“We thought, hey - we can do this better” – How Indruipen grew from a birthday party into a major dance event.

“At Stay in Groningen we love to put local and young talent in the spotlight. Indruipen strengthens the city and makes visitors feel like one big community. Their values are affordability, inclusion and an eye for detail. No focus on big names, but on experience. Indruipen shows how you can grow in Groningen without losing your soul. That’s a story we love to tell.”

We meet Jim and Teun on a weekday afternoon, somewhere between studying, DJing and planning. Jim is 23 and is completing his Master’s in Applied Social Psychology in Groningen; Teun is 21, a producer and DJ, a graduate of the Herman Brood Academy and now a student at the conservatory in Haarlem. Together with Jessie — often behind the decks and on edit duty — they form the core of Indruipen.

The birthday party that wasn’t a birthday party

How it all began. Teun once called Het Vliegende Paard in Zwolle with an innocent plan: “Can I use the basement for a birthday party?” That was fine — it fits about 120 people. And so the first ‘trial’ of Indruipen emerged. But things escalated more quickly than expected. “We posted a slightly too enthusiastic announcement online: ‘first edition of Indruipen’, DM us for the guest list.”

Then the phone rang. “What the f*ck is this? Indruipen? I’m getting messages about a new house event, but you requested a birthday party.”

The result: everything had to go offline. The deal: first a closed, guest-list edition, then see if it worked. “It worked,” he laughs. “And on 22 December 2023 we hosted our first open night. That’s when Indruipen was officially born.” Not from a spreadsheet, but from guts and a bit of cheeky entrepreneurship.

Two friend groups, one shared idea

Indruipen is the result of two friend groups coming together: the musical core (Herman Brood Academy, producers/DJs) and the crew from Zwolle (friends who already made music together and went to parties).

What drove them? A shared irritation many creators will recognise:

“We went to parties and often thought: we can do this better. Or: the DJ isn’t playing well. One day we said: then we’ll put on our own.”

And that’s what they did — first secretly as a ‘birthday’, then bigger and more professional.

What makes Indruipen special?

It’s not “book a DJ and done,” it’s designing a night. “We always walk the entire route of the visitor,” says Jim. “Where do you enter? How does ticket scanning feel? Where do you hang your coat? How do you flow to the stage? Where’s the smoking area? How do you get back to the floor?” He leans back. “We don’t necessarily have ‘the biggest line-up’. We design the experience — from the door to the moment you step back outside.”

They also work hard to involve visitors. The boiler room setting: “We want people behind the booth. It generates energy,” says Teun. “No backstage divide; we’re in the room together.” That’s how Indruipen stays personal and intimate.

They also set themselves apart with a personal touch. At the events they hand out disposable cameras so visitors can capture the vibe of the night. Those photos appear on the site a few weeks later. “People recognise themselves again — always a fun keepsake,” Jim says.

Or the ‘heavy mirror’, as the guys call it. “It weighs 250 kilos, right?” Jim jokes. “That’s why we don’t need the gym.” It’s heavy, branded with the Indruipen logo, and a great idea: “People walk by and take a selfie — it just works,” Jim says. They try to buy/make as much of their decor as possible. That way they bring their own atmosphere to every venue and have their own personal stage design.

So why should people come to Indruipen? we asked. “You really answer the ‘why’ for yourself when you’re there. But compared to other events, the experience is different. A specific look and feel, we move through the crowd as a friend group, we aim to be inclusive and we play our own edits,” say Jim and Teun.

And the audience? “Everyone is welcome,” says Jim. “Our base is student networks — makes sense, that’s where we’re from — but our atmosphere is inclusive.”

The Indruipen community

So how do you fill the floor? The answer was clear: content and community. “We have a strong concept,” says Jim. “We do a lot with content. Our videos and photos do so much for the experience and spark your imagination: when you see our socials, you want to come. It looks great — and it is great — and we know how to convey that.”

They also lean heavily on their own network. “We know many people from Zwolle who moved to study across the Netherlands, in all the student cities. We ask if they’ll help promote. Mostly via WhatsApp — we message people and invite them.”

“Honestly,” says Teun, “Instagram is important, WhatsApp is decisive.” They literally reach out, share discount codes through friends who help, and are growing a community chat edging towards 250 members. “That chat feels almost offline,” Jim says. “You build a real relationship.” The community gets firsts: previews, pop-ups and often early birds. “Join the community,” says Teun. “Come along and experience it — that’s the point.”

Their photos and videos feel like the night itself: real joy and everyone involved. The aftermovies show exactly what an Indruipen night looks like. Each new event gets a fresh, more original promo video.

Was this always the idea?

The guys have always had lots of creative ideas — some more successful than others. In a previous interview they mentioned they once dabbled in hip-hop.

“Yeah, that was a bit of a flop,” says Teun. “We were always trying to capture our friend group. When I was fourteen/fifteen and we were throwing our first parties, I carried a vlog camera and filmed the crew: summer aftermovies on YouTube. Later, before podcasts were really a thing, we had the idea — we’d sit in McDonald’s for hours with wild stories, talking about organising things like we do now with Indruipen. We recorded a podcast once. We didn’t continue — felt a bit random then, but it was fun.”

Later, when Antoon was up-and-coming at the Herman Brood Academy (a year above Teun), “Hyperventilatie” hit and Teun and Jessie thought: we can do this too. With a friend who rapped, they made tracks for fun. “It sounded good — we could produce, he could write and rap — but we didn’t pursue it because it didn’t quite feel right.”

Indruipen, by contrast, grew organically: “We hosted something, it worked, people asked ‘when again?’ — it snowballed.”

“After trying so many ideas, this felt right,” says Teun. At events everyone can express themselves. It’s a diverse friend group: not everyone DJs or produces — that’s Jessie and Teun — while Jim is strong in organisation and relationships. Someone else handles finance, another tech and lights. Everyone found their lane.

Do they still go out themselves?

Do you still have time to go out? we asked.