Over the past couple of months, party calendars in Amsterdam have been filling up which has rejuvenated life in the city. Now with summer around the corner and public holidays to take advantage of, there is an amazing range of parties and festivals that will keep any party animal more than satisfied. One such party that stood out because of its stellar international lineup is Hunkering. As a new brand that was created during the quiet days of the pandemic, they are ready to host their next party that is sure to gather a great crowd of tasteful techno lovers.
EG recently caught up with the co-founder Robbie Rise to learn more about the Hunkering brand and their ‘Hunkering Port of Colors’ that is set for Amsterdam’s next national holiday on May 26th.
EG: Hi Robbie, welcome to EG. Where did the concept/idea of Hunkering come from?
Robbie Rise: Thanks for the invite. Hunkering was an exclusive invite-only event that started during the pandemic. We felt the urge to create something special, and that became our first public event, at the iconic Gashouder Amsterdam in 2021. ‘Hunkering In Concert’ was a collaboration of event professionals combining the DJ/Producers Klangkarussel, HOSH, and Fur Coat with a grand orchestra, within a conceptual show themed ‘the Techno Renaissance’.
At that magical event, we found our first base of fans in Amsterdam with whom we celebrated at 5 boat events called ‘Hunkering On Water’. In 2022 we started doing club events underneath Amsterdam Central Station named ‘Hunkering Club CS’ with artists like Sebastien Leger, Super Flu, and Gabriel Ananda.
And now we are getting ready for our first mini-festival on the 26th of May, the Ijland Amsterdam ‘Hunkering Port of Colors’.
EG: What can make this party different from others in Amsterdam?
Robbie Rise: We are the dissenting voice of the dark and introverted techno dance floor. Our dance floor is warm and colorful; we welcome the extravagant, chaos & the unexpected in special locations, but most importantly, we have an amazing group of people visiting our events. A lot of ex-pats and internationals who are all very open to socializing and not afraid to be their extravagant selves share the dance floor with us.
EG: What would you like to see happen with the brand in the future?
Robbie Rise: After ‘Hunkering Port of Colors’ on the 26th of May, we will have two editions of ‘Hunkering On Water’ in June and July. Then in October and November, we will have 2 more ‘Hunkering Club CS’ events, and in December we are having a special conceptual event again in Amsterdam on the 3rd day of Christmas. We aim to grow our community of like-minded people this year to hopefully set a new standard of high-quality Melodic House & techno events in Amsterdam. A large-scale annual festival and more conceptual shows with never seen productions in special venues are our ambitions for the upcoming years.
EG: What is your music policy? How do you select the lineup?
Robbie Rise: Our core genre is melodic house & techno. This means for us a warm and uplifting sound, that will make you more open and extravagant instead of a raving introvert. We expect our artists to surprise our guests with music that is new to their ears and we have a big love for live performing producers as well. A set should contain a story and not just overplayed hits to easily please a crowd. Next to that, we aim to book artists you won’t find easily in Amsterdam. For example, on the 26th of May, we are very excited to welcome Laolu for the first time in the Netherlands.
EG: What can people expect on May 26th?
Robbie Rise: ‘Hunkering Port of Colors’ will be held from 13:00 until 23:00 on the dockside of Ijland Amsterdam on the 26th (Acension Day). We have two indoor stages and an outdoor space; on our main port we welcome an international line-up, including; Rodrigues Jr. -LIVE-,
M.A.N.D.Y., Laolu, Einmusik, Karmon and more. At our 2nd stage, the dockside, we have upcoming Dutch artists who might sound a bit louder, deeper, and more experimental than what’s on the other stage. Among others, we’ll showcase the sounds of Beswerda, Analog Kitchen (LIVE), Convolute, and Volar. Next to the artists, we have some never seen before entertainment within the theme ‘Port of Colors’. We are aiming to please and surprise our guests on this bank holiday.
You can learn more about Hunkering, and purchase your tickets for ‘Hunkering Port of Colors’ here.
Follow Hunkering: Facebook | SoundCloud | Instagram
Follow Robbie Rise: Facebook | Instagram
