgian trance, which might explain the direction of this mix.) It's a three hour-ride that varies from jaw-dropping mixing to abrupt, almost shocking transitions that might startle you out of your chair.
What are you grateful for these days?
Not having the worst mental health. Being able to go to places again and see some long-lost unforgotten faces.
How and where was the mix recorded, and can you tell us the idea behind the mix?
The mix is a collage of different dance-oriented tracks that I have played in the last year at clubs and festivals. It was recorded at a secret location.
Your musical taste is quite expansive, but this mix is focussed on what you called "dance-oriented" music. How do you organize your dance records, and, to you, what is the difference between dance-oriented and non-dance music?
I organize quite traditional in genres, geographical and timeframe and period. From the moment music is being used in a social context for dancing I consider it dance-oriented music.
STROOM puts out archival music as well as contemporary music. What do you look for in music when you're working with contemporary artists? And what's coming out on STROOM in the near future?
I would say I'm looking for non-generic honesty. There is a strange German archive project called Taras Bulba that will be out any minute now. We are expanding the Dali Muru & Polyphonic Swarm universe. A great compilation around projects by the belated Patrick Stas and, since dancing is possible again, a focus on Belgian / trance dance heritage will restart itself (some of the tracks are part of this mix).
What's one social or political cause you want the world to pay more attention to?
The financial reality where people are removing away from each other and the influence it has on culture and life in general.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
Playing Waking Life & Meakusma festivals. Some new releases. Explore Greece a bit more.
TracklistMazdaratti - Sleeps With The Foxes
Aphrodite - Q Flutes
Web - Sand Old Castle
Masala - Lucid Dreams
Dune Coorr - Forces Of Angels
DJ Crystl - Meditation
Furyon - Trance Exploder
J-Zbel - Tunnel Vision
CJ Bolland - Camargue
Anymus - Expander
Marco Repetto & Stefan Riesen - High-Flyer
Aerphax - Monkey Dance
Pillow Queen + Ruin - She’s Hot Magic
Galaxy 2 Galaxy - Journey Of The Dragons
Ege Bam Yasi - Bubble (Remix)
Sagat - Blow
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - Obsidian
Zen Paradox - Aquamarine
Biotrans - Frehnor
Self-Transforming Machine Elves - Steve’s Green Thing
Paranoia - Novus II
Peter Van Hoesen - Axis Mundi
I Fly - De La Faire (Maria En Blanc)
Spacetime Continuum - Tri Decagon
Ariel Kalma & Gilb'r - Tu ne peux pas savoir
Telo - Anosis
Locust - Prospero
Taras Bulba - Die Wahrheit