Calcutta... show me your hands, your faces, your hearts... I f**king love you guys, everybody f**king jump! I love you Calcutta, see you next time.” That was Afrojack during his two-hour amped-up gig at Sunburn Arena, in association with t2, at Aquatica in December 2015.
The 28-year-old Dutch DJ returned to India but this time for a gig stop in Hyderabad, which became the first Indian city to host the international electronic dance music festival, Sensation (also known as Sensation White) on March 5.
But that hasn’t stopped the Ten Feet Tall star — he’s 6’8” — from telling t2 how much he misses Calcutta. “I love Calcutta; I want to come back soon! The vibe is crazy and the energy of the fans is so intoxicating,” he told us over email.
Here’s more from the man.
You played in Calcutta and a few other cities in December and you’re back in India again. You seem to have fallen in love with our country!
It’s always been phenomenal. India is a very warm country and I love my fans in India; they just don’t quit. I don’t know if the rest of the world knows it yet, but every DJ already knows that the passion and love are real in India; that’s why we all keep coming back every year. Every dance music fan in India is a prime example of what the scene is about!
So, do you have a message for fans in Calcutta?
I love Calcutta; I want to come back soon! The vibe is crazy and the energy of the fans is so intoxicating.
This time you’re headlining the first India edition of Sensation White. What’s special about it?
With a 16-year legacy backing the event, Sensation has toured more than 33 countries, with sell-out shows in Dubai, Amsterdam, New York, Bangkok… and it has welcomed over two million visitors. It’s all about experience, spectacular show elements, entertainment acts, a star-studded line-up of the best international DJs and massive production. The festival will be travelling with 13 containers from Amsterdam to India by road and ocean. It will take over seven days to build the show, apart from the six months of exhaustive planning. A crew of 50 specialists will fly from Amsterdam to help put up the show. And the stage will be a gigantic custom-designed carousel that will rotate three times per minute amidst flying horses, a lot of bursting waterfalls coming out of the ground. The carousel will be controlled by computers and feature 12 astounding dancers!
What genres and sounds are you inspired by currently?
The Skrillex sound, but more the hip hop side of it. I started noticing more and more how the trap culture and all the hip hop–trap-dubstep DJs — like Carnage and stuff — it’s starting to get louder and crazier but also better mixed and way better arranged. It has way more breathing room. I’m really getting excited about those sounds. I’m also really into the deep house stuff. When I started off, I was a full-on techno DJ, and right now people are starting to understand the way this music works. It’s creating way more space to make different kinds of sounds.
I am actually working on something right now, which is almost a full-on deep house song.
After making music all these years, do you want to open a nightclub... perhaps in India? What kind of a club would it be?
Yes. I’ve been thinking a lot about that, but it’s still just in the idea phase. A place with a very sexy vibe.
What have been the milestones in the last 12-13 years?
As an artiste you always dream of winning a Grammy (he and David Guetta won for Revolver in the Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical, category in 2011). For me, that was when I knew I had truly accomplished something big not only for myself, but for the entire dance music industry.
Who do you consider your music mentors?
Max Martin and Frank Sinatra.
Can you define the Afrojack sound?
Afrojack music, I’d rather let the people decide for themselves; I’m not a big fan of putting things in a box. The thing is… like… I have so many different styles of music and genres.
We keep reading about Afrojack spending money on this... or saying that. Is public attention a burden?
I think it would be silly to think of public attention as a burden. I’m not living my life for the public, nor do I care what they think. I live life for my family, fans and myself, and I won’t ever hide who I am. I just try and stay true to me. Afrojack isn’t a persona and I’m like every normal person in the world. I try to keep my family out of the picture — I want them to have their own lives and privacy. But with the stuff I do, my privacy disappears.
Finally, your daughter Vegas (who will soon turn four)... has she changed you?
I didn’t want her to change my work. It changed not really the way I am with my money, but she gave me just a separate responsibility. Work comes first for me and that is the best way for me to be there for her. So instead of just completely dropping everything, I just made sure that everything is arranged for the future and for my family’s future. And I still try to put pressure on myself to keep performing and keep taking everything to the next level, which is difficult sometimes, but I think in the long run it’s going to be best for all of us.
Mathures Paul
I’m Afrojacked because.... Tell t2@abp.in
