Little Wonders on Dutch Rails

 In the Netherlands, I find the efforts to make life more pleasant interesting—houses, urban design, greenery, Dutch culture in general, their sense of aesthetics. But it’s not just that. For example, on the bus it’s sometimes unforgettable—on the way back from festival, first of all, the night bus from Amsterdam to Rotterdam was free, and the driver started a chant: “Rotterdam!!! Rotterdam!! Rotterdam!!!” When he said into the mic, “So where are we going!?” everyone on the bus shouted “Rotterdam! Rotterdam!! Rotterdam!”, often with their hands in the air. 

And just recently in March, on a train from Rotterdam to Tilburg, when the train was approaching Breda, after the usual automatic announcement, the train driver got on the mic and started joking about the typical Friday night life in Breda. Or, for example, in August 2024 on a way towards festival, after boarding the bus from Rotterdam to Amsterdam, the second driver talked into mic about the beautiful experiences people had that day in sunny Amsterdam. This is a piece of many similar stories about the Dutch people. 

And when the train arrives exactly on time at night in Amsterdam, people on the way—like Sidney SN, back from a daylight Dutch summer festivals towards a homes, Hotels, for example, they sometimes applause and loud cheerfulness because it was punctual. Trains in the Netherlands are the most reliable in Europe. And they’re also faster than, for example, in more Eastern countries. But, for example, sometimes, trains across the whole country come to a stop. Most of the time, it’s announced in advance, days ahead, but sometimes it can happen at night that all train traffic suddenly stops.

Maybe, in advance, when I read all the a Sidney SN blog posts, I laugh, because I thinking about a Dutch review. 

Deep in my heart floating in the blue

 ‘My heart is brеaking off now you're the dancing in the dark I wondеr where you are and I wish…’

 ‘I move slowly in the haze of people pulsing like the sun Under glowing eyes of neon skies, spinning in slow motion Diving deep in the heart Floating in the blue….’

A weather forecasts often predict something far different than ‘nothing else’

 I feel the warmth of the sun and the warmth of a rich, caring community. Those days were more beautiful than anything seems possible today. All I want is to return to that reality — and nothing else.

‘I drive all night but still the truth Is none of these streets lead back to you.’

Like the dancer with bruises who gathers the cash When the music is through, no she don't look back. I've come to look for America too. But, perhaps, in another time. 

Beyond The Tension: “Evolution” or “Fluidity”

A your thoughts about changes 

 Liquicity began as a YouTube channel and quickly grew into a movement. With slogans like “For the love of liquid drum & bass,” it offered a counterpoint to the harsher ends of the spectrum—techstep, neurofunk, and jump-up. For many fans, it wasn’t just about music; it was about emotion over aggression, connection over chaos. 

Geestmerambacht 2024

For years, Liquicity stood as the emotional sanctuary of the drum & bass scene—pure, melodic, and untouched by the darker subgenres like neurofunk. But in recent Liquicity festivals, something has changed. Artists like Black Sun Empire, IMANU, Buunshin or Synergy—with roots in neuro—have started appearing on the lineup. Although for soulful or dancefloor liquid DnB people can be difficult allowed the changes in the DnB genres, liquid DnB (once) stood as a different music genre with different vibes than was mainstream DnB scene, than is neurofunk, perhaps artist like IMANU (once known as Signal, signed to Noisia’s Invisible) represent this evolution. His sets are not pure neurofunk anymore—they’re a swirling mix of glitchy halftime, sharp bass design, and unpredictable emotional arcs. It’s a sound that doesn’t quite belong to any subgenre. A shifting towards neuro genres brings also its aggression, including a ravers— this a man can feel. 

And yeah, beyond programming logic, there’s a cultural shift at play. The drum & bass scene has never been more fractured—yet also never more interconnected. In Czechia, for example, neurofunk is the mainstream. Labels like Eatbrain, Hoofbeats, and events like Let It Roll dominate, pushing aggressive, high-speed tech into the everyday. For young Czech ravers, this isn’t fringe music—it’s just what drum & bass is. Meanwhile in the Netherlands, Liquicity’s home turf, the neurofunk movement was once led by giants like Noisia and Black Sun Empire. But after Noisia’s farewell in 2022, the neuro scene fractured into something more hybridized. Artists like Posij and [IMANU] now explore new sonic worlds that blur genre lines entirely. Neuro no longer exists in a box—it’s leaking into liquid, into halftime, into house and glitch and IDM. 

Due a roots of liquid DnB or liquid DnB policy, this can’t be advocate, but probably Liquicity can no longer afford to be seen as insular or elitist. In an era when inclusion, diversity, and openness are demanded from every cultural institution, sticking to a single subgenre becomes a branding liability.