This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)
This week, Dutch DJ/producer Angelo Faassen, also known as DJ Biological, shares the story of his FIRST GIG and some tips for upcoming DJ/producers. One of them is: “Enjoy music as a hobby.”
“My first performance was when I was about sixteen. It took place at an illegal rave we organized ourselves in a bicycle tunnel under the Haringvlietdam in Hellevoetsluis. At the time, a group of friends and I organized a party under the name ‘Meng Syndicate.’ During that period, I came into contact with Jeroen Verheij (Secret Cinema), who introduced me to dance music. Jeroen and I then worked together to put together our performances, which we performed live. It was a bit more difficult back then than it is now, as I only had an Ensoniq EPS16 sampler/keyboard, with which I could record 16 MB samples.”
Debut with 4 tracks
“This was my debut, performing four tracks live for the first time. I wasn’t really nervous. Of course, things didn’t run as smoothly as they do nowadays, especially since we didn’t have Ableton yet, for example. It was more of a mix between semi-live playing and improvisation. There were about a hundred friends and acquaintances. The set was predetermined, and I could toggle tracks on and off and control live effects.”
Organ and keyboard
“I was always busy with music in my youth. We had an organ and a keyboard at home. When I was twelve, I played on them a lot. As I got older, I met Jeroen. He came to school in Hellevoetsluis from Brielle. Jeroen introduced me to a sampler on the Commodore Amiga. Through the printer port, you could create an audio input on the Amiga, allowing you to record samples. Jeroen explained that you could then stack these samples on top of each other in Protracker. He has always been an enormous inspiration and teacher, as well as a sparring partner, in my further development in dance music.”
‘Meng Syndicate’
“We had a large group of DJs and organizers in Hellevoetsluis at the time. With ‘Meng Syndicate,’ we organized various parties, including the first boat parties.”
Keeping up
“My first set went really well, although it was a bit of a struggle with the synth and drum computer (R8) I was using. Everything was still running with MIDI and had to be controlled from a hardware sequencer.”
Better sequencer
“What I learned from the performance is that I needed a better sequencer to mute, loop, and save samples more easily. I started looking and eventually began using Cubase on an Atari Mega STE (32MB). From that setup, I began purchasing more hardware, including an MPC2000, effects units, and 19” racks for extra synth sounds.”
Mysty Movement
“Jeroen and I eventually chose different styles. Back then, I released several records with Ricky van Breugel (Ricky da Dragon) and Andries van de Vught on various labels under the name Mysty Movement. After that, I continued under my own name and was contracted by Music Man Records, among others.”
Bored
“Eventually, through Jeroen, I ended up in Rotterdam again on Michel de Heij’s label, EC Records. At some point, I got a little bored with the scene and decided to focus on other music styles, including broken beats and trip hop. Together with Ralph Echter, I founded the Multiarea Foundation, with which we organized various events in these styles under the name ‘Somethin’ Else.’”
Three new projects
“At the moment, I’m almost entirely producing in Logic and working on several new album projects with live musicians. Three projects in the African, reggae, and trip hop genres are coming out this year. I also have a number of new tracks in the electronic dance genre ready to be released. However, it’s not yet clear on which labels they will be released. Keep an eye on my Facebook for more info.”
Don’t just play a tape
“Do I have any tips for upcoming producers/DJs? Well, first of all: make sure every performance is different from the last, so people don’t feel like you’re just playing a tape while you’re supposed to be mixing live. It’s also a lot more fun for yourself. It’s also a good idea to use separate tracks and live effects, so you can always delay as the crowd asks for it. Do what you want and feel, and learn from others.”
Clause
“Thirdly, I recommend never signing a contract with an advance that includes a clause stating that the contract will be automatically renewed if the advance hasn’t been repaid. This is a tip that has always stuck with me.”
Another tip: “Don’t be disappointed when people use you for their network. In my opinion, that’s how the music world is supposed to work. Don’t hesitate to do the same if you want to grow. Lastly, enjoy music as a hobby and think carefully about the professional opportunities. Before you know it, you’re in a rollercoaster. Ask yourself: do I want to earn money in music or just freewheel? The latter made things more relaxed and fun for me.”
This interview with Angelo Faassen was originally published in May 2017 on This Is Our House.
Who is Angelo Faassen?
Angelo Faassen is a Dutch electronic music DJ, producer and soung engineer. Angelo Faassen started in dance industrie in 1996 with his first record under the name Biological.
Then, in the 2000s, Angelo Faassen became more active in training in digital multimedia projects with own companies like Vizzual and Futureskills.
More Angelo Faassen?
More First Gigs? Check them all here!
