The Belgian superstar rocking the rave yet again
Welcome to DMCWORLD dude. Another massive tune smashing up dancefloors worldwide. The Buzz Chart crew warned people not to be seduced by the crossover hook on ‘I Rave You’, as when the chorus drops it will destroy you! How would you describe your tune, talk us through it…
“Thanx for the compliment. You know, “I Rave You” is one of those ‘don’t think, just rave’ kinda tunes. It’s a track I made as a sort of tribute to all the fans, the fantastic crowds I get to play for every week. It’s just intended as a tool to tear up the dance floors… and it works, which obviously makes me a very happy camper. There’s a little bit of everything there, a few progressive melodic lines, bearing the Basto signature, an old school-ish trance break, and a dirty vocoder style drop which is almost reminiscent to the old Daft Punk sound, you know, “Rolling & Scratching” that sort of stuff.”
You were lucky enough to be born into a musical family, you were playing the piano by the age of three and your father has been a DJ for over 40 years. Tell us about your father’s career – what was his style and what were the records you were lucky enough to be growing up around and how determined was he to push his love of music onto his sons?
“Haha, he’s gonna love that, though he probably won’t admit it. I was indeed born into a very musical family, and so I’ve grown up both making music as well as playing it, since my brothers and me had access to all the tools at home, the sl-1200 turntables, the very first Pioneer professional cd players, with the flaps that would always break. My dad’s career…you know first of all, it was very different when he started, we’re talking late 60’s here and at every event there was a band. So for him and his pals to decide to go out and play records to get the party started, was really new. And so they did student parties and stuff, and later when those guys married, the wedding, and it was like a snowball. Because they got kids of their own, got wedding anniversaries, got companies for which he did corporate events. So he never actually ventured into the club scene, because by the time that emerged in the 80’s, he already had this solid circuit of his own. By the way, I have to say, that he really learned us how to play. In a club, people come to dance. I’m from Belgium, and when people go to weddings and stuff, the main goal is to eat and drink and laugh and drink some more. Getting people out of their seats away from the bar and on the dance floor, is an art in itself. As for the records we grew up with, well… literaly everything. My dad bought almost everything he could get his hands on, from classical over jazz and pop to rockm R&B, house and heavy metal.
By the way, he never pushed his love for music onto us at all. One of my brothers is a teacher and he does Iron Man triathlon on the side, which is barely musical. The other one is publisher and A&R, and deejays as Lazy Jay. Yes, as in Azealia Banks ft. Lazy Jay – 212. We do that together, me producing, him playing.”
With so much music around you from such an early age, were there any particular artists that stand out that you can cite as influences?
“Always a hard one, since my first instinct is to drop like 100 names. I like Claude Debussy a lot for being a film composer avant la lettre, painting pictures with sound, Gustav Mahler and Ludwig Van Beethoven for their dramatic orchestral arrangements, just like Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Chopin for the brilliant melancholic melodies, U2 for… well being U2, Miles Davis for the genius of saying so much with so little notes (he really is the master of timing), Eric Clapton and John Mayer for doing the same on an electric guitar, Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi for their incredibly skilled songwriting (and performing), same thing with Sting. AC/DC for proving that simple is usually better, what is also partially true for Guns’n’Roses and Nirvana by the way, and what Foo Fighters did on their last album “Wasting Light”, is just mind blowing. Metallica is another one I can’t forget. Thomas Newman and Hans Zimmer for creating breathtaking atmospheres, the whole southern blues scene… OMG, this answer is going nowhere. Told you it was a bad question for me, since I’m only just getting started. I know what you’re gonna say, there’s no EDM in that list. No there isn’t. Obviously I like it a lot, otherwise I wouldn’t be making it, but the things I mentioned (although some artists/albums only emerged later) are the ones that influenced me at an early age, when house music wasn’t even there. (are you that old? euh yes I am) I think it’s a bit like your mother language, it’s ingrained in your core, in your being. It forms a part of who you are, and so all your references go back to that point. Am I still making any sense to anyone?”
So when did the plan to become a DJ happen?
“It didn’t. From when we were kids, whenever we got the chance, we joined our dad at parties. Later on he let us play for 15 minutes or half an hour and one thing led to another. People started asking me for school parties and stuff, and suddenly a dj from a big club in Holland ‘discovered’ me, gave me a chance to play there, and before I knew it, I had a residency.”
What was your first break into the music world?
“As a producer? That was in late 2005, early 2006, and was actually the first track I ever released, it was Basto – “Rock With You” and got good charts and a lot of airplay in multiple countries. Of course, there was no plan back then, no ambition to be the ‘artist’ so I didn’t really care about follow-ups and stuff at the time.”
Can you remember how much you got paid for your first gig?
“Phew, I guess it was somewhere between 100 and 150 EUR, although the Euro didn’t even exist back then. And you have to think that a 45inch vinyl costed around 9 or 10EUR, so in the beginning, I lost money every week, since I was like my dad, wanting to buy almost everything that was released.
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Let me think..
Basto – Again and Again
Basto & Yves V – CloudBreaker (Basto Remix)
Basto – I Rave You
Basto – Gregory’s Theme
Unicorn Kid ft. Nick Littlemore – Hey Hey (Basto Remix)
Spandau Ballet – Gold (Basto Remix)
Lazy Jay – Maverick
Adrian Lux ft. The Good Natured – Alive (Basto Remix)
Bryan Adams – Babylon (Basto Bootleg)
Porter Robinson – Language (Club Mix)
“I know, loads of own tracks and remixes there, but I try to make a set that has Basto written all over it. I hate it when you end up playing roughly the same tracks as the dj before and after you. They book you for Basto, so you try to give the crowd that. So the above list is not an ego booster, although I must admit it looks pretty bad reviewing it once more. Of course, the crowd always comes first, and so every set is different. When I sense I need to go harder, less melodic, play more commercial, more hits of the moment, I will, within certain limits obviously.”
Finest record you have ever played to a dancefloor?
“Ooh, that has to be an emotional one, maybe something like Delirium – Silence (that 12 minute club mix, don’t remember the name), or Reflekt – Need To Feel Loved or something like that.”
You once admitted that “I’m kind of a freak when it comes to studio gear.” What is the latest new toy that is decorating your sound lab?
The newest toy is the Moog Minitaur, it was only released last week or so. It’s a small recreation of the epic Moog Taurus, like the most famous analogue bass synth ever. But indeed, I’m a freak when it comes to studio gear. And let me share a little secret with you: you don’t need any of it to compose, produce, mix or sell records. You can do everything on a laptop with some software and headphones or fairly inexpensive speakers. Things do sound better with all the studio gear (if you know how to use it, that is), but it’s by such a small margin in todays hyper compressed no-dynamics-left world, that most people can’t even hear the difference, and I’m not afraid to challenge the ones that claim they can. Why buy all the stuff then? Well, I wouldn’t be a freak if there was a logical explanation right? Well, I just like it, the feel, the sight, the smell. It’s like a kid in the candy store.”
What is with the fascination with U2?
“Besides them being the greatest rock band of all time, I don’t know. No serious, I think it has to do with a few things. First, I grew up with them, through my childhood, puberty, adolescence (although my parents claim my mental age is still somewhere around 6, and I actually agree), so that creates a bond. Then there’s the fact that they’re an amazing band, constantly pushing the enveloppe, ignoring genres, searching for something new. Combine that with a melancholy, lyrical content, soundscapes, etc that really speak to me, and there you have the fascination. And I think they are all 4 of them, very enigmatic figures. And… the cover of their first big hit, “I will follow”, was a shot of Bono in front of the audience at Rock Werchter. And in that crowd, clearly visible on the cover, is one of my neighbours. I don’t have to tell you that there is jealousy in me that probably won’t fade until I can hang with the guys someday…”
Even though you had already had some 10 top 20 hits in Belgium, things had of changed with the big one! Other than the financial side of things, how did life change after ‘Gregory’s Theme’?
“Well.. suddenly Basto was an artist. Suddenly everybody wanted to work with Basto, wanted to book Basto, wanted an interview with Basto. And to be honest, I had not seen that coming. I was flabbergasted by the waves that track made, because if it wasn’t for Roger (A&R and co-owner of Spinnin’ Records), I would have never finished the track, since in my mind, it needed to be like this American Beauty flim soundtrack kinda thing, and so I wanted to save it for later. But he convinced me to make it into a progressive house track (or whatever you want to call it, not a fan of genres, let alone sub genres) and I can’t thank him enough for that in retrospect.”
You have remixed some mighty artists, Kylie Minogue, Moby, Bryan Adams, The Wanted and Sander Van Doorn to name but a few – which rework are you most proudest of?
“Maybe the Wanted and Moby, since they were not obvious choices to do. The Wanted – “Warzone” was a ballad, and there was a real danger that turning it into a dance track would make it lose it’s emotion and I was not sure the combination would work to be honest. So I was really thrilled with the result and even more with the response from the wonderful people at one of my favourite labels, Island Records UK.
Moby was a bit the same story, 108bpm, sounding almost like a suicide sonng… good luck with that. But it worked out, everybody was very happy, and I was incredibly honoured to receive an email from the label a few weeks ago that Moby had selected my remix to feature on his remix album coming out about now.”
Where did you first debut ‘Again and Again’ – what was the reaction like…?
“I don’t remember actually. You know, I never ‘road test’ a track to decide whether or not we’re gonna go for it. When I think it’s a good track, we do it, and otherwise we don’t. I feel you need to have that kind of confidence in your stuff. That way, if the song doesn’t become a hit, you can still look in the mirror without wondering: what are we doing here? That said, with the exception of remixes and “I Rave You”,I hardly ever play a new track before the promo has started, and there’s a simple reason. I play for the audience, the bigger the better so to say. But that means, you want to make it a party, you want crowd response, and people respond better to things they know than to things they don’t know. So call me a pussy, but I rarely take chances with new material to avoid an initial weak response undermining the faith I have in a new song. A little anecdote, years ago, I got to play in a big club for the first time. My mom had arranged that with the owner. I had this brand new Tiësto track almost nobody knew about, called “Lethal Industry”, and man, was I going to blow the roof off the building with that one. I played it….. no respone… nothing…On the forum of that club afterwards even a few messages like “that DJ payed such bad music”. 4 weeks later I’m at that same club on a night out with my friends, and the DJ plays “Lethal Industry”: the minute the melody dropped, they tore the place apart….Why? Radio had picked it up, people knew it.”
Who is the most famous person on your mobile phone?
“I think Fedde Le Grand. But ask me again in one year haha.”
Do you ever get writers block?
“No never. Don’t know what it is, very funny.”
Tomorrowland seems to be going from strength to strength in your home country Belgium. What makes this event so good and what have been some of your highlights?
“It’s insane really. I think there are a few key factors. One is location, especially the main stage is like this big arena, with the 180 degree slope in front of the stage. Also the fact that it’s right in the middle between all the major Belgian cities, and very easy to reach from Amsterdam, Paris, London etc. Then there’s the fact that at that point in the summer, everybody in Belgium has a holiday. And of course, being ID&T, they always make sure the visual aspect is also top notch, it’s a complete concept. In the end it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Show sells out, everybody who wasn’t there asks if it was good. Everybody who was there says it is (and it really is) and so the hype grows year after year. I am however very curious what the future holds, since it’s getting harder and harder to have a surprising line-up, and there’s a danger of it becoming a been-there-seen-it-all-before concept. But the people that organize it are very smart and professional, so I have no doubt they will anticipate that. A funny story (for me) is, that especially in France, a lot of people discovered Tomorrowland through the “Again and Again” video. So of course I have warm feelings for the festival.”
Do you ever get nerves before stepping onto stage in front of so many people?
“No never. I get asked that question a lot. When I was at the Conservatory of Antwerp studying piano, we had to play this programme of roughly 1 hour by heart before a jury of professors and a live crowd. They’re all critics, the slightest mistake is taken into account and costs you precious grades. If you can control your nerves there, why would you ever become nervous before a crowd that is there for you, that will forgive you everything and that only wants to party with you? Besides, what’s the worst that can happen? Even if you kill the music, it’s embarrassing at most, nobody dies, nobody gets hurt, they don’t impound your car, and your wife doesn’t leave you. Looking at it from that perspective, makes it impossible to be nervous because it’s nothing less than a privilege and a great joy to be able to perform in such a way.
What is coming out next studio wise?
“Basto remixes for Unicorn Kid ft. Nick Littlemore, for Spandau Ballet, a Lazy Jay remix for Labrinth, the new Basto “I Rave You”, a Basto collab with Sidney Samson and a lot more intresting new material, collabs etc. I’m even pondering over a mini album or a big ep or so, to put Basto firmly on the map as an artist that’s here to stay. Anyway, it’s a busy year.”
What is the bravest thing you have ever done?
“Euh… save a cat from a tree? I know it’s lame, but I’ve never really been in a situation that required my bravery. And I must ad that it was night and that the tree was very high with few branches and with a very slippery bark. Not to metion the flame-spitting dragon that was chasing me…”
What are the nigh Summer clubs you are looking forward to?
“To be honest, it’s so busy right now that I don’t even know where I’m gonna play this Summer. I’ve got this feed from my booking agent in my electronic agenda, so basically all I do is look where I have to play this week and when I have to be at which airport.”
Not many people know this, but Basto is really good at…
“Breast stroke, short distanes. No seriously. I was reaaalllllyy good at that, until a knee injury I got playing football forced me to quit.”
You have never been a fan of putting a label on music. But, how would you describe your style?
“Melodic-modern-day-pop-music-except-if-you-don’t-think-that-is-credible-then-you-can-just-call-it-progressive-house-or-edm-or-whatever…”
Who is on your iPod today?
“Although it’s pouring here in Belgium right now, yesterday was really sunny, and since I’ve seen Battleship, I’m in AC/DC mode again. So the last few days were mainly focused around “Thunderstruck”, “Highway To Hell” and the Black Ice album.”
And finally, to the thousands of aspiring Basto’s out there…what advice can you give them making it in this difficult industry?
“A very practical tip I give to everybody: Focus on melody. Anybody can make a beat these days, but melody is what sticks in your head. I don’t know many people humming a beat under the shower or in the car, do you?”
