VOLTAGE Podcast 40 - Identified Patient

Interview

How did your love for music come about? Do you come from a musical family?

I remember that back when I was a young child music was accessible in the form of cd’s and cassettes. I grew up in a household with 2 older sisters so I got left alone quite a lot by my parents, in a good way :) So I could just sit around the house with headphones on and zone out, listening to a lot of music from my father and mother - rock music from my dad and 80’s pop from my mother - but also with more 90’s pop music from my sisters. I remember accidentally buying a Prodigy cassette with my father for a long car ride. F*ck, I was so shocked by this magic new world I could enter and dream about.

We also had this big hardcore scene for kids when I was young. Playing casually on national television and selling children cd’s with these kid-made hardcore songs. They also threw down events and stuff, you should look it up. It's quite fucked actually hahaha. Kids making the faces of people who are out of their head. It's called 'Hakken en zagen for kids'. I was intruiged by this, since I was just endlessly watching television to kill the time.

Some more background info; my sisters played the piano because my grandfather used to be a bar pianist. I was not able to do this unfortunately, but picked up the guitar quite soon after. Going full grunge nirvana mode.

How did you get into the nightlife scene? What were your favourite places to go out, and how did an evening like that look like? And when did you decide to become active in nightlife yourself?

Well when I was young (15) I started dj'ing and organising nights for my middle school with some friends. Just out of pure boredom and looking for that teenage thrill. But my first real club experience was back when I was about 16, going out in Amsterdam. 'Studio 80' was my go to place. At 18/19, we were going to 'Trouw' with some friends and I think that was the first time we were experiencing music in a way I still experience now. Full commitment to the dance floor and surrendering to a beat exactly like how I like it.

Around that time I started a project with a friend of mine. We were producing music because we were so obsessed by the fact that sound could be so sick. I was working part time at a callcenter & studying but about 80% of the time I went on synthforum.nl, scrolling around to get as much information as possible to create a sound I like. We also started buying gear around that time and tried to put in all the time we had. Bought so much trash in the beginning... But it's important to find your own way in this musical spider web. We are lucky with how much shit is online these days.

You can be described as an artist with eclectic tastes. How do you find a common thread in your story, when searching for new tracks and when you are on stage? Are there certain criteria?

It’s the best feeling when you for example have a breakbeat track with a heavy bass and its lower freqenciess are starting to fading out, slowly getting that second track underneath it with a different genre that perfectly fits the mix. You have the surprise element, which for me is really important, while keeping the groove moving so it does not feel like the energy is getting lost. That is pure adrenaline. Best of both worlds. To be fair I can also really enjoy a steady techno set where there is just one horizontal line. And of course I like to do this too, but changing it up is where I get my biggest excitement from.

You asked about the common thread: well that is often quite technical if you want to mix up genres. How well is the track mixed? Are the volumes the same in terms of loudness. Does the bass have the same groove or are the peaks in the same frequency range. If they are not on that same vibe; no problem. But you are either gonna top or kill it. That should be a choice. And have your next move ready for that. Else it's going to be chaotic and the tension is gonna get lost.

I imagine any electronic artist would find it an honour to close Dekmantel festival. How have you experienced this yourself / what does it mean to you? And in what way would you like to surpass this? What is your (next) goal?

The first hours on that day are a big blurr. Stress was taking over and I remember really wanting to check out 'Scorn live' around 15.00h that day, so I had to be early at the festival. What a sick act btw, that music is so up my alley. Big dystopian madness. So i was there really early and had to survive the rest of the day. I was just 1 big anxious pile of nothingness. But 1 or 2 hours before the show I came back to life, had a few drinks and then got into full adrenaline mode.

I did prepare that set really well. In terms of the vibe I wanted to create it so that it wasn't too stressful and so that I could really enjoy playing that slot. So a lot of homework ;D Because of that it became one big warm memory in that greenhouse stage which I will never forget. It makes you feel really alive to bring the music you adore to a crowd that is really open for everything. The trust and energy you create together is priceless. And it's so sick that everyone feels it together without thinking of much else. Would love to play this slot again, not to surpass it, but reliving is already the best haha.

In terms of goals; really creating the music madness that's in your head. So I'm refering to creating music here. This is still a journey that fascinates me everyday, and gives me the energy to sit in the studio. After almost 12 years of creating and putting allot of time in it, I enjoy this part on the same level as day 1. Also because you evolve and start liking things you'd never thought about back in the day. And the deeper you go in this rabbit hole, the better it gets. I don’t want to go on holiday, chill or whatever. Just put me in the studio with a few drinks and cigarettes.

The process of creating is so underrated. It really gives a full spectrum of emotions and it's so sick to finish up a project or to see its impact. What I like as well is the time you spend with yourself working on something you like. Solo journeys are good for the soul.

Have you ever considered playing Live?

Of course! And I can really enjoy this with other producers. But for me, if I want to do this, it needs to be more than takes on the stuff I make in the studio. It needs to be a show, more like a concert. Full-on experience. Maybe I’m making it too big and should just get started, but otherwise it makes more sense to me to continue dj'ing with sick produced music. But who knows, maybe in 5 years or so it will happen.

You’ve released multiple times on a label that seems quite close to you and that has been putting out quality records in it’s very distinguishable style since its creation - Pinkman. Talk to us about how you came into contact and what keeps you coming back.

Well the first record I put out was on Common Thread was in 2016. Also a Rotterdam based label. After that I got in touch with Marsman, who's the label owner of Pinkman. He wanted to do an EP and we became friends. It went very natural actually and since then I have a warm heart for him and the crew over there in Rotterdam. So in 2017 the 'weeshuis der verloren zielen' EP came out. I think these tracks were also all made in 2016. I remember creating 'het infuus' in my old house in Amsterdam North and thinking how sick it would be to get this on a record. Happily it worked out.

What can we expect from Identified Patient in the near future?

A lot of stuff has happened since releasing that EP 6 to 7 years ago. Today I'm very happy to share that my newest EP, which is coming out in Januari, will be on the label I am starting with Gamma Intel. We are very happy to create this journey together. Pretty direct output without to much strings attached. The sound (especially design) has evolved and makes me even more excited to share the music which is coming! More info about this in November!

Next to giving us some sweet memories to look back to, playing at VOLTAGE Festival 2021, I’d like to give you a huge THANK YOU for closing the podcast project together with us . Best of luck with everything ❤ And of course, we'd like to thank each and everyone of our dear listeners for taking the time to come with us along this ride!

Editorial Team: Noah Hocker and Michiel Demeulemeester
Interview: Michiel Demeulemeester