Firstly, for those who aren’t aware, how would you describe your sound?
Thanks for having me, guys! I generally like to make uplifting, soulful, positive house records. Inspired by the sound of the early house era, and sometimes also crossing over to other genres.
You have collaborated with some huge names from several different genres, which of these collaborations did you find most rewarding?
Doing a track on the Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony album was very cool because it was so unexpected. It started with a writing session in LA together with Far East Movement. Also, working with Saint Sinner on my own single was interesting because she comes from such a different background. Remixing the Alok & Ella Eyre record last year was nice, too, because I experimented with a few different versions and went for this very organic brass section, which I love.
You have worked with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and Scott Storch, have you always been a fan of hip-hop?
Yes, 100%! And on a production level, especially the more soulful hip-hop records have always been very inspiring to me.
How did these collaborations with hip-hop royalty come about?
I first met Far East Movement in Amsterdam during ADE. They were looking for cool new producers to collaborate with and I ended up building a great relationship with them which led to me doing some more hip-hop. Some of the other projects I worked on happened through my own network or just people reaching out to me. I’m very open-minded and love working with people from many different genres.
Do you have a favorite hip-hop album or song?
This is a tough choice, but it would probably be a De La Soul project, very cool and eclectic.
Old-school classic house also seems to be a massive influence on your sound, where does this inspiration originate from?
I was fascinated by the sound of the early house era. The vibe and simplicity of these first house records, the typical 909 drum samples, the disco elements, as well as the culture of clubbing and the feeling of positivity and freedom.
If you could collaborate with any producer from that classic house scene of the late 80s and early 90s, who would it be and why?
I would say Frankie Knuckles is just iconic!
Your latest EP, ‘Have It All’ featured two songs of very differing sounds, can you describe the difference in the process when creating these two songs?
The first track, ‘Have It All,’ was all based around house music, so that was really about the groove, the old Chicago sample, and some of the disco elements in the second verse as well. For ‘I Want You,’ I went really experimental, I’m not even sure what genre it is! I just approach music like that with a fully open mind and try to create something intuitively. For me, that usually means organic drums, sounds, and textures. And most of the time, with a soulful and summery touch. What both tracks have in common is the positive, uplifting feel to it.
Can we expect this type of versatility from you going forward?
Yes! I’m really excited about the new music that’s coming this summer, which will feature both the house records that you might expect as well as more experimental records with different BPMs crossing over to other genres.
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If you weren’t a DJ/producer, what would you be doing in life?
It’s hard to say because my music career is my life, and I love it. I also studied Psychology and Sociology at a Dutch University, so it could be something in that area. Next to that I’m very entrepreneurial and love developing (creative) ideas and businesses, so that’s another area that’s interesting to me because it’s a mix of creativity and entrepreneurship.