DJ Roland is a long-time friend of Amsterdam Vinyl Club, and he both opened and closed our debut show at BR020 in June 2025. DJ Roland plays a regular set at BR020 every second Wednesday, and you can always catch him live at our monthly events.

Meet DJ Roland on Instagram

An interview with DJ Roland

Tell us about yourself, DJ Roland.
I’m from Scotland and my sister got me into music when I was very young. She was one of the original 1976 punk rockers, and I followed in her footsteps by always spending any spare money I had on records. Even when CDs came in I always tried to buy vinyl whenever I could. I have a big vinyl collection, and when people see it they say, “How did you get all those records?” But it’s only because I bought them when they first came out for what was a very small amount of money!

What sort of music do you listen to?
I like a lot of music. There’s not really any particular type of music I dislike, but there are things I like more. I really like punk, reggae and stuff like that.

When you play, you often choose a theme for your set.
Yeah, last time it was the 1976 CBGB scene, and tonight it’s going to be the 2 Tone record label – which ran for two or three years in the UK and launched the second wave of ska with bands like Madness and The Specials. When planning a set, I normally have something in particular that I’m focused on. For my first ever live set I used all 10-inch records – so there wasn’t a musical theme, but there was something going on!

Tell us about DJing at BR020 in Amsterdam.
I have a regular gig at BR020 every second Wednesday. It’s normally the quietest night of the week, but some days you do get a few folks in! I play a bit of everything and it’s a fun thing to do. Sometimes there will be a band on as well and I’ll play between sets. But it’s a lot of fun just getting people to tap their toes. Most evenings somebody says something nice about something I’ve played, which is the best you can hope for!

But, for me, it’s just about playing records. This is a vinyl club as I imagined it – it’s not sophisticated DJing, more a way to show your love for an excessive vinyl collection!

Are there any records you’re having trouble tracking down?
I don’t think your phone would have enough battery to list my holy grail records! There are some records I managed to get recently that I’m really happy with – getting all the 12-inch versions of the songs that make up the album ‘Substance’ by New Order was a big thing for me, mainly because they’re different from the album cuts and a little shorter. The 2 Tone records I’m playing tonight are also an important part of my collection. But while I’m not normally fussed about owning a first edition, it’s nice if you can find one!