A tribute to Jerome: Jeroen Krom (1971-2024)

A tribute to a friend, talented recording artist and DJ – Jerome (1971-2024)

It is with heavy heart that we write this article, after learning of the passing of a friend, kindred spirit and talented recording artist Jerome (Jeroen Krom). Our thoughts are firmly with his family and friends at this difficult time.

A figure at the heart of Amsterdam’s Techno scene since the 90s and passionate purveyor of music, Jerome started out DJing as a teenager, where he cut his teeth playing hip hop, then house and techno at his local club Dwiezels in Haarlem.

It was not long before he moved to Amsterdam and started working behind the counter at the Free Record Shop, going on to land a job at the infamous Outland Records on the Zeedijk. A leading store and record label that played a central role in establishing Electronic dance music in the city and beyond. It was a regular hangout for music freaks and touring DJs alike, made all the more impressive with their logo and cover artwork illustrated by renowned artist, Dadara.

Making his mark as a DJ as well as a talented producer, he played regular slots in clubs like Mazzo and Paradiso with his music landing on renowned imprints such as Alola, 100% Pure, Music Man, Artform, Placktownsounds and Immigrant. He performed regularly at all the major Techno and House festivals the city has to offer over the years. As Ro Krom explains: “Even our parents came to see him when he played at Awakenings, they were super proud”.

At Outland, Jerome worked alongside Steve Rachmad who he also made some outstanding music with during that time. Steve reflects: “He was a quiet, somewhat withdrawn man but he was very passionate about music”.

In 2006, he revived the Outland label, which had been lying dormant for a few years. However, as the dominant era of playing vinyl amongst DJs was coming to an end, Jerome changed course and started selling exclusive Japanese toys, closing his physical store not long after – a change which he found hard and struggled with. Not least because it had been his ‘home from home’ for many years.

In the last few years, his health had been deteriorating due to a rare condition he was diagnosed with. Although realistic about his impending fate, it did not stop him from continuing to pursue his first love – music. Here at Innate HQ, we had been in touch regularly over the last 12+ months and were actively making plans to get some of his releases back on the map, to celebrate his work.

DJ Jefferson (Jeffery Uyen):

“I’ve known Jerome for about 40 years, first as a part-time employee at Free Record Shop in Amsterdam and then later at Outland Records at the Zeedijk. I saw him for the last time about three weeks ago, when we went with a group to The Hague for a show and had a nice bite to eat. He had health problems for some time, including issues with his heart… As in all friendships, ours knew peaks and troughs, but most of all, it is the countless great times we shared together that I will remember. R.I.P. buddy!”.

DJ Estroe (Esther Roozendaal):

“We’d been a lot more in touch after reconnecting at a party more recently. He was really important to me in my early days as a DJ, a friend and a producer. I played his record Overtones endlessly.”

Steve Rachmad:

“We were just working on re-releasing a record we did together in 1998 as Flexible. I knew he was sick but he didn’t like to talk about it. The fact that he’s gone now is a shock to all of us.”

Jamie Anderson:

“Jerome was a great friend, amazing producer, DJ and a beautiful soul. We’ve been friends for over 25 years and collaborated on many tracks… we were discussing meeting up in the new year to work on some new music.”

Listen to Jamie’s playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0OCwjDNH7yYBI4pQYAUoZk

Jerome passed away on December 22, at the age of 53.

Tribes of Krom – Out Of Sunshine (1997)