The Dutch dynamo keeping it Together
Fresh from rocking Amsterdam’s RAI Arena in front of 25,000 people for Dirty Dutch Blackout in December, label boss Chuckie continues his one man assault on EDM. Now back with a brand new club anthem ‘Together’, the Dutchman delivers another huge statement of intent. ‘What Happens in Vegas’ and ‘Who Is Ready To Jump’ both soared into Beatport’s top ten last year as his unstoppable charge to the top continues to push forward, but the successes of last year look to be eclipsed once again with his latest standout cut. ‘Together’ is one for the biggest of big rooms, once again proving to be the master of the party atmosphere bringing his typically crazy vibe to the track for all to see. A producer that is so on form that at the moment, Chuckie will not stop until he’s got the whole world up on their feet and dancing Dirty Dutch stylee…
Dan Prince gets his lotion out…
Word up Chuckie. Last time we spoke you were on the way to the airport for a six date Far East tour. Where the hell are you today?
“Ha ha. Hi Dan. Today I am lying on the beach in Aruba where I have moved to, soaking up the sun with my family. I am off to a gig in Nicaragua tomorrow night which should be amazing.”
It’s snowing here in England Chuckie…
“Hey, welcome to my life! All is good at the moment. It’s so easy for me to be based here right now, I have a new studio set up and it takes only two hours to fly to central America.”
You just smashed The Ministry of Sound in London, what was that little gig like?
“I love London, your city has such an inspirational crowd, they know their music and they let you experiment also. The Ministry was a sell out, a great night.”
You were born in the South American country of Suriname before relocating to The Netherlands where a friend got you interested in DJing. What’s the story there?
“He was my best friend at school and was doing a bit of DJing. One time he was setting up for a party and asked me to help with the sound check. I put two records on and all of a sudden they were beat matching perfectly, it was an incredible feeling. I went home and couldn’t sleep that night, I was just thinking of what equipment I needed, what records to buy and how I’d decided what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I started playing at house parties a little later, then some small clubs in my local area, then around The Netherlands and before I knew it around the world.”
You are back with another dancefloor anthem in ‘Together’, tell us about the track…
“It’s definitely one for the big room. A massive rave tune with a dirty bassline, some classic piano chords and old skool vocals with a killer drop. Everywhere has been going crazy for it.”
The last time we chatted you were unsure what was going on in Ibiza for Dirty Dutch in 2012, any movement?
“We’ve been talking to Erick Morillo about Pacha obviously trying to get the chore schedule organised for the summer. We’re going to meet in New York soon, I think we’re nearly there. We’re also getting an EP ready for Miami week which is exciting.”
You are known as the Dutch hip hop kid who turned to electronica. Who were the early Hip Hop artists you were into?
“I was into the whole early 90s West Coast East Coast thing, Run DMC, Black Moon, Wu-Tang Clan – that sort of vibe and that was my lifestyle back then. I was buying all sorts of music at the time, all across the board musically but all of the time I just wanted to be a hip hop DJ. Looking back, I can now see that was a huge mistake as it was all boys in the club!”
So Mr Clyde Narain, where did you get your DJ name?
“Where I came from everyone had a nickname. Some had nicknames because they were hiding from the police and some people had nicknames because it was just cool to have one. I was one of the cool kids, I wasn’t hiding from the police! My friends called me Chuckie and I sort of just stuck with it.”
DMC of course are the company behind the World DJ Championships – what are your turntable skills like, ever thought of entering our competition?
“Hey it was you guys that inspired me back then and one of the reasons that I wanted to become a DJ. I practised all of those routines, the Rob Base DJ E Z Rock ‘It Takes Two’ cut, DJ Mark The 45 King ‘The 900 Number’, LL Cool Jay ‘I’m Bad’/’Get Down’, Mantronix ‘King Of The Beats’ – I knew them all but I never wanted to go in that direction! I did enter a competition once upon a time and came second to a guy who although I knew I was better than, was a friend of the promoter and it was obviously fixed. I thought to myself that if I was going to continue in that world of DJing, I was going to encounter this kind of thing again and again. So I moved onto house music. It did however give me a foundation of working the decks and whenever I am at a club with a pair of SLs I always sneak a go on them!”
You’re a real crowd worker using the microphone and will hit the rewind on a monster cut if the night is hot. Do you feel it’s better to put on a show and entertain rather than a heads down mixing showcase?
“It’s all about the balance. Most of the time the DJ should just shut up and let the groove build and build. However, my background is hip hop and I like to give it my own twist. I like to entertain, have some fun. Any DJ can just play records, I’m just trying to be a little different.”
Catch Chuckie at…
11 FEB
RUBY SKYE
SAN FRANCISCO
12 FEB
FLOAT @ HARD ROCK HOTEL
SAN DIEGO
12 FEB
SUPPERCLUB
LOS ANGELES
13 FEB
MUR.MUR NIGHTCLUB
ATLANTIC CITY
14 FEB
BIJOU
BOSTON
18 FEB
RIO MUSIC CONFERENCE
RIO DE JANEIRO
19 FEB
ARENA JEQUITI
GUARUJA
20 FEB
GREEN VALLEY
CAMBORIU
25 FEB
NUNU CLUB
TONGEREN
25 FEB
AMAZONE PROJECT
AMSTERDAM
01 MAR
MOJITO CLUB
ISTANBUL
02 MAR
NACHTWERFT LINZ
LINZ
03 MAR
DIRTY DUTCH MUSIC @ THE ARCHES
GLASGOW
07 MAR
TENAX
FIRENZE
10 MAR
DIRTY DUTCH MUSIC @ D CLUB
LAUSANNE
12 MAR
MARQUEE
LAS VEGAS
16 MAR
VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
LONDON
