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In 2015 I met the legendary Café d’Anvers DJ Prinz (Vincent Buss). Having been around since 1994, the Belgian DJ/producer knows all the ins and outs of the clubbing scene. Not long after we met, he told me about his debut. Prinz: “The public was exceptionally beautiful and existed mostly of models, gays and party people.”
“My first gig was at an event that was organized by Jan Bizar & Geoffroy. In 1995 these men were the nightlife-gurus of Belgium. The name of the event was Les Soirées Lipstick. It was held at the Mirano Continental in Brussels. I was 22 at the time.”
“I was extremely nervous. I had never played in front of an audience before, let alone in front of 800 people! Because the event was a collaboration with Steff Models Management, the public was exceptionally beautiful and existed mostly of models, gays and party people. Of course, I had meticulously prepared myself for this at home, so I could give make my appearance with the hippest dance tracks of the moment.”
Idols
“I didn’t really have a mentor. That didn’t exist in those days. I did have several idols, for example Koenie (Wallys Groove World), Dimitri (RoXY), Sven van Hees and Steve Cop. I went to see and hear the latter time and time again in order to pick up the intricacies of the profession.”
Beatmatching
“I’m not sure if I made terrible mistakes. I don’t think so. I do remember that it wasn’t easy. What I realized right there and then, is that it’s not only about perfect beatmatching but also and mostly about the order of records you choose to create the right atmosphere and stimulate people to dance.”
Read the crowd
“I learned a lot from that first gig, as well as from every single gig that followed. It’s takes a few sets to learn how to read people so you can respond optimally to them with your set.”
Anniversary tour
“Now I’ve been full-on active as a DJ for over twenty years. This anniversary is celebrated with the 20 PRINZ TOUR. The kick-off party is on April 17th 2015 in Café d’Anvers. The tour will last the rest of the year and take me to clubs and festivals in Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Spain and Russia. My first album release will probably be at the end of 2015 as well.”
More Prinz?
This article is originally published on DJMag.nl in April 2015.