Local Rockstars: Olivier Weiter is bringing back Rock ‘N Roll!

Nov 9, 2012 | by Chloë Arkenbout | Music

About the author

Born and raised in Amsterdam, lives to dance and dances to live on electronic music, has a small vinyl addiction, appreciates a little sarcasm now and then, thinks musicals are annoying and loves those moments where you lose track of time completely.

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.

Olivier Weiter might just be one of the best examples of Amsterdam’s local heroes. He is known for making you lose yourself completely on the dance floor while performing wild, animal-like dance moves that make you sweat and scream. Some call him a house music shaman who bewitches his audience with his magic. When I got to interview Olivier I forgot that he is also known for his height. Olivier is almost twice my size of 1.60m.

To start, I wanted to get to know Olivier a little better in a fast and lovely superficial way so I made him choose between some difficult ultimatums.

~~producing~~ vs performing
solo vs ~~b2b~~
sex vs ~~food~~
~~drugs~~ vs alcohol (he first chose drugs but realized while looking at his beer that he drinks more often)
Amsterdam vs ~~Berlin~~
~~massive festival~~ vs intimate club
illegal rave vs ~~commercial party~~
~~remixing~~ vs being remixed

First things first. Until a few days ago I didn’t know that Olivier Weiter isn’t your real name. What’s up with that?
“When I was little I always wanted my name to be Olivier. I loved Olivier B. Bommel. I even wanted to go town hall to try and change my name, but my mom didn’t let me. When I started playing I reinvented the adventurer and kid in me and I figured Olivier Weiter was a good name for my alter ego. Weiter means keeping going and constantly rediscovering. I also like the German aspect of it. I’m quite influenced by the German techno scene.”

We asked you in a previous interview, a long while ago, what song made you cry. Let’s stay in this theme for a moment but give it a more positive twist. What track makes you nostalgic?
“Contented Gastronome by Mat Leutwyler! This is the track that brought me into contact with the Amsterdam underground scene. Ruben, better known as De Man Zonder Schaduw, brought me to one of the first GZG parties. When I hear this song my eyes defiantly water up, in a good way. Goosebumps and everything.”

Let’s talk about Wunderbar. You started pretty small and underground but now you guys are big. Doesn’t it feel like you sold your soul to the commercial devil a little bit? A lot of great underground concepts seem to die because of their success. How do you try to avoid this?
“We chose to not have the Wunderbar parties every month, even though we could’ve easily pulled that off. We have two club editions and one summer beach edition a year. We want to keep it special and exclusive. We keep the quality high and we don’t become sell-outs.”

You play in Berlin quite often in places such as Kater Holzig. How would you compare the electronic scene’s of Berlin and Amsterdam?
“The Amsterdam crowd is a bit more social. They look out for each other more; there is more social control. I remember when I was playing at Kater Holzig on a Monday morning I saw some people sleeping in the club, abandoned and left to their own fate. People in Berlin are with each other, but not really together. If someone would fall asleep in Studio 80 for example, friends or at least security would make sure that sleeping is done in a bed, savely. I also think that Dutch DJs are more critical. Simply because we have less hours to fill. The hours we do get, need to be perfect for us. In Germany they get more hours so there’s less pressure.”

We’re in Paradiso right now. What is your connection to Paradiso? Why is it special for you?
“Back in the days, when I was around 14 years old, I didn’t really go out to parties yet I did go to concerts in Paradiso. So this is where I first came into contact with real music while going out. I saw rock concerts there, and some hip-hop too. Paradiso breathes music, like no other venue I know can. I played in their basement when I just started and only owned 10 records. I also played there at Voltt and NGHTDVSN. And now I have my own ‘concert’ coming up.

Yeah, your own party in Paradiso, ‘WEITER’, is coming up. You’re bringing back some rock ‘n roll into electronic music. When I think of rock ‘n roll, I see sex, drugs and guitars, not really electronic music. What is your definition of rock ‘n roll and how will we see this at your party?
“Funny thing you say that about guitars, because I’m bringing some guitars into a new track I’m working on. I think the house scene is the new rock ‘n roll and DJs are the new rock stars. Just like rock ‘n roll used to do, I think house is kind of rebellious against society. There are a lot of rules, such as the 24 hour rule. By organizing illegal raves that last till 10 o’clock in the morning we revolt in our own way. House is resistance, just like rock ‘n roll is. I want to bring back the DJ as act and emphasize the show around the DJ. Like how we went to see a rock band back in the days, I want to create a real show. There will be women and entertainment that will support the show. The party will revolve around the main act however, which is me. Arjuna Schiks and Miss Melera are the other DJs in the lineup.”

We ended our converstation talking about how it’s a waste that there aren’t more elecronic music events in Paradiso, since it’s such a great venue. Thank god for Weiter, bringing us some old fashioned out of control electronic rock’n roll there soon.