About KCRADIO

Passionate music adventures blending old memories with new discoveries.

The Origin of KC Radio

Music flows through my veins, and I owe that to my father, Kees. He rented out equipment for drive-in shows, and as a young boy, I was allowed to go with him when he set it up. Before the audience arrived, I could always play some records. Those moments, in the shadow of large speakers and under the bright lights, ignited my passion for DJing. The name KC Radio is a tribute to my father. In the Netherlands, we often add “ie” to a name as a nickname. Kees became “Keessie,” and pronounced in English, that becomes “KC.”

Summer Days in My Room

It was summer holliday, everyone was at the beach, but I was in my room playing music as if I had my own radio station. I was about 10-11 years old then. While others played outside, I was glued to my turntables, dreaming of an audience enjoying my selection of records. My room was my own little world where I was the boss of the music and let my imagination run wild.

My DJ Adventures

My first big gig as a DJ was at a carnival party in the village hall of Piershil when I was about 11-12 years old. Ironically, I got sick with something like chickenpox or rubella just before the performance. The doctor said it would take at least two weeks to recover, but my urge to DJ was so strong that I had no fever the next day. My mother said I had to stay inside as long as I had a fever, but my passion for DJing was stronger than anything else. Even though I have nothing with carnival music, this was a big thing for me and proof that you can will yourself better if you really want something.

At the Haventje and the local youth club, I quickly discovered that it was easy to get people dancing. Just play the biggest dance hit of the moment and everyone went wild, but that only lasted 3-4 minutes. Since I wanted to entertain people for longer than 3-4 minutes, I was always thinking about how to captivate people for the whole evening, or at least for hours, with the music I chose. This taught me how to read an audience and how to “play” with it. Taking people on a journey with your music, that was the challenge and the art. It was at the Haventje that I learned how to mix records perfectly and keep the dance floor packed.

My “tinkering drive-in shows” expanded to larger parties, like a house party in Zuid Beijerland. Organizing and executing these events gave me immense satisfaction, despite the challenges.

After the Haventje and the local youth club, it was time for the real deal. During a holiday in Renesse, we were at ‘t Roefke. It was amazing and I wanted to do that too. After much effort, I found the manager’s phone number and called him. I was allowed to come and audition. It went well and I was hired! Renesse was fun and intense because it was open seven days a week in the summer, and I also had a regular job.

After my time in Renesse, I moved to Alcazar in Puttershoek, at the time the largest nightclub in the Netherlands. Alcazar had several rooms, including a club room and a top 40 room. I usually played in these two rooms, which was an amazing experience. It was a challenge to keep people dancing all night, but it also gave me a huge thrill.