He feels that minimal house is more accessible than minimal because of the samples. Eventually, it — and his Butch alias — caught on, and dance music opened up beyond straight-ahead minimal techno.
“Also, if you didn’t follow a line of always doing the same kind of music, you also get pushed out. That was the DJ police, which was super stupid. People were kinda scared to do anything accessible. For a few hours at a festival, not much happened besides a bass drum, high hats, and some effects. Weird times. And then someone like me comes around and uses a house sample, and it worked. Everything opened up again. But now we’re in some kind of chaos where everything’s [allowed].”
The moment he felt like he made it was when he started getting booked for “Amelie,” a track on his 2008 debut album Papillion. It even went to number 19 on the Belgium all-genre chart. “It was really confusing to me that I was getting booked for that song. Then I felt like ‘Oh, wow, cool. I’m here now. I’m a DJ now. It works,” he reflects.
Two years later, he had an even bigger hit with “No Worries.” It was one of the most-played tracks in Ibiza that season and named one of the top tracks of the year by Resident Advisor and Groove. His music was moving the White Isle, but, strangely enough he only played there once that season, even though he was already touring the globe. He’s lived between Ibiza and Dubai for a while now, so it’s a little harder for the local bookers to ignore him. He’s always felt a doubt from others that he couldn’t craft another big tune, which motivates him to keep aiming high.
“When I got those awards and the compliments of my colleagues and my music was really everywhere, I was like ‘Oh cool. I kind of made it.’ But there were always people saying, ‘He made it once, it’s not going to happen again.’ Then I made sure that the next year I had the song of the year again in Groove magazine. I always tried to prove that I can do it again, which was difficult. It puts you under pressure, but the pressure is good. You keep working. I also don’t try to repeat myself.”
Ana Monroy Yglesias is a freelance writer and editor living in New York City. Find her on X.