Arjan started playing drums in the brass band at age 7 and soon began playing on a motley collection of pot lids, cookie jars, practice pads, and a cousin’s “real” drum kit.
His first drum kit was a Remo PTS with pre-strung drum heads. After that, he played the now-defunct TRAK for a short period, and then Tama for about 10 years. After Tama, Gretsch came along for a few years, and in 2018, a long-cherished dream came true. He bought his Noble & Cooley kit. Since 2018, he has also played Zildjian Cymbals, after having tried everything from Paiste, Istanbul, and Sabian.
He has been in bands since he was 15. His first band was Hot Chili. Think Cream, Hendrix, and some of his own work. Later bands in the ’90s included Sökken and the Manies Depressieven. After some musical wanderings, he started playing in Wolverene, a rock cover band, around 2005.
From 2007 onwards, he played in SoulXtension. Soul, disco, and funk. They played in small formations as well as large ensembles with brass instruments. Due to the emigration of a band member, this band has been dormant since 2022, but they occasionally play gigs when that member is in the Netherlands.
He has also worked on many occasional projects and has played in Ferme Jongus, a Dutch pop band, since 2018. He is also the drummer for Ivangh and the Nightcats, a power trio, Code Brood & the Stones, a Herman Brood/Rolling Stones tribute, and Cry of Love. The latter band started as a Hendrix tribute, but their repertoire has since become a combination of soul, blues, rock, and pop.
