All my life I've been a musicfreak, one day I just had to become a DJ....This was over 25years ago...Sincethen I collect records (as it went backthen!), a housefull, more than 20.000 pieces (currently I'm in the process of digitilizing them, so I work more with CD's & Digital Music now, I must admit, but technique makes it inevitable!! But in the end what counts is the music....music I really feel, music that just goes straight to my heart!!
Basically my collection starts from 50's & 60's Jazz, all the way to contemporary dancemusic, most I would say 'black music'...to give a little impression it ranges from soul to house, from hiphop to latin, from funk to techno, from boogie to brazillian, from NY Garage to atmospherical soundtracks, from spiritual jazz to disco, from fusion to afrobeat, from library music to Indian mantra's, from new classic soul to West London broken beats, from nu jazz to drum 'n bass and on & on...all those styles unite for me...'Just good music', as Duke Ellington said...."There's only two kinds of music: good & bad"
All those years I tried to involve all those styles in my DJ-sets, which gave me a local reputation, as being a 'freak' and 'educator'. Together with KC the Funkaholic (currently Programdirector in Paradiso, Amsterdam and founder of "Kindred Spirits" Recordlabel and Events!), I consider myself a pioneer in 'digging deeper' in Holland, basically since mid-eighties...
Happy enough rightnow, we have a lot of young DJ/producer talent in Holland...
Early 90's I started my own Jazzdance 'Londonstyle' night called "The Message" in a nice small loft of a gayclub in Amsterdam called Havana, this defenitely put me on the map as a DJ, because it was completely new in the Netherlands and without any musical compromise!! I must say I was heavily inspired by London's Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge who were doing their 'Talking Loud' sessions backthen, I also had the fortune that some of the originaters (legends!) out of the UK-Jazzscene decided to live in Amsterdam, amongst them dancers like Gary & Seymour Nurse, Levi & David Graham, DJ's like Mark 'Good Vibes' Tayler and Desmond Antoine...Until this day I've been inspired by them, and all the Dutch believers in the scene and the unbelievable unique vibe we all created in those days...
Since the mid-nineties orso, more and more International Top-DJ's came to Amsterdam, amongst them cats like King Britt, Francois K., Joe Claussell, Timmy Regisford, Kerri Chandler, Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Louie Vega, Kenny Dope, Norman Jay, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Spinna, Frankie Feliciano, Jazzanova, DJ Deep, Blaze, Osunlade and many many more...I had the honour and pleasure to perform with all of them, and I consider most as my musical friends now, which obviously gave me a huge inspiration and 'lift' in skills and knowledge, but I also could involve my own influences, so it appeared a mutual thang, which proved more and more to me that music is an universal artform which unites 'Kindred Spirits' all alike all over the world...
Inevitably I had to start producing music, and much too late, but never too late I guess... that's happening now...
Some 4years ago I met my musical partner Han Litz (you can find him in my Top40 friends here on Myspace), besides that he is a real master on his flute and a true friend, he appeared to be a extremely talented multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, arranger, musical teacher and musical philosopher, basically all qualities I lack, but together we form a great team, also because of my 'passive' knowledge of music, my DJ-streetwiseness how music should sound and obviously the inspiring content of my collection.
We are producing different styles of tracks, some for a future album, some for the dancefloor, some just because we felt like that...No one less than Louie Vega and Jazzanova amongst others showed interest in our firstborn, "Sun", but til today it still needs a deal(?!), in the meantime we made a remix for Osunlade's "Infinity" which will probably released this year and we're busy with some new projects...
One of my biggest frustations as a DJ in Holland is the eternal lack of tradition in quality club sound systems...somewhere in 2002 I got involved with the opening of a new club in Amsterdam called 'Jimmy Woo', the owner asked me to design the "best DJ-Booth" and "best soundsystem" in Holland and he gave me all support I needed, after long investigation, and with the love for NY-style systems I came to the relatively young UK-brand "Funktion One", with an oldschool sounddesigner Tony Andrews behind it. This proved to be the best choice I could have made, but sadly far from all of my gigs are on a system of this high-end quality, so I decided to involve another complete "sound" and "music" freak and now very good friend, called Bas Heijmans to be a partner. Sadly we had to stop the business due to external causes, but I hope to pick up this enterprise one day. There's another frustration, this time with the current Dutch dancescene, especially the
housescene. After playing house since mid-eighties, and still reminiscing about the initial vibe in those days, I can't really go to an average Dutch (house)party without almost being disgusted with the vibe and the music that's been played now, superficial, uninspired, no culture, no melody & harmonies, no songs, no unity etc. etc. eventhough, I have to say there's also some young kids who caught the right vibe...
...A ya...I guess its my destiny and I feel here on Myspace (rest of the World, I guess?) I can really find those 'Kindred Spirits'!!!
Peace 2 y'all...
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