New superstar alert! The Netherlands does it again
Interview by Dan Prince
Guys a massive welcome to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you right now?
Hey guys, thanks for having us. We are in Amsterdam, our hometown and the place where it all started.
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed?
J: For getting up in the morning I usually listen to stuff like Mura Masa or Moon Boots, it’s a bit more melodic and chilled music and gets you through the morning easily.
O: ANDDDD I, WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUUUU. That’s my wake up alarm haha. But to be honest I listen to all different kinds of music in the morning, depends on my mood. Sometimes I wake up with House music and other times I just listen to more chilled music.
Well, well, well. Haven’t you got the dancefloors excited all of a sudden…people are calling you ‘a breath of fresh air’, ‘producers to watch’, ‘future superstar DJs’. Let’s kick off with your new ‘Strobe’ EP coming out on Defected’s DFTD…please talk us through the sound and history of the release…
J&O: It’s a three track EP including the tracks “Stop The Music”, “Passin’ Me By” and the leading track “STROBE”. We made the tracks a while back and we were looking for the right label to release them on. It is a big honor to release on DFTD and we couldn’t have thought of a better match for these tracks. The main idea of the tracks is that they are a crossover between house and tech-house. We like to have a lot of energy in our tracks and a climax that makes the crowd go wild.
Tell us about the studio process between you two, who does what, who makes the magic happen where?
J&O: This EP was a combination of working together and working separate. Actually the funny thing about “Stop the Music” is that we came back from a gig at 3:00 AM and we weren’t tired at all and we decided to go to the studio. We were jamming and having a laugh for about 2 hours and “Stop the Music” was born.
Do you ever argue about music?
J&O: Yeah we do but we always try to make the best out of two opinions. Usually that works and when it doesn’t, we get a third opinion.
Okay let’s rewind for a moment. How important was music to you growing up, are you from musical families?
J: I always had a lot of music around me when I was a little kid. My dad used to be an artist as well and played in several bands. He never pushed me to go into music, but when I turned twelve he bought a Mac with Garageband on it, and I just started experimenting with that. After a while I became more and more interested. I remember that a lot of friends and guys from the neighborhood were always hanging out while I was making music.
O: Music has always been important to me, but I don’t really have a musical family. I always loved to listen to music but it wasn’t anything serious until I discovered house and techno music when I was around 16. By then I never imagined I could become a DJ, but that was the moment I started fooling around with Virtual DJ and Traktor. Not long after that a friend of mine invited me to play at one of his party and I did. So that’s how it all started for me.
When did dance music first appear on your radar – who were the DJs that grabbed your attention back then?
J: When I was young I was into Electro and Progressive House. I was quite old when I first came into house and techno. The first artist that were doing it for me back then were Hot Since 82 and Shadow Child.
O:The artists that inspired me to move to techno and house music we’re mostly the leading techno artists like Adam Beyer, Joseph Capriati, Alan Fitzpatrick and some others. After a while I started listening to more up tempo, jackin/house music and that’s what we’re doing right now.
How did the whole ‘loving music’ turn into a ‘let’s try and make a career out of music’ thought first happen?
J&O: We used to produce in Jesse’s attic. Because of our productions more and more promoters in Amsterdam became interested. We saved up enough money to build our own studio inside a shipping container. That’s when we started producing more music. About a year ago we got in touch with the A&R of Armada. We produced so much music and kept making a lot of music that we got introduced to the guys from Defected. The moment we became in touch with Armada was the moment that it all became serious.
What did your families think of that decision?
J: My parents always supported me and always told me to do the thing that I do best and the thing that makes me happy. So for them it was good to see that things got so serious that I was able to make such a decision.
O: My parents weren’t really thinking much of it. They didn’t seem to think it was anything serious but they supported me doing it like it was just a hobby. After a while when they saw we had so many gigs, and that it interfered with my legal study, they knew it became serious. But thankfully they have always been supportive.
The big 5 tunes in your box this weekend?
– NY’s Finest – Do You Feel Me (Dosem Remix)
We played this one at a few festivals, it’s a great way to close your set. Really uplifting, melodic and housey. Great Vibes.
– Tommy Vercetti – We all do (Acid) (Original Mix)
Tommy a good friend of ours, he’s a great producer and this track is quite old but it works every time. This guy is one to look out for
– Martin Ikin & Low Steppa – About Time (Original Mix)
The mix and the track is just ace. Love the vocals and the bassy/energetic drop.
– Cuartero – Liquido (Original Mix)
This is a peak track, we love it.
– Dusky – Jilted (Original Mix)
Such a surprising and unique track in the middle of our set.
Who are the superstar producers you are giving high fives to right now?
We like a lot of the latest work from artist like Josh Butler, Sidney Charles & Martin Ikin.
Tell us about some of the stand out gigs of the summer…
This summer we played in Ibiza for the first time. It was our first international gig (besides Germany and Belgium) we ever played so it was a really great experience. We also played a lot of cool festivals like All We Want Festival & Wonderland Festival.
An event you cannot wait to headline?
J&O: When we were in Ibiza last summer, we went to Together & Defected in the House in Amnesia. It was definitely one of the best club nights we’ve ever been to. But when it comes to festivals, we would love to headline Monegros in Spain or Kappa Festival in Italy.
The best piece of advice you have ever been given…
Patience is the key! For the past year we’ve made dozens of tracks but we decided not to put anything online if it’s not going to be released on a cool label. It’s such a waste when you’ve put a lot of effort in a track, upload it to Soundcloud, and only get so little response. After a while we’re really eager to just upload anything but it’s a good thing we haven’t cause now we have several bombs waiting behind the scenes!
Your anthem of the summer…
Our anthem of the summer is definitely our track “Strobe” coming out on DFTD October 5th. We’ve had so many amazing reactions by the crowd when we or other DJ’s played this one out.
What is coming out next from you studio wise?
We are doing lots of remixes and are finishing several new EP’s. We always like to experiment and try not to repeat the same sound over and over again.
ADE is just around the corner, where can we catch you?
We are playing at the Verknipt ADE special twice with artists like Huxley, DJ Sneak, Route 94, Sidney Charles, Josh Butler, Shadow Child, Tommy Vercetti and many others. Next to that we are also playing the Armada Deep party in the Heineken Experience which is a sick venue.
What is each other’s most annoying habit?
J: I can’t really think of much except for the fact that we are both very sloppy. I can say that I’m pretty lazy when it comes to cleaning but Oguzhan can really take it to another level haha.
O: Yeah definitely his sloppiness, but when it comes down to serious stuff he gets his shit together. The only thing I can say is (which isn’t annoying) but sometimes he should enjoy the moment more.
And finally, what do you hope to have achieved this time next year?
J&O: We hope to release on some cool labels and some collabs with artist we admire. Next to that we hope to have even more fun will doing the things we do. And oh yeah, a private jet would be cool to have as well haha.
