Dutch DJ and Knekelhuis label head Mark Knekelhuis has announced on Instagram that he will no longer be touring and gigging in a professional capacity. In his statement, he cited the difficulties of “broken nights, travelling, messing up your biorhythm, intensity of social interactions and social media, the booze, and substances” as reasons that his body and mind can no longer handle the strain.
Van de Maat will play his last two shows at De School this Friday, November 24, and at Garage Noord on December 9. In addition to the stress of gigging and touring, van de Maat also felt uncomfortable with the pressure and uncertainty of living as an artist dependent on income from gigs.
Since he burned out last June, van de Maat has focused on his recovery and his label. He has worked on building new projects with his colleagues, while also adopting a daily meditation and exercise routine. He has stated that he will now be looking for part-time work.
Van de Maat thanked everyone he has met during his journey as a DJ, expressing his appreciation for the opportunities to share his music in dancefloors, festivals, living rooms, and art spaces around the world. He ended his statement on a positive note, saying that “when one door closes, another opens.”
Mark Knekelhuis has played shows in various cities around the world in the past 12 months, including Berlin, Bristol, Krakow, Montreal, Nantes, New York, Tbilisi, The Hague, Tisno, and Toronto. While he has decided to step back from professional gigging and touring, he will undoubtedly continue to contribute to the electronic music community in other ways
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