What are you drinking?

I am drinking Heineken beer. I thought I would be drinking more, but in the end, I think it's not so bad for me. Because at a gig I do drink a lot. And now I can drink for the whole night, but what's the point?  

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Hope it is just a starter. What's your drink of choice?

Natural wine, of course. Nowadays everyone likes natural wine. And also Espresso Martini. But that is more for the night.

What are you up to in quarantine time? I heard that all the public gigs are canceled in the Netherlands till September.

I was kind of stressed in the beginning because no one knew what’s going to happen. All public gigs were canceled. But I got a job pretty soon, and there is some extra government help money-wise, so I'm slowly getting used to the new way of life. 

What is the job?

I am working at a factory that produces protein shakes. That’s not what I am going to do for the rest of my life, that’s for sure. 

What are your plans for the weekend?

Tomorrow I'm going to do a live stream like everybody with my girlfriend. I think we are going to do a party with our friends over Zoom and do shots while we are playing, this way we can have a party at home without people, but indirectly with our friends.

What was your last party before quarantine?

I think it was in Kyiv! 

Ah, it was a nice one to finish the season! 

Yes, the last party I've officially been to was Pornceptual. What's yours?

We were together on the same night! Many people think that you are adorable and it's really hard to argue with that. Have you done something which can prove us wrong?

I am not as cute as I might seem. A smile covers up a lot.

Could you tell me a bit more about your bad sides?

Noo, I don’t have any. Kidding. I try to be nice, in general. I guess I am bad at remembering people. I wouldn't hurt anyone, so I am not wrong in that way. Maybe I just party a lot sometimes. 

How do you behave when you are drunk? 

I think I stay the same person. I always feel that I am doing great when I am drunk.

It's a common mistake.

I tend to become a lot slower when I get drunk. All my interactions are getting a bit like "e-e-e-m-e-e-e." 

Have you ever had gigs when you were drunk or super high?

Most of them, but not that drunk that I can not play, that's for sure. I kind of always find the way to be able to play and then be happy that I could do that, or I just don't hear my mistakes anymore... I mean, I tend to enjoy all the times when I am at the party where I am playing, and the time with promoters. So I drink a lot, like at dinner or something. 

Tell us about the worst party you've ever played? 

I am going to get a new beer. Usually, the worst parties for me are those where there are not so many people. And it could be a promoter's fault, they could also be unlucky or whatever so it's not something to blame. Still, I always feel terrible because they paid a lot of money for me to come, and then I am there, and I know they are suffering losses, and they’ve taken me out to dinner, and all this comes through my mind while playing for three people. I always feel bad for promoters. 

What DJ set could describe your life?

That would be the closing set of Marcel Dettmann at Trouw. That was the club before De School, from the same guys. One month before the Trouw was set to close they had this Ostgut Ton weekender. That club was a special place for me; I met all my friends there, me and my girlfriend started our relationship there. And with one month left, we just partied there, and at some point, it was like 11 in the morning, and usually, it didn't go on for so long, but this time it was OK. It's going on, and Marcel Dettmann didn't want to stop playing, and at that moment, we, for the first time, fully realized: "This place is going to be closed down in a month!" So everybody was in this crazy vibe. Everyone was crying but also dancing really hard. And at some point, all bars were closed, and the guy screamed into the speaker: "Marcel Dettmann doesn't wanna stop playing, so we gonna open the bars again." And we partied for a couple of hours more. If it would describe my life, like the closure of the club, it's the image of the end of my life. It is when we are conscious that it will end, that it is not eternal, but it is very beautiful, I think.

If you could break the world record, what record would it be?

I am breaking the record of the most smiling person in the world. 

You could break this record for sure. 

And the record I would like to break is making the most people fall in love during my sets.

Talking about your music, what is the cheesiest track you have ever played for the crowd? 

The one is called 'Şımarık' by Tarkan. I played it at De School at New Years' event in a really heavy techno set. 

I love this track!

Also, 'Erotica' by Madonna. I played it a lot. 'I Want Your Soul' by Arman van Helden. And maybe not original but still a very good song, 'No good' by Prodigy. That's my go-to track if the party is kind of going but needs a little push. This one is perfect.

What do people think of you, which is totally untrue? 

It's very untrue that I am young. Everyone thinks that I am really young because I have a babyface, but in reality, I am not a young teen anymore. 

How old are you?

I am 28. I am not someone who hates getting older, to be honest. I don't mind. A lot of people are like: "Oh no! I'm getting older!" I'm more like: "Fuck it!" For me, life only gets better.

How do you see yourself in old age?

I will DJ until it's not fun anymore. For me, the perfect world would be if I would be making music just a couple of days a week, doing some mastering and have 1-3 gigs per month. Maybe by then I will have left electronic music and will play guitar.

What passions do you have besides music? 

It's not a passion, but what I find incredibly important is social justice. I try to go to protests for climate change, women's rights, queer rights, etc.

You should come to Ukraine. We have lots of protests here. 

I'd love to come to Ukraine if the borders are open again. 

If you were the opposite sex for a day, what would you do? 

I think I would mostly be annoyed with men. I don’t want to give such a cheesy answer, but I am curious about how female orgasm feels like. This is one of the things I want to try out. For me, there are not so many things that I would do differently. I don't know what I would do as a woman besides having an orgasm. I wouldn't necessarily do stuff differently from how I do now because I think I have a clear idea of how you should be a nice person, and that wouldn't change if I were a woman. Also, I could put the makeup on if I want to, so I don't need to be a woman for that. Look at this picture.

And you are wondering why everyone is saying that you are adorable! What about habits, do you have any weird ones? 

Well. I have a habit! Yeah, I am eating ramen with my agent every Friday at the same place for almost two years now. Only now it's closed, but usually, you try to do it every week. Is that a habit? 

Yes, it is. And the last question...

The last one, really? I've just got a beer. 

What is the best hangover remedy?

For me, the best hangover remedy on a typical day, a regular Sunday when you are not planning to do anything else, is making shakshuka. It is both very healthy and contains a lot of vegetables. You are so full after it that you want to sleep again. Then, after you sleep again, you feel you are fine. So that's my first one, but if you are at a multiple-day festival or have two gigs in a row, then the best remedy is alcohol.