Welcome to the latest edition of Six Questions With..., a regular short and sharp interview with a live music figure. Email james.hanley@futurenet.com if you would like to take part or recommend someone for inclusion.
This week's Q&A is with Noah van Putten of Arnhem-based Free Your Mind Festival, which returns to the Netherlands for its 16th edition on June 1.
What was your first job in music?
Well I used to play guitar so after playing in bands, my first paid job was teaching guitar to people in the neighbourhood and other applications. It wasn’t until later when I got into electronic music. That really took over everything, I hardly play guitar ever now.
How long have you been in your current role?
I’m in my current role as marketing manager and booker for just under a year, before I used to be an intern for Free Your Mind. I was and I am still really keen on learning something new every day and looking for possibilities.
What is your favourite thing about working in the live music industry?
You get to meet and work with so many awesome and passionate people, that’s something I don’t see in other industries. It’s great that everyone can relate and find common ground in their love for music. That’s definitely what keeps me driving.
What is the one thing you would like to change about the business?
I think it’s easy for passionate people to overlook certain things in situations where there’s pressure behind the project. This sometimes makes for very big misunderstandings and can lead to very sloppy mistakes. It would be great if people in this industry would stop trying to multi-task and fix one problem at a time so that everyone can enjoy the benefits.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
We’ve had a very great festival last year with amazing production and guests like Kölsch, Hot Since 82, Len Faki, Sam Paganini and many more world known DJs. But the best moment I’ve had working for FYM was definitely our beach show with Joris Voorn. Joris is one of my all-time favorite DJs and it was amazing to host a show for him, and the crowd was really into it. He played an amazing three-hour set for an intimate setting at the beach..
What's the best gig you’ve ever been to?
This doesn’t relate to techno but this would definitely be A State Of Trance 800 in Utrecht, where Armin van Buuren played an amazing classic vinyl set. I’m a sucker for trance.
