A few weeks ago I didn’t know who Maarten de Jong was. Now I can’t stop listening to him! I did some digging and found out he’s remixed some of the biggest trance tracks and has worked alongside and in studio with Armin van Buuren. More on that later, but I had no idea Armin was a foodie! I reached out to Maarten, he promptly responded and introduced me to Woody van Eyden over at music&artist group. Woody and I became fast friends and Maarten agreed to an interview.
It was fun researching him and I really enjoyed our time together. Hailing all the way from Eindhoven, Holland, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Maarten de Jong.
You are originally from Eindhoven, Holland. That’s not far from Amsterdam. What is the dance music scene like there and do you get back home often?
I still live in a small village called Nuenen near Eindhoven, it’s actually the village Vincent van Gogh painted a lot of his famous paintings. I’m here every day and love living here! The music scene over here is very diverse a lot of good DJs come from Eindhoven or live near Eindhoven. There are big festivals like 7th Sunday Festival or Extrema nearby but also the hardcore Dominator Festival is close! There’s also a huge techno scene. DJs like Marcel Woods, Sander Van Doorn, The Acid Junkies and more are hailing from Eindhoven so they basically founded the music scene here.
The 1st edition of Trance Energy was also in Eindhoven, so I think Eindhoven has a big history in dance music and still has a great scene!
You’ve worked with several labels including Black Hole Recordings and Future Sound of Egypt. You are currently signed on Armada Music. What is the experience like working with different labels? Are you out there seeking representation or do they just come to you?
Me and my team always look out for the best label that fits the track. I started releasing back in 1999 and in 2007 started my career as Maarten de Jong and gained a lot of experience with different labels. Back in 2003 til 2009 it was very important to have a label and A&R at your back, today it’s more important to have a good social media channel and a good management. The label needs to have a good name to push your music.
Mark Sherry took me on board at Outburst Records and from that day my career started shaping. Back in 2018, Armin van Buuren asked me to start releasing on Armada and that’s where I still am and I’m very happy to work with the Armada team they are all very professional, James the A&R manager is always on point and helps out when needed!
Your “Rooftops” remix is incredible. You’ve produced a lot of remixes over the years. What are some of your favorites?
Here’s my top 5:
- Rapha – Nice (Maarten de Jong Remix) 2012
- Singularity – Citadel (Maarten de Jong Rework) 2010
- Super8 & Tab feat Christina Novelli – Rooftops (Maarten de Jong Remix) 2020
- Armin van Buuren – Last Stop Before Heaven (Maarten de Jong Remix) (2013)
- Corti Organ – The Joker (Maarten de Jong Remix) 2019
Armin just celebrated #ASOT1000. Incredible. Not sure where trance would be without him. Tell me more about your relationship with him. Have you spent much time with him?
I actually met Armin back in 2009 at Sunrise Festival in Poland. After that it took a while before meeting him again. He always supported my music and gave me some great opportunities during my career like playing A State of Trance 650. The funny thing is that we have a mutual hobby and that’s BBQ! So when we meet nowadays we don’t talk just music, it’s also about smoke and meat!
Speaking of #ASOT, your single “Hatseflats” with Allen Watts made an appearance. What does that mean to you being including on this playlist?
It’s really an honour to be in that list with 2 tracks! Especially because the fans voted the tracks!
When you’re not producing, what are you listening to?
All kinds of genres, recently lost my self in old R&B/RAP from artists like 2Pac, P. Diddy and also the more edgy stuff like House of Pain.
I also listen to a lot of classical music to empty my head!
Where do you find inspiration for a new single? Are you sitting down writing things out or do you sit down to mix and just mix something until it’s ready to be released?
My inspiration mainly comes from walking in nature with my 2 dogs! Than I record things on my phone, translate them in the studio and when it works out we have a new release!
Tell me more about your podcast “Faces”. It seems like every DJ has a podcast these days. Heck, I have a podcast!
Faces is small radio show I host on afterhours.fm it’s way to show the world who I am. Everybody has a different face, I have a different one everyday. Music is also like that, so with faces I let the listener enjoy different faces of music. Faces is also a Spotify playlist which I update with the tracklist as soon as the tracks I played are released.
Wait… Wait… Did I just see a picture of you and Armin in his studio? Incredible.
Been guest in the show 2 times… And I’ll be back soon!
What headphone are you gaming?
My monitor speakers in the studio!
I’m obsessed with Spotify. You recently released the Trancelation playlist on Spotify. Tell me more about that and why you picked the songs that you did.
I started this playlist because I wanted to show the world how music translates for me. Trancelation is about music that makes me smile, so you can find trance in there, but also techno, progressive, house and maybe some chill out music. So basically it’s same concept as Faces. The playlist updates every week with new tunes. I get a lot of promos and do a lot of research before adding a track into the playlist, when a track makes it to the playlist it’s a track I would play live and must have a sound I love or believe in.
COVID-19 has put a damper on pretty much everything… We can’t travel and it feels weird shaking hands with someone. How has it impacted you and do you have any plans once the vaccine is widespread?
It had a big impact on all of us! I can’t wait to hug my mom again, that’s probably the first thing I’ll do. After that I’ll go to my favourite restaurant and eat with friends!
Like everybody in the world I want this pandemic to be over ASAP!
Let’s go back to your podcast for a second. How do you decide what tracks to feature? Also, are you reaching out to the artist or are you just showing them support by highlighting their tracks?
I select the tracks from my promo inbox and support artists I like. I’m trying to be diverse in my music choices.
What advice would you have for someone interested in learning more about dance music?
Start listening to different podcasts! Go to festivals, meet people and start connecting. Like Armin says, “Turn the world into a dancefloor.”
What’s next for Maarten de Jong?
New releases coming up in February! And hopefully I can go back on tour soon!
Thank you for doing this. In all of the interview I do I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thanks for the interview! It was fun to do!
Stay safe and healthy in 2021 and let’s beat this world wide pandemic!
Connect with Maarten de Jong:
Website: http://www.maarten-dejong.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maartendejongmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maartendejongmusic
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/maartendejong
Twitter: https://twitter.com/djmaartendejong
