Who is Pim Thomas when the music stops?
I think one of the biggest changes is that music has become much less about collecting for the sake of collecting, and much more about the people, stories and experiences around it. When I started buying records, I was mainly obsessed with finding the next record, the next sound, the next thing I didn't know yet. Over the years, that curiosity is still there, but I've realised how much music is connected to friendships, travelling, playing together, digging together and building a community around it.
Crevette has been a big part of that evolution. Some of my favourite memories aren't necessarily about finding a rare record, but about discovering music together with other people and seeing how a record can completely change the atmosphere of a room.
Crevette started from a very simple love for records and the feeling that there was a place missing in Brussels where I wanted to spend time myself. I wanted to create a shop that wasn't only about buying and selling records, but somewhere where people could come in, dig, listen, talk about music and discover things they wouldn't necessarily find elsewhere.
The name Crevette came before the shop really had a defined identity. I liked the simplicity and the slightly absurd character of the word. It doesn't immediately tell you what the place is about, which I think is actually quite nice. Over time, the name has become much more associated with the community and the music around it than with the word itself.
Crevette is a huge part of my life. It's a place where a lot of different things I love come together: music, records, DJing, graphic design, events, people and discovering new things.
Creatively, it gives me a lot of freedom. For me, that openness is one of the most important things about Crevette.
After ten years, it also feels less like a shop and more like a community that we've built together. That's probably what I'm most proud of.
Because vinyl forces you to listen differently. You physically have to choose a record, take it out, put it on, turn it over. There's a certain commitment involved.
But I don't see vinyl as being against digital music. Digital is incredible for discovering music and having access to an almost unlimited amount of it. Vinyl gives you a different relationship with the music. You own something physical, you remember where you found it, who recommended it to you, or what was happening when you bought it.
And ultimately, records are social objects. People dig together, exchange records, talk about them. That part of vinyl culture is something I really want Crevette to keep alive.
There isn't really one formula. A lot comes through DJing, friends, people coming into the shop, labels, radio shows, travelling and simply listening to a lot of music.
For me, the most important thing is that there is a genuine identity behind what someone is doing. I like people who have their own taste and aren't afraid to go somewhere slightly unexpected.
That's also what we try to reflect at Crevette. It's less about whether something fits into a specific category and more about whether there is a feeling or a story behind it.
Belgium has always had an incredible relationship with underground music. It's a relatively small country, but there are so many different scenes and communities happening at the same time. People move between cities, and there is a lot of exchange between them.
I think there is also a certain openness and eclecticism that I really appreciate. Belgian music culture has never been afraid of mixing things that technically shouldn't belong together.
That's definitely reflected in the way I DJ. I'm not interested in staying inside one box. My sets can move between different styles depending on the place, the people and the moment. I think that freedom and unpredictability is one of the things I enjoy most about DJing.
I'm mostly excited about bringing the Crevette atmosphere outside of the shop and into a completely different environment. This time, we're especially looking forward to doing it on a rooftop ! Getting high above the city and creating that feeling of escaping the bussy city for a few hours.
The sound is also a big part of what we're excited about. We're really happy to have Krackfree, our friends from the Netherlands, taking care of the sound with heir hand build soundsystem. And of course, we'll have some of our good friends and favourite selectors behind the decks, which always makes these collaborations feel special.
The shop is obviously the heart of what we do, but a big part of Crevette has always been about bringing people together through music. So having good friends, great selectors, a proper sound system and a rooftop to dance on feels like the perfect combination. We can't wait to see everyone up there.
Crevette Records takes over The Rooftop Garden at The Standard, Brussels on Saturday August 29 as part of the Open Air Series.
Sunset views, good music and one final summer gathering, all brought together by the unmistakable spirit of Crevette Records and its founder, Pim Thomas. See you on the 29th floor.
See you upstairs – RSVP here
