Hi
all!
Hope
you are doing well. When I started the blog it was just something
created out of love for the music and I dreamed of getting interviews
with big names and newcomers too as a way to push scenes forward. The
blog just got started and to my surprise it kicked off much better
than I ever dreamned of! The reception for interview requests is just
humbling. So many people were willing to loan me their precious time
to do quick interviews for this blog, and that is so gratifying. I
thank you all for this! But now to the latest interview... I proudly
present to you:
I had
an honour of doing interview with no-one other than Repix! He has a
new album coming out and I'm keen to hear it. He's best known for
uptempo tracks and has collaborated for example with Dr. Peacock and
has released 2 eps on Peacock records. And to top of that, he just kicked year off with number one track on Hardtunes with Dr. Peacock and Da Mouth Of Madness (BYMOA) released on Thunerdome records). His gigs also have been quite something, like Master Of Hardcore 20 Years Of Rebellion for example and BJKN vs Parturaiser. So he had quite a start for the year. Off to the interview then:
Yes
that is correct! I have finished it last month, It will be an album
with a lot of variation, from the slower and darker hardcore, to my
better known uptempo tracks. But also I wanted to bring high quality
to show the rest of the world that I am ready for this scene, and
that’s why I chose the name: I am Unleashed. Because this is just
the beginning of something big! Regarding the tracks, you will just
have to wait a little and go listen for yourself!
2.
Was it much different to write an album instead of singles/eps?
There
are a lot of factors that I personally wanted to put in my album,
since a EP Is more like 4/5 tracks in a kind of style that fits. But
with an album I work a bit different, I wanted to make more of a
story from it. The build up has to be perfect, so when you listen to
it, you would be in a kind of flow trough the album. Also you have to
vary a lot because otherwise your album would sound to simple, boring
and every track would sound similar to each other.
3.
What are your main musical influences?
My
main influence still is Hardcore. When I start a track, I want it to
sound just like the tracks of the big names. For this album I have
listened a lot to Angerfist & Nosferatu. Their quality is so
huge, and the content of their tracks is PERFECT. When I’am working
on the mixdown and mastering, my sounds have to be as close as
possible to theirs. Of course it’s still too early to expect such
quality, but I think when you want to reach for something and you
work very hard for it, everything is possible. Also I listen to a lot
of psy-trance/goa, that also have gave me a lot of new idea’s.
4.
How did you get into hardcore and into producing/DJ’ing?
I
started listening to hardcore when I was like 12 years old. I bought
a Power Ranger cd, and at the last track was a track of Mental Theo &
Charly Lownoise. I liked that so much, and want to know more of that
music. Then I did a little research, and soon after that I was
starting to listen to Angerfist, Partyraiser etc. Since then I’ve
always collected hardcore music, and came to a point I just want to
make a mix of all my favorite tracks of that time. So I started a
radio show and used Virtual DJ to mix a tracklist of tracks that I
loved. After a month or so I had like 100 people on my stream,
listening to the tracks I wanted to play. So they asked “can you do
more with it?“ a year later I bought CD Decks, and practiced my ass
off haha! Everyday more then 3 hours, and so it started, I was asked
more often to play at small clubs. 3 year after starting with nothing
then PC software, I already had the opportunity to play at Defqon.1
Festival. From that point it went extremely fast: I met Steve (Dr.
Peacock) and he became a great friend. He started to teach me so much
important stuff. We have made a lot of tracks together, just because
the chemistry between us when we work on music is perfect. So I think
on the road till this point, It was a combination of hard work,
getting to know the right persons and lot of luck haha!
5.
What are biggest differences in scene between Netherlands and abroad
in your view?
The
biggest different in the country’s is the amount of party’s. Over
here in the Netherlands there are a lot of parties every weekend. So
the options are so big that it’s normal to go to a party whenever
you want. In other country’s I noticed that the people have to wait
like 3 of 4 weeks (or more) before a next party, and the fans just
party hard 100% when they finally can go out. So when you have to
play there the atmosphere is enormous! But still I think nothing can
beat the Dutch festivals! They are just INSANE! With the lightshows,
sound system, decoration. I really love it.
6.
You played on all big festivals last year, which gig was the best one
last year?Wow,
to choose one is very hard haha! Because every time I perform at a
big festival it’s something special. Every time again. But
considering the total package, I would choose Masters of Hardcore &
Dominator. The performance has to be perfect as there are so much
people that paid so much money for a ticket and you don’t want to
disappoint them. There’s also a lot of pressure on your shoulders,
but at the same time, the moment your name sounds through the
speakers and its time to rock it, all pressure falls of your
shoulders and you just go all the way! I enjoyed it every minute, and
had SO much great reactions and responses to the sets. I can’t wait
what this year will bring me!
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