Jackin da bass all over the place
“It hasn’t changed drastically, it’s all in our name actually. When we started Bassjackers we were pretty sure which way we wanted to go soundwise. We always searched for energy in music, mainly accompanied by some heavy bass. Back in those days the jackin sound was popular as well, which you can hear in our first productions. Hence the name Bassjackers.”
If you hadn’t have become musicians, do you think you would have had perused your financial / business careers you were looking at? What did your family think of this drastic change?
“Yes, we would be rocking suits if it wasn’t for music. Ralph, having finished his master, actually had to choose between a good financial job at the time and Bassjackers. Marlon was about to getting his master’s degree. We both put things on hold and just went for it! It was the right choice! Our families always have been very supportive and still help us with loads of stuff. A shout out to Agatho (Ralph’s father) seems in order right now, as he has helped us on the business part a lot!”
What were the early clubs you started out learning the ropes in?
“Marlon started out learning the ropes at his own club night in Tilburg called ‘Kelderklup’, which means Bassment Club (as it was situated in the basement of a hotel). It was very successful and it’s here where we started testing the first Bassjackers tracks. Fun fact is that Kelderklup is where we also came into contact with DJ Apster and he joined Kelderklup later on as a DJ as well. Now he’s a good friend and we share a big loft together where we both have our studios.”
“Early DJ heroes are Tiesto, Carl Cox, James Holden and DJ EZ.”
The tune though that certainly put you firmly on the global map was ‘Mush Mush’ which was picked up by Tiesto and his Musical Freedom label. Tell us about the tune, how long did it take to create – did you know straight away you had made something very, very special?
“It didn’t take long to make it, it was one of those tracks where everything falls into place really easy. We didn’t know straight away that is was very special. At first tests people actually didn’t respond to it very well haha, but all of a sudden it caught on and now it’s still one of our highlights in our sets.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Bassjackers & Angger Dimas – RIA
Kaskadevs Nicky Romero – Turn It Down Toulouse (Bassjackers mashup)
Clockwork – Squad Up
Bassjackers – Mush Mush
Firebeatz – Wheres Your Head At
Nari&Milani – Atom
Tiesto – Maximal Crazy (Bassjackers remix)
Porter Robinson – Language
And we’re playing some really cool yet to be named projects of our own which work really really well…
You are about to embark on a massive college tour, tell us about that trip…you excited?
“Actually the tour is happening right now as we do this interview. It’s a bus tour together with Robbie Rivera and Peacetreaty and we will play at several locations all over the US, mainly college towns but also well-known clubs in big cities. It has been really exciting so far! The college kids really know how to party and it’s amazing to explore the new markets. Some of the cities we play only had like 2 EDM events going on there so far. Now we’re going for the last run of the tour and one of the last gigs is Pacha NYC and that’s def one of our favourite clubs to play!!”
We saw you smash Privilige in Ibiza with Tiesto, what are your plans for Ibiza in 2012?
“Confirmed so far are some dates starting June 1st in Eden and July 2nd with Tiesto in Pacha. Our agent is working on more dates but they’re the ones definitely happening. We love Ibiza!”
What new territories have you enjoyed dropping your Bassjackers bombs in?
“We love the States; people are so energetic there and really engaged in the house scene. Australia is always fun and playing in Holland is really special now as well, since were abroad so much. We played in Scotland a few months ago as well, and that was crazy. Germany has some good crowds! In conclusion, we love everything everywhere lol.”
What is each other’s forte in the studio – who is good at what?
“Ralph really is the producing part of Bassjackers, but Marlon, being a DJ, always knows how to make a record really effective on the dancefloor.”
What fellow DJs do you enjoy spinning alongside?
“It was a great honour and a lot of fun to play alongside Tiesto. And we always love to play alongside Sidney Samson. He is technically a very skilled DJ and taught Marlon loads of tricks.“
“‘Cause we are so humble we got to go for our own track “Mush Mush”! Lol! No but seriously that must be the one because there is no better feeling than destroying the dancefloor with your own tracks.”
A massive Miami week was had by all, how did you find this year? What was the biggest plus you came away with?
“It was our first time actually and we loved it. We had some really cool gigs like Kings of Ace, Musical Freedom, Sidney Samson’s and Lil Jon’s party, Juicy Beach and of course Ultra Music Festival. The biggest plus is to meet everyone and have a good time, and coming home with loads of inspiration!”
So we come back to yours after the club, what is the Bassjackers Back To Mine Top 10 you spin us to carry on the party…
Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better
Whitest Boy Alive – Burning
Stars – Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
Bloc Party – This Modern Love
Nathan Fake – The Sky Was Pink (James Holden Remix)
Motorcycle – As The Rush Comes (Gabriel n Dresden Chillout Mix)
GersPardoel – Ikneem Je Mee
Wiz Khalifa – On My Level
The Killers – Mr Brightside (Thin White Duke Remix)
Deadmau5 & Kaskade – I Remember
“Well were not really good, but we both love surfing a lot! Even cold winters cannot keep us from dipping our feet into our cold North Sea whenever we can.”
What do you miss the most about your home town when you are away?
“Family, friends and kroketten (Dutch snack…delicious!)”
What has the rest of 2012 got for us studio wise…
“Coming up first is a collab with Sidney Samson called Mavericks, which we will give away for free via our facebook along with a booty we made out of it with Fuck You by Cee Lo Green (keep an eye on www.facebook.com/bassjackers for it!!!). Further we have a lot of originals finished up and are looking how and where to drop them at the moment and we have some really cool collabs, all of which we really want to brag about right now but we cannot lol. But in short, there will be a lot and it will be loud!”
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