Since opening its doors to the public for the first time in 2007, Woei has left its mark on the international sneaker and streetwear community with several collaborations including Asics, Patta, and Stüssy along the way.
But the interests and passions of the Woei crew reach far beyond just shoes and apparel; Besides providing the streets with the latest from Nike, Adidas, and Co., music has always been at the heart of the store. Considering the highly curated playlists and mixes that can be heard in the store and hosting some of Rotterdam's most notorious parties, the belief that music unites is deeply ingrained in the Woei DNA.
Based on this deep connection, we want to shine a spotlight on some of our favorite local musicians to talk about what sparked their passion for music and hear their take on common dilemmas in the music industry.
For episode #39 of WOEI FM, we met with Karim, otherwise known as Rotational. We visited his home and looked through records, talked about the love for digging, and his past job at De Oorzaak.
Can you please introduce yourself?
My name is Karim, aka Rotational. I run a YouTube channel and do DJing, next to my work as an analyst in Rotterdam. I was born to a Moroccan father and a Dutch mother, and have lived in Rotterdam pretty much my whole life.
What's the story behind "Rotational"?
It's just an easygoing name. I started as Rotational Force, relating to the gravity point and centrifugal pull from the earth. Later it turned into Rotational, coming from a spinning record. Nothing special really!
When did the realization hit that working with music would be your thing?
That's a tough one. When I was younger, I skated a lot and listened to lots of hip-hop, but also punk and metal music. That was an integral part of forming my identity in the long run, I believe. After some time I added electronic music to the mix, and around the time I was 18/19 I visited Michel from Thatz It Records a lot and was digging for mostly house and techno records. I've explored nearly all corners of those sounds and Michel has taught me so much.
As time passed and my collection grew, I noticed that I wanted to dig deeper, for sounds few people have heard.
My dad used to play a lot of Moroccan music in the car during my childhood. And there were always a few Moroccan CDs laying around the car. Some disappeared, and some returned once in a while. Whilst I was out on a digging trip in the north of France, I found a 45 with a similar cover. That was Khaled's Didi. Since then my love for music from my background started to grow. I listened to a lot of Western house and techno, I figured that there must be sounds like that from Morocco as well and started searching for those. After multiple years of digging you start looking for sounds that are (culturally) close to you. Feels like a full-circle moment.
What’s your day-to-day life like?
Next to work I enjoy collecting art and designer furniture. I also like collecting old film posters. Aside from collecting, I love to learn as well. When I find an intriguing topic, I like to spend a lot of time learning about it, like the craft of making furniture for example. I've made my own 3D-printed coffee table!
"As time passed and my collection grew, I noticed that I wanted to dig deeper, for sounds few people have heard."
Thanks a lot for inviting us to your home, you've built quite a collection of vinyl, tapes and CDs. How long have you been collecting for?
About 10 years now. I do have to say that the past 4 years have been the craziest, with a lot of added records to the collection in that short time! After a while you start to invent this so-called 'system' for yourself where you steer away from expensive records and reach for the cheap €1 record that might have a crazy B-side on it.
In the past 2 years I've also dived into tape collecting, especially after discovering many gems from Morocco.
I've come across so many crazy records since I started digging. For example, the first-ever Morrocan rap tape album: Ahmed & Amine - Wakie (1996). It took me 5 years of searching and the help of Habibi Funk (shoutout to him!) to find it, I just had to own it. The tape was so old that I had to reline and reel it again one last time so I could digitalize and record it.
You used to work at De Oorzaak on the weekends, what makes it such a special place to you?
I used to work the Saturdays there, mainly for Discogs orders. This place is dear to me because it's where I properly learned the art of digging, thanks to Jeroen and Danny! To me, De Oorzaak is the best and most underrated record shop in the country. There aren't many people left with such passion and enthusiasm like that. Nobody also really has the time to go digging in a warehouse somewhere for 14 hours long, but they do, and know how to do it best.
Record shops are mainly specialized in specific directions, but not De Oorzaak. You'll find sounds you didn't even know you were looking for! From Algerian synth-pop to crazy wave.
How did you start DJing?
I played house and techno for a pretty long time, but that got boring real quick. I quickly realized it also wasn't my scene. For the past 2 years, I only started accepting gigs that are closer to me. Where I can send a message and share my love for music, whether it be on a radio set or in a club. As a DJ you should have the right music on hand, selected specially for the listener. But next to that, it's important to turn it into a party, making people dance and have fun. It's been a long time of searching for the right audience for my music but luckily I've found them in recent years.
Your first legit club gig, could you tell us about how it went?
I think it was in 2016 or 2017. I was in a Facebook group called 'Het Archief' with a bunch of people, many of whom are still very successful in the scene. We posted our craziest digs, like real classic deep house sounds. We hosted a night to spin in a side room at Claire in Amsterdam with 2 Technics and a messed up DJM400 mixer on 2 bar tables (which were shaking the whole time..). Naturally, I was nervous but it was super dope to spin with everyone and getting to do that in front of a crowd!
Do you have a 2024 highlight so far?
I was invited to Ajuma's Parotia club night at the Skatecafe Amsterdam. I entered the venue and somehow it was still full of tables which left me with some question marks... After some confusion and back-and-forth questioning with the stage manager, the venue was sold out and I got to play some crazy old Kuduro records. A guy came up to me afterward and asked me where the hell I discovered the records, and it's moments like that I enjoy most, to reach people with sounds from their own country.
How do you describe yourself as a DJ, style-wise?
That's pretty hard to decide, I won't say I'm 'underground' but I like to make it hard for myself to dig for music and find out everything I can about it. I like to search for music no one has, I like the challenge!
Vinyl or digital?
Vinyls digitalized.
Club or festival?
Club!
"It's been a long time of searching for the right audience for my music but luckily I've found them in recent years. "
Anything on the agenda that we can look forward to?
I'm mostly occupied with updating my YouTube channel as much as possible, where I upload and categorize what I've recently discovered! I started the channel 3 years ago and upload weekly, CDs, tapes, and of course vinyl.
Check out the Rotational YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd_X0LvBCfvANq4V9fMYuIA
Do you have some tunes you'd like to share with the readers?
What can we expect from the Operator show?
I think lots of Kuduro's from the late 90s to early 2000s. Expect music that means a lot to me, whether in the club or out.
