We organise Nous’klaer Festival with in mind what we, as festival visitors, love to see. Dancing at night is part of that. That moment when the sun sets and you embark on a new journey of discovery in the dark is an important part of the experience for us.
Ideally, we would like to have that nocturnal journey of discovery take place (partially) outdoors. However, that is not possible yet. Despite the support and input from Rotterdam Festivals and N8W8, our plans for outdoor night programming stalled during the permit granting process. We hope — and will continue to work towards — that this will be possible in the future.
However, we have been able to create something else that’s just as wonderful. Within walking distance of Brutus lie two music venues that seamlessly align with the DIY-values Nous’klaer Festival stands for and where we can continue the festival: Cult=us and export. We therefore do not call it an afterparty, because we view it as an integral part of the festival. We talk to Jan Brandt from Cult=us and Roeland Nieuwhof from export about M4H and what to expect on the 27th and early hours of the 28th of June. Scroll down to see the line-up and buy your tickets here. Tickets are limited!
M4H stands for Merwe-Vierhavens, a former port area in Rotterdam, Netherlands, that is currently undergoing a massive transformation into a vibrant residential and working district. Cult=us has been a fixture in the M4H district for 3 years and is one of our favourites in Rotterdam.
What drew you to the location?
Jan: Almost exactly 3 years ago my business partner Tim Thuss and me came to Food Union during Rotterdam Art Week. The kitchen was already in existence and we instantly loved it. To be fair, it was a lot busier that day than on a regular day, but we strive to make the place as exciting every day. M4H and the Keilepand are great, but getting people to this part of the city is still hard work. To survive as a cultural place in M4H we became a jack of all trades. So at Cult=us you have great food – we have every continent represented in the kitchen – it’s an exhibition space, you can dance, we rent out office space, organize events for the cultural sector. You name it!
Apart from this practical approach to the diversity of the programming, how does it fit with how you see Cult=us in the cultural landscape of Rotterdam in a broader sense?
Jan: We do things our own way. We strongly believe that artists don’t have to be entrepreneurs. That’s not always in the best interest of Cult=us as a business – because mind you, we are not a foundation but an actual business – but artistic freedom to grow is so important. In the 90s this was normal in the Netherlands, now it’s almost impossible. So when artists expose their work here, we give them the walls and the air and they are totally free to do what they want and keep all of the profits if they sell work. We don’t believe in the professionalization of the cultural sector. Cult=us provides the cultural landscape with a place to explore different angles. Doing so many different things at Cult=us helps to disrupt the visitor. That way we can have an honest interaction between visitors and our space. People need to get out of their comfort zone a bit.
Personally, do you have a link with electronic music?
Jan: House music and the scene surrounding it provided me with a home when my parents kicked me out of the house in 1988. The scene quite literally became my house. That era was the perfect time to dive into house music. Still to this day I love to be on the dance floor, it’s really important to me.
Can you tell us something about how you view your new neighbours export?
Jan: We welcomed them with open arms. I don’t believe in competition with other cultural entrepreneurs. We need each other and it’s simply so much more fun to go about things together. Providing Nous’klaer Festival with a home for the night together with export is perfect to us. We’re connecting spaces and people that have a true passion for creating something special in this area.
At Nous’klaer Festival we are thrilled that Rotterdam has a great new nightclub. Recently Nous’klaer Audio had the privilege to organise an event at export including a 3-hour set by Erik Luebs. export opened at the end of 2025, making you the new kid on the block. Roeland, how do you look back on the first few months of export?
Roeland: We are very happy that we were able to showcase many diverse music styles that we at export think are awesome. What also really stands out is that an export ‘sound’ is increasingly starting to emerge and develop. Many DJs play mainly from bass, breakbeat, and techno. Even a house DJ we had booked who plays more towards the afro-house sound started playing 90s Chicago house! Apparently, the space calls for a specific sound.
What has positively surprised you?
Roeland: We are still learning a lot, but we are really happy with how things are going. There are far more artists and bookers from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and even internationally who want to do something here than I expected so soon after opening. We are booking artists that I only expected to be able to book in two years’ time.
How does export fit into the M4H district?
Roeland: I think the places that were already there, such as Brutus, Cult=us, and the Keilecafe, embody the DIY side of art and culture. The arrival of Roodkapje fits in perfectly with that as well. A lot is really done by the entrepreneurs themselves; there are no big-money companies behind it. People have a genuine passion for making beautiful things. It is wonderful to be a part of that. The M4H district is still underexposed, but the sun is really starting to shine here more and more.
During Nous’klaer Festival Night export and Cult=us will fuse into one venue. How do you see the collaboration?
Roeland: We have some collaborations before the festival, like a brunch at Cult=us during our first weekender and a club menu that we’re working on, but during Nous’klaer Festival our venues will truly function like one for the first time. Visitors will be able to walk from one room to another in the building, we’re physically connecting the spaces. It’s great to be able to do these things together.
What direction will export take in the future?
Roeland: We would love to host our own block party in the summer, but applying for the permit is not possible now. Next to that it would be great to get our Thursday nights going. They can be a bit looser, maybe sometimes with free entry and with collectives organizing their own thing. Lastly we have some improvements to make in the building. One of them is a better chill area between the lockers and bar room. Enough stuff to do but we’re happy with our start!
We can’t wait for what’s in store for Cult=us and export and are looking forward to seeing you on the dancefloor.
Lineup:
export: Efdemin b2b Oceanic, Nikos (live), Nelly, Dirtydms, Soft Break
Cult=us: DJ Klapsalon, Miikii