Dutch duo WAAN has never been easy to categorize, and that’s exactly how they like it. Too jazzy for pop venues, too pop for jazz clubs, Bart van Dongen and Emiel Sprengers have spent years navigating the spaces between genres, forging a sound that fuses jazz improvisation with electronic production and unconventional time signatures.
Their second album, born from isolated sessions on the small Dutch island of Texel, marks a bold evolution. The music is rougher, more daring, sitting on the edge between spontaneity and meticulous production. With producer Oscar de Jong back at the helm and collaborations ranging from American rapper Ivy Sole to their signature reactive lighting installations, WAAN continues to push boundaries while staying true to the raw necessity that drives all authentic artmaking.
In this conversation, we explore how natural isolation shaped their creative process, what it means to exist between two musical worlds, and why their challenge lies in letting the best of those worlds merge into one.
1. Your second album “We want WAAN” was born from improvisation sessions on a small Dutch island, Texel. How did that isolated, natural setting shape the music differently than working in a traditional studio environment?
We were able to stay in a small house in the middle of nature, generously offered to us by a friend, which gave us the peace and focus we needed. This allowed us to reflect on the period leading up to that moment. During that time, we had been performing live extensively, and as a result, new ideas for the new album emerged naturally. In the calm surroundings, without any sense of time, we were able to fully develop these ideas. We transformed the entire house into a studio, filling it with synthesizers and effects that were used in combination with the saxophone. Moreover, several jam sessions took place there, some of which eventually made it onto the album.
2. You’ve described the new sound as “rougher” and “sitting more on the edge” compared to your debut. What specific musical risks did you take this time that you might have held back from before?
Wow, that’s a great question! I don’t think we consciously avoided taking risks on the previous album. All music should come from a deep necessity to create it. However, through our live performances and the reactions from the audience, we both sensed that there was still more room to push things further in terms of rawness. That’s why we decided to give each track its own distinct production approach this time. We didn’t hold back in that process.
With our music, we’ve always existed between two worlds: too jazzy for pop venues, too pop for jazzclubs. But we didn’t take that into account during the production process. Now, fortunately, we’re gradually noticing a shift in the live circuit, where we’re more and more able to operate within both worlds.
3. You call yourselves “tech nerds”, how does your fascination with technology influence your approach to making jazz feel contemporary and alive? What does your process of creating a song look like?
Emiel is the tech nerd of the band. He can do just about anything. He repairs amplifiers and synthesizers and is also the brain behind our live setup, where electronics are fully integrated with the band. In addition, we have a lighting installation that moves and reacts live to the music.
Bart does a lot of the composing and producing. He has his own studio, which gives us the freedom to experiment extensively. We’ve had sessions with the full band, as well as more individual sessions, always in search of new sounds. These range from various vintage synthesizers and drum machines to sounds we pick up in our everyday lives. We always try to weave these elements into our music in a natural way, because we don’t want the spontaneity and improvisation to be lost.
New songs come into being in different ways. Some tracks, like Talking Trees, were fully composed on the piano before we took them into the studio. Lodge Texas grew out of a desire to create a kind of dance track, but not in the obvious four-four time, instead using alternative time signatures. The harmonies emerged while we were figuring this out together. Other tracks originate from jams, while some are carefully thought out and written from beginning to end.
4. The album features unusual time signatures like the 9/4 groove. What draws you to these unconventional rhythmic structures, and how do they serve the story you’re telling?
This mainly comes from curiosity. “How can we turn an obvious form into something you don’t hear as often? How can we implement improvisation within a pop structure?” as we mentioned earlier; there is always room to stretch things and see what that gets you. These searches are really worth it adn it’ll sometimes result in surprising new music.
There’s nothing more beautiful than standing on stage together and feeling the interaction between the musicians and the audience. The spontaneous highlights often arise from the possibilities of improvisation — and that’s something we truly love. At the same time, we are influenced and inspired by so many different musical styles. That’s why our challenge lies in letting the best of these worlds merge into one.
5. You’ve now made two albums with producer Oscar de Jong. What does he understand about your vision that makes him the right creative partner for WAAN?
Besides being a great producer, Oscar is also a close friend. We also work out of a shared studio. We don’t know anyone with such extensive knowledge of so many different kinds of music — his record collection is overflowing, and he has a brilliant association or reference for almost everything.
6. Working with Ivy Sole brought hip-hop into your jazz-electronic fusion. How did that collaboration come about, and what did they bring to the table that surprised you?
We wanted to give each track its own distinct production approach. When Been Blue was still in its early stages, I already heard a dark, feminine rap voice in my head. We had been familiar with (and fans of)Ivy Sole’s music for quite some time, so we reached out via a DM on Instagram. To our great surprise, a few weeks later we received a reply saying they loved the track.
At the time, they were undergoing hormone therapy, so when we received the vocal recordings, we didn’t expect the voice to be this low. At the same time, we were over the moon, because it fit the song perfectly. It also tells a story about transition, being held, or even trapped, within this music.
7. What has your relationship with Sonar Kollektiv meant for your artistic development, especially as a relatively young act in the jazz landscape?
Sonar and Oli Glage in particular have given us enormous confidence from the beginning. They believed in the music, which is sometimes difficult for many people to place, and have ensured that it has listeners worldwide. The fact that we’re doing this interview now, we owe to them.
We also notice that more and more young fans are coming to our shows. They’ve discovered us through blogs, English vinyl Instagram influencers, and Spotify and Apple Music playlists. This can only happen when you work with a partner who believes in it.
8. The Dutch jazz scene has been thriving internationally. What makes your local community special, and how has it influenced WAAN’s development?
I think the level of Dutch musicians has traditionally been very high. There are now several conservatories in the Netherlands that are highly regarded internationally, which has a strong appeal for musicians from other countries. As a result, the scene is filled with an abundance of musicians who are incredibly skilled performers.
The Netherlands has long been home to a wide diversity of cultures, and perhaps that is the Dutch identity: a melting pot of many different styles.
9. For musicians just starting out who want to forge their own hybrid sound like you have, what’s one piece of advice about staying true to your vision while also growing an audience?
We have to be honest: appreciation for culture is currently declining sharply in the Netherlands, and I think this is true for much of the world right now. Government cuts have reduced cultural budgets, venues and festivals sometimes struggle to survive, and it remains a challenge to attract audiences to live performances. At the same time, there is an incredible abundance of talented musicians. In short, if you want to perform somewhere, you have to stand out, and that’s not always easy. We ourselves still wrestle with this on a daily basis.
It may sound like a cliché, but we truly believe that when music is created from an inner necessity, that energy always resonates with the audience. Stay curious and always seek connection with the people you make music for!
10. With the album dropping in January 2026, what does the rest of the year look like for WAAN? Are there any special album release shows or tour plans you can share, and are there particular venues or festivals where you’re excited to bring this new material to life?
On Friday, we’ll be playing our release party at Paradiso in Amsterdam! After that, starting in February, we’ll go on tour, hitting clubs and festivals, mostly in the Netherlands, but we also have shows lined up in Germany, Poland, and Hungary.
Our dream remains world domination!! 😂
We won’t stop until we achieve it!
Buy/stream the album here