WORM is a venue, record shop, and production space in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Perhaps it’s more accurately described as an evolving bastion of the arts, with a new, larger location opening later this year in the center of the city. The new space, designed by 2012 Architects, with one part (a metal construction at the entrance) by Joep van Lieshout, will be “a super-avant-garde institute for sustainable recreation.” We spoke with shop owner and collective co-founder Mariëtte Groot to try to get to the bottom of the seemingly bottomless entity that is WORM.
What are the origins of WORM? What came first: the store, the studio, or the venue?
WORM started in 1999 when three iniatives joined forces: Dodorama (venue plus shop for experimental music), Popifilm (organizers of experimental film screenings), and Filmwerkplaats (Film Lab).
What is the Avant Garde Institute?
To be exact: we call ourselves Institute for Avantgardistic Recreation. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek; all we mean to say is, “We like art that is adventurous and playful.” We want as many people as possible to join in and play. The word recreation is meant as leisure, as well as “to create again.”
What does the store do particularly well — any specialty genres or formats?
Small labels, self-released material, books, plus, of course, WORM’s own publications.
How would you describe the music scene in Rotterdam?
Everything is relatively small-scale here; many cultures are represented, but you get the impression there is one of everything. [There is] no extensive infrastructure for live music; professional venues are few. The places programming the more unusual stuff are often galleries, bookstores, [and] communal or temporary spaces. And us!
Which albums has your store sold the most over the past month?
We haven’t sold much in the past month. We’re preparing for a relocation and breaking down our interior, so the shop has hardly been open.
What are some of your favorite new records?
To start with, the one you can see in the picture: Tristan Perich‘s 1-Bit Symphony. Okay, it’s not a record really, but the way he built this little sound synthesizer in a CD jewel box makes it really special. And it is a great piece of music, 40 minutes long and a symphony made of really thin sounds (one bit!) that you can listen to with a headphone.
You can find it here.
Then something completely different: Raks Raks Raks, a compilation of fantastic pop and psychedelic singles from the ’60s and ’70s in Iran. Each song is amazing in a different way.
Any big future plans for the store?
The physical store will be more dynamic in our new location, which is very central in the city. It will be a bar and meeting space as well, and, of course, WORM’s live program will be back in full swing.
For the Web shop, I plan to cooperate more with other online platforms and blogs in order to get a wider exposure for good records.