This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)
I met Pim Verhaagen aka DJ Vortex in 2011 and we became friends. His first gig took place in 1999. In 2014 he told me the story of his DJ debut. “Everybody lit up starlets.”
“My first gig was in 1999 at the event HQ in de Melkweg in Amsterdam. I was 24 years old at the time. It goes without saying that I was incredibly nervous. And I learned immediately learned the biggest lesson ever at this first time: sometimes your set will be longer than you had anticipated.”
Help!
“I was supposed to play for an hour and had prepared will for this at home. I didn’t want anything to go wrong. As soon as I entered de Melkweg though, it appeared that I was planned to play for one and a half hour. Help!”
In the deep end
“I was totally thrown into the deep end and had to improvise. At that moment, I realized that it’s impossible to always be completely prepared. You just have to bring along enough music to be able to adapt to every situation. Luckily, that crucial night, I did.“
Starlets
“All my friends were present and when I played my last track, everyone on the dancefloor lit up starlets. I didn’t know what was coming to me! Wow! The phenomenon was new to the organization as well. It was a good way to present myself and definitely added to my self-confidence.”
“My mentor in those days was HQ’s JP Lonestriker. He provided me with many tips and we often played together. After it went fast. When you become part of an organization like Dance Valley, what happened after that, you play all around the country, included al big festivals. I also had some cool gigs in Tokyo, New York, Cairo and on Ibiza. And I owe all of this to my flying start.”
This interview with Vortex was originally published on Friday, February 28th on DJMag.nl.
More Vortex?
Born in 1975, Pim Verhaagen, also known as DJ Vortex, showed an early interest in electronic music as he listened to synthesizer tunes from artists like Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre, and Kraftwerk.
During a vacation to Ibiza in the 1990s, he first encountered house music. The atmosphere and magic of this music captivated him, and thus began his career as a bedroom DJ. His professional career quickly took off when a respected Dutch DJ connected to the Dance Valley organization noticed one of his mixes. His first public performance was at the UK hardhouse-oriented HQ party at club De Melkweg (Amsterdam), and this party became his first residency.
Due to his distinctive style, he quickly gathered a small group of fans around him. He was subsequently invited to play at the well-known annual Dance Valley festivals due to his quality warm-up DJ sets. By the late 1990s, DJ Vortex gradually shifted his music style towards a more sophisticated genre known as progressive and deephouse. He then became a resident at the legendary Deep label parties, which led to an invitation to perform at the Extrema festival in 2001. Around the same time, he also became a resident at the infamous Earth parties organized by DJ Per and Sander Kleinenberg.
DJ Vortex’s mixes are smooth and flawless. His intriguing music selection delivers a refreshing and energetic sound. He effortlessly adapts to any situation and ensures a satisfied audience. Thanks to his years of experience as a DJ, he has no problem building up a party or delivering an excellent set during peak hours. When you hear Vortex mix, you know he’s a top-quality DJ!
