mixmag netherlands
It was also recognition for
all
the work done over these years: many professionals and indus- try insiders have passed through The Sanctuary, as is normal in our environment, but the initial core from which everything started is still here, it has never changed. And that’s a great strength.
That night, the Lab stopped be- ing just a livestream and beca- me part of The Sanctuary’s flow, which is so unique because it always manages to change its skin, not to follow trends but to anticipate them or even create them, while always keeping its identity crystal clear.
That’s what fascinates me and what I try to carry forward with my label and my sets: breaking down the boundaries between the local and the universal. That night with MIXMAG LAB we didn’t import a format, we exported a soul.
That night – but not only then – you were headliner, resident, cu- rator and a representative of a scene. How do you live these roles in your daily life?
I live it as a privilege, and at the same time a responsibility to ho- nour with all the attention, dedi- cation and care possible.
Having the chance to give sound and concrete shape to my mu- sical vision in a space like The Sanctuary is a unique opportu- nity, and I’m grateful for it. I never take it for granted, which is why I’m never satisfied and always try to give my best, to raise the bar a little higher each time.
The secret is not to live all the- se roles as separate, but as a single ecosystem. If you try to split them, you end up just going through the motions and losing your soul.
In my daily life, being a resident and curator means having a huge responsibility towards the walls that host me and the peo- ple who cross them. It’s not just about playing the right records, but about designing an experien- ce, understanding the pulse of the dancefloor even before it fills
up. Being a resident of a venue or an event means representing not only obviously the sound, but also the values, the identity. Inside the venue itself, but especially outsi- de. It’s like wearing a jersey, and you have to do it with respect.
For promoters and club owners, this means reliability: they know I’m not there for a “hit and run”, but to build lasting value.
When I switch to the role of headliner, I try to carry all that underground sensitivity with me. Today’s audience is demanding, they travel a lot, they see and hear everything, they make com- parisons, they have much more experience and can smell artifice from miles away. The dancefloor today demands truth. And truth lies in not being afraid to venture into acid or minimal sounds even when you could play it safe with the hit of the moment.
Daily life is very intense; you have to be able to continuously switch modes of thinking and activate all levels of intelligence: artistic, emotional, relational, but also managerial, communicative, fi- nancial.
The day is made up of many mi- cro-moments: for two hours I’m a music selector, for two hours a composer, for two hours a pro- ducer, for another two a curator. Then again social media mana- ger, team leader, PR, booker, art director, marketing, press, A&R… As you can see, the hours in a single day are never enough.
On social media there’s a meme going around with a pie chart representing a DJ’s life, where DJing is often just 5%, maximum 10% of the total.
It makes you smile, but also re- flect, because it’s often true: which is a paradox because to- day infinitely more music is be- ing produced and released than before the pandemic, so in reality you’d need even more time to de- dicate to listening, selection, defi- ning and constantly refining your sound.
Representing a scene is the as- pect that gratifies me the most and challenges me the most. With STATE OF FLUX, I’m trying to shout: “Hey, you don’t have to do ‘what’s trending’ to make it work.” My daily life is made of lis- tening, study, scouting. It’s a life choice, and living these roles to- gether allows me to be a bridge between the underground and the sensibility of a wider audience. I’m not looking for easy consensus, I try to put music at the centre, without compromises. Because if I don’t believe in the vision I’m curating, how can I expect those dancing in front of me to?
For most people there’s work life and private life: for me – but I think for everyone who has cho- sen this path – there’s no diffe- rence between work and life. It’s all one flow, for better or worse: and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
“The dancefloor today demands truth. People travel, they listen, they compae. They can smell artifice from miles away.”
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