Sunday clubbing with a. brehme
We sat down with Brussels’ hypnotic techno veteran a. brehme to talk about his closing set at the upcoming Horst Club opening weekender. Catch him in the Rain Room, tying up loose ends and squeezing out our last drops of energy on Sunday night, 20h to 23h.
Published on
28.9.25
Horst: Let’s talk about partying on Sundays—teasing out some memories and feelings you have about it.
a. brehme: My favorite party day is definitely Sunday. You don’t just end up at a Sunday party by accident—it’s something you plan for in advance. I also like that Sundays attract a different kind of crowd: freelancers, hairdressers, people who don’t work Mondays. It’s a cool, alternative vibe.
Horst: Yes, partying on Sunday is a sort of countercultural movement. That’s why the vibe is so special. Another great thing about going out on Sunday is that it’s a day party, so you can still sleep and be fresh for the week.
a. brehme: Exactly. When we started Technoon in 2013, Sundays were pretty quiet in Belgium—mostly after-hours house and tech-house parties from Saturday nights. Farah and Jeroen felt there was a gap, that there weren’t places to hear proper techno on Sunday afternoons. They really pioneered that idea in Belgium. There's even a little article from 2013 about this.
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Horst: That’s a great bit of history. I wanted to ask about Technoon and how you got involved. You mentioned after-hours were more house- and minimal-focused, so there wasn’t much available for people wanting to hear something different.
a. brehme: Right. At the time, there were no Sunday techno parties in Belgium, or even nearby countries like the Netherlands, France, or the UK. While studying journalism, I did my thesis on nightlife in Brussels and Berlin. I interviewed Peter Van Hoesen, who I already admired after hearing his live set at Fuse in 2010. Later, Farah and Jeroen invited me to play at the first Technoon event in a club near Dansaert in Brussels. What was it called again? Ah yes, Mr. Wong! From there, we got connected.
Horst: And you became a resident. Looking back now, do you miss it? Or do you see it more as a closed chapter?
a. brehme: I look back with really warm feelings—it was such a positive experience. Technoon stopped in March 2020, right at the start of COVID, after about 30 parties. By then it felt full circle—Farah, Jeroen and Johan had kids and were working full time. The story had been told. So I don’t “miss” it exactly, but I think about it often and remember it fondly.
Horst: That makes sense. It built an incredible community here in Brussels, inspiring other projects.
a. brehme: Exactly.
"Especially with a 24-hour party, I feel it’s important to close it properly, to bring everything to a meaningful end, and to provide a safe landing for everyone to gather themselves before heading home, or onto their next adventure."
Horst: You’ve obviously used to playing both warm-up and closing sets. Since you’ll be closing at Horst Club, how do you approach a closing set? Do you structure it in a specific way?
a. brehme: Especially with a 24-hour party, I feel it’s important to close it properly, to bring everything to a meaningful end, and to provide a safe landing for everyone to gather themselves before heading home, or onto their next adventure. I always aim to be mindful of the time and space while playing, but I feel like this slot could ‘benefit’ from a groovy and sensual selection, where things also can get trippy and a little bit weird.
Horst: Are there any specific emotions or feelings you want people to experience on the dancefloor?
a. brehme: It would be amazing if something deeply emotional happened—like during Technoon when Donato Dozzy played and people had tears in their eyes. I’d love to provoke emotions like that. But at the same time, everyone is free to feel whatever they feel. I don’t want to push people toward an obvious, specific emotion.
Horst: Sad/happy tears and introspection are always welcome at the club. Do you have any favorite closing tracks?
a. brehme: “Theme for Great Cities” by Simple Minds.
Horst: Okay, that was quick!
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a.brehme: I’ve played it a few times to close sets, including at Technoon. Later, Peter Van Hoesen also played it at Labyrinth. It’s such a powerful track. I also remember hearing it live with my mom when we went to see the Rolling Stones and Simple Minds in 1998 at the Werchter festival site when I was seven years old. So it carries both personal and party memories for me.
Horst: In a different context, but connected.
a. brehme: Exactly—both contexts come back to me when I hear it. Oh, and “Planet Caravan” by Black Sabbath is another one of my favorite closing tracks. It must be one of the closing tracks that people wanted to know after playing it as a final track at Technoon in 2019.
Horst: Do you have a favorite spot on the dancefloor?
a. brehme: I don’t have a particular spot. Perhaps the very front row—wherever the action is happening!
Horst: That’s the spirit. Any last words before the opening of Horst Club’s 2025 season?
a.brehme: I’m just looking forward to playing again on a Sunday. I can’t wait.
>> Get your Sunday tixxx <<
Second photo by Kristina Railaite
Photo by Margot Lavigne
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“What’s so amazing about dance floors is bringing together all of these people that are different, but you have this one shared interest, which is that you want to be in this moment in time together.”
“When I go party, one thing that bothers me is that performance is often seen as something just to spice up the night. I always imagine what if performance is an integral part of the party.”
“It’s really nice if a club night can be different things. It can be dancing, it can be talking, it can be resistance, getting out of your comfort zone. It’s almost like a Gesamtkunstwerk”.
“The idea was to find a language throughout space or some kind of movement that can give the club a feeling of passing of time. It’s not as static as a place."
"I think one of the first things we decided to do is to come dancing here and to feel what's going on, what works very well, what could be better, what have we learned from it, but how can it also be different?"
"Party spaces can be overwhelming. I’ve often experienced being at a club and sitting on the cold concrete floor with everyone else."
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