There is no better way to discover music than watching great musicians cover the songs they love. Songs that influenced them and their work. The Influences has been producing these videos ever since 2008.

The Influences – previously known as Onder Invloed – has been growing steadily for over a decade, run by me, Matthijs van der Ven. I am a Dutch music journalist, filmmaker and photographer. My first book ‘Onder Invloed’ – featuring profiles on seventeen Dutch musicians – was published in January 2012 by publisher L.J. Veen. I’m currently working on its successor.

The Influences also organizes live shows, mostly in Utrecht, The Netherlands and Glasgow, Scotland. I collaborate with some brilliant festivals and every now and then I’ve had the fortune of talented friends helping me out.