Eelke Kleijn

 

 

Eelke Klein a csodás holland kikötõvárosban, Rotterdamban született. Története 17 évesen kezdõdött, amikoris elment elsõ munkahelyére dolgozni: egy lemezboltba. A következõ négy esztendõt ott töltötte, s rengeteg értékes tapasztalatot szerzett. Minden szabad percét a zenével kapcsolatos tanulásra, ismeretszerzésre fordította. Rájött arra is hamar, hogyan lehet zenét szerezni a különféle kütyükkel. A gyakorlásnak és a tanulásnak meglett az eredménye:

 

2003-ban elkészült az elsõ EP-je, amit egy akkor induló label, a Segment Records adott ki. Jóllehet, mindössze 250 darabot nyomtak ki belõle, több példány is néhány DJ klasszis lemeztáskájában landolt sikeresen, úgymint John Digweed vagy Seb Fontaine. A reakció minden szinten elképesztõ volt, és a '4.5 Billion Years' mind a mai napig az egyik legkeresetteb felvétel a világon.

 

Ugyancsak a Segment égisze alatt jött ki 2005-ben a Deeper Depths EP-je, és Steve Gerrard egyik nagy kedvence lett szinte azonnal, s az azévi WMC-n le is játszotta a szettjében. Emellett felkerült Andrew K válogatásalbumára, a Flavours-ra. Még ugyanebben az évben elõrukkolt a Consequences EP-vel a Noctambula Records címkéje alatt. A kiadványt ismét sok nagy név vette ismét kezelésbe, s zárta a szívébe, így pl. Hernan Cattaneo és Sasha is.

 

2005 vége felé Eelke összeállt a egy régi barátjával, Nick Hogendoornnal, valamint a szintén holland C-Jay-vel. Ebbõl aztán az lett, hogy elkezdték ontani magukból a jobbnál jobb, minõségi kiadványokat olyan címkék alatt, mint pl. a Tilth Music, Spinifex, Plastik Park és a Cyber Records. Az igazi csúcspotnja ennek az idõszaknak az volt, amikor Londonban dolgozott egy ideig Stewart Keenannel a Navigation Records-nál.

 

2006 év elejét írtunk, amikoris egyesítetk erejüket Fady Ferraye-jel (Red Circle Music) Libanonban, s útjára indították a ’Free Jerk Inlay” nevezetû projektet. Mindamellett, hogy önálló produkciókon dolgoztak, ugyanezen név alatt elkezdtek közösen DJ-zni. Persze bõven kiléptek a hagyományos értelemben vett Dj szettek börtönébõl, teljesen átírva a táncparkett fogalmát is.

 

Nos, mi mit lehetne még elmondani Eelkérõl? Számtalan produkciót készített Rutger van Bostelennel, MIDOR néven. Ezen név olyanok rajongását váltotta ki, mint Tiësto, Ferry Corsten és Marco V. Aztán 2006 év elején érkezett el a váltás ideje Eelke életében, amikor elhatározta, hogy ezentúl inkább egyedül akar dolgozni, s elhagyta a M.I.D.O.R.-t.

 

Tehát amellett, hogy Eelke remek producer, kivívta magának ezt az elismerést lemezlovasként is. Szettjei éppoly sokszínûek, mint szerzeményei: a lágyabb progitól a techen és az electro-n keresztül a minimal house-ig mindent játszik, ami minõségi, igényes és egyáltalán: JÓ.

 

Eelke turnénaptárában olyan helyszíneket láthatunk már kipipálva, mint pl. Szerbia, Svájc, Oroszország, Románia, Libanon vagy éppenséggel Jordánia. Emellett rendszeres mûsora van a Frisky Rádióban és a Protonnál.

 

The world of music today is closely related to technology, something Eelke discovered at a young age. Therefore it is not strange at all that he got involved in it. “I could have easily ended up with an ICT related job”, he adds. Over the years Eelke has built and repaired a fair share of computers and also designed a variety of websites, including his own. At age 14, he got his first job working as a website designer for a music store. It gave him the opportunity to explore the studio equipment they sold in much detail, bringing home every piece of hardware he could get his hands on during the weekends.

In 2003 Eelke released his first single “4.5 Billion Years”, interestingly named after our planet's currently estimated age, on Segment Records. This very limited 12 inch drew the attention of John Digweed and Seb Fontaine and is still held in high regard up to this day. It opened the door to labels such as Lost Language and Plastik Park. It was not until early 2006 however, that Eelke would indefinitely make an impact on the dance scene. Many months spent in the studio resulted in a series of releases, the most noticeable probably being “8 Bit Era / Import Bride” on Baroque Records which was very well received and got included on Nick Warren's “Global Underground 030: Paris” compilation. “8 Bit Era” also received solid airtime on Dutch National radio. Ever since, many labels have taken notice of the sympathetic Dutchman, resulting in remixes for the likes of Jeff Bennett, Madoka and Snake Sedrick. In early 2007 his remix for Kosmas Epsilon's “Paranoid” was picked up by Hernan Cattaneo for his Renaissance compilation “Sequential 2”.

It is difficult to describe Eelke's sound in a few words though. “I am easily bored with music, I don't like recycling sounds and ideas all the time”, he explains. His almost trancy cooperations with fellow Dutchman C-Jay indeed are very different from the dark and twisted grooves he has produced with Nick Hogendoorn and again different from the ambient and chilled-out songs he has written himself. “As with my DJ sets, I need variety in order to remain interested in what I'm doing. Producing different styles is almost like a way to express the different moods I'm in”. The recent signing of '”Walkabout” on Ork Recordings with Nick is a perfect example, receiving critical acclaim from artists as diverse as Fish Go Deep, Nic Fanciulli and Anthony Pappa. Outside the Box Music, Eelke's label launched in 2006 and part of the Groovecollection Music Management, reflects his taste in music like nothing else, with releases varying from techno-edged minimal to funky progressive house.

Spring 2007 saw Eelke taking the next leap towards fulfilling his dreams. Months of labour finally paid off when his debut artist album 'Naturally Artificial' was snapped up by Global Underground. It did not take the guys at GU long to see its potential. “Needless to say I am extremely happy about it!”, he adds. “Global Underground is one of the labels that have been around since the beginning, you don't get a chance like this every day”.

So what else is there for Eelke you ask? We almost forgot to mention he is an excellent DJ as well, having played gigs in many European countries as well as Lebanon, Jordan, the United States, Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, Argentina and Brazil just to name a few. His monthly 2-hour radio show “Outside the Box”, broadcasted on Frisky Radio and Proton Radio, gives him the opportunity to showcase his sound worldwide. “What I love about Outside the Box is that I can do whatever I want”, he says. “It is almost like trying to educate people with different sounds, I can play deeper than at an average club night”. In 2008 Eelke made his debut performances on larger festivals in the Netherlands as well, including the Renaissance area at Dance Valley, the lakeside at Extrema Outdoor and Scheldepop. He also followed in the footsteps of DJs like Sasha, Satoshi Tomiie and Sander Kleinenberg by playing at Moonpark Buenos Aires together with Hernan Cattaneo.

Meanwhile Eelke has continued his work in the studio, a variety of news tracks and remixes are due throughout 2008 and 2009. Success doesn’t come overnight, something we all know and this has also been the case with Eelke. Rest assured, though, that this is probably not the last we will hear from Mr. Kleijn.

Last Edited: October 2008
Biography additions made by: Peter van Hal (Deep Records / Deep Focus)