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This week in the MY FIRST GIG series: Dutch DJ/producer Melissa Sneekes, a.k.a. SNEEKES. She secured a residency in Rotterdam right from her debut. “One by one, they peeked into the DJ booth to check if I was really mixing live.”
“When I was little, there was always music around me. My mother was a singer, and my grandmother was a bassist. She’s currently in a live band called The Ziggy Stardust Experience.”
Girl Group Dreams
“I grew up in Birmingham, England, and lived there until I was seventeen. As a teenager, I formed a girl group called Impulse with five other girls. We wanted to be the next Spice Girls.” (laughs) “At that time, I traveled from Birmingham to London three times a week for performances and studio sessions. In Birmingham, I was exposed to old-school R&B and UK garage – genres that dominated the club scene there. It wasn’t until I moved to the Netherlands in 2007 that I started hearing more house music, which inspired me.”
Finding My Sound
“In the beginning, I focused on dancehall and afro-house, but I quickly realized that the chances of making it internationally in those genres were quite slim. So, I started making more house mixtapes and doing live streams. Suddenly, the bookings started pouring in. That’s when I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to take this seriously and focus entirely on it!’”
Hooked!
“For years, club promoters kept telling me I should start DJing, saying it would be amazing. But all I could think was, ‘How on earth am I supposed to understand all those buttons?!’” (laughs) “Then, one day, DJ instructor Sam Davarci from Spijkenisse reached out to me. He said: ‘Come to my DJ school, I’ll give you a few lessons, and you can see if it’s something for you.’ After just four lessons, I had the basics down and was completely hooked! Naturally, I wanted my own gear right away. So, I went all in – buying turntables, speakers, a headset, and tons of music. That’s when the real journey began.”
A Big Compliment
“My first real gig was about seven years ago at VIP-Room Rotterdam. I got my own night as a special act right away. I was incredibly nervous, especially because all the male DJs, MCs, and promoters were watching me closely. One by one, they peeked into the DJ booth to see if I was actually mixing live and not just playing a mixtape.” (laughs) “In the end, I took it as a huge compliment.”
Queen Máxima
“After that, I played at all sorts of events—one moment, I was performing in a club, and the next, at a private party, birthday, or grand opening. One time, I even played a set for a group of CrossFit athletes at the Arena Throwdown in the Johan Cruijff Arena. Two gigs especially stand out to me. The first was at AFAS Live for the sold-out event Zsa Zsa Zu, where I suddenly found myself performing in front of 5,000 people! The second was at the Peace Palace in The Hague for One Young World, where Queen Máxima was sitting front row, watching me perform!”
Perfectionism
“For years, I managed and promoted myself. At first, DJing was just a hobby, and I had plenty of time to handle things on my own. Of course, so-called ‘managers’ approached me regularly, but they were more focused on their percentage than on building the SNEEKES brand. They didn’t understand the direction I wanted to take or my goals, so I preferred to stay in control myself. I thought, ‘The best person to promote me is me!’ “ut eventually, as my career took off and I started traveling internationally, I realized I couldn’t do everything alone. I had to let go of my perfectionism and trust a team. That’s when I joined Total Management Service. I also now work with two co-producers, Rabon Brunings and Patric Arvai.”
My own space
“What you see on social media is my professional side. Deep down, I’m still that girl who loves lounging on the couch in sweatpants, no makeup, and a messy bun. I don’t drink alcohol, I’ve never used drugs, and – believe it or not – I don’t even like going out.” (laughs) “You’ll never catch me in the crowd at a festival as a visitor. It’s just too much – the long lines at the entrance, the bathroom queues, the token booths… Just thinking about it stresses me out. But DJing at a festival? That’s amazing! In the DJ booth, I have my own space, and I can give people energy through my music. I love watching the crowd go wild to my tracks. After my set, I retreat backstage to recharge.”
Passion for Production
“I also produce music and develop my own ideas. I send my drafts to my team, and although I’m still learning the technical side, I’m very passionate about the creative aspect.” (laughs) “I always have a melody in my head, which I quickly record to work on later. From there, I build a storyline and add instruments that fit. I also listen to a lot of tracks for inspiration. If I hear a sound I like, I find something similar and incorporate it where I want. I especially love a heavy bass in my drops – it makes me feel the energy through the speakers, and I go all out!”
Moving Forward
“I’m noticing that gig requests are slowly returning to normal, especially from my international residencies in Sint Maarten, where everything is open again. My team and I are also busy with our monthly SNEEKES & FRIENDS live stream. I invite other DJs to play a set, which we stream on platforms like Twitch, Zoom, and Facebook.
“Besides that, we’re focusing on releasing new music. We’ve signed two tracks with a major label, but we’re still waiting for clearance. That process always takes some time, but in the meantime, we keep pushing forward.”
This interview with SNEEKES was originally published in April 2021 on This Is Our House.
Who is SNEEKES?
Melissa Sneekes is a Dutch female DJ based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She was born in The Netherlands but raised in the UK (Birmingham) for 17 years where she grew up in the era of UK Garage, Jackin’ House and Bassline.
Melissa Sneekes moved back to Holland in 2007 to pursue a musical career. She recorded her first solo track “Closer” as a singer but when she started DJing in 2014 she was so captivated by the whole dance scene that she knew she wanted to become a DJ.
After a few years of playing at big Dutch and international venues Melissa Sneekes developed a genuine love for tech house, house and techno. Her first release “Don’t know what” with Big & Dirty Records was released in October 2019 which was her debut single as a DJ.
In the first week of promotion “Don’t Know What” was premiered on Fedde Le Grand’s radio show Darklight sessions and Madison Mars’ House of Mars. Already with support from big names like Fedde le Grand, Chuckie, Raven & Kreyn (Hexagon) and Dante Klein among others Melissa Sneekes couldn’t have dreamt of a better debut than this one.
Her second release is called “No Sleep” and was featured on Lucas and Steve’s radio show Skyline Sessions on Radio 538, Dannic’s show Fonk Radio, Dante Klein’s Short Cuts and Firebeatz’ Ignite Radio on Slam.
Melissa Sneekes’s latest remix featuring Dante Klein is called “Too Good”. Her third release came out in sep 2022 called “Out of my mind” and in 2023 Melissa Sneekes released the festival banger “She’s A Freak”.
More SNEEKES?
More First Gigs? Check them all here!