Features
Take a look inside Subterra, The Hague’s new 17-room music studio in a former atomic bunker
The new multipurpose recording and rehearsal space is set to open in The Hague, Netherlands, at the end of 2024 after six years of planning and development
A new rehearsal and recording space is slated to open this year inside a former atomic bunker in The Hague, The Netherlands after more than half a decade of planning and development. The music studio and multipurpose space, named Subterra, will span two floors with space for 17 rooms and even the prospect of opening a new radio station once launched, described as a “new music incubator” meeting the “urgent demand for physical spaces to make music”.
Subterra is projected to open inside a former Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs atomic bunker right in The Hague city centre, repurposed and developed into a full-fledged music studio, meeting place, and space for a “new independent The Hague-based digital radio platform”. The venue hopes to open its doors by the end of 2024 after spending six years in the works with financial investments and support from the municipality, now undergoing a final registration process.
The vision for Subterra came from the teams behind The Hague’s Crave Festival and former temporary venue De Schenk along with other projects, consisting of a collective of creatives, DJs, musicians, and producers including Joris Hoefnagel, Benjamin Havenaar, Lounes Doulache, Stefan Hagesteijn and Marieke McKenna. The idea for Subterra came in response to a lack of physical music spaces in the Dutch city, and a high demand for dedicated spaces for emerging artists.
“Currently, producers and musicians from The Hague work in all sorts of places; for example, some are in a temporary anti-squat building, and others in a basement of a snack bar,” says Benjamin Havenaar, Subterra’s co-founder and Director of The Crave Festival. “A recurring sound we have heard for years is that musicians and producers cannot find a permanent space of their own. We saw a broad demand for a safe, permanent place where these makers can leave their instruments and equipment. This allows them to focus more on the long term and better invest in their careers; which encourages the professionalisation of these artists.”
Check out some early photos of the space before development below, and find out more about Subterra here.
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter
