Hi Luke, welcome to DMC World. One of the Netherland’s biggest DJs although you were born in Manila in the Philippines in the 70s, what’s the story here?
“Hi guys, thanks for having me, it’s an honour! My dad, who’s Dutch, used to do volentary work in poor countries and got sent to the Philippines in the 70s. There he met my mom and they made me there. When I was four years old we moved to the Netherlands.”
So a new double CD just out, ‘Super You & Me ft. Avici’ out on your own Mixmash Records label – how do the two CDs differ between yours and the young pretender, Avicii – and tell us about the exclusives on your mix…
“The first CD is a flavour of what is yet to come on Mixmash records, mixed in my signature way. A packet of dancefloor energy I call it! I do have some exclusives on there like the bootleg I did of Tiesto’s ‘Flight 643’, the remix for Wynter Gordon and my Moby Remix. I’ll always use the second CD to introduce a new young gun to the world. Avicii has been smashing it up this year, but people still don’t know he’s a great DJ too. He mixes it up in his signature Swedish big room style way. Like Afrojack and Bart B. Avicii is a talent I have trained for years on my forum on www.laidbackluke.com too. I want this compilation, my label and my parties to become a platform for the talents I discover and train on my forum.”
What music were you listening to as a teenager that made you want to get into DJing? What artists and DJs drew you in…
“It was a mixture of growing up on the early Prodigy tracks mixed with Gabba, House and Hip Hop. I was always searching for the dancefloor energy in music and people like The Prodigy, The Dreamteam, Dr Dre and Technotronic had an early signature to my sound. But when I first started to DJ, I got a truckload of vinyl of the people that discovered me, the guys from Chocolat Puma. They were putting out records under different aliases like Klatch, Jark Prongo and The Goodmen. I played a lot of that stuff in my starting up stages as it was almost the only vinyl I owned at that point!”
What are the big 10 tunes you are playing at the moment?
Probably something of the likes of Swedish House Mafia – ‘One’, Afrojack – ‘Bangduck’, Moby – ‘Wait For Me’ (Laidback Luke Remix), Laidback Luke feat Jonathan Mendelsohn – ‘Till Tonight’, Tai – ‘Rocking The Set’, Wolfgang Gartner -‘Undertaker’, Meck & Dino – ‘Feels Like A Prayer’ (Rune RK Remix) – Dadalife – ‘Love Vibrations’ (Phatzoo Dub), Missy Elliott – ‘Get Ur Freak On’ (Chocolat Puma Bootleg), Wynter Gordon – ‘Dirty Talk’ (Laidback Luke Remix).”
You are renowned for your love of hip hop, once a fierce graffiti artist – what was your tag name?
“Ha! Nice question! My tag name was ‘ZYBR’, but to be honest, I got arrested putting my first piece outside. It was then I realised I needed to focus on my music!”
What album would you never sell?
“Probably something of the likes of Daft Punk or Aaliyah. I have a huge weakness for Aaliyah, still gutted she died too early!”
How would your describe your DJing and production style?
“I would describe it as graffitti! Like NERD says, ‘I see sounds’. I have a photographic memory when it comes to music, I see music as images. I don’t like boundaries. I like to freestyle, working with improvisation. Keeping adventure in what I do makes it still interesting for me.”
As you know, DMC presents The World DMC Championships, once upon a time I remember you took on and beat a Dutch DMC Champion in a Battle, tell us about it…
“Yes, I took him on – our Dutch champ DJ Rockid! But it was more for fun and games. It was more about entertainment then me actually outscratching him! I have so much respect for turntablism. I’m a fan! I often call myself a hobby turntablist.”
What did your parents think about your choice of your career?
“They had a hard time supporting it. They always questioned why I would be that kid that could make a living out of it, while there were so many kids out there that wanted to do the same. I’m blessed I could proove them wrong!”
What keeps you awake at night?
“Stuff I need to finish! That and Coke. Coke is my coffee. I don’t drink coffee out of my own protection. I would be a black coffee addict. Most of the time my DJ gigs will keep me up at night, but that’s because of the time slots I play.”
You have remixed some mighty names, David Guetta, Roger Sanchez, Steve Angello, Daft Punk, The Black Eyed Peas, Dizzee Rascal, Tiesto, Notorious B.I.G., Coldplay, Madonna, Bob Sinclar, Jay-Z, Calvin Harris and Green Velvet to name but a few. Which mix did you have the most fun with, and which one are you most proudest of?
“I’m probably still really fond of my remix for Daft Punk. Not that it is the most brilliant remix I have ever made, but just to be able to have beeing asked by guys I’m honestly still really big fans of, to have been able to remix their track is mindblowing! The remix for Green Velvet was my first big breakthrough in 1997! All the others were really fun and exciting to make, but I really couldn’t name a particular one!”
What is the best and worst thing about living in the Netherlands?
“The best thing for me it so feels like home! Like, it feels so common to me, it feels like the family you take for granted. But they are there for you no matter what! One of the worst things for living in the Netherlands for me is the people are so tall! I’ve grown up here thinking I was a small bastard! But travelling the world I discovered I have a nice average length internationally. People in Holland are big yo!”
You have also brought out dozens of huge dancefloor classics from your own studio – what has been your best tune you’ve ever made?
“I honestly don’t know! I always feel my biggest tune has yet to come! Obviously tracks like ‘Be’, ‘Leave The World Behind’ and ‘Break Down The House’ were monsters, but I have a feeling the best is always yet to come.”
What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
“‘You will never make it’ and then proving them wrong!”
The best club you have ever played at?
“Probably something of the likes of Cocoon in Frankfurt, Avalon in LA or Zouk Singapore.”
Which country around the world have the maddest clubbers you’ve ever played to?
“Strangely enough, I feel that the West Coast of America has those at the moment. People just cheering and yelling for a couple of hours like crazy! Maybe Japan has them too, but I haven’t been to Japan in a while.”
Who is your best friend in the world?
“My iPhone. I do so much on it, it’s a part of my life now. It just doesn’t talk back to me. My two sons are my real best friends in the world too! I love them to death, they are wonderful.”
Who do you rate as the number 1 DJ in the world right now?
“Probably David Guetta! The amount of people he pulls is ridiculous at the moment. And I do think he has the biggest hits now too. He has been responsible for us being able to take over America now. Dance music will rule the American charts thanks to him.”
What makes you angry?
“I don’t like getting furious. I’d rather spend my energy in a positive way. I always try to see the positive sides of things and create something healthy from it.”
You are one of the current few DJs that are quickly rising to superstar status – yourself and dudes like James Zabiela and Nic Fancuilli are heading right to the top. What do you put your success down to?
“I love those guys! These are real people that so deserve a top spot! We need those people on top to keep this industry passionate and healthy. I do think keeping a healthy, positive attitude helps a lot. Working mad hard, never stopping, and always having that little spark that triggers your passion will help in having success.”
What one record would you really love to remix?
“As I do a lot of bootlegs I’ve pretty much covered a lot of that! Still thinking of taking on something by Modjo or Angie Stone though.”
Tell the DMC World about your ‘Super You & Me’ parties, why did you start them, what’s would be expect when going to one of your parties and where are they happening this summer…?
“I just think house music parties have become way too serious. At one point I noticed the best fun you have is when you have crazy, stupid fun with your friends. Pure joy! My nights should be like that. Why so serious, it’s dance music! We’re here to let go. I do have a bit of a wink of an eye going on towards fancy dressing. As I’ve always wanted to be a superhero plus in the Netherlands we don’t have that dressing up at stag parties at all! So it’s a good excuse for me to dress up and look different then I normally would, I need the people that come to my nights to do the same. It brings so much more in terms of living up to a night, wondering what people think of your outfit and have fun and make fun of, and with your friends! We’ll be planning them internationally at my favourite clubs for the summer. Plus I’m really happy to be doing two Super You&Me take overs at Cream Ibiza at Amnesia this summer.”
How important to your career do you think it was linking up with the Swedish House Mafia?
“It was very important in retrospect! I’ve never planned it to be like this, it just happened as I’ve known Steve Angello since he was a teenager. At one point, he was the one that injected me with a second youth as a producer and a second wave of succes of my career. I’m really thankfull to the guys.”
You can invite 5 people to your house, dead or alive, to a dinner party – who would be sitting around your table?
“I don’t like having dinners! They take way too much time and I could’ve finished a track by then! I’m a production-o-holic!”
Best moment in Ibiza and Miami WMC?
“I think all my best moments at this time can be related to enjoying how far I have been able to come in all these years. I remember my first Miami WMC where I slept in a crappy motel and was introducing myself to loads of people who never heard from me. This went on for a couple of years, I’ve been going to WMC for over about ten years now! Remembering the times I was handing out mix CDs and people didn’t get it at all. Now it’s so different for me, a roadblock of a Super You&Me night at Liv and a tent overflowing at Ultra Music Festival makes me enjoy this even more. Same goes for Ibiza where I used to see everyone on posters while I didn’t have any gig on the island those summers. This year I’ll even be having my own billboards and so proud of Cream helping me out with the Super You&Me take overs! My best moments are now!”
When you get home from a club, what sort of music do you chill to?
“This year I’ve been obsessed by the new Phoenix album as well as Miike Snow his album. I love to karaoke sing along to poppy tracks!”
What is coming next from Laidback Luke?
“I’m really trying to finish my album at the moment. I do would like to do more videos with it and cross over to radio and TV. I feel the time is right now to keep the underground going, but have some mainstream crossover as well! I’d like to make my label Mixmash a big player in the European record label game and I’m anxious to see if I can take my Super You&Me nights to a higher level too!”
Thank you Luke
Dan Prince
“Thanks Dan, such a pleasure! – Luke.”
‘Super You & Me’ ft. Avici’ on Mixmash Records is out now
