Jordy Dazz

OMG! The Dope & Dirty producer back with a bang

Welcome to DMCWORLD Jordy. New track, new surname. So what is the name on your passport these days?

The name on my passport is “van Oostveen”. Not really a catchy name for an artist! When I started as Jordy Lishious 8 years ago, the name was more of a joke. But it wasn’t untill this year I grew the balls to actually change it into something that suited me better.. So Jordy Dazz it is, and will be!”

You burst onto the scene in 2011 with ‘Lump’, a track created thanks to a bout of insomnia! You claim that track really changed your view on EDM and more importantly, what you wanted to do with your career. Explain…

“As Jordy Lishious I had a very clear view of what I wanted to achieve with my music. But all of that came to a question when I made ‘Lump’. ‘Lump’ was so different from all the music I made before, and surprisingly ‘Lump’ was a bulls-eye shot for me.
Almost every big name started supporting it. I went to Ultra Music Festival in 2011 with Fedde le Grand, and when he dropped ‘Lump’ over there, the crowd’s reaction was beyond insane. That was the exact moment I knew I had to head into this direction musically.”

Where were you when Hardwell dropped ‘OMG’ at Ultra in Miami, quite a sight huh? How was Miami for you?

“I was actually on the mainstage with him. Me, Dannic and Dyro were chilling on the side of the stage and we had an awesome view over the crowd. That was the very first time ‘OMG’ was played. I instantly noticed I wanted to change a few minor things, so when I got back from Miami I added a vocal and tweaked and shortened the break. Miami is one of the greatest places to be, especially during Music Week. There’s so much to do and so many parties to visit! Really inspiring!”

Last year saw you open and close for Tiesto at Privilige in Ibiza. What was that experience like and what makes Ibiza so special?

“That was simply awesome. Both shows were absolutely great, and totally different. Opening up for Tiesto at his own show was a real honor. It was my first time in Ibiza, the first time I had to play there and the first time I played with Tijs. So I had three things striped off my bucketlist at once, haha! Ibiza is such a beautiful place. You can’t really describe the atmosphere, but it’s a very special place for sure.”

What are the plans for spinning this summer?

“I’ve got myself a residency at the Octagon Club in Seoul, South-Korea, which I’m going to visit again in June with my buddy Mitch Crown. We’re doing a special show over there with me playing and with Mitch on the mic. He’s just an awesome vocalist, and a great guy. I also got gigs in Poland, Scotland, Crete, Belgium and of course Holland lined up atm.”

What is the current top 10 you are spinning?

01. Jordy Dazz – OMG
02. Franky Rizardo & Roul and Doors – Blackout
03. Jordy Dazz & Mightyfools – Drum Fail
04. Wolfgang Gartner – Redline
05. Jordy Dazz – Bitsize
06. Joachim Garraud & Alesia – Hook (Clockwork Remix)
07. Tom Fall & Ben Nicky – Hammer
08. JoeySuki & Firebeatz – Reckless
09. Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl – In My Mind (Axwell Remix)
10. Prok & Fitch – Symphony

You have a cool arsenal of new tracks lined up for the summer with some huge collaborations, what can you tell us about them…?

“‘OMG’ is the first of many tracks. I really wanted to make a huge bigroom track, but it had to be different from everything else that’s in the charts now. So the idea was to approach every aspect of the producing process from a different angle, and that really worked. It’s one of my favorite tracks I did so far. The first collab is with the “Mightyfools”. It’s been signed to Bingo Player’s Hysteria label and will be released in July. It’s a cold-hard banger! Then there’s a collab with Revealed collegue Dannic called ‘Fuego’. The cool thing about this one is that you really can hear both of our styles very clearly. It’s a true party track and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. I’m gonna do more collaborations later on this year and I’ve got like 5 or 6 more tracks on the shelve which haven’t been signed yet.”

You are playing some mighty festivals this summer in Holland, Belgium, Korea and Poland to name but a few, what has been your best festival experience to date?

“I guess that must be Lakedance Festival in Holland. Within a few years they’ve accomplished to grow out to a + 15k party people event. The atmosphere is always great, the crowd is awesome and the location is at a beautiful water sight. I’ve also produced the anthems for it the last 3 years.”

Who are your big mates on the Dutch EDM scene, who is great to go and have a party with?

“The great thing is that most of the Dutch DJs I know are from Brabant, the southern part of Holland., where I live. JoeySuki lives around the corner and we often grab a drink or coffee. Also Fedde lives nearby, and I try to stop by his studio every now and then. Hardwell and his crew are great to have a party with, I’ve experienced that multiple times in Miami, haha! The Bassjackers and DJ Apster are from Tilburg as well, which I’ve known for a long time. I still have to check out their new studio btw…Then there’s Marcel Woods, who is also my booking-agent, the Showtek guys which are awesome and Zany.
He’s a great hardstyle producer and his studio is in the same building as mine.”

Cool. What is the finest record you have ever played to a dancefloor?

“That must be ‘Lump’! When I played that one at Hardwell’s Revealed party during the ADE last year, the people went crazy and Hardwell started crowdsurfing in that 8 feet high club. Legendary!”

How old were you when you first started to get into dance music, what were the early tunes you can remember?

“I remember buying the Strictly DJ mixes from DJ Jean and the classic DansSalon CDs mixed by Marco V & Benjamin. Southside Spinners – Luvstruck was THE track that made me decide I wanted a career in EDM. I still have like 3500 pieces of vinyl with about all the classics that matter to me. That collection is never ever going away, as it is a part of me.”

Who were your early DJ heroes?

“Definitely Marco V. I was like the biggest fan of Marco when I just started playing music. He and Benjamin Bates made so many awesome tracks. Marco was well-known for his own V-Sound, and that’s my biggest inspiration-point there. I want to make music in a way people recognize my style. But there’s another guy I just have to mention here. DJ Franklin was the local DJ from the “The Talk of The Town” in Tilburg, a huge club which now has been closed unfortunately.”

What was the first great club you ever went to?

“When I was 15, everyone was talking about “The Talk of The Town”, the biggest club in my hometown Tilburg back then. Everyone came there for the EDM and to party. It was the first place where you could experience that kind of music, as there almost were no huge parties or festivsals, no YouTube or whatsoever. I remember setting foot in that club for the first time with my fake ID. Franklin was playing there and I didn’t know what I saw and heard. The soundsystem was simply the best, the light effects stunning and the overall vibe amazing. The way Franklin build up the night and treated the crowd with the absolute best club tracks was simply brilliant. I’ve never ever seen another DJ as skilled as him. He was also the person who let me play in The Talk when I was 16 for like 15 minutes. I almost fainted because I was so thrilled, haha!”

Can you recall your first ever pay packet for DJing?

“That must be when I was 13 or 14 playing with my own drive-in show at birthday and graduation parties for friends and friends of friends. When I was 15 I got my first residency in a small cafe in Tilburg on a Friday afternoon, the Yeti Bar.
I absolutely loved it as it was packed every week with people of my age celebrating the start of the weekend!”

Was music the only option growing up, was there anything else you could have done with your life career wise?

“No, music was the only option growing up. Period. I always knew that this was the thing I wanted to do in life. Every decision I made was in love for the music.”

What is the bravest thing you have ever done?

“I quit school when I was 18. That was the best decision I could ever make! Of course, it was a huge risk as I don’t have any papers nowadays, but I always knew what I wanted. And I knew school wasn’t going to help me with that.”

What is your greatest weakness?

“I trust people way to easily and I always want the best for everyone, which has put me in some weird positions over the years. But luckily I’ve learned from those failures and I know better how to respond business-wise nowadays.”

What other types of music do you listen to other than EDM?

“Almost everything. I listen to the radio a lot and to music from Kanye West, Adele, Birdy, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Drake, Phil Collins, Selah Sue etc.”

Best club you have ever rocked?

“Octagon Club in Seoul last March. The place was packed and the crowd was really up for it. After 10 minutes I already knew that I could play whatever I wanted.”

What’s on your DJing rider?

“I used to have only water and Red-Bull on it. But that wasn’t really rockstar-ish. So now there’s a bottle of Grey Goose and pineapple juice on it as well.”

What is the best thing your parents ever taught you?

“To follow my heart and to believe in myself.”

Can you remember the moment when it hit you that ‘yes, I can make a living in this industry’…

“Not really to be honest. But I knew that I was following the right path when my first house-record “Jaymen – Ooh La Lishious” came out in 2006, and it went straight into the regular Dutch Top 40!”

Not many people know this, but Jordy Dazz is really good at…

“Mario Party!!! The best party game ever made! Great fun to do with my friends once in a while. Shame for them I always win! Hahaha!”

And finally, to the thousands of aspiring producers and DJs reading this, what piece of advice can you give them…

“As a producer: Try to be original!!!! Of course, EDM is always following a certain path and movement, but if you can manage to put your own vibe and sound into a track that is relevant, then you’re on the right way. Keep checking tutorials and try to understand why a sound sounds the way it sounds! That will only help you understand the way tracks are build and sounds are made.
As a DJ: Never, NEVER EVER just play all the biggest hits in a row. You want to take your crowd onto a journey, how cliche that may sound. Try telling them a story with the music you love. Really think and over-think every track you want to play and if it’s the right moment for it.”

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