Martijn Ten Velden has long established himself as one of the world’s leading deep tech/house artists. After taking a brief hiatus to be with his newborn son, Martijn marked his return to the scene with a stunning remix of Defected’s classic release “Guitarra G”, which in 2015 became one of Ibiza’s biggest summer anthems. It was just like he’d never been away…
Hi Martijn, thanks for joining us. Where are you living right now and how long have you been producing and Djing?
Martijn Ten Velden: Hi, nice to do this interview with you! I currently live in Ibiza and I have been DJing and producing for over 25 years 🙂
https://soundcloud.com/changeunder/martijn-ten-velden-feeling-of-sa-penya-mix-cu-essentialmix-079
What made you get in to dance music?
Martijn Ten Velden: The groove, the free spirit, the getting lost in the moment, the togetherness.
Where was your first gig?
Martijn Ten Velden: To be honest I can’t remember exactly. I started out as a scratch DJ in a Dutch Hip Hop band and we used to be the support act for bands like Stetsasonic and Kool Moe Dee in places like the Milkyway and Paradiso in Amsterdam.
How difficult was learning to produce for you in the beginning?
Martijn Ten Velden: I always had an obsession with getting nice sounds out of machines so it was never difficult but more like a necessity to get stuck in. To be honest I am still learning and improving all the time as the standard of producing just keeps getting higher and higher in dance music. I love it!
Talk to us about your latest release ‘Feeling of Sa Peñya’ and the inspiration behind it.
Martijn Ten Velden: Sa Peñya is the neighbourhood I live in in Ibiza Town which has a lot of gypsy people living there, singing loudly in the street or playing guitars. The song is a coming together of the feeling of my electronic music and the musical feeling of the Gypsies in Sa Peñya.
What do you love about living in Ibiza and how often are you playing at the moment?
Martijn Ten Velden: The scene is absolutely amazing! I can go to see practically any DJ I love all summer long and get inspired by amazing sets and great crowds and beautiful surroundings. In the winter it is pretty quiet, but perfect to put my head down and get new tracks done without distraction. I usually DJ once or twice a week.
Which other DJs or producers are inspiring you right now?
Martijn Ten Velden: I love to go and see Solomun on Sundays here in Pacha, the music is always fantastic and his guests are usually very good. I always come home wanting to work on new music. I have known Damian Lazarus and Nicole Moudaber for many years and love the vibe they put down in their sets when they come to Ibiza. There is a lot of great producers, but some great ones for me at the moment are Tim Engelhardt, &ME, D-Nox & Beckers, Jeremy Olander and Johannes Brecht.
What are your go to labels?
Martijn Ten Velden: There are too many to be honest! So much great music out there these days! I get a bit from everywhere and I’m still constantly discovering new labels and artists. Lately I am really liking labels like Keinemusic, Little Helpers, Vivrant, Sudbeat, CityFox and Beat Boutique to name a few..
Tell us about your DJ setup
Martijn Ten Velden: I started with vinyl for many many years, then I made the switch to CD’s around 2007 because it was so much lighter to travel and possible to play all the digital promos. Now I have been playing with USB’s and Rekordbox for about 6 years or so. No sync buttons in my world!!!
What do you feel has been your biggest achievement?
Martijn Ten Velden: That’s too easy 🙂 My 5 year old son, Vincent!
What do you have coming up in the future?
Martijn Ten Velden: I have a track coming out on Marshall Jefferson’s label Freakin303 in September. I am now working on a 2 track EP for Darren Emerson’s label Detone. Apart from that I have around 6 fresh new tracks that I am shopping around right now to labels. Also expect more from me on Eelke Kleijns DAYS like NIGHTS and of course on Nick Warren’s The Soundgarden!
