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We met at the AMW studios and immediately clicked, as became clear during our walk to a nearby Polish supermarket. In this edition of the MY FIRST GIG series, we feature Amsterdam-based Mounir Soussi a.k.a. techno DJ/producer Sous Dubois. These days, he performs under the artist name Marco Aurelio. “My whole body rebelled.”
“My father studied electrical engineering in Geneva (Switzerland) in the late sixties. At some point he moved to Spain and later to France. He eventually ended up in the Netherlands, where he met my mother, who grew up as a teenager in the center of Amsterdam. I don’t really come from a musical family. At breakfast we would always play vinyl, so there was always some relaxed background music in the house. I clearly remember two artists: Oum Kalthoum and Farid El-Atrash.”
Faces on banners
“Every year we spent six weeks travelling from Amsterdam to Morocco. In almost every city there were huge banners with photos. I always wondered who those people were. One day I walked through the market and noticed a stall selling cassette tapes. I immediately dove into them and recognized the faces from the banner photos on the covers. So those were the people on the banners! I stocked up and bought almost all the tapes featuring those familiar faces. That’s how I learned their names: Cheb Khaled, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Jackson, Nass El Ghiwane, and 2Pac. My family was crazy about Michael Jackson, so from time to time I had to lip-sync for them.” (laughs) “I’ve always had a broad taste in music, regardless of genres and styles. I don’t think in boxes. You either feel the music or you don’t. Music is emotion, after all.”
Impressive 303 bassline
“My Sony Walkman WM-EX314 was my best friend back then. When CDs became popular, I got more into hip-hop, rai, R&B, and reggae thanks to my sister. All that music literally opened up a whole new world for me. Around 1994, when I was ten, I proudly owned a ghetto blaster. I often played around with it in my bedroom and was curious about what was on the radio. I’d surf all the stations and suddenly heard The Nightcrawlers’ “Push The Feeling On“. I immediately thought: ‘What is this weird beat? I don’t know this at all.’ The Korg M1 synth in that track blew me away! Another track that left a huge impression on me was Joey Beltram’s “Energy Flash“. When I heard that, I was mind-blown and thought: ‘One day I’ll be part of this scene too.’ I still get goosebumps from that impressive 303 bassline. I can’t remember what radio show I was listening to on those Saturday nights, but I recorded so much that I quickly built up a nice collection.”
Hakkuh and Zaguh for kids
“When I was twelve, I won tickets through TMF for ‘Hakkuh and Zaguh for Kids’ at Hemkade in Zaandam. That’s how I discovered gabber. There I was, listening to live vinyl sets by Buzz Fuzz, Lady Dana, Gizmo, Darkraver, Ruffneck, and Waxweazle. It was my first time going out, and of course, I was wearing my Australian tracksuit and Air Max. My mother wasn’t too happy with me during this period.” (laughs) “She literally called my music ‘bloody racket’ because my ghetto blaster was pumping hard in my bedroom.”
Professional footballer
“At the same time, I was playing football at a professional level. Besides the fact that I was a bit too young, I couldn’t really go out anyway. Of course, there was a summer break, and I remember that just before we went to Morocco again, hip-hop emerged and exploded – especially 2Pac was responsible for that. We’d roam around Amsterdam with cans of 3ES and chips in our backpacks. Music blaring from parked cars, and we’d just go for it. We often played football at Iepenplein in Amsterdam East, Gein in the Southeast, or Balboaplein in Amsterdam West. There was such a great vibe there with cool cars and sound systems that were next level. We always ended up back in my own neighbourhood, the Rivierenbuurt. Sometimes, on summer nights after midnight, we’d cross the street and climb into the Mirandabad swimming pool via the city cleaning containers. We had the whole pool to ourselves – with music, of course. Those were good times.”
Nike commercials
“At some point, Nike noticed our street football and approached us to choreograph a Nike commercial. We also did charity projects entertaining and encouraging children at Emma Children’s Hospital. We even opened a few Johan Cruijff Courts. And every year there was a Panna Knock Out tournament organized by Nike. Waxfiend DJ’d at one of those events, super cool. So you could say I’ve always been surrounded by music.”
Clubbing and girls
“In 2004, I moved to Italy to play football. But I was terribly homesick because, at nineteen, I was way too young to be that far from home. I also tried my luck in Belgium, but football there turned out to be all about politics, and I refused to play along. I kept playing at a decent level, but my interests shifted. I discovered clubbing and girls, so I lost my motivation for the sport. Other challenges were calling me.”
Queen’s Day
“When we went out, I was always focused on the DJ. I wanted to see what he was doing. So I wasn’t much fun for the people I was out with. My favourite event was always Queen’s Day in Amsterdam, around Weteringscircuit and Vijzelstraat. There was a stage on every corner with DJs like Dimitri, DJ Sneak & Marco Carola, but also Multigroove had a stage, so there was plenty of choice.”
Body rebelled
“I increasingly felt I wanted to do this too – and that I could. One day, I drove to Utrecht with Finuchio, one of my best friends, to pick up a controller I found on Marktplaats. Then I just started practicing, practicing, and practicing some more. It literally cost me blood, sweat, and tears. I started making mixtapes and in 2015, I came across the TWSTD DJ contest for the first time. I figured, ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained,’ and sent in a mixtape. To my surprise, I got invited. I walked into Sugar Factory, where the contest was held, feeling pretty relaxed. We did introductions in the smoking area, and suddenly, when the contest started, stress hit me and my whole body rebelled. My classmate Bryan, who came along, saw it immediately. ‘Sous, are you okay? You’re so pale. You look like you’re about to pass out, bro.’ I forced a smile and said, ‘It’s okay, man,’ and put on my sunglasses.”
Heavyweights
“The set I had to play was a leap into the deep. I had no clue how a Pioneer DJ set worked, my legs went weak, and my fingers cramped up. Not a great feeling, I can tell you. I started with my intro, and luckily, after a few mixes I relaxed a bit more. The jury included JP, Eric de Man, Ferro & Reiss (VBX), Anonym, Samuel Deep, Frank Haag, and Edwin Oosterwal, plus bookers and organizers of club nights and festivals. Their feedback was tough. I got a long list of homework.”
AMW
“I didn’t let that get me down. I’m a fighter, so I really got to work on the points the jury raised. I also got to know more and more DJs, and through Simon Titus, I was invited to do a live guest mix at radio station Amsterdam’s Most Wanted. That went super well. I felt right at home at AMW and wanted to be part of it. A week later I met AMW founder Mike Simbello. We had a quick chat, and he soon said: ‘Sous, you’re welcome in the club. These are the rules. It’s good that you put in the hours because that’s how you learn.’ I grabbed that chance with both hands.”
Relaxed and laid-back
“The following season of the TWSTD contest in 2016, I signed up again. Several thousand applied, but there was room for only about 300 DJs. The first round was at Chicago Social Club in Amsterdam. As always, I went in totally unprepared, but this time I was relaxed and laid-back. My set was good enough to move on to the next round. The jury complimented me for really working on their feedback. Before I knew it, I was in the semifinals among the last ten DJs. I played in several clubs in Amsterdam – experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything. The level in Amsterdam was high back then.”
Believe in what you do
“For me, DJing has never been about commercial success. What matters to me is becoming a better DJ and expressing myself. I believe in what I do and try to do it as well as possible. What I want to pass on to upcoming DJs is: be genuine and play for the right reasons. Stand 100% behind your tracks and stay true to yourself. Don’t let your ego lead you! I also recommend putting in tons of hours – until it hurts. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and take risks. That’s how you keep learning so your way of playing stays pure and honest. Dive deep into the music. Pay attention to structure, detail, energy, diversity, and intensity. If you do that, your ear will develop, and you’ll listen to music differently, always discovering new things. From that foundation, it’s much easier to create your own sound – and everything flows naturally, purely by feel.”
“I still host my weekly radio show Sous on Fridays – The Weekend Mix on Amsterdam’s Most Wanted. I play techno in the broadest sense, with detours into electro, rave, and more. I also invite guest DJs who can just do their thing, because over the years AMW has grown into a creative breeding ground, platform, community, and a home and meeting place for many DJs, producers, and artists.”
This interview with Marco Aurelio is originally published on This Is Our House in December 2020.
Who is Marco Aurelio / Sous Dubois?
Marco Aurelio is a DJ/producer, born and raised in the south of Amsterdam. As a young kid, Marco Aurelio was influenced by various sounds such as acid, disco, hardcore, hip-hop, house, Rai, R&B, and reggae. When Marco Aurelio heard Joey Beltram’s “Energy Flash” in the 90s for the very first time on the radio he was blown away.
Marco Aurelio is one of the hardest working and driven DJs out there with an untamed desire to accomplish his mission. When Marco Aurelio started as DJ he was always silently and unnoticeably working hard on the background by developing his DJ craft.
In March 2015 Marco Aurelio started with his own radio show at Amsterdams Most Wanted FM with a simple but all saying name: ‘Sous on Fridays the Weekendmix’. It’s a weekly show on Friday night from 22:00-00:00 CET and contains live DJ sets only.
Marco Aurelio became an on-air personality, and his show has audience in more than 150 countries. In 2016 Marco Aurelio participated in the infamous TWSTD DJ Contest. He made it until the semi-finals and was among the best ten DJs. For the contest, he played in many local Amsterdam clubs and earned his stripes as a newcomer within the Amsterdam scene.
Marco Aurelio’s sound is balancing between a mixture of techno and rave with an old schoolhouse edge that compliments his overall hypnotic and rhythmic techno sound. Marco Aurelio is always taking the audience on a journey by taking the crowd into his world.
Marco Aurelio is renowned for his big smile and his energetic vibe but most of all his electrifying connection with the crowd. His sets are diverse but most importantly he plays the right tracks at the right time. Before you know it, he sets the dance floor on fire. He is constantly giving 100% and always delivers!
Marco Aurelio played at many events, e.g. ADE 2016/17/18/19/20/21, Akhnaton, Amnesia Haze Barcelona (ESP), Chicago Social Club, Club Atelier, Club NL, John Doe, De Jungle, Elephant Du Congo, Krane, NDSM Sessions, Panama Amsterdam, Sugar Factory, Solar Festival (2016) The Lab (Turkey) and many (il)legal raves in the Netherlands and Barcelona.
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