Robbert van Hulzen

Robbert van Hulzen is an Amsterdam-based drummer, percussionist, composer, and improviser who operates in the full-colour twilight between improvisation, rock, and new music, with deep echoes of music from India and Indonesia. He holds MA degrees from both the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the University of Amsterdam, with academic research focused on improvisation and guiding principles in South Indian classical percussion (Carnatic music). He studied South Indian drumming concepts with MT Rajakesari and BC Manjunath in Bangalore, India, and with Rafael Reina in Amsterdam. His practice spans meticulously prepared percussion compositions, drum kit exploration, and collaborative work in dance and theatre. He is the founder of Elephant Songs (est. 2012), a long-running project creating new music with musicians from diverse backgrounds, whose latest incarnation is the world-collision rockjazz collective Hutspot. He is also a core member of Hootschroop (scrap metal percussion, voice & movement) and is a longstanding member of Ensemble Gending, the Dutch-Indonesian gamelan ensemble. Past collaborations include psychedelic klezmer band Trepid, Indian chamberjazz trio oto.3, dancer Michael Jahoda's Phillip Project, composer-producer Nitin Sawhney, abstract folk duo Rara Avis (with recorder player Terri Hron), and intercultural sessions in Brussels with musicians from Sulaymaniyah (Kurdistan) and Tehran. He works as a music educator and drum workshop leader, and is associated with Noord Kantoor and BuitenKunst.