The Dutch legend running his ace BMKLTSCH RCRDS Show…
Mike welcome to DMCWORLD and congratulations on the new release ‘The Show’ which Tongy has been hammering! Let’s go back to where it all began first because I love your first foray into the world of DJing; Scouring the second hand stores of Ultrecht searching for rare grooves and knocking on bar owners’ doors. Pick up the tale how you got started…
“Hi Dan. Well, I started DJing when I was around 18…all my friends were hip hop DJs at that time so I was influenced by this culture a lot. But still I wasn’t a real ‘hip hop head’. I started collecting records that were sampled in hip hop tracks which got me acquainted with jazz, funk and disco. I really used to love the original records better then the hip hop tracks and started to become fans of musicians like Stan Getz, Deodato, John Coltrain, Canonball Adderly and Donald Byrd. I started strolling down markets and second hand shops looking for ‘that one track sampled in this or that hip hop track’. When I had about 30 records I went to every bar/pub in my city to ask if they wanted to hear my rare grooves and if I could play there during the night. With the money I earned with that (most of the time 50 euros and free beer) I bought more records, expanding my collection. In this same period some friends and me started throwing some hip hop crossover parties in small locations. Our first party concept was a boat party with 15 euros entrance in exchange for free beer and hip hop/funk/soul. And that’s how it all began!”
Back then you hated house music though. What changed things?
“When hip hop, funk and soul got more and more influenced by electronic music, the step from a 130 bpm funky broken beat track to house got smaller. It took me a while though to really feel the old school house. I think it’s wonderful that people can change, or in my case widen their taste without any effort.”
A famous quote from you…”People who release non-essential music only take up web space and valuable time.” Care to elaborate…?
“Well I think this was my reaction on a question about underground or commercial music. For me there’s only real music. I don’t care if it’s radio or club friendly, or this or that genre. As long as it does something to me. Since loads of artists don’t need a label to put their tracks under peoples attention nowadays, there is so much to listen to. Loads of real and good music. Music that touches, moves, motivates, makes you love a person more, makes you horny or aggressive, whatever. There’s also loads of music that, in my head, makes me impersonate Larry David holding his shoulders up, making a grumpy face and going ‘…ehh’. It just doesn’t do what music should do. I definitely don’t want to discourage people to put their tracks online without a label backing them up. I do like to encourage people (including myself) to listen to their music and asking themselves: ‘Is this piece of work music, like music is supposed to be?’. Btw Dan, I imagine Larry reacting the same way if he ever heard any of my music. So it’s pretty subjective off course – haha…”
‘The Show’ is out now through Spinnin’ Deep with some special remixes, talk us through the different reworks…
“Lars Moston & Teenage Mutants did a real good job flipping ‘The Show’ to a classic deep house track. I think it’s a really strong track and works very well on the dancefloor. Same as the Mason remix, though this one is more peaktime. I really like the mixing skills of Mason. This remix doesn’t sound like an absolute banger on your laptop speakers, but in the club it tears the roof off. The last is from one of my favorite producers ‘Tuff Wheelz’ from France. This is a bassdriven remix with lots of melodic elements. There is also a remix by techno hero Kommune 1, which we’ll be giving away for free soon…”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Kastle – Allready Know
Way Back – Way Back
Friend Within – The Hollow
Shapes – Nite N Day
Mercury – Man
Broke One – Gravity
Tuff Wheels – The Way She Led
Logo – Cardiocleptomania
U Know & The Drill – I Need U
Zombie Disco Squad – Drink
What are the next releases from your beloved BMKLTSCH RCRDS
“We’re in the middle of gathering the remixes for the Broke One ‘Gravity’ Remix EP and for the Shapes Remix EP. Next to this we have a great release coming up from U Know & The Drill. We’re also launching a new compilation line called Gems & Carvings presenting all the Bmktlsch Rcrds artists with their best tracks and exclusive material. Needless to say I’m pretty happy with all these top notch releases.”
What is the best and worst thing about living in Amsterdam?
“Best things: clubs, restaurants, canals, buildings, the presence of so many cultures, the liveliness…I can go on and on…
Worst things: the posing snobbery and lack of politeness to tourists and people from other cities.”
What sort of artists do you listen to chill out to?
“Blue Hawai, Cashmere Cat, Sohn, DJ Koze, Gold Panda, Sepalcure and so on…”
The person from history whom you’d most like to have a beer with…
“Jimi Hendrix or Jim Morrison.”
The song that means the most to you…
“Nina Simone – Good Bait.”
Where are some of the big gigs you’ll be spinning at over the summer that you are looking forward to?
“I look forward to every gig, OF COURSE!. But I am extra excited to be playing at Ministry Of Sound in London the 7th of September and at Tomorrowland in Belgium 26th of July.”
And finally, out of that 30 or so dusty old records you bought from those second hand stores…which one would you never sell…?
“Wow! That’s a tough one…I think Struttin by The Meters. I think it was one of the first albums I bought. The Handclapping song is one of my favorites.”
