SQL – Interview (debut Album is due for release on 9th June)

How did you decide on your name SQL does it have something to do with Structured Query Language? :D

It does actually! I was doing freelance web design and development before I started with music. A friend told me SQL was actually pronounced as Sequel, and I though this had a nice ring to it. Although no one ever seems to pronounce it that way, people mostly just say SQL.

 

Do you do music full time or is just hobby 

I’m not in the studio and touring all the time. I’m a mix engineer and I’m a personal Ableton teacher. My own music isn’t my only source of income which gives me total creative freedom to make the music I like without focussing on the money. I would not call it a hobby though, it’s my life.

 

how did you enter the world of electronic music? and how did you decided is something you want to do, how did you end up producing / djing?

I came from a rock background, also playing in bands during my early teens. My introduction to electronic music came through my sister who took me to my first illegal rave somewhere in Amsterdam. Soon as I came home I installed Reason and started trying to recreate what I heard. From then on, I started playing these small little illegal raves and squat parties in and around Amsterdam.

 

How you decided to do the album and where did the idea for the album came from?

I had been collecting synths and jamming for two years, recording what I was doing and creating this new sound. At the end, I had 35 tracks and idea’s. One day Nick, the A&R of Gem Records was in my studio and heard them. He immediately said: “We have to do an album!!”

 

You have been on the scene for 10 years how come you just now decided to do an album, do you think you have reached certain musical maturity level for such endeavour

I’ve thought about doing an album many times. But it’s a big commitment, a statement of who you are musically. You need to believe in the music 100%. I think that the reason it never happened before was that I used to make music with a pre-conceived notion of what it should sound like. By letting that go and letting the music flow naturally I ended up with music that is much more personal. It’s who I am musically and I want to share it as a one hour story.

 

Can you tell us something more about your album?

It is more eclectic and deeper than what I’ve done until now, but difficult to capture in a genre. Gun to my head I would say leftfield house, techno and electronica with a few big tunes mixed in there. It makes for good listening music and works on the dancefloor at the same time.

 

Could you tell us your most memorable gig and where was it?

One of my most memorable gigs was Eclipse festival 2012 in Cairns, Australia. The whole festival was very extreme, extreme heat, crocodiles nearby in the lake, warnings of scorpions, no phone signal etc. Really Australian (laughs). I had a perfect set-time, last artist before the eclipse. But the events leading up to my set made it even more memorable…

I was offered LSD about 8 hours before my set. I thought: ‘ok sweet, I have time.’ But they gave me the strongest drops of acid I ever did. So from that moment I went on an eight hour psychedelic journey at a 50k+ visitor event in the middle of the desert.  My gear was locked in someone’s car and after six colourful hours I went to get my equipment. But to my horror the owner wasn’t there with the keys. I had almost given up on playing and felt terrible. After over an hour I gave up and walked back to the festival. On the way there I just happened to find him! Needless to say, this was a very emotional moment (laughs). I then quickly grabbed my gear and made my way to the stage for a set that went very well after my emotional roller-coaster. Afterwards the whole crew including Egbert, Secret Cinema, Robert (booker of Gem Records) climbed up a mountain and watched the eclipse. This is the first time I wrote down this story and it still gives me goosebumps!

How is the underground scene in Netherlands do you play there a lot?

 The scene here is really refreshing, with a lot of cool small crews starting up their own labels and club nights. I have a lot of emerging artists around me in Amsterdam who make great music such as Polynation, Olaf Stuut, Kaap and Unisol. I don’t play here that often though. Somehow, I’ve always had more gigs abroad than in Holland.

 

Since you come from such an open minded country (drug related) can you tell us what's your oppinion on dance music & drugs?

After the Eclipse Festival experience I shared with you, you can probably guess what my opinion is... Legalize!

I believe that everyone should be able to decide for themselves which substances they want to put in their body. Although I don’t like certain types of drugs and wouldn’t recommend people using them, I believe freedom is more important. Decriminalising drugs would solve many social and health problems in my opinion. More than it could create.

 

Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people

I go to bed at 10:30PM every day.

 

What are your future plans (music wise, gigs, etc)

The album is the result of two years of experimenting in the studio. It’s my current sound. I have about ten more tracks like it ready to go so we will be finding labels for those soon. In the studio I’m moving forward and creating some great ne stuff. More on that soon.
I’ve got some cool bookings coming up in and around Holland such as the afterparty for Diynamic Festival in Amsterdam and playing the Gem Records stage at Aftrsun festival in Belgium. I’m also going back to South America this summer.

 

Is there something we missed and you wanted to tell our readers about?  

The album release party is on the 9th of June in the OT301 in Amsterdam! I’ve invited my friends Nathan Surreal and Stefan Vincent to join me on stage and I’ll be playing a special album live-set.

https://soundcloud.com/progressiveastronaut/premiere-sql-petrichor-original-mix-gem

https://youtu.be/j8jo5XmCzs0