With his music and projects, Rogier De Nijs takes a stand against the throwaway society and, in particular, plastic waste. He is struck by the ease with which single-use plastic is manufactured and sold, only to end up in a garbage dump or the ocean. De Nijs sees it as his duty as an artist to address this issue. His aim is to prove that something that seems to have lost its value, namely plastic waste, can be transformed into unique and contemporary music.

“I use music to draw attention to this issue, and for me, it feels like the most powerful tool I can wield.”

Rogier De Nijs (1979) is a drummer, composer, producer, instrument maker, and music therapist. Through his music and projects, he aims to inspire people and motivate them to engage with pressing social issues. The diversity of his music reflects the wide range of musical genres that influence him, from world music to punk, and from classical to free improvisation. His adventurous nature and versatility have taken him to stages all over the world, from South America to the northernmost tip of Europe. An overview of the highlights of his career can be found here.

De Nijs graduated from the Tilburg Conservatory with a focus on drums, percussion, and mallets. His conservatory teachers included Frans van Grinsven, Willem Kühne, and Niko Langenhuijsen. In addition, he studied with Paul Spoelstra and Christian Bourdon.

Since 2015, De Nijs has been creating music productions centered around the theme of plastic pollution. His first project, Water Creatures, saw him and five drummers travel on a raft along the Dommel River. In 2019, he released his EP and the accompanying short documentary Musique Plastique. In the autumn of 2023, he released his album Soundtrack of the Plastic Age and toured with the stage performance of the same name. His most recent projects are the interactive installation Waste in Motion and the community music project #BEATPLASTICWASTE.

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