Blasterjaxx is truly a DJ duo currently helping the scene grow, by drawing in new fans, and captivating crowds at big events like Tomorrowland and Ultra Miami.
We got the chance to catch up with them, and learn some more about their views on their rise to fame, the rave experience, and – of course – the music.
Q: What was it like working with Breathe Carolina, an artist that made the switch from pop punk to EDM? Was the collaborative process any different from working with other DJs such as W&W, and Hardwell?
A: Working with Breathe Carolina was awesome! They are very experienced in using vocals in their productions, which of course was very useful when we created “Soldier”. Because of the distance (they are from the US), we worked together via email. Working with Hardwell and W&W was a bit easier as they dropped by our studio, since they live in The Netherlands, just like us.
Q: How have you managed to maintain your fame and popularity in the scene; would you attribute this to being more versatile in music style? More generally, why do you think your music resonates with EDM fans?
A: That’s always a tricky question… To be honest, I don’t know. Maybe, it is because of the creative process we have in the studio, working to make that track that has the ‘wow’ factor, and that really amazes ourselves as well as the crowd. We just do what we love to do.
Q: What/where was the first big show you played? Can you describe what that was like?
A: It is hard to define what a big show actually is but, looking back, I guess the first big show for us was Ultra South Africa. We were really nervous; it was the first time we played at such a big festival, with so many big artists on the line-up. The production was huge as well. It was a great experience!
Q: What kinds of music do you draw on when creating a new track? Any particular DJs, or non-EDM artists, or other genres?
A: We just try to get our inspiration from wherever possible. This could be other DJs, but also other genres, pop artists, classical music, etc. Everything can be an inspiration for a new Blasterjaxx track.
Q: What do you think about the idea that the “EDM bubble has popped”? Do you think this will ever truly happen, especially in the case of main stage artists that seem to continue to help the scene grow?
A: Music comes and goes; I think the whole bubble theory is a fancy hipster term for asking ‘what music is popular at the moment?’. Did the trance bubble ever burst? Or the hiphop bubble? I think they had peaks, and, after the peaks, they evolved and got different names, as will EDM.
Q: Do you foresee any other adventurous collaborations (I.e. artists from other genres) in the near future?
A: There is definitely a lot going on behind the scenes. We are always looking for new adventures in the sense of working with other genres, so stay tuned!
Q: Which sub genre needs more exposure? Do you have any plans to dabble in future or deep house, or even trap? How willing would you be to step outside of the big room/progressive house-trance tent?
A: We made some trap music for our own DJ sets and we really enjoyed that process! We don’t know where the future will bring us, but since we are such big music lovers we definitely are open to different genres, as long as we love it of course.
Q: Which would you say was your best year (sales, views on videos/tracks etc.) so far? Why do you think so (I.e. collabs, style change…)?
A: This is hard to say for us, I guess every year was very good to us. This year, we are really happy with the results, so far: we had our own Maxximize event in New York, and our own Maxximize Poolparty during the Miami Music Week, and we are still expanding.
We played a lot of festivals and club-shows all around the world and our label Maxximize Records is doing amazing, we have a release almost every two weeks. Our track Soldier is also doing great; it reached the top of the Beatport charts!
Q: What is your favorite way to get a crowd hyped/into the set? Is crowd engagement important during your sets, or is it more about the music? (Why?)
A: To us, it is mostly about the music. In our opinion, the key to a successful set is to bring those tracks people don’t expect to hear. Yeah, of course you need to drop your own material and give the people what they came for. The rest is about the surprise-effect, and we love to do that.
Q: Who do you admire most in the scene currently? What do you think they are doing differently from other popular acts?
A: Yellow Claw is killing it! Their marketing is simply amazing. They have had tracks on the radio: you would never think they would fit in to the mainstream radio scene.
Q: Do you have a favorite track right now? Why is this song so notable?
A: Well, not a specific track, we both have over 30,000 tracks in our iTunes libraries!
Q: How would you describe your own music?
A: Energetic, touching and loud!
Q: What is the outlook for the scene? Is more popularity and “mainstream appeal” a bad, or a good thing?
A: It’s a good and a bad thing. Everything that gets more popular will bring its bad side as well. So far (and based on our experience) it has only brought us positive things. We would never be here if our music wasn’t picked up by the masses.
