This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)
The guys of Orquesm and myself go back at least ten years. I even visited 'the holy grail': a fantastic home studio at one of Orquesm's members, Michael Ulrich. This week in the series MY FIRST GIG: Dutch DJ Jeffrey Bakker from the formation Orquesm: "The music! The strobes! The smoke machine! I loved it!"
“How did I get into music? Well, at the age of twelve, I was already buying all kinds of vinyl, like LL Cool J, Public Enemy, and D-Train. I also had a good friend, Sven Heus, who owned all the top R&B and hip-hop records. He had two real Technics turntables at home. Soon, we spent every free moment at his place spinning records and practicing. That was in the late ’80s.”
Illegal Raves
“At first, I wasn’t a fan of those early acid sounds. Think of tracks like ‘Aciiiiddd’. But during high school, I started going out to clubs like Luna at Sloterdijk in Amsterdam and Multigroove. The music! The strobes! The smoke machine! I loved it! Later, I also attended illegal raves – driving with thirty or fourty cars to a secret location. That was insane!”
A Massive Vinyl Collection
“Back then, I wasn’t particularly interested in DJs. That changed in the early ’90s when I went to the legendary club Waakzaamheid in Zaandam. There, I saw Dimitri and Marcello perform, but it was Remy and Angelo who really left a deep impression on me. Around that time, I reconnected with an old childhood friend, Martijn Huitema. He was friends with Michael Ulrich, a guy completely obsessed with music. When Martijn took me to Michael’s house, I couldn’t believe my eyes—he had a massive vinyl collection, probably thousands of records. We became close friends and spent hours freewheeling on his decks. If I had to name a mentor, it would be Michael. I learned so much from him, and to this day, he’s still someone I turn to for advice.”
Belt Drive Turntables
“When Mike went to Australia for a year, he let me use all his records. By then, I had bought my own belt-drive turntables. Once I started working full-time, I upgraded to two Technics. That whole year while Mike was away, I practiced non-stop.”
Lifting the Needle Off the Record
“Not long after Mike returned to the Netherlands, I got my first official gig. It must have been around ’91/’92. I was invited to play at Waakzaamheid before Marcello – such a big name and in the main room! You can imagine how nervous I was. I immediately made a huge rookie mistake: I accidentally lifted the needle off the playing record. And then… silence! Gulp. Of course, I immediately put it back and continued. There’s not much else you can do. You only make that mistake once!” (laughs)
No Pre-Planned Sets
“Did I prepare my set at home? I never really did. I’d pack a big stack of records and go with the flow. I quickly learned to read the crowd and anticipate their energy. My record collection was growing rapidly at that time. Every Thursday evening and Saturday, we’d visit the well-known Amsterdam record stores to hunt for new music.”
Constant Adjustments
“DJing back then was hard work. There were no sync buttons, so you had to stay focused. The sound at Waakzaamheid was amazing, but the monitors were always cranked up, making it difficult to hear properly. You had to constantly adjust to keep everything in sync. I always wanted to avoid what we called a ‘galloping horse mix’ – when two beats overlap, making it sound like a running horse.” (laughs)
A Solid Breakbeat
“Looking back, I felt good about my first gig. I even remember the first track I played: “Passion” by Gat Decor. I also threw in a solid breakbeat every now and then. My big group of friends in the crowd would go absolutely wild. That support meant everything!”
Staying (Somewhat) Sober
“I’m glad I wasn’t drunk for my first gig. I quickly learned that it’s best to stay somewhat sober behind the decks. A few beers won’t hurt, but I’ve had moments where I thought, ‘Oh no, I’m playing in front of 300 people – I really need to stay sharp now.’ So, watch your alcohol intake before a gig.” (laughs)
Go With the Flow
“One tip I’d give to aspiring DJs: go with the flow. Don’t overprepare your sets. Know your records inside and out. I realize that’s harder nowadays. Back then, you’d buy maybe four 12” records and play them to death the following week. You knew those tracks by heart. Now, people buy thirty or forty MP3s at once, making it tougher to remember each track in detail.”
Orquesm
“Over the years, Martijn, Michael, and I collected a solid amount of gear. We kept everything at Mike’s place and built a studio filled with hardware, samplers, and turntables. We gradually started incorporating digital setups as well. When we played together, we performed under the name Orquesm. At one point, we were booked for a gig in England, and we were excited! But the weekend before, our studio was broken into, and everything was stolen—hardware, and even three or four record cases with our best selections. That was such a blow that I canceled the gig. Mike and Martijn still went.”
Drum Machines and Production
“Eventually, we got into music production. It started when I bought a drum machine. Making beats was incredible! Of course, we later needed a computer, so I had to learn Cubase from scratch. We added a sampler, and before we knew it, we spent three years locked in the studio tweaking sounds. By 1998, we had fully transitioned into digital production. Today, we’re featured on some great labels, like Bonzai Progressive.”
BlingBling and Solo Work
“Recently, Michael and Martijn have focused on other projects. Before the pandemic, Martijn organized the well-known Zaanse BlingBling parties, where I often played. I also DJed at Latido’s afterparties for two years with Martin Bakker. For years, Mike, Martijn, and I played every Saturday at De Kade in Zaandam. Martijn and I even organized our own Club Back nights at Waakzaamheid.”
“Now, I mainly focus on my own productions and handle Orquesm solo. I love spending nights in the studio, tweaking sounds and pushing my limits. I still aim to improve every day and reach new heights. Recently, some of our Orquesm tracks were downloaded by Maceo Plex’s label and Renaissance, but unfortunately, no official release yet. So, I keep grinding – there’s always something new to learn!”
This interview with Orquesm’s Jeffrey Bakker is originally published on This Is Our House in July 2020.
Who are Orquesm?
Orquesm are a Dutch production and DJ duo from Amsterdam. The duo Jeffrey Bakker & Michael Ulrich started out in the early nineties, playing at places like the legendary Waakzaamheid club and Renaissance nights in their homeland – The Netherlands. Orquesm has also played with many well known DJs in loads of clubs all over The Netherlands, so it’s no surprise that these strong roots have given them the ability to make and play such great music.
Orquesm productions are not easy to label. They like a variety of styles including techno, ninimal, tech-house, progressive and deep house. All Orquesm productions have a strong rhythm drive as a basis. Their DJ sets are known for smooth mixing and an excellent build of well balanced tracks.
Orquesm currently has over 20 releases out on Beatport on many different labels. Their tracks are being played and recognized by many well established DJs and producers. Recently Orquesm has signed up with Bonzai and already they have seen their track “Dragon” get a release on the Bonzai Progressive imprint.
More Jeffrey Bakker (Orquesm)?
More FIRST GIGS? You’ll find them all here!
