TRANSFORMATION THROUGH SOUND THE BLESSINGS OF A WRITER’S BLOCK

Sometimes artists seemingly appear out of nowhere. Take Mau P, a tech house producer from Amsterdam. Last year, he was virtually non-existent, and look at him now: he played the grandiose Freedom stage yesterday. It turns out, however, that many of you may have actually listened to Mau’s music before, under his old Maurice West moniker. The difference between the two projects? Maurice West material is the big-room type of EDM, whereas Mau P releases are a little deeper. Want to know how that switch was made? Read on!

You seem to have come out of nowhere, but nothing is what it seems at Tomorrowland. Please tell us your story!

“I’ve been making music for ten years under a different name. My style of producing was vastly different, and the way I approach DJ’ing has also changed a lot. Up until a year ago, I entertained my audience in a very different way – it was a gimmick, really. Now, on the other hand, I may take up to two minutes to meticulously mix one song into the other. That’s a very new thing for me.”

So how did this radical shift in your approach to music come about?

“I’ve always loved techno. The first festival I ever went to was Awakenings. Up until last summer I’d still go to clubs and festivals all the time just to party. As a producer, I was inspired by people like Swedish House Mafia and Skrillex. Things changed last year when I suddenly lost inspiration. Fortunately, that writer’s block turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it triggered me to start creating the type of music I have now started releasing as Mau P.”

David Guetta and Tiësto have both congratulated you on ‘Drugs from Amsterdam’, the first single as Mau P. Do you feel their support has enhanced your career?

“Totally. They’re really involved in helping the scene forward. They also sent me DMs saying things like: ‘I love that you found your groove!’”

Tomorrowland’s Mainstage MC, Stretch, is featured on the track. How did the collab come about?

“I first recorded the track using my own voice, but that sounded really bad. Someone then suggested I use a British voice and sent me Stretch’s number. He wasn’t interested at first, but that all changed when he heard the track. We only needed one take and the tune was done!”

You’ve very recently released an incredibly epic track with Kevin de Vries on Afterlife. The moment of creation must have been quite magical?

“For that one, I used an old trance melody and turned it into a modern production. There was a certain moment when I felt it was all coming into place and that was indeed magical. Kevin is an experienced producer of melodic techno, so he kept rearranging it until he was sure that DJs within the genre would play it.”

It’s your very first time playing here at Tomorrowland. How do you feel about it?

“I actually did play here before, but on a smaller stage, and under my old name Maurice West. I’m very thrilled to be back with my new music. Everyone keeps tabs on what happens at Tomorrowland, so it’s a huge honour to be invited to play here.”

Adscendo is a story partly about birds. What kind of bird would you like to be?

“A tropical one. I often see green and yellow birds near my house, rose-ringed parakeets which at some point escaped from captivity and then settled in Dutch cities. I love those stunning creatures!”

Kyle Jan

England

Kyle (29) and Emma (28) from London both work for the same department store. “I’m work at the marketing department and she works as a designer,” says Kyle. “And then she popped up on Tinder… ‘I saw you at the office’, was my first message. Well, here we are, this is our honeymoon!”