Interview with Lennard

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is Lennard, I am 22 years old. I am from Germany and I am studying in Stuttgart. But I am currently doing my exchange here in Amsterdam/Haarlem.

What is your favorite music genre?

Hmm. For partying, it’s definitely techno, well, house and techno. Let’s just leave it at that.

Do you ever visit a festival or concert?

In general, I prefer more intimate club events, but I am always open to festivals. I went to the Mystic Garden where Joran, our coach, was playing.

How was it?

It was actually the first time I saw him DJing. It was amazing, I enjoyed it a lot.

So which is the best one you’ve been to?

I’ve never been to a concert actually, but for a festival, it was definitely Awakenings!

From your lab experience, what knowledge or skills did you gain the most?

I would say it’s teamwork skills because we had to figure out everything by ourselves. There wasn’t much theoretical input from the coaches. I mean, we had some guest speakers, but it was mostly about figuring out how to split tasks efficiently, even using Scrum boards or efficiency maps. I learned how to navigate between people and communicate with them.

How did you experience IMI Lab overall?

It was a very good experience, especially because my group was so good. I had so much fun, I really enjoyed coming there every day. It was super chill, we had classes from 10-13:00. Our challenge was really hard, we had to figure out how music copyright will look like in 2050.  Luckily, my group was amazing. My overall experience was 9/10.

Did the IMI lab inspire you to pursue activities within the music/event industry?

Definitely, 100%. Not just the IMI lab in general, but also the people I met there. For example, Joran was so inspiring and Remco was as well. Some people from my group we’re really into the techno scene, which was really interesting. The guest speakers also played a crucial role in shaping my experience, especially Janneke, the booker of Mysteryland. Her stories, like casually chatting with Martin Garrix, were incredibly inspiring. I think the whole music industry is super interesting.

What are your next steps? 

It’s funny because, in the first week that I had in the Netherlands, I already wanted to stay here longer. I was looking for possibilities to extend my studies here. But unfortunately, it is not possible, so I have to go back to Germany and finish my study there. But then, I am really planning to come back and work for some collectives or labels. That’s kind of my plan so far, but life throws so many things at you, so it might change. But definitely something with music!

What advice would you give to students who are interested in joining IMI lab? or pursuing a career in the music industry?

You have to be passionate about it. I’m also producing in DJing, my passion lies here. If you want to be a booker, you can’t just be a booker. You have to know the culture, the DJs, the festivals. For example if Tomorrowland wants to invite a certain DJ, you do the bookings for. Tommorowland is not underground at all, you have to understand what it means if a certain DJ is going to play there. Passion is key: follow relevant Instagram accounts and blogs, read articles, and listen to podcasts. You need to have a deep understanding of the scene. I strongly believe that this is the path to faster growth in the music industry.