Since 1993 I've played electronic music that takes people along: on rooftop bars overlooking the city, at beach clubs in summer, and at corporate and private events. This is the story behind it, and the music that shaped me.
Accessible and underground at the same time
In the early nineties I organised parties with friends: hundreds of teenagers at our own nights with our mobile disco and home-built speakers. My early interest in electronic music led to residencies in local bars.
With a school friend who owned a pair of turntables, I took the train to Amsterdam every week to buy import records. Many artists who were unknown back then are household names today: Roger Sanchez, Masters at Work, Kerri Chandler, Mateo & Matos, Dave Lee, Dimitri from Paris, John Ciafone, Ashley Beedle.
Going out in the second half of the nineties was formative. The RoXY in Amsterdam introduced me to soulful underground house from New York and Chicago, and to the more abstract Detroit sound. Summer holidays in Italy, with luxurious open-air discotheques such as Baia Imperiale, with its pools and gardens, gave my sets an Italo and Balearic touch.
Playing the music I loved wasn't always easy in bars. House wasn't as established as it is now, and bar owners wanted to hear other genres too. That made it all the more satisfying to get a 'difficult' crowd dancing, and to see a weekly residency build a growing audience. You can still hear that fusion: mostly electronic, with disco in the mix, and afro, jazz or Italo never far away.
Corporate and brand events
In 2007 I founded a marketing and communications agency in Amsterdam, which I still run. It opened doors to DJ work for advertising agencies: music at trade fairs and product launches for their clients.
Current style
Influenced by underground house, but accessible. I stay away from the mainstream charts, to keep a sound of my own and to keep challenging myself with new music.
Shaped by travel and by an open, diverse city like Amsterdam, my sets move through decades and continents, for people of different ages, styles and backgrounds. Learning new music every day and expanding my sets, while honing the classics.
HEAR
I also run HEAR, High End Audio Rental: sound, DJ gear and lighting for events from 150 to 1,500 guests.