Exclusive interview with the original Dutch superstar
Welcome to DMCWORLD Johan. Where in the world are you right now?
“The pleasure is all mine! I’m back in The Netherlands at the moment as I just returned from a much needed holiday in the Caribbean.”
Congratulations on hitting your 20th anniversary in the music industry as one of our favourite DJs and producers on the planet. I hear you threw a ‘small’ gathering at The Crystal Venue in Culemborg a couple of weeks ago with a few of your friends. Who joined you to party and what was the highlight of the night?
“Thanks, appreciated! Yes indeed, we celebrated this milestone with some international DJ buddies such as Judge Jules and Tomcraft and my dear friends Cor Fijneman , Virtual Vault, DJ Jean and the Dutch upcoming talent Lil Quint. Everybody who attended had a fantastic time and we celebrated until late the next morning.”
So let’s take a trip down memory lane. You were six years old when you first discovered the joys of vinyl and it would be a further eleven years before you started your DJing career in a local club. Who were the dance acts and DJs that infiltrated a young Gielen’s head in the early days that set you a lifetime of night time activity?
“I vividly remember that I had this old transistor radio when I was six years old. Every week I tuned in to the Dutch biggest dance radio show at that time named Ferry Maat’s Soulshow, a show which initially played r&b, funk and soul but later became the pioneer radio show playing early house. I got hooked on taping this show on cassette tapes, created my own selection of music and through this I developed my own distinctive taste house music wise. Before I left The Netherlands for my residency in Tokyo, one of the DJ’s who inspired me the most was Des Mitchell, who played in the notorious BCM club on Mallorca.”
The Dutch scene and dance music was a VERY different place when you started DJing in 1992…did you really believe dance music would still be here two decades later?
“Yes I did somehow. The reason why was the fact that dance music constantly evolved into different genres and sub styles at that time, like it still does nowadays actually. The blueprint was and always will be house music but the subgenres derived from it are countless, which makes it so exciting and above all, the reason why the dance culture as a whole has had such a a long life and will have a bright future.”
One of your first major breaks was leaving Holland was to take up a residency at Tokyo club Velfarre. That must have taken some balls to move to such a completely different environment at such a young age – what did you make of it all on touch down?
“I entered a completely different world and culture. The first three months were quite tough for me as I didn’t speak any Japanese and my lack of knowledge about the Japanese culture. But after a while, once I settled down, I was getting more and more comfortable and discovered an amazing experience just off living in this huge metropolis. In regards to my DJ career in Japan: playing six nights every week for over 4.000 people every night really has made me what I am today and gave me the necessary experience and confidence in the booth. The initial deal was a contract for six months but it worked out so well for both parties that I stayed for two years! Besides developing DJ skills I also taught myself to have respect and discipline in the land of the rising Sun, as respect and discipline are embedded in the DNA of the Japanese people.”
Was the dream to become a DJ and if the producing came along then great – or did you always have your eye on a career in production from the beginning?
“I never had a particular dream to become a DJ, I was born with a high doses of love for music and DJ-ing just grew organically out of that passion. I was working as a DJ for eight years before I decided to go into the studio and start producing music myself.”
The world sat up and took notice of you with your seminal trance project Airscape and then your partnership with Svenson. What are the major studio changes for you as a producer have you implemented into your set up over the years?
“Back in the days we did a lot of different projects, because electronic music was developing and evolving constantly and we didn’t want to pin ourselves down to just one particular genre. Airscape has been one of my projects from the very beginning and until today I still release music under that moniker, with my track ‘Endless Forever’ as its most recent offering. Svenson is not involved with my productions anymore since 2006. Obviously, production techniques have changed a lot over the years as we used to work in a big hardware based studio, as opposed to the current situation where all I need is a laptop which allows me to produce on the fly.”
…And has your view on how to begin a new production each time changed over the years?
“Every new production, either then or now, is a blank canvas and a challenge. The big difference between my early years and my more recent years is that I take my experiences from travelling the globe, and the inspirations as a result, back with me into the studio. Also, my collaborations with befriended producers has given me the opportunity to create more than trance music which allows me the take the occasional sidestep.”
By the end of 2006 you had jumped to No. 24 in the DJ Magazine charts Top 100. Who are the DJs/producers in 2013 that you’re giving high fives to right now?
“Definitely Hardwell, Showtek and Nicky Romero.”
What are your thoughts on EDM taking over the world these past two years or so. Is it just the latest style of music that will fade away, some producers are already noticing the kids on the dancefloor in America wanting a more housier sound…?
“The whole EDM movement is a good example of the constant shifting and merging of various genres I spoke about earlier. Again, there’s a lot of development in that area. One of the great things about EDM is that the “older” styles are incorporated in new tracks, giving the young clubbers the opportunity to get acquainted with early house music influences. I also like the fact that the whole stigma and pigeonhole thing is getting less and less. Years ago, DJ’s and their genre of choice were divided in different camps with strict borders. Nowadays, house DJ’s are playing big room progressive tracks (which in fact are trance based from a melody point of view), and (former) trance DJ’s are playing housy tracks. The strict borders we used to have are fading. It’s also because of the current tempo of the tracks: back in the day, house was around 125-128 BPM and trance 140BPM or over. Now, most of the productions are around 128BPM making different tracks accessible to different DJs.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
01. Johan Gielen vs Virtual Vault – Intensive
02. Marco V – Walhala
03. York & JPL – Nightmare
04. Solarstone – Seven Cities (Pure mix)
05. Airscape – Endless Forever
06. Johan Gielen vs Jan Vervloet – Break Ya Down
07. Juventa – Bitsmash
08. Airscape – Welcome Home
09. Sal Miak – Traci
10. Tin5Ha – Remember The Sunset
You must be very proud of ADE – in our opinion the most important week on the dance music calendar…why is it so important?
“I totally agree. Over the years there have been many professional gatherings for the industry such as Midem in Cannes, Popkomm in Berlin, WMC in Miami and ADE in Amsterdam. The last five years though, ADE certainly has positioned itself as the most influential annual hub for dance music professionals. First of all because it 100% focusses on dance music. Second of all, this is the only conference where actual business is done and third: The Netherlands is a fertile soil for dance music talent. The other conferences are either too expensive, not relevant anymore or a nice tax-deductible holiday.”
Do you think it is too easy to become a superstar producer in 2013? One minute you are in your bedroom making a record on your laptop before doing your homework. The next you are headlining Ultra and Tomorrowland…
“Due to current technology and software developments, of course it’s much easier to produce these days. Whereas we used to need a 80k studio fully stacked with expensive equipment, all you need nowadays is a 499,- laptop and some software. But then again, as literarily everybody is able to produce electronic music now, that also means that there is an insane amount of (like you mentioned) bedroom producers and an insane amount of music productions to go with it. With social media it’s far more easy to promote yourself as an artist compared to the old days, but considering the heaps of productions and producers, it’s harder to spot the real talent. Also, I have my doubts when it comes to producers who have overnight success and are forced to perform as a DJ. In my opinion it’s better to first learn the art of DJ-ing to get yourself prepared when you suddenly find yourself on a main stage performing in front of 10.000+ crowds.”
Do you think the young producers of today have too much management/marketing/press/tour crew around them all of the time and that perhaps, they are not having enough fun out there like we all did back in the early 90s?
“Absolutely, the EDM scene has changed into a huge corporate business machine and I feel that it’s not always straight from of the heart. There’s much money involved and everyone wants to have a piece of the cake. Some of these young talents have no experience at all but are pushed into the industry to become a money maker. Not sure this is the right thing if you’re pursuing a long term career as I have seen many new talents come a go over the years.”
You were the only artist to perform 15 times in succession at the prestigious Trance Energy – how does an event like that compare to like an event such as Tomorrowland as far as production and atmosphere goes?
“Indeed I’m very fortunate to have played Trance Energy 15 times. Trance Energy was one of the original “super events” from the start and I think this event inspired a lot of promoters to become as big as they were. Being part of a ground breaking festival like Tomorrowland is such a great honour for me as I really feel Tomorrowland is the next level. The stage production has become more and more important for any big scaled event or festival, and Tomorrowland nails it every time. So I’m pleased to tell you that I will perform on Tomorrowland on Sunday the 28th of July!”
You have remixed some mighty artists including the likes of Tiesto and Chicane. It is perhaps your remix of ‘Silence’ for Delerium you are most well-known – would you say that though it’s your greatest remix or does that accolade fall elsewhere?
“You’re right, the Airscape remix I did for Delerium – Silence was the biggest breakthrough for me as a producer. The minute I heard that BBC Radio 1 played it on their A-rotation list was a life changing minute; my phone still rings for remix requests thanks to that remix!”
What is your idea of perfect Sunday?
“When I’m home in The Netherlands and not abroad, I prefer to sleep in late, waking up with a nice breakfast, chilling with my dogs, enjoy a good glass of wine and a fresh platter of sushi.”
Away from dance music, who are the artists you like to listen to?
“U2, Coldplay, Bob Marley, Barry White and some chill out tunes like the Buddha Bar CD series.”
Not many people know this, but Johan Gielen is really good at…
“Cooking! This is one of my passions besides music. My favourite dishes are noodles Thai style and Italian pastas.”
And finally sir, what is coming next from the Gielen studio in 2013…
“Many cool things are coming up for me in 2013…. My very next release is due on the 22nd of April on the mighty Black Hole Recordings, which will be Johan Gielen vs. Virtual Vault – Intensive. Besides Johan Gielen solo releases, there also will be a new Johan Gielen vs. Jan Vervloet EP on High Contrast Recordings, planned in June / July 2013. At the moment I’m also working on a brand new Airscape album, to be revealed in fall 2013 on Black Hole Recordings; the first single from that album, Endless Forever, was released early 2013 and its second single will be Welcome Home, to be released on the 6th of May, including a fantastic remix from Bruce Cullen. And in between, there are some remix assignments scheduled.
Thanks for having me and keep an eye on my Twitter, facebook and my website for the latest updates! Love & respect.”
http://www.johangielen.com
http://www.facebook.com/JohanGielenFanPage
https://soundcloud.com/johan-gielen-offical
