This post is also available in:
In this edition of MY FIRST GIG we dive into the fantastic story of Antonio Bernardo Abbo, better known as the flamboyant Dutch MC Complicated. His MC debut took place at a very special location: Bulgaria. “That’s where a real house family was born.”
“As a kid I was always drumming on something. I was really lucky with my foster parents. My foster mom encouraged me a lot with my drumming. Back home in Heiloo, my parents had set up a studio space in the attic where I could go all out. We even made a deal with the neighbors that I could drum every day between 1 and 4 PM, when they were at work.”
Herman Brood
“Through the brass band and church choir I ended up in all kinds of punk bands. Later came funk and ska. At the time there weren’t that many good percussionists around, so there was plenty of demand. I was a regular at youth center Bukbuk in Heiloo. Whenever big artists came to play there, I would show up in the afternoon and ask if I could test their drums. That way I got in touch with my heroes – and with even more music. At seventeen, eighteen I was playing with the fairly well-known band Graduate Love, opening for the legendary Herman Brood. His drummer had broken his arm, so I got the chance to fill in for him. I ended up doing that a few times. Herman and I became good friends after that. I also shared the stage with bands like Vitesse and The Nits.”
The Sunclub
“In the mega summer of 1997 I started with the commercial act The Sunclub, known for “Fiesta” and “Summerjam“. I was the face of the group for seven years. Seven years of non-stop touring. The money I made went straight into an investment: a beach bar in Ibiza. Unfortunately, corruption and the mafia on the island destroyed it all. I was even threatened with death. That left me pretty shaken. I ended up hiding out for a year at a friend’s place in Heiloo. When things calmed down, a mate asked me in 2010 to help run a beach bar in Bulgaria. That marked the start of my MC career. The Totally Romantic Beach Bar in Cabacum was open 24/7 all season long. During the day, I often played records there myself.”
Spirits of Burgas
“One day we were asked to set up a Go Dutch area at the Spirits of Burgas festival in Varna. For three years before that, I had been running a weekly MICO night at the Sugar Factory in Amsterdam, where DJs and VJs could really go wild. The combination of music and visuals was still pretty new and hip back then. Those nights helped me build a big network in the dance scene. I was also a regular at the legendary Studio 80. First when it was still a gay club, and later when QUAZAR’s Gert van Veen took over the venue. Some big-name DJs loved the club so much that, even though they were ‘too expensive’ for a venue of that size, they still came to play out of passion. That’s where my network really exploded.”
House family
“So when we were asked to fill two festival days at the Bulgarian beach bar, I immediately thought of QUAZAR, Kabale und Liebe and the Remote crew. Gert had created the Welcome To The Future concept at Studio 80, so we gave him one day for the area, and Remote the other.”
Killer Sound system
“Of course, we also needed to promote the festival. That’s why, at our own expense, we flew the DJs in for a month and had them play every day in rotation. These were artists known in the house scene, but not yet to the big public. The beach club had a killer sound system. Every day I grabbed the mic and announced across the beach which DJ would be playing next – and that same DJ would also be performing at the festival. As the event came closer, the names got bigger. That’s where a real house family was born.”
Welcome To The Future
“Talking on the mic just came naturally. It’s not like I thought after The Sunclub: ‘Now I’m going to be an MC.’ It just happened organically. When I came back to the Netherlands, Gert van Veen asked me to host the Welcome To The Future festival – and I did. It was nerve-racking, though. I was used to hiding behind the drums or dancing and jumping around. That last part is still me, by the way. I’m a very physical MC.”
Improvisation
“That first time at WTTF, I might have been a bit too enthusiastic for some artists’ taste. But hey, I’m just an energetic motherfucker. They didn’t get it at first. Now they know me.” (laughs) “My style is based entirely on improvisation. I try to be very present, but without overdoing it. Timing is everything.”
Be creative
“Do I have any tips for upcoming MCs? Definitely. Above all: be creative. And remember: less = more. I learned that the hard way in the beginning. I shouted too much and my timing was off. Now I know better, of course. What I find most important is that people know exactly who’s behind the decks.”
Miss Djax
“Despite all my experience, things still went wrong a few years ago. Miss Djax was spinning vinyl in the Energy tent at Wooferland, the biggest area. I walked in, gave Saskia (Miss Djax) a hug, and at first kept a respectful three- or four-meter distance. Then she played an absolute banger and in my enthusiasm I jumped toward her. Result: the record skipped. She gave me a sharp look and I was mortified! To me, she’s such a queen. Luckily she forgave me and we’re friends now. I even MC’d at her anniversary event last November at Elementenstraat.”
“Do I miss drumming? Well, yeah, I still play. Just not for an audience anymore. If I have a free weekend, I’ll rent a rehearsal space and invite another drummer to come jam. We set up our drum kits facing each other, light up a joint, and sometimes play all night long. Every now and then I’ll still show up at a jam session, but that doesn’t happen often.”
This interview with MC Complicated is originally published on This Is Our House in February 2020.
Who is MC Complicated?
There are few members of Amsterdam’s bustling electronic music scene that can boast the rich and diverse history of Antonio Bernardo Abbo a.k.a. MC Complicated, perhaps more familiarly known by his stage persona: MC Complicated. One thing that is for certain, is that none comes close to matching his sheer level of enthusiasm and presence, be it on stage, in the studio or on the dance floor. With so many years in the music industry, this seasoned percussionist and MC remains one of the most colorful and inspiring personalities of Amsterdam’s nightlife, in always giving a hundred and twenty percent, he never fails to electrify and bring a heartening interaction with the crowd.
With rhythm running through every vein, young MC Complicated never doubted his calling. By the age of nine he was already drumming in a brass band, before metamorphosing into his first punk outfit, the Willibrordz at aged sixteen. His next (rock!) band was to be pick-up by Holland’s one and only ‘rock ‘n roll junkie’ Herman Brood, who personally requested them as a support act for his national tour. A few years later, MC Complicated got noticed by blues legend Ronald Abrahams, who invited him to tour the world with the infamous Ice Cold Band.
Upon entering a Northern acid house club, one Friday and Sunday afternoon, he realized that this was “it” for him; thumping beats, flickering strobo’s and steaming smoke machines, MC Complicated’s passion for dance music was ignited.
After the birth of his son, MC Complicated focused solely on family life, but soon he felt the musical itch again. He got back into the game by playing percussion for Dutch soapie and singer Tim Immers, who had several top 40 hits in the Netherlands. MC Complicated’s big break came as the Percussionist and MC for The Sunclub, who topped the charts with Fiesta all throughout the summer of 1997. The single reached no. 1 in nineteen countries, and was undoubtedly one of the biggest club hits of the late nineties. Touring throughout the world non-stop for two years and winning several international awards, MC Complicated was living the life of a rockstar.
However, after seven successful years, MC Complicated longed for new challenges, so he decided to quit with The Sunclub and take a long sabbatical, and to remerge on the scene in recent years. It was Amsterdam’s thriving clubland that would get MC Complicated’s juices flowing again, with so many fresh producers rising on the scene, he was inspired to pick up his drumming and mc-ing. Nowadays, MC Complicated has reclaimed his position as the scene’s most infectious partymaker.
More MC Complicated?
More FIRST GIGS? Click hier!