About the author
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.
After living in Amsterdam for about a year I met a guy at an afterparty who I started to hate with passion. He was listed in my phone as ‘Asswipe’. This was Tom Waist, who, together with Zip Stolk, forms the dj-duo HOMEWORK. After about four months of mutual hating each other, we found out we shared some interests whilst smoking a cigarette and thus a friendship started. Needless to say, I’ve been a supporter of the duo for quite some time now so it was my pleasure to interview them and do a little photo-shoot. The result is, if I do say so myself, mesmerizing.
So guys, because I don’t have that much knowledge about electronic music I want to know a bit more about the men behind HOMEWORK.
T: This already sounds better than most interviews.
Z: At least you don’t ask about ‘how it all started’.
No, because you were both working at Concerto, when you two were asked to play at birthday in 2007. That went quite well, right?
Z: Wow.
T: Yes, that is the story.
Z: How do you know that?
I do my research.
Z: Ok, well, we did tell the story about a zillion times.
We should have played Murder on the Dancefloor
Is that your biggest pet peeve about being a DJ, the bad interviews?
Z: No, that’s probably waking up.
T: Trying to wake up.
Z: Yes, trying to wake up, after a bit of sleep, trying to catch a plane, having a epileptic attack. (Laughs)
T: That was a horrible weekend.
Z: We played for four or five nights in a row with little or no sleep because we wanted to go out as well. Plus I think it was in Ingolstadt; the people there were racist and while we were playing there was a huge fight in the middle of the dance floor. The bouncers were trying to wipe the blood away in the middle of our set.
T: We should have played Murder on the Dancefloor.
And in Gretchen people were having sex in front of the DJ booth!
Z: That was also a fucked up night, everything was broken.
T: But we’re also a bunch of naggers. The next ‘Gouden Kabouter’ will be the Pain in the Ass Award.
Z: Or the Loser Lifetime Achievement Award. It has become a running gag with us.
(HOMEWORK has been nominated for a ‘Gouden Kabouter’ ten times, and hasn’t won once.)
Z: Maybe also the lack of interest from women. No that’s a joke, I have a girlfriend. But one girl did show her boobs though, during our set!
Ok, that’s a nice gesture, but were the boobs nice as well?
T: Yes, and they were reasonably big. I was looking at Zip like; ‘Is this really happening? Yes, this ìs really happening!’
So besides the groupies, who would you like to play with?
Z: Larry Levan or Seth Troxler.
T: Frans Bauer, no, kidding.
Z: Or Dixon back to back, he’s one of the best DJs around.
T: I don’t think he’s nice though.
Z: Oh no, because they have to be nice of course. I would like to be back to back with Carl Cox, haha.
Good name, too.
Z: Wasn’t a serious answer!
T: (about the Overdose.am headquarters) This place gives me an Office Space feeling, brilliant movie.
Speaking of movies, what are your favourites?
Z: Blade Runner, that’s always the right answer.
T: I can’t say.. I always say Apocalypse Now because it’s easy. Pierrot le Fou is probably my favourite but it’s so ‘socially degradable’. People often don’t get it.
You seem to post a lot of old movies on Facebook, I often see Monica Vitti?
T: Yes, she’s my favourite, that bit is from L’Eclisse. I love it when somebody puts something short on YouTube that sums up the feeling of the entire movie. I think she says something like “I wish I didn’t love you, or that I loved you more”.
Z: This is so deep..
T: Talking about deep, what about deep house?!
We’re like Brian from Family Guy, we whine but we don’t have the answer either
Yes what about it, I always thought that you guys made ‘complicated’ music. Kind of contemporary, but lately I feel that it’s a bit more simplistic.
T: I think it’s because we’re always searching.
Z: I never dwell on one kind of sound.
T: Sometimes we hear something that we can’t do but we try it anyway and it becomes something that has nothing to do with it in the first place. It’s very instinctive, often when I do something wrong, that is the thing that sounds good.
Z: You don’t only think about whether it will work on the dance floor, you want to create something new as well. But you do always get inspired by something. When you start out you want to sound like one guy and along the way you get inspired by other things. There’s only one structure so it is quite limited.
This all sounds very philosophical, what did you guys study?
T: Well, I tried to get into the theatre academy and was rejected; so then I studied theatre sciences but that was far too analytical for me. Tried to get into film academy but was rejected, did the preparatory training and was rejected again. So then I focused on music. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade!
Z: I didn’t even finish school, I was pretty young when I started HOMEWORK with Tom so I lost my focus. I did try to finish it, but never did. Today I do PR for Paradiso two days a week, it started as an internship and I stuck around. That’s still fun.
Talking about fun, one of the most annoying things is a bad question you said: which question would you like to hear?
T: I don’t know the answer to that, I have no idea what I would like to read about us.
Z: Me neither, we’re still a bunch of pains in the ass but at the same time, well…
T: We’re like Brian from Family Guy, whining about everything but we don’t have the answer either.
Z: We want to be cool, but we never get the credits.
T: See, again with the whining.
I think we’re done here.
Thank you to HOMEWORK for the extremely fun interview, and best/worst photo-shoot I’ve ever done.
HOMEWORK will play this Friday at STRAF_WERK!
Photos by Sabrina Beek
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