Meet Exp., the dutch annual collaborative project aiming to connect independent artists.
EXP.
Imagine if you could bring together emerging artists from around the globe and have them work together on a full length project. That is exactly what Exp. was created for. A vision deeply rooted in human authenticity in art, building community through intense, collaborative creation.
Exp. is not exactly what you would call a “collective” in the traditional sense of a composers’ collective, but rather an annual project and record label based in Amsterdam, known as Exp. Share Records. The label was co-founded by Dutch producers Kamae and Bertholet.
A unique identity.
A key part of Exp.’s identity is its annual writing camp: each year, they invite a group of international, independent artists to retreat in a dedicated location and create an entire album in about a week. For instance, in 2025 the camp took place from March 17 to March 22 in a large country house in the hills of southern France, with travel, accommodation, and food fully covered by the label. During the camp, all recording, production, and creative work happened on site, no stems are exchanged afterwards, instead, the album is completed during the week and then mixed, mastered, and distributed later in the year.
This year, the collective expanded once again with the arrival of BINA., GINGE (who we’ve mentioned before on this website), Frsh Waters, JAY MALAKHI, Maydien, Meron T, Mitchell Yard, Monét, SAMSON and Samwyse at the writing camp. The album that emerged from this session is said to be “more dynamic, daring, and stylistically diverse than previous releases”.
The origin story.
On the musical side, Kamae and Bertholet have released collaborative projects under the Exp. label. Notably, the Empty Spaces EP (2022) by Bertholet & Sebastian Kamae features four tracks in the R&B/soul vein and was published on Exp. Share Records. There is also the single Too Often (feat. Nakeyo) from April 2022, again under their label. On SoundCloud, the Empty Spaces EP is detailed: it includes vocals by Joshua J, Thierry Ganz, B. Fisher & Nakeyo; guitar by Niké Laos; strings by Isabel Pieterse.
What’s Next?
Their 2025 project It Starts With Us is set to drop on December 5th. In 2026, they plan to hold their writing camp in a new location, reflecting their international ambition and commitment to unique, inspiring environments for creation. Overall, a unique idea serving the purpose of connecting emerging voices together, and bringing a whole new meaning to collaborative projects.
Pre-save It Start With Us here.