Marsman (NL)

When it comes to commitment to underground electronic music, you’ll struggle to find anyone more dedicated than Marsman. Since moving to Rotterdam in 2011, the DJ, radio host, record label and store owner has become one of the hardest working figures in the city’s long-established underground electronic music scene. It was 2015 when Marsman decided to quit his day job and devote his life to music, establishing the Pinkman and Charlois labels to champion artists – both new and established – whose music moved him emotionally. From the start, he wanted both labels to operate without boundaries, instead focusing on quality electronic music – most aimed squarely at dancefloors, of course – from the margins. Since then, both labels have won praise from DJs and home listeners alike, with journalists and commentators singling Marsman out as a central figure in Rotterdam’s revitalized scene. His passion for creating long-term friendships with the artists and producers on the labels has also won praise, while also shaping a distinctive Pinkman identity that sidesteps conventional genre tags. It’s a very personal project, but one that features significant contributions from a growing family of artists who buy into the main man’s far-sighted approach. This ethos is also at the heart of Marsman’s Pinkman record store, which opened in Rotterdam in April 2018. Marsman began his DJing journey a decade ago, quickly earning a reputation as a top-notch radio host, podcaster and mix-maker whose fluid and eclectic sets became essential listening for underground electronic music enthusiasts around the World. His DJ career has flourished since moving to Rotterdam, helped by an evolving DJ style that matches the open-minded, impossible-to-pigeonhole vibe of his labels and the similarly inclined Operator Radio (an online station he co-founded in 2017). Second-guessing where Marsman’s sets will go next is near impossible, though entertainment and good memories are almost guaranteed. So far Marsman has DJ’d across Europe, toured the U.S.A, Mexico and Colombia, and cites a first stint behind the decks at legendary Berlin institution Panoramabar as one of his most special DJing experiences. In the months and years ahead, he plans to share his electronic music vision – that fluid, futurist Pinkman sound – with more dancers around the World.