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By chance, I got to visit Charel Visser a.k.a. DJ Charly in the holy grail: his home in Purmerend. Of course, way before that day he had already told me about his first gig. “When I started that track, immediately all hands went in the air.”
“My first gig was on Fabruary 21st 2004. Danny D., known from HQ, Impulz and Dance Valley, organized an evening with a line-up that solely existed of upcoming talent. This ‘I Love Hardhouse Talent Night’ was held in the venue 020 in Amsterdam, formerly known as Time and Item.”
Not the nervous type
“I’m not the nervous type, but OMG, I was só anxious that night! I was twenty and didn’t have a lot of experience. On top of that: when I entered the main area, I noticed a Dateq mixer, whereas I had only played with Pioneer and Korg mixers.”
Videos
“Every DJ had two set times: half an hour in the main area and 30 minutes in the small second-floor area. My turn in the main area was planned for 00.30 hrs. Fortunately, all went well. My set, that I had prepared for ninety percent, went smooth and I succeeded in taking the audience along with my vibe. I still have some videos of that event, albeit of terrible quality. Remember, it was 2004, and at that point nobody had phones that could film as well.”
Hands in the air
“My first track was Silvio Ecomo with No Dip. When I started that track, immediately all hands went in the air and the complete dancefloor started moving. Halfway through the track, a blond, skinny little man with a smile from ear to ear came up to the boot and shouted at me: ‘Respect mate!’ This guy appeared to be Peter Nass, my later partner in crime Nazzz, who played that night as well.”
Explode
“Quite a number of acquaintances attended that first gig. You know who you are, peeps! Sure, that helped. On the other hand: you don’t want to fail in front of all your friends. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Among other tracks, Arome’s Hand’s Up (Scot Project Remix), Organ Donors’ 4 Tribes and the classic Angel 1 made the dance floor and area explode with joy while filling me with pride.”
Adrenaline
“When I handed the decks over to MvDJ, I was high with adrenaline. We met that night and we’ve been really good friend for over ten years now. When I stepped off the stage, organizer Danny came over to me. He said: ‘That was actually really good! I didn’t know what to expect from you!’ You can imagine that I was as pleased as a dog with two ehh… tails!” (laughs)
No next DJ
“The set in the smaller area went good as well. Until the moment that the next DJ didn’t turn up. All of a sudden, I almost didn’t have enough tracks in my bag, although I had to play for one hour.”
The holy grail
“Danny has continued to support me from that night on and booked me several times. Through him, I played twice at Dance Valley, had some beautiful gigs at I Love Hardhouse and at [HQ] in de Melkweg in Amsterdam, which represents for us the holy grail.”
Dreams
“Although I never became one of the professionals, this turned out to be the start of loads of fantastic memories. To illustrate this: I played three times at DefQon, I played in the VIP areas of Sensation Black and Qlimax, three times I was on stage at Q-Base, I experienced an amazing set with Nazzz, Danny and MvDJ at Heat London and so much more. Memories of experiences I didn’t dare to dream about when I was a 16-year-old bedroom DJ. I will never forget that Saturday night in Februari 2004. It felt like I finally found the spot where I feel most comfortable.”
Lack of time
“Peter and I haven’t been on a stage much the past few years, mostly due to lack of time. You get older, you both relocate a few times… Since two years, Peter is the father of a beautiful son and my girlfriend and I hope to see our first child born in May.”
“On Friday May 27th (2004) we will play as Charly & Nazzz on a special hardhouse reunion during DDOD (Da Dawn of Dance), named Come With Me in VLLA, Amsterdam. The line-up is officially TBA, but I’m convinced it’s going to be fun like in the old days, when these parties were still held at De Trappist in Amsterdam.”
This interview is originally published on February 21st 2014 on DJMag.nl.