Attaining Zen through music

Afrojack at his candid best

Grammy award winning DJ and producer, Afrojack, is one of the most influential names in electronic dance music today. At only 28, he played a large role in the worldwide explosion and popularity of dance music.

Forbes placed him at #6 on its annual list of ‘The World’s Highest Paid DJs.' He collaborated with artistes like Beyoncé, Pitbull and Madonna. The young and accomplished DJ was in Hyderabad to perform at ‘Sensation White’

Excerpts:
Tell us about your stint in the music industry. I grew up in a little town called Spijkenisse in Holland. We didn't have much. My mother was living on welfare. I was in school and felt that I had to do something else.

When I first walked into a club and saw people communicating through music, I knew I wanted to do it, too. Of course, my mom and grandma thought I was crazy, but it was my grandmother, who eventually told me to follow my heart and passion.

I was trying to produce music for 11 hours a day, non-stop. I remember the first time I got to play in a club, there were only 20 people and I had the best time of my life. I had never been so happy!

Did the growing up in Holland help?
Dance music was huge where I grew up; it was a part of our upbringing. Holland is really a small country with a very strong club scene. When growing up there, it’s normal to go to clubs, and I think experiencing it and getting to watch some of the best DJs in the world made us want to do it too. So, there were a lot of opportunities for producers to release records and play live. It’s in the culture, so it makes it normal for people to think, “I want to become a DJ”.

What is the story behind you choosing the stage name 'Afrojack'?
When I was a kid there was a gigantic ‘afro’ on my head, so people always called me Afro. Jack is a word synonymous with dance music hailing from house music’s past.

You have got an overwhelming response to your music. How does it feel to garner accolades at a young age?
Success doesn’t have anything to do with private jets, with flying all over the world and with what kind of car you drive. Personal success is when you make your family and friends proud. I remember 10 years ago when I played in Holland still; I had one of my first gigs in a 200-capacity club and there were 10 people.

When I played a song that made them dance, I was so happy. That’s the thing about DJing that makes me successful as a person - it’s when you play a song and other people can relate to it. Commercial success is nothing. It doesn’t touch anyone personally. But it matters if people relate. I feel that I’m just on the same journey as EDM.

I was there at the right time in America to see it all happen and grow with it. I was one of the first DJs that ever got booked in Vegas and to see it grow so exponentially; it’s just beautiful to be part of it. The only role I see for myself is being one of the few guys, who really does not care about genre or style and just cares about the music.

If you were not a DJ, then what were your alternate career plans?
For me, being a DJ was my only dream, and this is not just about flying all over the world and playing at big festivals they are these days; but also just to play in front of hopefully 100 people. Music has always been my biggest passion and to see how big the scene grew, and the love spread is like living in a dream!

What is music to you?
It’s what I call the zen the balance. It has the power to unite humanity, to bring in an element of compassion and an ability to conquer negativity.

You have collaborated with so many renowned artists. Which one is memorable to you?
When we were starting out with the song, we were like, “Man, it’d be so cool if we could get Sting involved.” And then I was like, “Yeah sure, I’ll call Bono, too. I’ll call Oprah Winfrey right now. Maybe we’ll get Obama to do a verse.” Then my management contacted Sting’s management and sent it through. He loved it.

Before I knew it, six months later, I was in a studio with Sting in New York, recording. It was really cool. The thing that surprised me most, but also gave me a lot of faith in life itself, was the fact that this guy has been doing this for - I think 30 or 40 years. He’s still doing it and he still loves it. I’m 28, so I have at least 30 years to have fun. To me, it’s great to see that you can enjoy this thing for so long.

Do you think Electronic Music will evolve more or it has reached its limit?
Every hype comes and goes but I think the music always stays. I think EDM is here to stay for the next 10 years without a doubt! Now, if you see - there’s an introduction of melody into the EDM sound giving rise to another genre, and this constant evolution will never make EDM a stale genre.

You have extensively toured the world. Which country left you mesmerised?
India, it’s so culturally diverse.

Are you collaborating with any Indian artists?
I’d love to - in the due course of time. I think Bollywood is pretty cool!

When would you be coming up with your next album?
There is still plenty of work to get things just right for the album. It's not going to come out until it is exactly what I want and where I want. Right now I'm just cruising along, just making music from heart and selecting the songs that I like really want to put on there. It's kind of difficult when you have like 200 songs to choose from.