Doing the Sound Of Amsterdam series, 90watts welcomes new well talented artists to the label, such as these to youngsters. This Saturday, February 12th, these guys are featured in our weekly radio show "World Wide 90watts" on Ibiza Global Radio. Their tracks Deviation and Body Language (Pieter Steijger solo) will be released on The Sound Of Amsterdam volume 3, in March. Let’s meet Sander Young and Pieter Steijger in 10 questions.
 

How did it al begin?

Pieter: My dad introduced me to electronic music. He used to play music of Vangelis, Kraftwerk and Klaus Schulze. As I grew older  I got more and more intrigued by dance music and I started learning about the roots from Chicago and Detroit. My interest in making music only became bigger and I started attending drum lessons. Later I also played keyboards.
On my 13th birthday I got turntables on which I started playing vinyl. Not much later I started producing my own tracks.

Sander: For me it started with soul. My first musical experience was browsing through my dad’s old soul records. The groove present in the live recordings from James Brown at the Apollo, for instance, made me a grooving toddler. In some present time house records you can still feel this groove. At the age of 15 my cousin introduced me to DJing. Thanks to him I started assembling my own humble DJ set. Later on I also started producing.

Who inspired you to start making music?

Pieter: A lot of artists did inspire me to start making music. But I think Marco V was the one who showed me how to do that. This DJ lives in my hometown in the South of the Netherlands. I visited his studio sometimes to see how the ‘master’ was producing his music.  

Sander: It just happened. Music is a way to express yourself and since I can’t sing, I started to make my own beats. Practise and practise.

What brought you guys together?

Pieter: That’s a funny story. I am currently studying at the School of Arts in Utrecht. There I came in touch with Sander’s sister, who’s now my girlfriend. Since the moment I met her she told me that her brother was a DJ as well. So the link was there.

Sander: We started out with finalizing some of my tracks in Pieter’s studio because of the better acoustics. But after a few sessions we started making music together in one project: Sander Young & Pieter Steijger.
 

What can  you tell about each others? Sander, what are Pieter's strong (and weak) points?

Pieter has a lot of production experience and is also very creative. This does not only translate into music but also in designing artwork for instance. He is truly a perfectionist and thinks about every detail, however he sometimes gets carried away and forgets the bigger picture.

And Pieter, how about Sander?

Sander is a very creative person with a realistic point of view. He knows a lot about music, but he can’t read any music notations, so that’s sometimes an issue, but most of time it works out fine. Further he knows how to rock a crowd with an uplifting and trendy sound.

Which typical issues in the electronic music scene catch your attention at this moment?

Pieter: I think the main issue at the moment is the immense supply of tracks and dj's. Today on Beatport you are overwhelmed by the immense bulk of new music. It is unfortunate that most of the time people don’t check out this supply but just go for the headliners. Due to this, headliners have a position that sometimes is wrongly obtained. And in this manner hardly any real talent is discovered.

How do you deal with it?

Pieter: I thinkyou can not escape from it, however I try to provide assistance to talented DJs who have potential with my own music management agency Frameworx Music.

And Sander, what issue catches you at most?

Sander: Without doubt the implementation of improving technology. Whether you like it or not, technology is changing the DJ, the music and the way people perceive the music. So, in order to your next question how to deal with it, we try to embrace the technology and keep innovating our self in stead of trying to work against it.

What inspires you to produce tracks?

Sander: Music itself.

Pieter: Sometimes you hear a riff or a part and you think WOW! You then translate that to your own tracks. I also get inspiration from visiting clubs and festivals. It is interesting to see what triggers the crowd.

What do you do besides making (and playing) music?

Pieter: As I said before I’m studying at the School of Arts in Utrecht. My specialization is Music Management. At the moment I make a living by managing other artists and doing a lot of (online) marketing related activities.

Sander: My life is all about music actually but my other passion is football. I have been playing football for as long as I can remember.

What brought you to 90watts?

Sander: That’s actually a funny story. At the 2010 ADE we met Dennis Ruyer and Pieter handed him a promo with ‘Body Language’. Not much later Dennis played this track on Dance Department and he also handed this promo to the guys of 90Watts (for which we are Dennis very grateful).

Pieter: We also send 90Watts a promo of our combined productions, this promo contained ‘Deviation’. Some time later the guys of 90Watts contacted us about ‘Body Language’ and ‘Deviation’. We decided to sign these tracks with 90Watts because we really like their sound and they also have an amazing artist roster with for instance Dennis Ruyer and our 2010 favourite El Mundo & Satori.

His debut release “Manalive” turned out to be a digital revival of the legendary Bush record label in the late 2000s. Many of his tracks followed on this label, as well as his latest, a remix of Carl Cox’ The Latin Theme, co-produced with Steve Mulder. 90watts is proud to be the first Dutch label to welcome this well talented producer. His track Gale will be released on The Sound Of Amsterdam volume 2, at the end of November. Let’s introduce you to Roel Salemink.
 

How did it al begin?

I was about 18 years old I went to my first big party ever, it was the first edition of the famous Innercity events by ID&T. They had lot's of different styles but there was one sound that was new for me. There was a DJ playing great tracks and I had, I think, the best night of my life over there. Later I heard that sound was named techno and that the guy behind the decks was Carl Cox. After that I started to visit a lot of techno events. My passion grew a lot in those days and I started my own event with some friends named Magnifique.

It was very unique because it was the first techno party ever in that part of the Netherlands. I think we even created some new techno fans over there. We always had a good line up with artists such as Secret Cinema, Marco Bailey, Peter Horrevorts, Pacou, Takaaki Itoh, Recyver Dogs and many more.

In 2006 I started to DJ myself. It was early 2008 when I produced my first beats. 8 months later I had my first release on Bush Records named Manalive. It was an awesome release. The remix Jon Rundell did was #1 at the Beatport charts for 8 weeks.

It was a good time for me, for the label Bush and everyone around the label. Bush records was not doing any releases in that period, but after Manalive label manager Eric Powell was so excited about everything that they are back in business again. And that's great because Bush is on of the oldest techno labels and a lot of people are happy with it.
 

Who were your heroes in the old days?

I have a lot of heroes. Because in the 12 years I'm into techno I always had different terms of styles I listened and played. Carl Cox will always be my favourite because he's the one that made me listen to techno music. But ofcourse there are more people i like such as Umek, Marco Carola, Laurent Garnier. There was also the period that i was more into the deep stuff. One of the artists of that period is Henrik Schwarz. It is unbelievable what he does in his tracks. I think he's one of the best producers. 
 

What do you think has been the most remarkable issue in the endless evolving electronic music scene through the years?

I think the Dance industry has become more commercial. Years ago I went to an event in let's say my jeans and a t-shirt and I danced al night, just because we liked the music. Nowadays when I go to a party I have the idea that people go to techno events because it's a hype and they want to be hip. That's something I don't like because in my opinion it's all about the music.
 

That’s not really positive.. How did you deal with it?

I always tried to make tracks I like, a bit with the sound of the early days. Always groovy, a nice main loop and not to many strange things. Just doing my own stuff. After the minimal hype we've had, everyone wants to make that kind of techno. When I buy for example 10 records with that new hip minimal sound they are all the same to me. Years ago a records almost could be one big groovy loop, but it was good because that was a unique thing. Some of you could know the records about.
 

What inspires you to produce your tracks?

Of course i mostly have in mind what i want to make. I have a lot of influences. But I think everyone has that. But it's important to make your own sound and not to make something that is hip now. Good examples of that are people like Carlo Lio or Dutch producer Peter Horrevorts. They both have a unique and perfect sound. I'm a big fan of both of them.
 

After you’ve done tracks and remixes on labels like Bush Records, what brought you to 90watts?

I did a lot of work for Bush records. I also released tracks on Global Underground, Bullit Dodge and more but it are al labels outside the Netherlands. My plan was to release on a Dutch label also because I’m not that well known artist here yet. I hope to get more gigs in the Netherlands this way of course. So that was the reason for me to choose for an Amsterdam based label. We have a lot of good labels of course in Amsterdam but 90watts is one of my favourites. At the moment I'm trying to get some more music into my tracks, something that could work for 90watts. I also noticed that the 90watts people are very professional and they are very kind. I get the feeling it's one big happy family.
 

Thanks!! Welcome into our family!! Any plans for the near future?

Yes ofcourse, I would like to release more racks on 90Watts. In 2011 I launch my own label Roasted Recordings. I just signed an EP by Andy Slate with a nice remix by Robot Needs Oil. And also Steve Mulder is working some racks for the label. Demo's are welcome… ;-)

90watts is really proud to present a new face, a new voice and a new character to host the brand new live radio show on XT3 techno radio this Friday. Who is this young lady and what's driving her in the world of electronic music? Let's meet her and ask.

90watts live! | Friday 04.16.2010 | 10pm (GMT+1) | XT3 techno radio

Who is Renske van Kollenburg?

I'm just a young woman who happens to have a deep love for electronic music, actually music in general. I always liked to connect people in the scene, which I'm able to do because of the huge network I gained over the years. Right now I'm producing and presenting my own online tv format (which you can see in a short period of time).
I also worked as a music journalist for Dutch television and my own agency, Splash Agency (website online soon), during the Amsterdam Dance Event and for other companies abroad.. Since then I've been asked to do some jobs as a producer and presenter for artists and other companies and now radio... a new challenge..

What brought you into the world of electronic dance music?

Passion for music! Especially electronic music. The power it has to feel free and to have a positive impact on people. It really has had an important role in my life up to now already. I guess it started when I was a little girl taking dancing classes..I remember most of the dance tracks I danced on back then..

What’s your favourite all time house classic? And why?

That's a though question... there are so many!! :-)

But to name a few which are very special to me:
Can you feel it - Mr. Fingers. Because it has that oldschool vibe and positive message. "House music is a universal language spoken and understood by all."
Shed My Skin - D-Note. Makes me dream and the words describe something very special to me.
Age Of Love - The Age Of Love. Just count the remixes of this track.. says enough.
M.a.r.r.s - Pump Up The Volume 1987. I think it was one of the first tracks with samples from other songs. This song was ahead of it's time if you ask me..

What’s the most intriguing issue in the world of dance music today, according to you?

The commercial aspect... although this is a positive thing at the same time too. Dance music was underestimated a long time if you ask me. But now, sometimes it seems the world lost the deeper meaning of music.. "it's a feeling"..  (Todd Terry- House is a Feeling 1991) The soul, the purity of the music and the electronic dance scene sometimes seems a bit lost because of all the aspects around it nowadays. However there will always be true house lovers and I think we will get back to that understanding eventually..The DJ's / producers are the people spreading the message in the end anyway and they can't fake their love for music.

When/how did 90watts come into your life?

I've known a couple of artists from the label for quite some time now.

When I met Jeroen van Meeteren, the label owner, there was a great vibe instantly and we are friends ever since.. We both have similar goals when it comes to dance music and to awaken people...

You’ve never presented or hosted a radio show before.. What makes you nervous the most?

Hahaha, good question.. well, I presented for tv and online programs only up to now so people can see your face.. on camera it's sometimes good to have a silence but when people listen to radio they don't see you, so I better keep talking!! :-)

Any expectations about the show?

I think 90Watts is a great label so it's gonna be the bomb!

Hear the Light, See the Sound!  :-)

With their notorious clubbing nights in venues like Studio 80 in Amsterdam, these guys behind "Babylon" are ruling the Amsterdam underground scene. "Guilty Sectret", their debut release on 90watts is upcoming, so it's about time to wonder: who the hell are these guys? Let's ask them.

Hey, who are you guys?

Onno van Velzen and Victor Coral.

What brought you guys together into the music?

We have known each other as dj's for a long time, since we both have a history with the legendary Amsterdam promotors from Chemistry. Onno as youngest ever resident for their Saturday's and Victor as organising host and resident fro RUSH. PRESETONE however was born on Queensday 2008, a spontaneous back2back set turned out to be such a succes plus a lot of fun, that we decided to continue this joint venture behind the decks and into the studio as well, hence PRESETONE was born. The rest is history so they say, haha..

Who inspires you most?

What do you think about today’s issues in electronic dance music?

The digital revolution obviously has caused a snowball going downhill at full speed of releases every week. Most of them not really worth checking, yet we luckily hear a lot of really cool stuff as well. You just have to search for the little gems.... Besides that I have to say that the tech-house renaissance of Amsterdam is very inspiring to witness, big up!

What’s that typical “PRESETONE” factor?

Epic / Double trouble / Mayhem.

Any plans for this year? What may we expect?

Next to our upcoming release for 90Watts we have 2 new releases coming up on Spanish label Suruba Records in the next coming months. Also there is a new ep on German Circle Music planned for later this year. Partywise we are hosting a Moon Harbour Labelnight in Amsterdam in april, and of-course our bi-monthly night BABYLON at Studio 80.

More info: http://presetone.com/