What The Funk?! A Night of Soul, Synergy & Serendipity

Casual Tuesday Magic and Jazzy Tunes at the Opening Night of Creative Connections at the Station - a Collaboration with Eindhoven Loves You.

Opening Night of Creative Connections – June 24, 2025
By Octophina

Last night, magic happened at Central Station Eindhoven. The kind that unfolds when courage, chaos, and creativity collide.

It was the opening night of Creative Connections, a five-day living experience at the intersection of community, creativity, and radical collaboration — and our first featured guests were a local treasure in the making: What The Funk?!, an emerging band from the Eindhoven Jazz Association, known for their juicy blend of soul, funk, jazz, and charisma.

But here’s the twist:
We hadn’t actually worked together before.

How Organic Creative Connections Emerge...

I met the band’s founder by chance at the same place in April during another experimental station-based project. He stopped by, we connected instantly, and although I’d never heard his band live, I felt the fire. I immediately thought: “One day I’ll find you a stage.”

And yesterday, that stage found us both.

What The Funk?! stepped into my Creative Connections experience and turned a casual Tuesday evening into something unforgettable — for themselves, for the audience, and for me, as a curator, empowerment coach, and creative matchmaker.

Creativity Under Constraint

Just a few days before the performance, it became clear that the band’s lead singer is unavailable to perform on the 24th. Understandably, the founder was stressed. But I reminded him of something I believe to my core:

Creativity thrives under constraint. Limitations can be a blessing in disguise.

He remembered.

Last night, two new vocalists joined the band. Not only did they blend effortlessly — one of them even debuted two original songs, live for the first time. One of them was called Anything Orange. The other doesn’t even have a name yet. But both were soul-stirring and full of promise.

The band's version of Smooth Operator sent shivers down spines. The crowd swayed, smiled, even sang along. And the best part? The whole setup was transparent. The audience was invited to witness the entire process — the building of the stage, the tuning of the instruments, the breakdown after the last note.

It wasn’t just a show.
It was a shared experience.
A Creative Connection.

From One Gig to a Collaborative Future

This wasn’t a one-off gig. It was the beginning of something bigger.

After witnessing their vibe, talent, and attitude, I immediately invited What The Funk?! to join my free summer-long creative empowerment program: DARE TO RE:PLAY — an initiative I designed and now host with support from the Dutch Ministry of Welfare, Health, and Sport.

This program culminates in the Future Parade on September 27–28 during Maker Days. I don’t know yet what our collaboration will look like — but I know we’ll create something alive, unexpected, and unforgettable.

And clearly, I’m not the only one who saw their magic: just minutes after their performance, the lead organizer of the station’s summer initiative spontaneously invited them to perform at Parktheater later this year.

From zero to an invitation to perform at Parktheater and during Maker Days in one night. That’s the power of aligned timing, shared values, and a space built for possibility.

Why This Matters

Creative Connections is not a stage.


It’s a platform for potential.

It’s an open invitation to experiment, collaborate, show up raw, and make something real. And as a creative empowerment coach, this is my playground. I don’t just book acts — I spark ecosystems.

I connect people, ideas, and purpose. I build the kind of containers where people dare to share more of themselves — and discover more of each other.

What The Funk?! brought the sound.


Creative Connections brought the context.


And together, we opened the door to an entirely new kind of creative future.

This is just the beginning.

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