Now that Paradigm nightclub is rock solid, creative director Paul Grimmius is handing over the keys. From now on, he focuses on sustainability, connection and change. “I would like to make the world a little more beautiful.”
He is co-founder of house and techno paradise Paradigm, which received the Groningen Culture Prize 2023. The parties and festivals on the old Suikerunie site on the outskirts of Groningen attract 60,000 visitors per year. Yet it has been bothering Paul Grimmius (42) for some time.
He wants something different, he says goodbye to Paradigm to spend his time differently from now on. “I find it intense to see how society is doing. Climate change, individualization and hardening are of great concern to me. We must provide a future for generations to come.”
He gave life and soul to Paradigm for exactly 12.5 years: first in an old grain factory on Helsinkistraat, then on the Suikerunie site. He enjoyed that, he can still walk around and watch with pleasure how Paradigm has become a breeding ground where house, techno and art go hand in hand. “Freedom, inclusivity and sustainability are woven into Paradigm’s DNA,” he says.
And he can still lose himself in the music, in the events, in a night of dancing.
However, he will change course as of January 1. “Paradigm is of course known for its large events with large audiences. I have discovered that I prefer small projects that allow me to make an impact. I also did that within Paradigm, but now I also want to do that outside Paradigm. I want to go into depth.”
The exception to the rule
As a self-employed person, he goes through life as The art of Anomaly. Anomaly? “That is difficult to translate,” says Grimmius. “It’s the exception to the rule. The point is that the odd one out can offer new insights and connections.”
Grimmius takes on this role of driving force to break the chatter culture within companies and institutions in an attempt to help them work in a climate-oriented, social and inclusive manner. “I’m all about action and decisiveness, pushing projects forward and daring.”
Grimmius does not lack courage. At the age of 23 he opened his own restaurant in Amsterdam, it was called De Suite. He had transformed the business into the most beautiful thing imaginable in his eyes and he had dug deep into his pockets for it. Too deep, he discovered when the restaurant became successful, but he still couldn’t pay the bills.
“That was a huge learning experience,” he says. “Going bankrupt at 25 is very difficult.”
Meditation and shamanism
It felt like failure and at that time he drank more than was good for him. In 2013 he found his way up through meditation and shamanism. “Step by step I reduced my alcohol consumption and four years ago I stopped drinking completely with the help of the AA twelve-step program in combination with spirituality.”
He wanted that because he saw that the effect of drink was like poison to his soul. “Just look at what happens in the city center at night, or look behind some front doors where people are drinking too much.” He hopes to inspire others by sharing his experiences about this and integrating them into his work.
He feels lighter, more positive and clearer.
‘DJs are the composers of our time’
He has experienced Paradigm’s parties and festivals sober in recent years – at most he became captivated by the rhythms of techno. “DJs are the composers of our time.”
He expects Paradigm to continue on its current path and to continue to renew itself. He remains naturally involved and, as a self-employed person, maintains an office space on the Paradigm site. “Unfortunately, you see less and less of the vibrancy and pioneering spirit on the fringes of the city. Money and power are unfairly distributed in the world and nature is too often subordinate. With The Art of Anomaly I would like to make the world a little more beautiful.”