- A few years ago, club nights in The Hague were in a state of limbo. A spate of closures by the local council led to a waning of enthusiasm for investors backing ambitious projects, and it felt like local parties were sliding into a sort of recession. Since then, though, fresh optimism has been trickling back into the city. Planet Warehouse is the third club to open this year, and rugged, appropriated spaces are experiencing something of a renaissance, with another site due to roll up its shutter doors before the year is out.
Planet Warehouse—from the collective behind the multi-purpose space PIP Den Haag—is a simple concept. The clue is in the name, with a 900 square metre ex-storage facility located in the industrial suburb of De Binkhorst. Usually it hosts mellower affairs, like yoga classes and cooking workshops. But on Saturday, the building's facade was glowing ominously with deep reds and yellows. Inside, I was immediately taken aback by its interior—think Panorama Bar but with a lower ceiling. In addition to the booming main room, there was The Alley, a smokers hangout and smaller dance area (Primus Inter Pares played here) fringed with giant olive trees.
The size of the venue presented immediate problems, not all of them solved. Until it was close to capacity there was a gnawing sense of emptiness. The brickwork—painted white to match the wooden rafters—lent the space an airy feel, but it made the room too bright. That said, placing extra speaker stacks further forward was an excellent move, and it contributed enormously to the vibe. This mitigated any sound loss for dancers further back, in turn eliminating any of the usual jostling for the best spots. There was also a coffee bar, a nice touch that kept ravers perky.
The music felt of a piece with The Hague's warehouse raves of old, with a soundtrack of mostly erratic electro, techno and its stranger cousins. Both Mark Du Mosch and 751 oscillated between nimble breakbeats and penetrative acid. 751, straying far from the esoteric world music he plays on Red Light Radio, hypnotised the crowd with his stolid demeanour and hefty warehouse weapons. I heard several tracks from I-F's back catalogue, in what felt like a tribute to the local veteran. To close, Dekmantel Soundsystem smoothed out some of the party's rougher edges, rolling out cuts with vocal snippets while cracking jokes in between mixes. By the time they wrapped up at 6 AM, the smell of coffee was as strong as beer or cigarettes.
Photo credit /
Pierre Zylstra