| Naam | Willem van Rij |
| Functie | 11 × DJ |
| Geslacht | man |
| Herkomst | Nederland  |
| Genres | techno |
| Links |    |
Biografie
De Kraken, Willem van Rij's creative alias, started in the 90's as a little boy with a fat equalizer, always busy with knobs and freaking frequencies. With his dad singing in a classic choir and his mom just a good dancer he had not a big musical family, but enough influence to gain his interest for music. As a young teenager he puts himself to sleep every night with The Doors' Riders On The Storm.
When he grew older the love for vinyl and electronic music took over and he bought his first pitch belt-driven turntables and started collecting rave rarities and classic house music. Some years later he began producing music. He always wanted to fit in genres or styles that he tend to listen to. In 2016 he earned himself his first releases but they never stood out in the crowd. What he did not know that time was that he first had to be thrown back to the most fundamental aspects of life to find his sound.
Two years of combining dreamy soundscapes, autobiographic stories and heavy basslines he found himself at a place he could truly satisfy himself. Turning his deepest feelings in to music and finally letting them out of his system.
The music evolved from rave into deep emotive and cinematic panorama's. A fuse of genres somewhere in between indie and electronic. The place where he feel's most at home. In 2019 the result of roaming around in this dark place was the birth of his debut album 'Two Crosses'. The album could be read as a diary with shreds of memories from a mainly hazy time in which he lost his best friend and himself at the same time.
In the 20's he is evolving his sound releasing new work like 'Coal Tit and Green Window Red Dots'. Dreamy mysterious songs with a blend of genres and styles. An unorthodox way of using lyrics that symbolise his inner struggles or concerns.
The emotional involvement with his surroundings and his ongoing hunger for creativity always gives him inspiration for making music, video's or poems. We just wait on what is next?
Stereofox: "De Kraken further resists being boxed in by the constraints of genre."
When he grew older the love for vinyl and electronic music took over and he bought his first pitch belt-driven turntables and started collecting rave rarities and classic house music. Some years later he began producing music. He always wanted to fit in genres or styles that he tend to listen to. In 2016 he earned himself his first releases but they never stood out in the crowd. What he did not know that time was that he first had to be thrown back to the most fundamental aspects of life to find his sound.
Two years of combining dreamy soundscapes, autobiographic stories and heavy basslines he found himself at a place he could truly satisfy himself. Turning his deepest feelings in to music and finally letting them out of his system.
The music evolved from rave into deep emotive and cinematic panorama's. A fuse of genres somewhere in between indie and electronic. The place where he feel's most at home. In 2019 the result of roaming around in this dark place was the birth of his debut album 'Two Crosses'. The album could be read as a diary with shreds of memories from a mainly hazy time in which he lost his best friend and himself at the same time.
In the 20's he is evolving his sound releasing new work like 'Coal Tit and Green Window Red Dots'. Dreamy mysterious songs with a blend of genres and styles. An unorthodox way of using lyrics that symbolise his inner struggles or concerns.
The emotional involvement with his surroundings and his ongoing hunger for creativity always gives him inspiration for making music, video's or poems. We just wait on what is next?
Stereofox: "De Kraken further resists being boxed in by the constraints of genre."
