Chuckie, the internationally known DJ hailing from Holland, is blowin’ up the speakers with his new track, “Who is ready to jump,” and is quickly carving a wide avenue in the city of the electronic industry. Chuckie’s self-made label, event company, iPhone App, and musical movement, Dirty Dutch Music is now a staple within the industry.
Want to talk about Dirty Dutch music?
Chuckie: I wanted to do my own club tour with like 300 gigs a year and I kind of got bored by the way the promotors set up things. I wanted to decide how I set my own entertainment and how the DJ’s play and the line up. So I started to do this DD party, then I did a tour with like 50 dates in total. I basically did it and it succeeded. Infact, it got sold out three years in a row.
Now Dirty Dutch has propelled into a new genre with a Dutch-esque flare…
Chuckie: It was successful because it had a different feel in the compared to whatever was happening within the whole dance industry at that moment. It got started in the right direction. So before you knew it there was a whole movement that started globally. That’s the best thing you could have. Then people started seeing it as a new musical genre. That’s unbelievable.
Dirty Dutch even has it’s own iPhone App called Blackout…
Chuckie: Everywhere I have a theme for the DD parties and this year I’ve decided to take it more Blackout, all black everything, inspired by Jay-Z’s wise words. Also, in the wintertime, if you throw a party, it’s hard to find clothes in white. I know, when I wear all black I feel a little bit more dark, mysterious, and sharp. It’s going to be really awesome. Also, the line up is kind of different than we normally do. There is a different international line-up and we will have artists like Knife Party and more. Every year I have set my game up as far as the party and I have to keep the people interested. It’s hard to keep people interested so I always try to find something different or at least try different angle.
The new track, “Who’s Ready to Jump?” is an ode to all those wild U.S. electo-lovers. What are your thoughts when a new song releases?
Chuckie: I made that record and sampled my own voice from EDC Las Vegas. I wanted to do something with that phrase because every time a beat drops, if you are playing in a U.S. festival, they always jump like crazy. I wanted to do a record made for that kind of crowd. It’s really a special record to me. As for working on remixes, I have one from Dillon Francis, Skrillex, and 12th Planet who are already playing, so that’s really good to see. They kind of accepted it. That’s really good for me because I saw alot of people were talking about it on the blogs. The moment it came out, I got so much love from the blogs and everybody was supporting it so I was really happy about that.
I noticed you always wear hats, do you have a favorite or lucky hat?
Chuckie: No, I don’t have a favorite hat because I keep on losing my hats all the time so every time I get a chance to buy a new hat, I buy a new hat. Right now it’s all about the snapbacks! It’s the hip-hop in me. I used to be a hip-hop DJ in Holland. At certain point, I converted from a Hip-Hop DJ to a House crowd. People in the hip-hop scene were not as accepting and my managers suggested I take my cap off when I play at a house party. But that makes me, me. Finally, they accepted me with my hat. I think it would be weird if I DJ’ed without a hat.
I was reading your touring schedule and basically you are performing every night. How do you do it?
Chuckie: I like DJing alot so the more better. The time when I’m behind the decks, even when I’m tired, it’s just adrenaline and this is what really keeps me alive and going. I could be tired right before a set but the moment I get on, adrenaline takes over and it’s pure energy. That’s how I do it. Also, you have to know when to take your rest and no where my limits are so I don’t go too crazy.
I’ve seen you play and your opening act is quite the theatrical spectacle. Did you come up with that?
Chuckie: You always do your research and a little homework. You try to find something that makes a big entrance. It’s always a preparation and something you give extra thought, especially if it’s a big show. When I prepare something, there’s like a 1000 kids filming on YouTube, so it better be good. Every year when I do the DD event as well, I’ve got 30,000 people in front of me and I do the intro and half the room is filming it and I know that it’s going to end up on YouTube.
What are the craziest shows you’ve been to?
Chuckie: It’s all so different but I like the festivals. I enjoyed this and last year’s EDC. Last year, it was in LA and 100,000 people were in front of me. I literally just came off a flight and it was my birthday so it was a special day for me. Also, this year in Vegas, 30 minutes before I started, there was nobody in that area I had to play at. Then 5 minutes before I got on, it just filled up over the place and I had a really good crowd. Generally I like to play the stage. It’s so diverse everywhere I go.
What do you think is next for electronic music?
Chuckie: It’s evolving so fast. I think right now, the direction is going off course. Alot of people get introduced to dance music in a different way. Some people discover it by the internet, some by a record Pit Bull did, or a record Usher did. Every one has their own experience with discovering electronic music. At the end of the day, 5 years from now, there will be many of people exposed to our music. Then, if you are really interested in music, you are going to look for more underground unknown stuff. All music genres goes through this process and then goes back to the original form. People are going to try and discover something new about the music, so it will continue to become strong and stronger. Normally what happens is, when the music crosses over to pop and people get tired of it, people don’t want to deal with the commercial house anymore. In general, we have a strong background as far as electronic underground music goes, so it’s here to stay.
The rest of this year (as well as in 2012) Chuckie has residency at NYC’s Lavo. Check him out!