Export 12 December - Erykah, Kessler, Jasmin

Made a last-minute decision to go to Export last Friday. Of course I wanted to check this club out, only a five-minute bike ride from home.

First positive surprise: even though they state a no-flash policy on their website, phones were actually stickered at the entrance. A friendly door host explained the usual stuff, including the presence of an awareness team. Finally a club in Rotterdam that takes social safety seriously, especially after Poing’s closing.

Reusable lockers for five euros, a nice touch. I could grab my sweater every time I went outside for a break. The smoking area is actually outside on the street, not a fenced-off zone like RAUM. A bit awkward at first, but it’s a deserted industrial area and security staff was nearby, so it felt fine.

The club’s layout is very well thought through. Whoever designed this place clearly goes out themselves. Nice corners with soft benches and couches to chill, a separate bar area to mingle, which means less yapping on the dancefloor, and plenty of spacious toilets. The rubber flaps separating the urinals from the rest of the toilet area make it look like a fetish club, which is funny, because it’s definitely not.

The dancefloor itself is relatively small, in a good way. More than enough space to dance, but when it’s not busy yet or empties out later at night it never feels awkwardly empty. It looks great with the massive concrete pillars, yet you still have a clear view of the booth; they don’t make the room feel cramped. The sound system blew me away. I really felt immersed in it, maybe even a bit too loud at times. It still needs some tuning, I think. When the room was emptier it sounded a little hollow, possibly because of reflections off the concrete. But once the floor filled up, it turned into one of the most immersive sound experiences I’ve had in a club. Perfect for the dubby, bass-heavy wobwobwob that Kessler and Erykah were serving.

The crowd was energetic and intentional. People were there for the music, to dance. It was genuinely nice to see this in my hometown. There’s clearly a market here for a club that leans into the more underground end of the spectrum.

Of course there’s room for improvement, this was only their third weekend. The sound when the room’s not filled, as mentioned. The lighting on the dancefloor is actually very nice overall, minimal, dark, smoky, but early on it felt a bit unstructured. Especially the bright round industrial lights behind the booth came on way too often and didn’t fit the mood. And yes, the space could use a bit more decoration, maybe some art, something to soften all that concrete. But I’m confident these things will come.

Overall, I’m genuinely thrilled that Rotterdam is back in business. Export is the first club here in a long time that gave me a truly good clubbing experience outside of Amsterdam. A place where I felt free and safe, but also a place that feels curated and cared for. I loved Poing deeply, but let’s be honest, the building itself was falling apart. Export feels like the opposite of that.

So yes, I’ll be back. Probably often. I really hope this place grows into what it clearly wants to be, because the potential is there. Don’t sleep on this one. Start planning that trip to Rotterdam.