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A mutual friend's birthday party was already great fun, but it got even better when Mike and I started talking. That chat led to a friendship and, of course, to this interview. This week I spoke with Dutch DJ/producer Mike Lachman from his apartment in Dubai, where he resides these days. “I played my heart out for eighty minutes straight.”
“In my early DJ years, I mainly played urban. My uncle had a pirate radio studio, and I spent a lot of time there, mostly going wild with classic dance records from the seventies. Back then, I played vinyl. One day I went to the Techno Ramada party at Planet E. The headliner was D-Shake, and when I heard “Yaaaahhh” and “My Heart The Beat“, I knew: ‘This is it!’ Of course, I still had to build a proper record collection.”
Five Hundred Guilders
“Luckily, I had good connections at the record stores Rhythm and Atalos. I walked into Atalos and told the manager, Jerry: ‘I want all the house records you can find. I’ll come back tomorrow, sit upstairs, and listen to them all.’ After going through the stack, I walked out with five hundred guilders’ worth of vinyl.”
Urban
“I already knew how to mix. In fact, I think house is even easier to mix than urban. A house beat is more consistent – the tempo fluctuates less. In urban, the rhythm tends to go up and down more. Of course, you still need to stay focused with house, especially when it comes to the hi-hats, drums, and melody lines.”
Star Beach
“In 2001, I finally got to play for a real crowd – about two thousand people. I was around thirty then. The gig came about rather unexpectedly. I was on holiday in Crete with some friends, in Hersonissos. One afternoon we were chilling when people started handing out flyers for the ‘Hour Power with Dimitri.’ It was taking place at the place to be: Star Beach. I told one of the promoters that Dimitri wouldn’t show up. I knew what they paid and I knew Dimitri. The guy thought I was joking when I made a bet with him: ‘If Dimitri doesn’t show up, I’ll play.’ He agreed, thinking there was no way I’d be right. Well, guess who won that bet!”
Messing with the Equipment
“So, I was asked to play. Of course, I didn’t have any music with me. I had to rush to find a record store. We were already using CDs at the time, but the shop in Hersonissos only had mix CDs, no separate tracks. We were sent to Heraklion, the capital of Crete. Fortunately, I found what I needed there, including some music by Paul Johnson. I also got to mess around with the equipment a bit, although they had a Pioneer C1000 without a jog wheel, while Star Beach used a 500. I was used to pitch bending, but not the jog wheel.”
Shaky Knees
“I had to play in the afternoon, in the sun, with everything going on around me. I didn’t get Dimitri’s prime-time slot but went on right after resident Billy V, not exactly a lightweight! We’ve stayed in touch ever since, by the way. Anyway, it was my first time playing for such a big crowd, and I was going on after Billy! My knees were shaking when I stepped behind the decks. The first three or four tracks were a mess, but then I managed to flip the switch and for the next eighty minutes, I absolutely rocked it. That gig immediately landed me a four-season residency at Star Beach. During that time, I met a lot of guys who are huge now, like Nick van de Wall (a.k.a. Afrojack) and Stefano Richetta.”
Inferium
“Besides my uncle, Rob Boskamp has also been a mentor to me. He once hosted a showcase near the train station in Zaandam. Under the name Inferium, several units were set up there. After we got to know each other better, he invited me to play at one of those showcases. That must have been around 2002.”
Closing Party
“Did I learn anything from my first gig? I still learn something new every time I play. I’ve always been a perfectionist, and after every set, I think: ‘This could still be better.’ But I do remember which set I’m proudest of: the closing party of MVP at Club Broadbar in Barcelona. I played there every Sunday for eight years. During that closing party, I completely went off the rails – in the best way. After my ninety-minute set, I walked out of the booth dripping with sweat, like I’d been playing for six hours. That was the moment I truly felt: ‘This is me!’”
“My advice for upcoming DJs? Don’t get discouraged when things don’t go your way. Keep pushing and stay true to what you believe in. If you persist, you’ll get there! And above all, keep feeling the drive, passion, and beauty of music. And last but not least: love everyone!”
This interview with Mike Lachman was originally published on This Is Our House in July 2019.
Who is Mike Lachman?
You could say that Mike Lachman a.k.a. Mike L. started DJing when he was young, experimenting with tapedecks and performing for small groups of friends and family. Mike Lachman’s interest in music is immense.
Mike Lachman appreciates a wide variety of music such as hip-hop, funk, punk, rock, R&B, reggae, latin, classic and club music. Inspired by all these genres, he has created his own style and passion in house music. The music he mixes can best be described as a fusion of soulful, funky, latin, tribal, electro and tech house.
Mike Lachman started playing at clubs and bars in and around Amsterdam, where he played almost every kind of music. He got fascinated in the house sound after hearing the record “D-Shake – Yaaaahhhhhh”. Mike Lachman quickly knew that this style of music was what he was searching for.
His career as an up-and-coming house DJ started in 2002 in Kreta when Mike Lachman became one of the residents of Starbeach. A year later he started to perform in different countries like: USA, Lithuania, Zweden, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Belgium, France and Curacao. The past decade he moved to Dubai where Mike Lachman is still going strong with several high-end residencies. In addition, he has had his own online show called Tikkie Tek Earcandy for years.
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