17.03.2025 ‘a non-gatekeeping anthropological nerd’

Z: So La Cassette kind of introduced you to music culture in a broader sense?

M: Well, I had a friend growing up who listened to a lot of trap and Yung Lean and stuff like that, so first I got to piggyback on his knowledge. La Cassette also began really as a hiphop party, but with time it grew into more of an electronic-minded collective; I kinda grew that way with them. I felt that in a way hiphop culture as an isolated phenomenon was not sufficient for me, so I kinda popped out on the electronic side. 

Z: When did you start playing?

M:  I started dj’ing something like two years ago. At first I didn’t really see it as a role that was fit for me, being a DJ, as it is also not the most accessible hobby. The threshold can feel relatively low but still mentally big. I started out by selecting music for the La Cassette aftermovies, and this resulted in a pretty big list of music I had already selected, so I just started mixing that; so in the beginning that meant a lot of hiphop edits.

Z: Is there a parallel bettween film and music within your work?

M: (laughs) Well, I kind of have a love/hate relationship with film music. Depending on how specific you look at it, but I suppose I like film music more than the average person. I come in contact with it a lot because I study film, but within my studies I am not super fond of it. The organizational part of filmmaking is not where my heart lies I feel. I still like consuming film, but making it is a lengthy process for which I am not really patient enough. For my graduation work I have now chosen for installation, which I think will be a better fit. I am also hosting a fundraiser for that. 

Z: You have been moving within Utrecht for a while now, has the city changed a lot in your view?

M: I think when I was 16 I was easily impressed, as a regular 16 year old is. You have a slightly distorted perspective.  Because of the pandemic I was only able to start going out when I was 18, which causes you to be less  likely to see things and be like ‘woaah sick’. I have always felt that Utrecht really is a discocity, and still is. I see the change in little things like the difference between Filmcafe and Kabul, but I wouldn’t be able to exactly point out these differences. I think club culture moves alongside general music culture, which has not changed a lot from my perspective. Not necessarily negatively nor positively. 

Z: Are there things in Utrecht that have recently inspired you?

M: I notice a personal growing interest in live music. In that sense I like how Utrecht is also notorious as a punk city. I like that. I do kinda observe it from a distance though. Myself, I only know how to play digital instruments. However, I like that these bands are often very young and that there actually is an audience for it.

Z: You also have a liveproject, ‘de natuur’. Do you want to tell anything about that? 

M: de natuur is a project by me and Daniel. We started last year when we had an entire schoolyear to fill in for ourselves; you can do an internship or a minor or something along that road, but at our school there is also this concept of a mediaproject. You have to submit a marketing plan, which requires you to make a lot of steps before you can actually make something. Daniel is a big nature freak and I would go with him into the forest for research. It started a mainly as visual process, lacking ecological or technical knowledge. We wondered how we could translate what we saw, so we opted for sound. 

Z: Were you already producing when you started that?

M: I was occupied with producing a little, but not in a way that I would call myself a musician. I would program the drums and the rest we would just record in nature. Last friday actually was the first time I had a musician-like experience; the one where you try to do something and the outcome is what you actually hoped that would be the outcome haha. So now I have reached a stage of semi-control. There is still a lot to learn, which of course is always endless, but on a primary level I would like to know more about song structure, playing live (and focussing) and moving beyond looping haha.  

Z: Regarding your dj’ing, I feel like you are on a nice brink of playfulness and actual sick digs; how do you see that?

M: A lot of times I hear that people laugh, which is something I always hope for and also where it kind of began. But, you do want it to be actually good, not just silly. Sometimes I wish I was a house-dj, to be just focused on a good mix and perfect blends, but the kind of music I want to play does not really allow that for now. I like the idea of the anthropological dj. For instance, I really like Crystalmess. She maintains a good balance between connection and learning, but very party. The anthropological, as a union of knowledge and fun is really strong in her work.
I don’t want to be a gatekeeping nerd, but want to collectively discover through music.
This anthropological turn for me means the favouring of culturally embedded content, instead of the mix itself. By connecting two different things, you can look at the similarities, which would at first be unseen. This does not have to be serious though, you can also just learn fun stuff haha.

Z: Do you have other artists that inspire you? 

M: I like a lot of brazilian Soundcloud producers; the mix of brazilian music with other influences. For that, I like Soundcloud in general. It’s a place that favours a diy-mentality, discovery and somewhat illegal remixes. In that sense I feel it’s more playful; a platform that is accessible to both artist and listener. 

Z: Ok ok ok now we are moving to fire round. What was your favorite show you played in 2024?

M: Orbit, because my parents and sister were there. It also somewhat was my festival debut. I played Best Kept Secret three weeks before, but that was at a discostage at 1 PM, so I don’t count it. I also really liked playing the Kanaal40 closing, as an homage to the place. 

Z: What is your favourite place in Utrecht?

M: Kabul a GoGo, for now. I know a lot of people there and I like the community aspect of it. However, it still is a bit of an inbetween place, it still needs a little time. 

Z: Favorite artist at the moment?

M: Murderclub, Toronto, Soundcloud. 

Z: Excited for Zenith?

M: I played for you guys at Sexyland and saw the show with Noise Diva at NAR. I like the idea of doing something different in Utrecht, feel like that is always a good thing.

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