Music tips

Visit the Spotify playlist here to listen to all the music recommendations.

Harry van Dalen – Ornette Coleman and Joni Mitchell

If I had to name two artists who truly changed something for me, the first would be Ornette Coleman. That concert at the North Sea Jazz Festival was a turning point: pure chaos, two trios playing simultaneously, a plastic saxophone. It taught me that you do not have to follow music; you can simply experience it. I completely lost myself in it. Try not to understand it, but simply let it wash over you. Close your eyes and listen to everything at once.

The second would be Joni Mitchell, particularly because of her lyrics. Her music helped me realise that I was not alone in my pain and that other people carry stories too. I felt a profound sense of recognition. Coleman taught me how to disappear into music, while Joni Mitchell helped me recognise something within myself. Both touch on the same thing: music that brings you back to yourself.

Winni Hofman – Stravinsky and Josquin des Prez

I prefer listening to classical music, although the composers I choose are not the most obvious ones for sleep or relaxation. Stravinsky and Josquin des Prez are far from bedtime listening. Even so, their music gives me a profound sense of happiness. It touches something inside me, and that is precisely what helps me relax, even when the music is lively or complex. For me, relaxation is not found only in slow or gentle music, but in what the music does to you personally.

Annemieke van den Tol – ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings’

When I feel frustrated, I sometimes deliberately put on something aggressive: music from the 1990s, such as The Smashing Pumpkins. ‘Bullet with Butterfly Wings’ is perfect for that. It is absurd, raw and funny at the same time. That is precisely what makes it such a release for me.

Waldie Hanser – ‘I’m Going Home’ from The Rocky Horror Show

That is a very difficult question. Rather than having one ultimate song, I have a list of songs that are important to me, and my choice changes depending on the moment. At one point, I might choose Judas Priest’s ‘Reckless’ or Rainbow’s ‘Man on the Silver Mountain’ or ‘Temple of the King’; at another, it might be something by Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks, such as ‘Blue Lamp’.

But if I had to choose just one, it would be ‘I’m Going Home’ from The Rocky Horror Show. It is a very strange, bizarre musical full of hard-rock songs, but this particular song is small and intimate. It almost feels out of character for the person singing it, who is normally so flamboyant and outrageous. In this song, the character suddenly becomes reflective. It is about leaving, looking back and saying goodbye. I find it incredibly beautiful.

Anneke Naaijkens Doek – Accordion music, preferably with an Eastern European flavour

I do not have one particular song, and my choice keeps changing. But I absolutely love accordion music, preferably with an Eastern European flavour. I also love Israeli music with its minor tonalities. It can make me genuinely happy, especially when I play it myself.

I started playing the accordion because I wanted an instrument that was truly just for me, without any hidden professional motivation. I found one on Marktplaats for about a hundred euros and thought I could not go far wrong at that price. So I took lessons and simply began. A few years later, I have bought a better instrument and fallen in love with its sound. Not the ‘oom-pah-pah’ people often associate with it, but its tragic, richly layered sound world: sometimes melancholic, sometimes made for dancing. I also love tangos, including those from South America.

Stefan van der Stigchel – ‘Journey in Satchidananda’ by Alice Coltrane

Music truly is the soundtrack to my life, and that soundtrack is constantly changing. I could probably choose a different song for my funeral every year. Music moves with you as you pass through life; sometimes you simply fall in love with a particular song for a while.

I was not raised religiously and do not feel much connection with traditional spirituality, but certain kinds of jazz suddenly help me understand what people mean by it. When I heard Alice Coltrane’s ‘Journey in Satchidananda’, I thought: yes, this is it. This must be what people feel when they talk about connecting with something higher. For me, it does not have to be a god, but music can take you somewhere that allows you to zoom out and transcend yourself. The word that comes closest to describing it for me is ‘united’. Music taught me what that feeling is.

Artur Jaschke – ‘Don’t Matter’ by Derik Fein

‘Don’t Matter’ by Derik Fein. Its message perfectly expresses how I feel. No matter how hard I fall, I always pick myself up again. However many times life knocks me down, I say: bring it on. The song gets to me every time. I will be in the car with the volume turned all the way up, singing at the top of my voice. Only today, my son said, ‘Mum, please turn it down!’ And I said, ‘No, wait a moment … after this song!’

Julian Schaap – ‘Transmission’ by Joy Division

I think everyone should listen to Joy Division at some point. To me, they are one of the greatest bands of all time, particularly because of ‘Transmission’. In their music, I hear both the rebellion of punk and something deeply human: the shared understanding that we all have our shortcomings and are somehow muddling through. My favourite music always contains both strength and vulnerability, and ‘Transmission’ is a perfect example.

Janine Stubbe – ‘Tilted’ by Christine and the Queens

There is one song that brings everything together for me: ‘Tilted’ by Christine and the Queens. The music draws me in, and the video is brilliant. It is such a beautiful combination of dance and music. I love art forms that enhance one another, and this video is a perfect example of that cross-pollination between music and dance. It touches on exactly what matters to me.

Erik Scherder – ‘Hope’ by Louis van Dijk

The song that comes to mind is ‘Hope’ by Louis van Dijk. He had Alzheimer’s disease but was still able to play this piece at a table during a television programme. It is beautiful. You can hear the hope in the music, and it moves me every time. Music as memory, as emotion, as strength: that is what it means to me.

Niels and Willemijn – ‘Yuli Yuli’ by Fox and ‘Tundra’ by Ola Gjeilo

Niels: ‘Yuli Yuli’ by Fox. It affected me enormously. I heard it in a listening bar and immediately thought: this is it, this is exactly it. Sometimes you discover a song you can play endlessly.

Willemijn: ‘Tundra’ by Ola Gjeilo. At the moment, I am completely absorbed in contemporary choral music and the power of human voices. To me, the voice is often the most important element in music. If a voice moves me, I can listen to it endlessly.

Wessel Oltheten – ‘Different Kind of Love’ by Son Lux

‘Different Kind of Love’ by Son Lux. At its heart, it is pop music, but it was created with such imagination and precision. You can hear that someone had a clear vision and knew: this is what we want to say, and this is how we are going to say it. Everything serves a single feeling, and nothing is superfluous. I find it powerful when everything is exactly right.