Erwin van der Bliek: “Called It Hardcore Power”

Erwin van der Bliek
In this episode of the MY FIRST GIG series, we feature the Dutch Erwin van der Bliek. “It could get pretty wild.”

This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)

Radio DJs are often humble people, and this is especially true for this house radio pioneer. This week in the MY FIRST GIG series, we feature the Dutch Erwin van der Bliek. “It could get pretty wild.”

“I absolutely grew up with music! At home, the radio was always on, and I was constantly messing around with cassette tapes. I recorded tons of them. Later, I would play radio in the attic with a turntable and cassette recorder. So, it was in me from a young age.” (laughs)

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Radio El Dorado

“I was born and raised in Gorinchem and always listened to the pirate station Radio El Dorado. At fourteen, I gathered my courage and asked if I could play records there. They said yes! So, there I was, in the early 80s, already spinning music illegally. At that time, it was mostly Top 40, new wave, disco, and ska. Madness, for example, was super trendy.”

Radio Monique

“I enjoyed it so much that I stuck with El Dorado and wanted to continue in radio. Luckily, my parents always fully supported this ambition. After high school, I ended up at Radio Monique, a pirate station broadcasting from a ship in international waters.”

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Pretty Wild

“Broadcasting from that ship was quite an adventure. How did I get there? Of course, I didn’t have to swim.” (laughs) “No, I was brought on board with a smaller boat. I often stayed there for two weeks and then spent a day or two back on land. Once, I was stuck for six weeks because the weather was too bad to bring us ashore. Believe me, it could get pretty wild on that big ship. Luckily, all we had to do was eat, sleep, or make radio. This gave me a lot of time to learn quickly, as I was almost constantly spinning records.”

House and Hardcore

“At twenty, I moved to Rotterdam. That’s where my real radio adventure began. I started working at Stadsradio Rotterdam. This is where my first gig comes in. In the early 90s, house music was emerging. Sometimes I heard a track on the radio, or I would go to big parties at De Energiehallen in Rotterdam. When I first heard house and hardcore, I was blown away. I thought, ‘What is happening here?!’ This was really something new. To this day, I still love discovering new music.”

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Hardcore Power

“That’s when I got the idea to create a house and hardcore show at Stadsradio Rotterdam. Thankfully, there was interest, and they let me give it a try. I called it Hardcore Power. It was quite a bold move, as nobody was playing house or hardcore on the radio at that time. We were the first and only ones in the Netherlands doing this. I invited Rotterdam hardcore legend Michel de Hey to come spin in the studio. I already knew him a little since he worked at the Midtown record store, where I would go to buy records myself. Which ones? Probably something from Bonzai Records, Speedy J, or Jochem Paaps. The hard stuff.” (laughs) “It was at Midtown that I also met Charly Lownoise and Paul Elstak.”

Covered Vinyl

“Scoring records back then was quite a hassle. Most DJs covered their vinyl so no one could see the title or artist, keeping the music exclusive. Michel de Hey covered absolutely everything. I often asked him for a track name, but I didn’t always get an answer. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.” (laughs)

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‘Hardcore Heaven’

“Being the first radio host in the country to dedicate a whole evening show to these genres was a big deal. I was super nervous for that first broadcast, especially since everyone warned me not to do it! Sure, Rotterdam was known as ‘hardcore heaven,’ but still…”

Huge Success

“It could have gone wrong, but Hardcore Power was an immediate hit. That first show was a huge success. I don’t remember if any records skipped or anything. If they did, I probably just thought it was part of the music.” (laughs)

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100% Freedom

“It helped that Elstak, Lownoise, De Hey, and other hardcore stars were suddenly having huge hits and would come to the studio to play. Paul Elstak came by regularly. Often, he’d just released a track or was finishing one and wanted to give it an early spin. It was a time of 100% freedom. You could experiment all you wanted, which was awesome. I ended up hosting that show for four years.”

Bliek’s Blender

“After that, I worked at Veronica and 3FM, and now I’ve been at WildFM for two years with my show ONFIRE. I also make the online mix show Bliek’s Blender, which is broadcast weekly on various online stations. So, I’m still in radio, and luckily, I still have that 100% freedom I value so much. Most stations hand you playlists to follow, but with me, I decide what music to play. I always curate my show myself.”

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“This ties into a tip I give radio stations in general: I hear way too much of the same. When I listen to five different stations, I hear the same song over and over. It all becomes so monotonous. For upcoming radio DJs: I get that most will imitate their idols in the first few years, like Jeroen van Inkel, for example. That’s understandable. But try to be as much yourself as possible and develop your own style. Personally, I see my role as a presenter as secondary to the music. I don’t need to be in the spotlight.”

This interview with Erwin van der Bliek is originally published on This Is Our House in May 2021. 

Who is Erwin van der Bliek?

Like many other radio hosts of his generation, Erwin van der Bliek’s career began at sea. In the late 1980s, he made radio for several pirate stations, including Radio Monique, Radio Caroline, and Radio 558/819.

In the early 1990s, Erwin van der Bliek joined the Rotterdam regional station Europoort, which later became StadsRadio Rotterdam. Erwin moved along with the station. With his program Hardcore Power, he eventually became a regional celebrity. On Hardcore Power, Erwin van der Bliek hosted the bold game “100 Guilders or a Bald Head,” where contestants had to answer questions. If they answered correctly, they won 100 guilders; if they were wrong, their heads were shaved.

In 1994, Erwin van der Bliek joined Holland FM, where he hosted The Party Place, a show that got listeners in the mood for a night out. After his time at Veronica, Erwin transitioned to Radio Atlantis 103.2 FM, and a year later, he joined City FM.

Erwin also made a return to national radio, including on 3FM, where he hosted Pyjama FM every Sunday night for AVRO and KRO. After that came Noordzee FM. After leaving Noordzee FM, Erwin quickly regained his spot at Pyjama FM on 3FM.

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