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January 9, 2025

Kruidkoek: "Secretly, we believe Japan is a fitting place for our music"

Nick, Tijmen, Reindert and Bram never thought that they would end up with both a degree and a steady band after their time at ArtEZ. The four, all former Jazz & Pop students at the Zwolle Academy of Music, have been performing together for over a decade now with their band Kruidkoek (“Gingerbread”). For their name, they were looking for a powerful word that would encapsulate both their character and their own “garage jazz” sound.  “In Japan, jazz musicians are treated like rock stars, and we really resonated with that,” says the band. 

We could ask the guys, in this case Bram and Nick, to describe their music, but the band’s biography on their website sums it up perfectly: “With their own obscure mix of jazz, rock, a self-produced light show and a good sprinkle of improvisation and humour, every performance is a surprise – also for us in the band!” Bram: “Put briefly, we put everything into it.”  When asked where the name Kruidkoek came from, Bram laughs. “I think Reindert came up with it, one time at the pub.” 

A creative outlet 

In terms of identifying a style, the band falls a bit between the cracks. “Sometimes a rock festival doesn't want to book us because they think we are too jazzy, whereas jazz festivals usually find our music too loud,” Nick explains. “In that respect, we don't make it easy on ourselves. But we always do things our own way.” Both Bram and Nick make their living full-time with music and are involved in other musical projects outside of the band. Though, “Kruidkoek is the most consistent,” Bram explains. “We often condense the time we spend on Kruidkoek into shorter focus periods: a period of performing, short tours, an album recording, etc. It’s easier on our schedules that way too, because you know exactly what you have coming up.” 
 
Aside from standalone gigs, Kruidkoek also has a few regular events every year where the band is always booked. “Soon we will be working with poet and writer Joost Oomen on a theatre performance,” Nick says. “And each year, we tour primary schools with our children's show, and perform it at the Poppodium Hedon and the Burgerweeshuis.” 

Support from the school 

The four all met whilst studying at ArtEZ and decided to start a band together in the second half of their course. Bram: “I was in Reindert and Tijmen's class, and Nick was the nicest saxophonist around the school. The conservatory in Zwolle is a fairly small school where everyone knows each other, so the band started out as a bit of a practical experiment.” Nick: “Agreed. The great thing about having a band at school is that you don’t have to do much with it in the beginning.” The two credit the way they were supported by ArtEZ whilst first starting out as a big help. “We could suggest teachers for a master class, which helped us develop. Sometimes, they’d also keep the building open a bit later if we hadn’t finished up something we were working on yet. Everything was to inspire our development,” Bram recalls. “I do have to say we had to figure out the entrepreneurship bit on our own, but I hear from students that that has since changed.” 

We have been successful with something we’ve done our own way, and that’s very cool. We’ve managed to stay active together for ten years with no interruptions.

When asked whether they are fed up with each other after ten years of Kruidkoek, Nick laughs. “Not at all. No joke, playing together still gives us a ton of energy. All four of us can give something to Kruidkoek that we can't give anywhere else. The magic is still there. And the audience can see and feel that too.” “If the magic is gone, you have to stop,” Bram adds. “But that’s a long way off. We’ve been lucky, especially in the beginning, because it’s not always a given that everyone will want to put a lot of time and energy into a band without a clear future.” 
 
The band went through periods when there wasn’t a lot going on and some where things didn't work out either. “But slowly,” Bram recalls, “some successes started coming along steadily enough to give us the feeling that we could truly make it.” Nick agrees, “That’s exactly it. Look, if you compare us to a band performing for 30,000 people, you might wonder what we’re talking about. But we’re proud of where we’re at and our final musical decisions. We have been successful with something we’ve done our own way, and that’s very cool. We’ve managed to stay active together for ten years with no interruptions.” 

Big break in Japan 

As to whether the two have any sage advice for future music students, Bram says: “It might sound odd, but I've always had confidence in my own entrepreneurship. I've never been afraid of not getting a job. That’s what I would like to pass on to other musicians: trust yourself, even if that sounds a bit cliché.” “I would advise them not to think too far ahead,’ Nick adds. “I never looked farther than six months ahead, and honestly, I still don't. Above all, be sure to have fun and stay in touch with yourself.” 
 
If you ask them about their biggest musical ambition of all, it would be to get a foothold in the Japanese musical scene. “Nick is going there soon on holiday and will start lobbying around a bit,” Bram jokes. “Handing out flyers and such.” Secretly, they believe Japan is a fitting place for their music to blossom. “A lot of what has been successful there has a lot in common with Kruidkoek's style. I sincerely think it will happen for us sometime in the next few years.” Nick: “Jazz musicians there are considered and treated like rock stars. That really speaks to us.” 

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