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[title]Despite what the live DJ sets have led you to believe, Dutch music project Dash Berlin is a three-man group. After their breakout hit ‘Till the Sky Falls Down’ in 2007, it has been hit after hit for the group, the most recent one being ‘Never Let You Go’, a collaboration with Swedish producer John Dahlback. We speak to frontman Jeffrey Sutorius about the EDM scene, exotic raves and his music library.
You’re the face of Dash Berlin. How did you guys decide that it has to be you?
We are together as a cohesive structure. You have to see that Dash Berlin is a group of friends who just really like what they do and are good at it. I'm just a piece of the pie. I really like DJing – that's my core – and many years ago I made my first step into production. You can see me as the antenna getting input for new music – that's very important – and combine that with DJing, that's an ideal combination for me personally.
What do you think of the current EDM scene?
I think the current EDM scene has become a following like no other. In a way, you could call it the new pop music because everybody listens to electronic music. A lot of new music is being produced out there and there's a lot of competition so it brings the level up. And electronic music is constantly reinventing itself. If it's not the music or the sound, it's the makers of the software; people are always finding new ways to make sounds and that's what's pushing electronic music constantly forward. It's really inspiring.
You’ve played in Malaysia before. How do you find the Malaysian crowd?
[With] A lot of energy. It was pretty overwhelming [the first time] because I had no idea that electronic music was popular and followed by Malaysians so I was quite surprised about that. And when there's a party in my calendar for Malaysia, I always look forward to it.
You’ve played at big EDM festivals such as the Electric Daisy Carnival, Stereosonic and Ultra Music Festival. Do you have a festival bucketlist?
I just want to go to festivals that I've never been yet. My bucketlist is full; there are so many parties I haven't played yet like Mysteryland, Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, Electric Forest and Coachella.
What do you listen to besides EDM?
That's a funny question. I'm looking at my phone right now. I'm just gonna randomly say what I have in my album list here. There's some Alicia Keys here, Beastie Boys, Brandon Flowers, Delphic, Goldfrapp. I also listen to Korn, Kodaline and Radiohead. I love Nicki Minaj's new album. I also have Sam Smith, The Script and the list goes on and on. I just love listening to music every second of the day because there's so much great music out there.
Who would be a dream to collaborate with?
I'd love to collaborate with big bands such as Coldplay, U2 and also Band of Horses, Kodaline or The Script.
What do you think the EDM scene needs more and less of?
If I could wish for something more, then it's for the dance genre to get more airplays on the radio. I’ve mentioned that a lot more people are listening to it now but in terms of airplay, it could use a little more.
How do you think the EDM scene will be like in five years?
That's a difficult question. You can see how electronic music subgenres are formed (like moombahton, trap music and dubstep) and it happens in a very short amount of time. Sometimes we think that everything's been done before, we've heard everything. And then all of a sudden we hear a new style: future house, tropical house and many more. Electronic music constantly evolves and reinvents itself so it's hard to predict where it is going. But for sure, in five years it would become normal to listen to electronic music even in places where there aren't many festivals, as long as there's a decent and vibrant club scene.