Eelke Kleijn's Alternative Guide To Rotterdam

Emerging as one of the Netherlands upcoming talents, Rotterdam's Eelke Kleijn has just released his latest EP on his very own Outside The Box imprint.  Having sporadically appeared on the likes of Global Underground and Baroque Records over the last six years, he picked up his game on the creation of Outside The Box records which has seen artists like Glen McArdle, Soulfinder and Tundra feature in its discography.  Here's an insight into what Eelke does in his downtime when he's not running a label, releasing tracks, DJ'ing around the globe or producing his podcast- Eelke Kleijn's Alternative Guide to Rotterdam.

Music!
The Nieuwe Binnenweg is the place where you want to go for music shopping. A couple of years back this used to be the main street for vinyl stores, there were 4 or 5 very close to each other, all specializing in certain styles. Nowadays, unfortunately, there are only 1 or 2 that have survived. It's still the best place to find some rare vinyl though.

Eat!
Spirit at De Groene Passage is a really nice venue where you can eat biological and vegetarian food. I'm not a vegetarian myself, but I do value biological food highly, and put a lot of effort (and sometimes time) into the dishes I prepare myself. I think it's great that there are restaurants nowadays that focus on biological food.

Shop!
My favorite place for shopping is Alexandrium. It's a major shopping mall in the eastern part of Rotterdam, close to where I live. Given, it's a shopping center like many others, but I love the fact that it is so close to my home and you can literally get everything you need there. They have an entire area for home decoration where you can find everything from lamps to swimming pools.

Get fit!
Outdoor Valley is a place I visit often. It's located just outside Rotterdam near Bergschenhoek. Besides having the highest artificial 'mountain' for climbing in the Netherlands, you can go mountain biking, skiing, hiking, etc. Indoor climbing is one of my favorite sports, I usually go climbing at least twice a week. The mountain at Outdoor Valley is 32 meters high, much higher than most indoor halls.

Geek out!
Feedback Rotterdam is the largest music and instruments store we have in the Netherlands. I love to go there and just try out new gear. They have an immense demo area, where you can try out everything from guitars and synthesizers to drums and studio gear. Definitely the best place to go and look for new studio toys.

Eelke Kleijn- Levensgenieter is out now on Outside The Box 

Listen to Eelke Kleijn on Pulse Radio