DJ Juriaan: “Music and the crowd made me more social”

DJ Juriaan and Marceline 2018
This week in the series MY FIRST GIG, we feature DJ Juriaan. “The fact that you could stand in the booth gave a nice sense of order.”

This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)

Apart from sharing the same birthday, we’ve been close friends for over ten years. We even call each other "brother" and "sister". This week, in the series MY FIRST GIG, we feature Dutch DJ Juriaan Lisman, a.k.a. DJ Juriaan. “The fact that you could stand in the booth gave a nice sense of order.”

“Growing up in Nieuwegein, there was always music in the house. My dad was a big fan of psychedelic rock bands like Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, while my mom loved Nina Simone and blues.”

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Red Shoes

“My parents, of course, had a record player. When I was around seven or eight, I often asked for permission to play some records. I was obsessed with one of my dad’s vinyl records: “Mr. Blue Sky” by Electric Light Orchestra. I thought it was fantastic! The album cover had red shoes on it. Years later, I managed to buy that record for just one euro, and I still have it.” (laughs)

For Those Who Like To Groove

“Over time, my musical taste shifted from Duran Duran, whom I really liked, toward electronic music, including acid. I was a regular listener of Robin Albers’ radio show For Those Who Like To Groove and, of course, Bond van Doorstarters. While my parents watched TV in the living room, I would sit glued to the stereo with headphones on. Naturally, I recorded the coolest tracks on cassette tapes.”

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Permission

“My parents insisted I finish middle school before I could start going out. By the time I was 16, an older friend, Jorg, asked if I wanted to join him for a party in Utrecht called G.U.R.U., which stood for Greater Underground Resistance of Utrecht. He had been to his first house party two weeks earlier at Nighttown in Rotterdam, called Housenation. He loved it and wanted me to experience it too. My parents liked and trusted him, so they gave me permission to go!”

Outsider

“I loved it from the start! The music, but especially how people interacted with one another. At school, I was always an outsider and very shy. Here, everyone accepted me just as I was. That meant so much to me.”

Juriaan Wooferland - DJ Juriaan: “Music and the crowd made me more social”

First Vinyl

“At this party, I heard “Android” by The Prodigy for the first time. The Monday after the event, I went straight to the record store Twist & Shout in Utrecht and bought that record. It was my first vinyl.”

‘The Man in Deventer’

“Since I enjoyed the event so much, I started going out with Jorg more often. Eventually, he started dating someone from Deventer. After partying in Amsterdam, we often had afterparties in Deventer at the house of Jan Lammertsma, a.k.a. DJ Zippy, who was considered ‘The Man in Deventer’ in the house scene. Jan also had a regular night at the Burgerweeshuis.”

DJ Juriaan 2013 - DJ Juriaan: “Music and the crowd made me more social”

Every Afterparty in Deventer

“The first time I went to Jan’s house, I was fascinated by his record collection and immediately started browsing his vinyl. He had old-school belt-driven Lenco turntables, and I began to experiment with them. You can guess what happened next: I was at every Deventer afterparty practicing on his turntables.”

Shy

“After three months, Zippy surprised me by asking if I wanted to play at the Burgerweeshuis. As I mentioned, I was pretty shy at the time and found it difficult to socialize. His offer was both exciting and intimidating. Still, I accepted, and that’s how I got my first gig.”

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Comfortable in the Booth

“On the night itself, I wasn’t very nervous. The booth gave me a sense of comfort. You’re there, but you’re still in your own space and not directly approachable. You control the dancefloor, and seeing people dance to your music is an incredible rush.”

Playing It Safe

“I planned my set from start to finish, which isn’t unusual for a debut. I wanted to play it safe, but I don’t do that anymore. Now, I play by feel. As for the equipment, I had to adjust. Instead of heavy, clunky belt drives with only 33⅓, 45, and 78 RPM, the booth had Technics. I understood the gear immediately.”

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Big Names

“Of course, my friends from Deventer and Zippy were there for my debut. The set was well received, and at the end of the night, Zippy asked if I wanted to play more often. This led to me being a resident DJ at the Burgerweeshuis from age 16 to 21. How amazing is that? As a 17-year-old, I found myself playing alongside DJs like DJ Per and Gert van Veen (Quazar). Imagine standing next to such big names! I’ve never idolized other artists, but I admired Gert. The first CD I ever bought was “Seven Stars” by Quazar. Quazar has always been important to me.”

More Social

“House music and the community that comes with it have brought me so much. I felt at ease in this scene immediately. The vibe was nothing like the rigid atmosphere I knew from school. Music and the crowd made me more social. Keep in mind: the only parties I’d been to before were dance school events. Yes, with cha-cha and tango and the like.” (laughs) “This scene was far from narrow-minded. I’ve never even been to a ‘regular’ disco, one of those where the DJ talks and announces slow dances.” (laughs)

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Best Sound in East Netherlands

“Looking back at my first gig, I mostly remember being overwhelmed by how the bass boomed from the speakers. The Burgerweeshuis was known for having the best sound in the East Netherlands. I also received a lot of positive feedback. Of course, my style wasn’t developed yet, but that evolved over the years. After my first public performance, I immediately started building my own record collection.”

Not a Trickster

“In 1994, I bought my own turntables. I was serving in the military in Seedorf, Germany, and managed to buy two Technics tax-free. A fellow soldier dropped them off at my parents’ house during his leave. Every three weeks, I had a week off and spent all my time practicing in my room. I played three to four hours a day with my new toys. Luckily, I have a good sense of rhythm, so I kept improving. I also listened to other DJs to learn how to mix. My favorites were Dimitri, Remy, and Laurent Garnier. Laurent Garnier had those long transitions where it felt like you were listening to one continuous track. That really inspired me. I’m not into flashy tricks like backspins.”

DJ Juriaan and Daniel English a.k.a. Diablo 2015 - DJ Juriaan: “Music and the crowd made me more social”

Trance Buddha and Mazzo

“Since then, I’ve played everywhere: clubs, (illegal) raves, festivals like Wooferland, and more. I’ve even played in Prague, Salzburg, Barcelona, and Zagreb. Thanks to my good friend Daniel Englisch, a.k.a. Diablo (picture above). I’ve had gigs at Amsterdam’s Trance Buddha and Mazzo. We’ve also done countless B2B sets. Unfortunately, gigs have slowed down due to COVID-19, but I hope the party scene picks up again soon.”

Passion

“I’m lucky my parents always supported me. Both are creative – my mother is a painter, and my father was an architect. They’ve been open to my stories and proud of my passion, even though they’ve never seen me perform live.”

“Do I have advice for upcoming DJs? Absolutely. First, you need genuine passion for music, not just attention. If you’re only in it for fame, you’ll eventually get exposed. Secondly, practice, practice, and practice some more. Believe in yourself and go for it!”

This interview with DJ Juriaan was originally published in August 2021 on This Is Our House.

Who is DJ Juriaan?

DJ Juriaan’s love for electronic and dance music began after friends took him to a local underground acid party in Utrecht back in 1990. Influenced by what he heard he started to collect this acid and techno music. DJ Juriaan started DJ’ing a few months later in Het Burgerweeshuis in Deventer, Netherlands. Playing there for about 5 years DJ Juriaan got to perform with the artists like Quazar, Lady Aïda, Per, Eddie ‘flashin’ Fowlkes, Cellie, Unit Moebius and Miss Djax.

DJ Juriaan moved to Amsterdam in july ’94, where he got connected with the legendary Mazzo, being his favourite club for many years. This resulted in frequent gigs on Saturdays “Sex, Love & Motion” nights with DJ Carlijn and Cellie. DJ Juriaan later teamed up with DJs Ziv and Diablo to join the “Underground Heaven” movement which where also organizing parties at Mazzo.

Other clubs and parties in Amsterdam where DJ Juriaan performed include THE BUS @ Paradiso, Graan Silo, Dance Valley, Vaaghuyzen, Getaway Café, Studio 80, Club NL, TWSTD and Wooferland festival. In the meantime DJ Juriaan got a once a monthly residence in club Radost FX in Prague and played at other parties in Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Spain.

Since 2007 DJ Juriaan began to produce tracks of which two of them appeared on a Defuse Records compilation. For DJ Juriaan it’s all about the beats and bleeps.

More DJ Juriaan?

More First Gigs? Check them all here!

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