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Tryscal in Haarlem was the techno event where we first met. Not long after, we talked about his debut. This edition of My First Gig features Dutch Wietze de Jong a.k.a. DJ Wietze Young. "'Someone has taken my name," was my first thought."
“It feels like it was yesterday, my first rave. I experienced it in 1992 at Thunderdome in Leeuwarden. I was only fifteen. Yet I had permission from my parents to go.” (laughs) “A whole new world opened up for me. I was immediately impressed by the DJs and their work. I knew right away: ‘this is what I want to do most – make the party people dance!'”
Taking a leap
“In the following weeks, I bought two cheap, outdated turntables, a simple mixer, and a few records. So, what now? How did this actually work? I knew the theory but not the practice of DJing. I heard that DJ UZI was working at the time in the Sacramanto coffee shop in Leeuwarden and wondered if he could help me get started. So the next day, I took a leap and went to the shop to ask if DJ UZI was there. And I was lucky. At my first meeting with Peter Tanahatoe (DJ UZI), I asked him if he could help me become a hardcore DJ. He immediately agreed and ultimately became a sort of mentor for me.”
Hardcore Maniacs
“One day, I walked into Sacramento and saw a poster with my DJ name on it: DJ Spaceraver. Huh? What the fuck?! ‘Someone has taken my DJ name,’ was my first thought. Until Peter asked me if Jeroen Vos, who organized parties, had called me. Because Jeroen had asked him if Peter knew anyone who could fill a slot in the lineup for his event Hardcore Maniacs. Peter had said he knew someone, gave my name, and bam: my first gig was in the pocket!”
Perplexed
“During the weeks leading up to the party, I practiced like crazy. I was still perplexed. Wow, I had a gig and not just any gig, but one with DJ UZI and Gabber Syndrome on the same lineup! They were really big names in the scene at that time.”
Mom's car
“Then we had a practical problem: how were we going to get there? ‘Mom, can I borrow your car? I have a gig and I need to get there and back home afterward… My good friend Terry has a driver’s license and will drive.’ My mother replied, ‘Of course you can, no problem.’ Woohoo! Nothing stood in the way of my first gig now.”
Nervous tics
“During the ride to Dokkum, the tension mounted. My friend was going crazy with my nervous tics.” (laughs) “It felt like we were driving for hours when it was only a thirty-minute drive. Once inside, we immediately ran into the familiar UZI clan. Phew, luckily there were already some acquaintances.”
Shaking hands
“The moment I was introduced with a microphone, my head turned red and my hands started to shake slightly. I put on the first record and looked at the crowd. At that time, people practically stood at the door before the venue had even opened, so there was immediately an audience, and they responded enthusiastically. I ended up playing the whole set with shaking hands, but with supreme concentration and joy. It was the perfect first performance for me. Afterwards, people came to thank me and told me to keep going.”
“Today, I play techno and deep techno under the artist name Wietze Young. With my resurrected concept Sputnik, I want to provide a platform for local, national, and international acts and thus create diversity in the evenings. We are also working on other projects. There’s still a lot in the pipeline!”
This interview with Wietze Young was originally published in October 2018 on This Is Our House.
Who is Wietze Young?
Living in the north of the Netherlands Wietze Young started his career as a DJ in 1994 playing hardcore till 2000. That was the year Wietze Young discovered techno by listening to an amazing set of a techno legend Richie Hawtin. Wietze Young was sold right away and his love for techno was born.
From 2000 on, Wietze Young played in lots of venues in the Netherlands. He also organized techno parties in and around the city of Leeuwarden. With his own concept SPUTNIK TECHNO you can still visit one of his parties that mostly take place at The Neushoorn in Leeuwarden.