Who wrote this?
Whether you went out last weekend to check out an uber geeky beat magician or a depressingly awesome indie rock band, we all know there’s always some serious musical talents rocking around the Dam. You might not recognize them all yet, but don’t worry, you will soon. In this series of interviews we talk to remarkable artists about their music and their inspirations.
To start off easy, who is Olivier Weiter, and what does he sound like?
“He’s a 24 year old DJ/Producer from Amsterdam. It sounds German, but he’s as Dutch as cheese, windmills and weed!”
How important are melody and emotion in music to you?
“For me personally, these are the most important ingredients of a good track or DJ set. It really does something with people, touching the right chakras while dancing. The right melody at the right moment will always let the dance floor explode and make people go crazy, perfect for the vibe of the party.”
What’s the last song that made you cry? And don’t act tough!
“When I hear a good song at the right moment (again, the right moment is so important) I can’t keep my eyes dry. No really, the last song that made me cry was a track called Such Great Heights by The Postal Service (John Tejada Remix). I played it at a funeral of a friend of mine, and now its my link between him and me, so its pretty emotional actually.”
What is Bar27? How did it come to life and evolve, and what’s its future?
“Bar27 started in my old house, together with a couple of friends that also lived there and shared the same passion for music. We had an amazing basement where we had a lot of intimate after-hours with people from all over the scene. After a while we decided to do something with that vibe. Whenever there was something big going on in Amsterdam, the DJ’s in town always wanted to go to our basement afterwards. To us this was a great compliment, and with our music and experience we decided to go pro within a year. The year afterwards we did our first legal event and released our first Bar27 vinyl EP.”
By now, a couple of years later, Bar27 have their own club nights, host areas at some big festivals, are busy with a label, and of course there’s the “Wunderbar” concept. Weiter: “Because of my solo career I don’t have much time left for Bar27, but I’m still really close with the crew. And there’s the Wunderbar parties of course, where Olivier Weiter & Bar27 will melt together in one big show. Bar27 is getting hotter and hotter, also abroad, for example Germany.”
During the upcoming edition of ADE, you are booked to play alongside Sven Väth amongst others. How did this collaboration with Cocoon come to be?
“I don’t know really. My agency, We are E, always did the second area of the Cocoon NL parties. It was a big success and people went crazy time after time. I was booked every time, and a month ago I did the closing for Cocoon @ The Beach, with Extrawelt. It all feels good, I really love the vibe that Cocoon parties bring, in the Netherlands, but in Germany and Ibiza as well. It’s about the combination of music and some really inspiring artists, and a great crowd. Sven Väth is still nr.1 for me and the biggest inspiration for me since I started DJing.”
You’ve had a busy summer, with gigs at festivals like Welcome to the Future, Shoeless but also Sensation, Cocoon on the beach and a few gigs in Berlin. Happy so far?
“Yes! I’m really happy, too bad the weather isn’t really great for festivals haha! But no, I’m not complaining at all. It’s hard to name one highlight actually. Closing Shoeless was fantastic, but the closing set at Cocoon on the beach was also magic. I did a 24-hour set in Berlin as well, that was the greatest DJ experience ever, and definitely mind-blowing!”
Looking ahead
Olivier Weiter has gigs at Next Monday’s Hangover – Out in the open and Mystery Land still to come, to name just a few. When we asked him about his ideas on how to close our festival (NMH), he gets excited: “I’m really looking forward to it, and no idea yet how I’m going to close the festival. But I’ll do it in style! I love the line up, some of my favourites are playing. Good, melodic stuff the whole day, perfect! And at Mysteryland I play back to back with Rodriquez JR., really excited for this one!”
Anyone from our NMH line-up you yourself are looking forward to seeing?
“I’m really looking forward to Chymera. Really an amazing producer. Joris Delacroix is also one of my favourites.”
What is your next BIG goal/ambition as a musician?
“Actually, I reached a lot of goals already this year. I still want to make an album though, to reflect on my years as a DJ. But that’s gonna take time.”
What will be the next big hype in electronic music? Who do you see becoming stars in the years to come?
“The Visionquest boys are doing a great job nowadays. I don’t know if you can call this a hype, because it’s simply quality music in their genre and a lot of people like it. It’s not really music I play a lot, but I do love the whole idea and vibe they bring. It’s hard to name somebody as a star, it depends on so many things. But Rauwkost and Arjuna Schiks will definitely become stars!”
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