Recently Radio TNP partnered up with EAR, Aslan Versmarkt and several DJs in order to give the community a new and engaging cultural experience. Since the whole COVID-19 outbreak, I had not attended a single music related event so I was pretty excited to be able to enjoy myself under somewhat stricter, but necessary rules.

The concept of EAR (Emotional Audiovisual Retail) is to encourage gatherings of those interested in supporting non-commercial music and independent food retailers. Felix Sandvoss, the original creator of EAR, held the first edition of EAR in Düsseldorf and wrote his bachelor’s thesis about it. The idea was to also create a concept, where music would allow or lead to communication and interaction between social groups that are not accustomed to engaging with each other. I had personally never heard of, or seen a concept like this, and thought it was absolutely brilliant.

_{EAR poster in four languages, distributed in the neighborhood of Aslan}

I must say that the whole event ran pretty smoothly, considering the circumstances. From ensuring the equipment was set up properly, to complying with all the health and safety regulations imposed by the government. It was very interesting to see how those who shopped at Aslan’s regularly would react every time they stepped into the supermarket. It ranged from disbelief, to pure enjoyment, to utter confusion. Some came in frowning but left with a big smile on their face. I absolutely loved it. It was a delight for me to see the employees and owner of the shop laughing and dancing joyously to the music being played.

_{Our lovely doorman Tim}

Although everything went according to plan, there were also some stressful moments, especially on behalf of the owner and employees of the shop. There was always the risk of locals complaining and police shutting it down, but due to the good coordination between all those involved it was not necessary. In the end Aslan seemed to be very happy with how things panned out and assured us that “we will do this again with more people once the whole corona situation has been handled”.

Special Moments
The day was full of highlights and special moments which I want to share with you all, so here are a few of them:

_{Sekan at the decks} 

Sekan playing strictly rare Indonesian grooves, as part of his Jiwa Jiwa project, was the perfect way to start the event. It was lovely to see someone give ode to their Indonesian roots with such passion. I highly recommend checking him out whenever you have the opportunity to do so.

_{Mendel turning up the trim}

Mendel’s set was outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of music being played from all around the world. From groovy West African tracks to funky Brazilian tracks. One thing is for sure: Mendel’s set was incredibly versatile and fitting for simultaneous grooving and shopping!

_{The one and only DJ Marcelle in the ‘house’}

And then DJ Marcelle started playing, and this set was simply mind-blowing. In typical DJ Marcelle fashion she constantly played 2 to 3 records at the same time; from crazy jungle to dub to experimental abstract sounds. Another one of these special moments was the reaction of the butcher when DJ Marcelle was playing. He was in absolute awe at the selection of music she was playing. I am under the assumption that he had never experienced such music, in said context.

_{Last but not least, Palestina Robotica}

Palestina Robotica was in charge of the final set and it was very, very nice. After DJ Marcelle’s high-energy and fast-paced music it was time for a set that would slowly wrap up the night, rarely going above 110bpm. It was a fine blend of Arabic, Turkish, Middle Eastern music combined with house.

My other big highlight was seeing one of the main vendors constantly dancing to a mixture of genres ranging from Turkish psychedelic rock to Jungle/breakbeat.


_{Aftermovie of the event}

Big Thank You
On behalf of the radio, I would like to thank Felix from EAR for allowing us to help host this wonderful concept. I would also like to thank all the wonderful DJs and attendees who made this event possible for everyone. Last but not least, a special thanks to Aslan Versmarkt for allowing Radio TNP to use the space for this concept, especially during times like these See you again soon in a supermarket near you…


︎Check out all the pictures here.

︎Aaand don’t forget to check out this magic hour of the livestream!

︎ Short Read: Black Holes: Spending Some More Time on Time

︎ Short Read: A Clubbing Experience

︎ Short Read: Do fish enjoy blues music?

︎ Long Read: Tember’s Revelations: early 2000s Industrial