Interview with Krauser

Krauser`s podcast, Facebook and Soundcloud

Let’s start at the beginning, can you give some info about yourself? Where are you from and what do you do for a living etc.?

Well I am Kjeld Hooijmaijers, 23 years old, live in Raamdonksveer, and I study International Event, Music & Entertainment Studies. Besides my study I work at the hardstyle label Theracords. I started doing bookings & events there, but right now I am the artist manager of the label. You might also know me from the monthly Hardcore Top 40, that me and my buddy Nils Holty do, and is broadcasted on Q-dance Radio. And more importantly, for this interview at least, I’m also known under my Dj name ‘Krauser’.

It sounds like you are pretty busy, is this also why we only know you as a Dj? Or are there other reasons why you are not a producer?

Yes and no. I found out that I wanted to work in the music industry when I was in high school. At first I thought that I wanted to do something in the technical spectrum of the industry, like producing, sound design etcetera. But after a while I found out that I could not translate the ideas I had in my head into actual music. So I asked myself the question ‘Do I want to spend more time preparing, practicing, and hoping that I will be able develop my skills enough? Or should I maybe do something else?’. I chose the second option, because working behind the scenes was appealing much more to me: if I could not be the artist on stage, then maybe I could be the guy working behind the scenes to get the artist on stage. I kept Dj-ing of course, and I still do because I love playing records. But I don’t think I’ll be able to make a living off of that any time soon, so it’s more like a XL sized hobby. 

Do you have the intention to give producing another shot in the future, or is it not necessary for you to develop yourself in that particular direction anymore?

Well I don’t have those plans at this moment, because I am far too busy with other stuff. But the idea is always there in the back of your head though. Certainly now that I spent more time behind the scenes, with people that could teach me so much about producing. Before that I had to figure everything out myself, now people can actually learn me how to do some proper DAW work. My Defqon booking also created a real impulse to pick it up again. How awesome would it be to play your own tracks on a stage like that? In the end I didn’t manage to make something for the gig, but it keeps making me think about it. So never say never because a release might happen eventually, but not in the near future.

Speaking of which, how did you experience your sets at Defqon? Must have been an incredible feeling to be able to play at a party like that?

Well it was a bit of a shock when they asked me to spin there. In a positive way of course, haha! I think any Dj, no matter how big or small they are, dreams about a booking for a huge event like that. So did I, even though I didn't think that those kind of stages where in it for me since I consider myself to be not good enough to perform there. But luckily I was wrong. That whole weekend was  a madhouse. I am satisfied with how I performed. There was a surprisingly big crowd in the Silver area for my opening act, so that made me feel even better! I’ll remember that weekend for a long time. 

I have listened to your Defqon Silver set, but I was still quite surprised when I received your podcast for Forward Observers. You put a lot of different genres in that mix, do you play the same broad spectrum of genres on stage?

I like a lot of music, not only hardcore music. If you do not produce your own tracks, you have to find other ways to stand out from the crowd. I chose to incorporate multiple genres in my mixes to do that. One of the reasons for this is that I have been a resident DJ at the late Fear.FM for like 1,5 years. And I had to hand in a hardcore mix every week. So I figure people would be tired of my hardcore-only mixes after those years, and I wanted to give my new mixes  something original for the listeners. So that’s why I started incorporating other genres in my online mixes and podcasts as well.It`s a bit different on stage though. When you are on stage you have to factor in the concept, the genre and the timeslot of the event. I cannot open with an electro house track if I am booked for the Silver area on Defqon. People there expect industrial hardcore. But a Wavolizer track could work in a set like that, because it has that hardcore vibe in it. So I can’t play as broad as I do in homemade mixes, but I do try to keep it fresh. 

That sounds obvious from your point of view, but at the same time I also have the idea that a lot of party visitors do not appreciate surprises in livesets. They visit a certain kind of party and a certain kind of stage, and they want to hear a certain kind of music. Is that something you recognize?

I cannot say much about that from the perspective of a DJ, people that visit me know who I am and what I do. So the people that attend my set know I could do more than just the style or genre that is played in that particular area. But I do recognize what you are saying in a more  general way of speaking. I can, for example, get really annoyed by people who’re jumping on N-Vitral right now because he changed his sound and performance. These are all people that prefer his older sound over his new one. Those people are entitled to their own opinion of course but in the end, the artist chooses what he produces and spins. Personally I think that it is really cool that he drops a ‘regular’hardcore track in his sets every now and then. Or take Amnesys for example, last year at Defqon I heard him play a Prodigy track and a Zardonic track. I think it’s great if an artist does that from time to time, but there are always people who want straight up hardcore. There is nothing wrong with that, but I personally think that it is really cool to put little twists in your sets like that. 

Do you think that it`s also one of the reasons that we do not see a lot of new headliners these days? Organisations and visitors prefer to stick to guaranteed quality, safe and predictable? Or are there other reasons behind this?

Well the scene has obviously become a lot more professional nowadays, the bar has been raised quite a lot. Years back the scene might’ve been just about the music. You could be a great producer or a great DJ but either skill was enough back then. Nowadays you need to have strong productions and you need to know how to DJ. Apart from that you need to have a recognizable look, your social media has to be good and interactive, your logo has to be appealing etc. So by today’s standards, it`s a long way to the top if you only know how to make good tracks. 

What is your opinion about this development?

If you're good at it it`s much more fun. It offers a lot more and pushes people to get themselves in the picture online and do interesting marketing campaigns. I am an internet addict, like the rest of the world, so if your social media allows you to get a strong and pure bond with your favorite artists it’s a perfect match of course. There is almost no way to get closer to your fans, except if they would come over to your house every day for a cup of coffee, but that ain’t happening of course haha.

On the other hand I do feel that it is a shame that some acts with huge musical talents go unnoticed, they do not stand out, because their branding is not up to par with the industry`s standard. I see a lot of artists, not only in the hardcore scene, that deserve a lot more than they get. So in short: this development works both ways. It can make your big, or it can kill you. 

You mentioned N-Vitral and Amnesys earlier, can you tell us which artist have been inspirational to you?

The ‘homo musicalis’ Ophidian, for his ability to really master all hardcore related genres. And like I said before, Amnesys for his truly unique take on mainstream hardcore. And last but not least The Outside Agency for their diversity within the darker side of hardcore and for giving birth to the immensely popular crossbreed genre. If we are talking about other genres then I should really mention KOAN Sound, Porter Robinson, Asa, Wavolizer and Black Sun Empire: artists that do their own thing and have fans that accept that. 

What can we expect from Krauser in the (near) future?

I am on the line-up off Convoi Exceptionel, an event by Dither. So that is going to be a very enjoyable experience! And I have my traditional yearmix coming up. A mix with 100 hardcore tracks from this year that I personally loved. Mixed by hand obviously because I do not like to make it easy for myself haha. It’ll be out before the end of this year, so I hope people will look forward to that! 

So just one more, very original, question to close this interview. Do you have any epic last words for us?

Last words are for fools who haven't said enough! #okdoei