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C-mine: creative and cultural hub in Genk

C-mine is a site with several different faces and activities.

The attractions include the C-mine Cultural Centre—the cultural hot-spot for the city of Genk and the surrounding area. Programmer Brecht Gielis tells how the cultural centre became part of the site and how Tunify became part of the centre.

C-mine is a former mining site that the city of Genk has transformed into a fascinating destination built upon 4 pillars: education, creative economy, creative recreation, and artistic creation and presentation. You’ll find education in the MAD campus of the LUCA School of Arts, while the business world is present at the C-Mine Crib—an incubator for creative start-ups.

The recreational range includes everything from an experiential course to a cinema and bike hire. Last but not least, the C-mine Cultural Centre fulfils artistic and cultural objectives. ‘All these organisations regularly develop joint projects too,’ adds Brecht Gielis, who is responsible for the music and comedy programmes at the cultural centre.

Growth thanks to C-mine

The Genk cultural centre had run its programmes at a variety of locations for years until, in 2010, they were invited to establish a permanent base at the C-mine site. ‘It genuinely signified a fresh start for us,’ explains Brecht. ‘Since we now have access to better venues, our range has expanded, our name is better known and visitor numbers have increased.’

‘Today, C-mine, in addition to Hasselt, is one of the most important cultural hubs in the province of Limburg,’ continues Brecht. ‘All major theatre performances and comedians come to Genk when they tour. But we stand out most for our collaborations with partners on the site. This is how we brought the international expo ‘The World of Tim Burton’ to C-mine last year.’

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Tunify-C-mine

It was important for us, and it would be for any cultural centre in fact, to make the move to Tunify.

Brecht Gielis - Programmer C-mine Cultural Centre
Visitors feel at home more quickly

Tunify plays in the foyer of the cultural centre and in the theatres themselves before performances begin. ‘We have been doing that for about a year,’ says Brecht. ‘Before, we worked with a very limited number of CDs. Visitors and staff members who had to keep listening to them must have been bored stiff. And we could barely adjust the music choices to make it better suited to the performance for the evening.’

‘It was therefore important for us, and it would be for any cultural centre in fact, to make the move to Tunify,’ continues Brecht. ‘With the adapted music choice, people immediately feel more at home. And they stay to enjoy a drink after a performance.’

The right music for the evening, every evening

The technicians at the C-Mine Cultural Centre are familiar with Tunify. There are 15 of them all told, with whichever technician is responsible for a particular evening deciding which music is most appropriate for the artist performing and the audience.

Brecht: ‘We work in 2 different ways. We usually click on a number of different atmospheres, such as ‘Peaceful’ and ‘Social’. But I’ll sometimes choose a track that is suited to the act for that evening. And then I’ll take this further based on the related tracks. The ability to choose related music is one of the biggest joys of Tunify, as well as the extensive range of music.’

Do you have vacancies in your cultural agenda for 2019? You’ll find a performance to enjoy at www.c-minecultuurcentrum.be!

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