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For this edition of MY FIRST GIG, I spoke with Dutch DJ/producer Martin Slootweg, a.k.a. DJ Mart Fader. These days, his heart lies with the psytrance scene, but he actually started out spinning gabber and hardcore. His first real debut? A surprise appearance at a New Year’s psytrance event in the iconic ’90s venue De Waakzaamheid: "It was never even the plan for me to play that night!"
“As a teenager, I was already playing gabber and hardcore around 1994. By 1998, I shifted to progressive and house – genres I still dabble in today. But my heart truly lies with psytrance, which evolved from goatrance. I rediscovered goa in 2004 and began collecting music again. In 2006, I adopted the DJ name Mart Fader.”
Surprise Set at De Waakzaamheid
“My first truly noteworthy gig in this genre was during a New Year’s psytrance event at De Waakzaamheid in Koog aan de Zaan. I was 29 at the time. I wasn’t nervous — just completely surprised. I had only come to enjoy the party. Suddenly, I was behind the decks… without even bringing my CDs! It was around 3 or 4 a.m. when fellow DJ Dave came rushing up to me while I was taking a break in the chill-out café upstairs. The darkpsy downstairs had become a bit too much for me – not really my style.”
One of the Oldest Clubs in the Netherlands
“Dave was slightly panicked. Things weren’t going well downstairs. The darkpsy DJ was using a laptop, the sound was terrible, and the vibe had completely dropped. People were ready to leave. Dave asked if I could please jump in. I told him, ‘But I don’t have any CDs with me!’ He said, ‘No problem, use mine!’ I asked, ‘Why don’t you do it then?’ He replied, ‘No way. I’m part of the organization, and if the promoter finds out I took over, he’ll flip. You’re neutral.’ So five minutes later, there I was – playing a psytrance set in one of the oldest clubs in the Netherlands.”
Priceless Smiles
“When I started, the dance floor was still full of people celebrating New Year’s – including a few friends. But the vibe was low. The previous DJ had been playing at such a high tempo that no one could even move. I had to turn it around. Luckily, Dave and I had very similar CD collections, and he walked me through his binder. After the first track, the energy completely shifted. The crowd’s smiles and relieved faces were priceless. The set went smoothly, especially considering I was behind the decks within five minutes. Even though the CDs weren’t mine, there were no technical hiccups.”
Trip to GOA
“I must have made a good impression, because I was soon invited to more parties – especially in the Amsterdam underground scene. Eventually, the director of music venue De Kade in Zaandam, Michiel Stavast, got wind of my performances. Through my brother, we connected. He wanted me to help organize a psytrance event. This led to 17 editions of the popular Trip to GOA from 2008 to 2012. The final event took place in the venue’s small hall, shortly after the venue had already closed.”
The ‘Draaichinees’
“Since 2012, I’ve been a resident DJ with Equinox, mainly playing at Pand14 in Amsterdam-Zuidoost – also known as the ‘Draaichinees’. Equinox now works closely with the well-known Namasté crew, leading to fresh, exciting collaborations. They’re currently prepping for a free outdoor festival in Amsterdam during the Pentecost weekend, called Vrijfest.”
The Story Behind the Name Mart Fader
“There’s a funny story behind my DJ name. Yes, I’m a sci-fi and Star Trek nerd, so it does sound like Darth Vader. One boring day at the office, I got a text from my mobile provider asking if I wanted to enter a Star Wars contest. Somehow, I ended up among the first 50 winners. Six weeks later, a Saturday morning knock on the door: the postman delivered two parcels. One of them long and narrow. I opened it and found – a replica lightsaber! I thought, Now that’s one heck of a glowstick! I took it with me to a party at De Waakzaamheid. Coincidentally, a PartyFlock photographer was there. A few days later, I saw the photo online with the caption: ‘Beware of the evil Marth Vader, young Skywise… beware!’”
“I thought – catchy! So I dropped the ‘h’ from Marth, replaced the ‘V’ in Vader with an ‘F’ (as in the fader on a DJ mixer) – and Mart Fader was born.”
This interview with Mart Fader is originally published in March 2015 on DJMag.nl.
Who is Mart Fader?
Mart Fader, real name Martin Slootweg, was born in the year 1978 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Mart Facer had been DJing since 1994. He experienced great moments with many styles and scenes over the years, to explore, to have fun and search and find the finest tracks out there.
Over the years Mart Fader also had residencies at Starlight (Amsterdam), De Kade (Zaandam), De Richter (Zaandam), A3 (Zaandam) and last but not the least, the famous club ‘De Waakzaamheid’ located at Koog aan de Zaan, one of the oldest and unfortunately closed clubs in Holland.
Psytrance is Mart Fader’s current main style. The style that keeps you moving! And of course, progressive comes with that, the psy part that is.
Currently Mart Fader is resident at the well know Equinox party’s and starting up a sequal to the Trip to GOA series; Ship to GOA, located at Club LA on the ‘Showboat’ in Zaandijk.
More Mart Fader?
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