During the heyday of the Coronavirus pandemic, three friends decided to make the very best of the unfortunate situation. The result: instituting a DJ school for every generation on the first floor of The Rise. Please, meet Sam, Tim, and Robin.
Kickstarted by the Pandemic
Let’s start at the very beginning. Sam van der Linden (30), one of the founders of DJ School 013, should be considered one of the very first tenants of The Rise. Back in the days before The Rise was actually The Rise, Sam rented the office of the DJ school from an anti-squatting organization. “I had a little music studio in our office where we met with producers and other creatives to make music”, he says. During the pandemic, the creative sector came to a grinding halt. Unfortunately, Sam's studio was no exception. Sam said, “I always had the idea of starting a DJ school. During the Covid-19 crisis, I had a conversation with Tim,and it turned out he had a lifelong dream of starting a DJ school. Later, Robinjoined and urged us to start our business. And thus, DJ School 013 was born. It really was kickstarted by the pandemic.”
From Beginner to Pro
DJ School 013 offers a wide range of workshops on different levels of experience in which you can participate. According to Tim, “We divide our workshops into three levels: basic, advanced, and pro. In the basic course, you learn the essentials of DJ’ing. In the advanced course, we dive a little deeper into the material, and in the pro course, we make sure that you are ready for your first performance. Even if you are already a performing DJ but wish to improve yours kills, you are very welcome!” DJ School 013 also provides workshops at local schools. In these workshops, we teach kids the basics.
The Rise
All three owners have one thing in common: They all love working in The Rise. “It is an inspiring place with all the facilities we could wish for. There is always something going on, and it feels like a lively workplace and a bit like home. This motivates us even more,” says Sam. Tim and Robin agree. “If, for instance, our client is a young child or teenager accompanied by their parent, we teach them while their parents can go and have a coffee at Locals or lunch at the Prins Heerlijk restaurant”, Robin says. “It just feels comforting knowing you work in a building with all the facilities and comforts you need”, Tim adds.
Future Plans
When asked what their future plans are, the trio has a unified answer: “We want to expand our business and get more customers. Maybe we can even expand our business to giving producing workshops as well’’, Robin says. “Who knows, maybe we’ll even throw a Rise party where we provide the music!”.