Speedy J^NL

A foundational figure in European techno, Jochem Paap—better known as Speedy J—has spent over three decades traversing the full spectrum of electronic music with unwavering curiosity and innovation. From his early days on Richie Hawtin’s Plus 8 label to landmark releases on Warp and Novamute, Paap has always approached sound as a space for evolution, not repetition.

Hailing from Rotterdam, Speedy J emerged in the early '90s as one of the first techno artists from the Benelux region, helping define the contours of post-Detroit techno alongside Aphex Twin, Laurent Garnier, and Hawtin himself. His early LPs, Ginger and G-Spot, were essential to the rise of Warp’s Artificial Intelligence movement, carving out a space for contemplative, non-club electronic music—what some would call “armchair techno.” But Paap quickly veered off the expected path. Albums like Public Energy No. 1 and A Shocking Hobby saw him embracing sonic chaos, with jagged rhythms, fractured samples, and feral textures pushing far beyond dancefloor orthodoxy.

Paap’s restless energy extends far beyond the studio. As a live performer, he has long dissolved the boundaries between DJ sets and hardware improvisation, pioneering hybrid live formats that bring spontaneity and immersion to the club context. Recent years have seen Paap return to raw experimentation with STOOR, a high-tech studio and label in Rotterdam where invited artists record collaborative sessions direct to lathe-cut vinyl. STOOR is as much a creative philosophy as it is a space—favoring immediacy, spontaneity, and tactile production methods that connect deeply with Paap’s roots in live jamming and studio alchemy.

Speedy J
Live

Speedy J channels decades of techno mastery into a fiercely tactile live set. Navigating between hypnotic loops and raw improvisation, he constructs a pulse-driven narrative in real time. This is techno at its most physical—unpredictable, immersive, and deeply felt on every frequency.