Melkweg

Based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the non-profit organisation Melkweg presents work in music and dance alongside theatre, cinema, photography and media art. A Dutch theatre group opened it in a disused dairy factory in central Amsterdam in 1970, investing NLG 25,000 in its conversion. It first operated in summer, then became a permanent cultural centre in 1973. During the 1970s, its programme expanded to experimental work in music, theatre, dance and film, and Frans Goossens became its music programmer. Its programming has encompassed styles from hippie and punk to grunge and hip-hop.

Events take place in five halls and smaller rooms. On the ground floor, the Max and the OZ are used chiefly for concerts and events, with capacities of 1,500 and 700. The upper floor has a 90-seat cinema, the 140-seat Theaterzaal, a foyer and the Tearoom. The Photo Gallery and Café-Restaurant are on the Marnixstraat side of the building. The venue presents concerts, club nights, films and exhibitions, and its club programming has ranged from hip-hop and techno to jungle and drum and bass.

Melkweg hosted the Netherlands’ first drum-and-bass nights in the mid-1990s, and LTJ Bukem made his first appearance there in 1996. Its weekly Cheeky Monday night features jungle and drum and bass. Event line-ups have included IMANU, Makoto, Bianca Oblivion and Eprom. In 1982, Melkweg began issuing live recordings through its Milkyway cassette label.