Autumn is (almost) here. Time to turn over a new leaf. And we do this with a new BIRDsessions residency. Dragonfruit member and piano virtuoso Anton de Bruin takes us on a journey through his musical influences and presents on the final evening his new solo project Imaginarium. How he shapes this residency, with which musicians, and what his views on the scene are he shares in a conversation with us.

Anton de Bruin is a keyboardist, composer, arranger, and producer for various bands and projects. With his band, Dragonfruit, he has released multiple singles and played at various festivals and venues. Additionally, he is a keyboardist and producer for, among others, the Ghanaian jazz trumpeter Peter Somuah, writes and plays music for various (inter)national films and theatre productions, and runs his own string orchestra for which he writes and records arrangements for different artists.

What do you think of the residency initiative?

A really nice idea, because it allows you to tell people a better story. The subject of that story can be anything, whether it's about personal growth or a social commentary on specific issues. It allows you to take people into a world you have created. Something that is hard to do with just one concert because then you only have a maximum of an hour and a half. What's also cool about BIRDsessions is that it's a place where you can experiment. You can take more risks. Something you wouldn't normally do if you were playing on the main stage at BIRD. You also have the opportunity to work with people you haven't played with yet. The sessions are the perfect pressure cooker.

What are your thoughts on the Rotterdam music community and audience?

The crowd is very open. Open to change and new experiences, but I have noticed that in the Netherlands there is such a hard line between club nights and performances. You have many people who either only go to the club or only to concerts, something I'm secretly guilty of too. This is not the case in London or LA. If you look at acts such as Ezra Collective, Steam Down, and Dinner Party (the collective of Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Terrace Martin), you see that they are in a grey area. If you want to club, you can go there, but if you also pay attention to what's happening on stage, you think: “Oh Shit!”

What do you think is the reason for that?

I think it mainly has to do with a mental separation. People are very accustomed to watching a band perform. I also think that the music made during a performance doesn’t always lend itself to being played in that club setting. If we take the London musicians as an example: most of those guys come from the club scene themselves and were grime or jungle producers. They brought that mentality into the jazz scene. Then you get that really interesting mix of playing music in places that people were already used to visiting for nightlife. It also takes away the elitist edge that often surrounds jazz performances.

Is Rotterdam ready for that?

Yes, Rotterdam is definitely ready for that. You can also notice that there is really a push in the scene. Artists like Brintex Collective, Kay Slice, Joop de Graaff (from Y.O.P.E) have that energy of 'let's make Rotterdam the new London of Europe.'

What will participating in this residency bring you as an artist, do you think?

Making new musical connections. There are people in the line-up with whom I haven't played much, if at all, and certainly not in these genres. I hope that people who come will discover new faces and genres. I also see this as an opportunity to expand myself musically. How do the genres I listen to really work, what is the history behind them, who played back then, and what were they checking out? Because if I'm going to perform different genres, I'm going to do it really well.

You have performed at BIRD(sessions) multiple times. What will be new or different during your residency?

[Laughs] I can't really hide and let someone else do it for me. That's also the thing I'm least looking forward to: that bloody presentation microphone and just talking or something. Maybe I'll get that out of the residency.

Really? You seem so calm and collected now!

Just that stress of all eyes on you. I think what most people experience before playing, I have with talking. Just let me make music, and it'll be fine.

What are you going to do during your residency? What is the story behind your concept?

Throughout my entire residency, the common thread will be my new solo project Imaginarium, which I will present on the final evening. The first three evenings will be the guiding lines from which the new project consists. Imaginarium will have elements of jazz, club, and dub sounds. With this project, I hope to bridge the gap between concert and club: the music you hear can be played in a club at two in the morning, but when musicians are performing it on stage, there is precisely the freedom to improvise.

… Coming along?

Then block the following (free) Wednesday evenings. And don't forget your instruments!

• Wed. 31 August: Tribute to Jamaican Music
• Wed. 7 September: Tribute to Herbie Hancock's Headhunters
• Wed. 14 September: The Music of Erykah Badu
• Wed. 21 September: Imaginarium