Menno de JongThere must be something in the Dutch water. After people like Armin van Buuren, Dj Tiesto, Ferry Corsten who are allready longer in the scene.... we are having the next rising star upon the sky from holland, Menno de Jong. Many people will know him of tracks like Millionfold or Guanxi and from his sets in the Trance show "Uk Trance Revolution" where he has a monthly residency. He is also the man behind Halycon (Watermark) and Sayla (second thoughts). UKTA had the 20 years old producer & DJ from Eindhoven exclusive in the interview.
Hi Menno first at all thx a lot that u take your time for answering the questions. We really appreciate it!
1. The last year has been very successful for you. Tracks like Guanxi,
Millionfold and Watermark have been released with great success and u have won the Dj
competition of DI.fm and Dj connections for a residency spot on one of the most
popular trance shows (UK Trance Revolution). If u look back today, how
important was winning this contest for your career?
The contest certainly helped me get my DJ sets heard by more people! I was very honoured to be selected from such a massive amount of mixes, and enjoyed making each and every set for the show.
2. How would u describe your style as a DJ and as a producer?
As a DJ I like to bring the audience something for the ears and something for the feet. Usually in any random set of mine you will hear some songs that are beautiful, as well as some that have great energy and just want to make you jump around and dance like mad! I have a pretty broad style, it can start anywhere with some sweet melodic progressive trance, and go through melodic and uplifting trance to end with some raw tech’trance.
As a producer I am trying to be as diverse as possible. I start every song from scratch, do not have any fixed presets that I use over and over, so other then recognizing my style, you should be able to hear a whole new array of sounds every production you hear! Style wise I am also trying to diversify myself, where the Myth project should take a more progressive turn, and Halcyon will still be about great melodies, the Menno de Jong project will be a lot broader, seeing as I don’t want to stay stuck to much in one sound.
3. Many users in our forums were wondering if u got any specific ways you choose
titles for tracks. Some were assuming the name "Guanxi" might come from a place
in China?
The word Guanxi is actually Chinese for relationship. I first encountered the word in a book from school, and liked the sound of it, when looking up I was surprised by the many different interpretations it had within the Chinese language, and so thought it would be interesting to use. In the end I just chose it because it sounds nice. Millionfold is something I made up on the top of my head. Thinking of track titles is just damn hard, I think everyone knows that, it’s usually a coincidence when I think of something cool, and I make a not of it in my phone real quick so I don’t forget.
4. Is there anyone, another DJ or Producer with whom u would like to do
something together? And if so why this person?
I really hope to work together with my dear friend Paul Moelands a little more, probably one of the most talented DJs and Producers out there. But ofcourse a co-op with someone like Ferry Corsten would also make my year, that guy just rocks your body, rock!!!
5. We are having a section on our Forum called "unsigned dj productions" where
many talented producers share their work. What tips can u give them for
creating music and getting their traxx signed by a label?
The biggest tip I can give you is practice practice practice. Work on sounds till you get them perfect and don’t settle for any less. Nowadays you need to be able to compete with MIKE, Armin, Above & Beyond and all the other top names if you want to stand a chance in the scene, so that obviously says something about where your level needs to be. Don’t try to copy what others do, listen to how they do it (technique, production wise) but use your own creativity and imagination to make some original cool sounds. To each their own way of doing it ofcourse, but that’s just a tip on my behalf!
6. Many people are complaining about that Trance has gone very commercial and
they miss the times as Trance has been more underground. What do u think about
this?
I think right now it is as underground as it gets. Sure, if you look at Tiesto, Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten it is pop-music, commercial etc. no doubt about it. But all the young artists out there, including myself, are still part of an underground scene, there are no more small trance parties then there are house clubnights or technoparties around the world. Hip Hop, R&B and Rap currently dominate the whole world whereas trance is fairly low profile. If that’s not underground, what is? In the end it is just about enjoying the music anyways, and partying your ass off!
7. What would u do if u won't be a DJ or producer?
I am currently still studying International Business at a university in the Netherlands. Should music remain a hobby for me, I would like to use my degree there to get a job at an organisation that works for the better of this world, something like UNICEF or any positive minded part of the United Nations. When I look around in daily life I feel that I would like to contribute something to this world, which has so much agony in it. Ofcourse all my spare time will still be devoted to making tunage and dropping tracks behind the decks!
8. Many people think a DJ can get as many girls as he wants, he can travel
through the world and he gets free records from different labels.. But what do
u think is the best thing in being a DJ?
The best thing about being a DJ is the reactions you get to your music, or the music you play. There is nothing better then hearing people say they like your tune, or better yet, them going wild in the audience when it is played!
9. Do u think there is something what a DJ must have if he wants to be
successful?
Just great skills, and a vision of how he or she wants to get there.
10. Many DJ´s are producing traxx besides spinning records. What do u think
could someone who is only a DJ be as successful and famous as someone who is
doing both?
It is possible, but very unlikely. There are now sooooo many great DJs out there that make excellent DJ sets, but just do not become popular because they haven’t released any big productions. All the big names out there had a superhit at some point of their carreer, and I think nowadays with the huge competition it is even harder to get become famous. With so many talented people out there, you really need to do something special to be noticed!
11. Recently u have been remixing the massive track Hydra - Affinity. Can you
give our Members a little preview what they can expect in your interpretation
of this great tune?
My tune will definetely be a lot more uplifting then the original. It is a lot different from the original, with a stronger bassline, drive and percussion. The melody is still in there, but supported by a stronger trance riff. I think it will definetely be one for the clubs, but only time can tell ofcourse. It will probably pop up in one of my dj sets in the near future; it won’t be released till March or so, so can’t play it too much atm.
12. You are having now a new weekly radio show called "intuition radio show"
each Wednesday on www.etn.fm. Tell us a bit about it, please. What can people
expect there?
Non-stop music. For a long time I considered doing a show with presentation in there like Armin, Markus or A&B do. Had a long thought about that, and decided that in the end it is about the DJ sets anyways, so we would keep it only about the music. To make up for the lack of talk, there is a section in my forum where you can discuss the show, where we keep the tracklist live, and you can ask any questions, I will usually be around to answer them.
As for the format of the show, it is a weekly 2-hour one on Wednesdays from 22:00 to 00:00. Every first hour is a set by myself, and for the second hour there are 3 monthly residents (very talented guys like Paul Moelands, Estuera and Kimito Lopez), and 1 monthly guestspot, for which we have already attracted DJs like Dj Tab, The Thrillseekers and Signum. With all the new shows out there I have no clue if we will be able to compete with Armin, Markus or any others, but we will sure try our very best to try and get as close as possible to it!
13. And last but not least. What kind of plans do u have for 2005 and where do u
see yourself in about 10 years?
For 2005 I hope to make my radio show a success, throw some more great Trance.nu parties, see the world, produce nice tunes, and just have all the fun I can have. Life is short; make the most of it – that is how I hope to live this year. I am also really thinking about setting up a record label (I know, something many others are doing, but why would I let that stop me!), so we can release some nice trance tunage, organize some label nights and just have a lot of fun out there! I really want to do something for the trance scene, so I hope that will work out this year!
Ten years is an awfully long time to look ahead. But if I can make music my career, that would certainly be a dream come true… Keep the trance alive and kicking!
Thank you very much Menno and good luck for your future and bring us plz more tracks like Guanxi
bookings@mennodejong.com
Menno´s homepage
buy his record millionfold here
u can buy his record Guanxi here
If you would like to see an interview with an artist from your label/ organisation appear on UK Trance Alliance, please contact us through fly@uktrancealliance.com
YEAHH Menno 