Two days long the somewhat distinguished Nieuwegein Business Centre (NBC) was the epicentre of musical experiences with an overload of demonstrations and clinics.

Dutch Drummers Day
Sunday was declared Dutch Drummers Day (DDD) and thus the most interesting day to visit. Fred van Vloten (Jan Akkerman a.o.), Igor Hobus (De Heideroosjes) and Stephen van Haestregt (Within Temptation) were among the artists who grabbed the opportunity to catch up with each other and see what importers like Adams and Zweers Music Import offer nowadays.

Raymond Herveille
Highly technical drummer Raymond Herveille gave the first clinic on the Dutch Drummers Day. Though Raymond explained to the audience that his play can be reduced to simple basic patterns most of the times, as soon as he put all elements together and played them up-tempo it turned into a sample of impressive instrument control.

Mandy Hopman
Mandy Hopman, teaching at Drumschool Cleuver, frequently plays along with DJ Promiss, creatively colouring the outlines drawn by the dance beats. Due to the tight schedule Hopman had showed up without DJ. However she made her musical concepts clear by playing along with a tape. Fused electronic and acoustic beats in a great way the relatively unknown artist was the surprise of the day.

Stefanie Salmon
Bad Candy stickswoman Stefanie Salmon had brought her colleague and bass player Janneke. Together they merged in a fruitful jam session, pointing out that a rhythm section does not need to play complex patterns to groove.

Dion Murdock
Next artist was Dion Murdock (of Kane fame among others), hitting the stage with John Hayes (Mother\'s Finest). Dion masters the art of tight funk rock drumming and gave convincing proof of that. While the two men up front got most attention, the man behind the kit delivered each deep groove with a broad grin.

Drumbassadors
René Creemers and Wim De Vries, best known as the Drumbassadors, were the headliner of the Dutch Drummers Day, closing MILE 2005. Unfortunately with a short set. Nevertheless both musicians emphasized their geniality on stage. Their particular sense of humour, the visual aspect of their show, the huge unity when both drummers play together; it makes them a unique duo

The MILE organisation will find it difficult to surpass this year\'s line-up. Perhaps the industry (importers, manufacturers) can deliver more input for the next edition of this event.