The lethal Dutch invasion continues
You are two of the most excitable DJs to watch as well as listen to, endless energy exudes from the DJ booth with you two bouncing about – so how did you two first meet and decide to get together musically…
SJ: “We met at a sports shop where I was working. The moment my boss told me I was in charge of the interns, this long haired guy walked in to ask for a job as an intern.”
RM: “And that was me. I would fail school if I didn’t get an intern-job that day. It was five minutes before closing, and luckily Sunnery told his boss that he thought I was OK. We started to hang out and found out we had many interests in common.”
SJ: “Like house music. Ryan was the first to mix and DJ. I was trying to get him some gigs, but before we knew we were playing together. Things went very fast after that happened.”
An incredible show at ADE where your tune ‘Lethal Industry’ stole show – tell us about the single…
SJ: “We have liked the track for many years, but it didn’t really fit into our sets. We’ve decided to create a full new version for ourselves and to play it as a tribute to Tiesto, the man who brought a whole new dimension to the DJ profession.”
RM: “The crowd went crazy the first times we played it, and it kinda was our ADE ‘anthem’. It even was named #1 in your DMC ADE Buzz Chart. It’s the first cover of ‘Lethal Industry’ ever to be approved, and we’re very glad we are able to release it. It will be available on December 12th.”
Where else did you enjoy at ADE this year – who rocked it?
SJ: “ADE has been such a busy week for us. We did a lot of meetings and we were preparing for our own show of course. We did see the show of Sander van Doorn and Ferry Corsten in Escape and Chuckie’s show in Panama.RM. And of course we went to see the DJ Mag party where David Guetta grabbed his #1 spot. I think Guetta was ‘the talk of the town’ that week.”
You have been very busy in the studio since the release of your debut single ‘Pina’ in 2008 – what though since do you think has been your best single and why?
SJ: “Production-wise we’re really happy with ‘Tribeca’. The build-up, the bass. It made us very happy.”
RM: “Don’t forget we started out as DJ’s and learned to produce in a later stage of our career. The best is yet to come.”
Who would you say are your musical heroes?
SJ: “I think you’ll only get one name out of us: Michael Jackson. I had the luck to see him live.”
RM: “And I still hate Sunnery for that. We were about to see him in London, but the entire world was shocked by his death before his concerts could start. I’m still dazed.”
A now, very famous quote from Axwell : “If ever there was a Dutch division of Swedish House Mafia it would be these two” – thoughts on those little words of wisdom…
SJ: “We’re proud of our bond with the Swedes. They picked us up and asked us to join them for four amazing gigs in Pacha Ibiza last year.”
RM: “Our friendship grew during that summer and we respect them for everything they have achieved.”
A big trip to The U S of A coming up. What are you most excited about, the gigs or the free tickets you have for the Victoria Secret show?
RM: “The fact that we have a Pacha New York gig just 2 days after the VS show!”
How do the crowds in the US differ to the rest of the world at the moment?
SJ: “You can see that the US crowd is really growing into house music in the recent years. The people are really going for it, and that’s exactly how we like it.”
RM: “It’s the only way for us to keep going. Our batteries are charged by the people on the dance floor.”
Ibiza has been kind to you these years: with nights at Pacha and a residency at Space – what is about Ibiza that you love? Where have your had the most fun on the white isle?
SJ: “What’s not to love about Ibiza in the summer? The weather, the food, the parties, the people, the music. We rented a house on the island last summer to enjoy all of this as much as we could.And simply because we had to play there on a weekly basis.
RM: We had amazing nights in Pacha last year and had a residency in Space this summer. And we’re very curious what will happen in the next summer.”
What are the current top tunes you are blasting out right now?
SJ: “To name a few: our remix of Gregor Salto & DJ Gregory’s ‘Paris Luanda’, Matthew Codec’s ‘Alegria’…
RM: “And of course our very own ‘Tribeca’ and ‘Lethal Industry’.”
You are friends with Erick Morillo after opening up for him in Crete a couple of years ago and this summer brought out the massive ‘Tribeca’ on his label – why do you think you have a connection with Mr Subliminal – do you see a lot of yourselves in him?
SJ: “We are very much alike: We have the same level of energy, we have the same love for house music, and we connect personally. Erick Morillo is a very lovable man.”
RM: “I think it’s the South American blood. It connects people automatically.”
What is each other’s strongest points in the studio – in other words, who does what?
SJ: “We don’t work with studio tasks. We both create set-ups individually (yes we do actually sometimes hang out alone!). Then we come together to build the concept into a first version. Then we try to play and tweak those into final tracks.”
RM: “But as we travel a lot, more first set-ups are created at airports and hotel rooms. Sometimes we have to finish our tracks on the road, like we did with ‘Tribeca’. So we’re often in the situation to work on a track together.”
What did your parents think of your choice of career?
SJ: “My father used to be an artist in Surinam and The Netherlands. He was proud from the moment I decided to make this my profession. Mothers normally act more cautious in this kind of situations. But she’s very happy how things are going.”
RM: “Same story concerning the mother. My mother didn’t like this risky choice and it was very difficult to explain. But nowadays she’s one of our biggest fans, wearing SJ-RM T-shirts and standing in front of the crowd.”
SJ: “Our parents always join us for the cool gigs in Amsterdam: Amazone Project, Sensation, ADE. It’s great to see them enjoy.”
What is the worst job you have every had?
SJ: “Probably working in the sports shop where we met. Just not my thing.”
RM: “I wasn’t really a job-kind-of-man. I once bluffed myself into a job I never had the papers for. I pretended to be very busy all the time, and they found out after a month.”
What has been your anthem of the summer?
SJ: “That must be our own track ‘Tribeca’. We use different vocals on the track to keep variety. I love the reactions, every time.”
RM: “Everybody responds very well to the track, even though it’s absolutely not commercial but a relatively deep track.”
What has been your best set of 2011?
SJ: “As our longer sets are usually the better ones, I must say our recent 5 hour set during our Amsterdam Dance Event special. We were able to create the mood and build a decent set.”
RM: “ADE was indeed a very special night. I must add the Space Ibiza closing and Extrema Outdoor festival in The Netherlands. This last one is still downloadable on our Facebook page.”
Who is the coolest person on your mobile phone?
SJ: “DJ Ryan Marciano.”
RM: “Guess I have to say Sunnery now. Or does the Queen count?”
It has been an incredible year for Dutch DJs and producers. Why do you think there is such an invasion of Dutch talent at the moment?
SJ: “The Dutch dance scene is incredibly professional. The level of agents, managers and others is very high. Nearly every artist has a (semi)professional studio and they’re all determined to create good music.”
RM: “I recently called The Netherlands a ‘DJ school’. It feels like a factory for young DJ’s. There are lots of clubs and events in a relatively small country. So it’s not difficult to do several gigs at one night. This is the best way to gain experience.”
If you could change 1 thing about each other, what would it be?
SJ: “I would love to see Ryan bald.”
RM: “I would love to see Sunnery with curls. Or with an afro.”
SJ: “Seriously though, I wouldn’t change a thing. We’re like a battery with a Plus and a Minus. Never change something like that.”
What have you got planned studio wise for us all in 2012?
SJ: “We have some releases planned in the forthcoming months. The first one is ‘Lethal Industry’ on December 12th. We will take a short break in January, which normally generates new inspiration for us.”
RM: “People can expect a lot of new material in 2012. They should add us on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date. And visiting our website www.SJ-RM.com once in a while will help too.”
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sunneryjamesryanmarciano
Twitter: @SunneryJames & @RyanMarciano + @SJ_RM
Website: www.SJ-RM.com
