DJ Maestro: Road to Success

DJ Maestro can surely be called on the of the founders of Jazz DJs. We had the honor of interviewing Martijn at our office in Amsterdam. While enjoying a cup of coffee, which Martijn loves so much, we talked about his career and future plans. Keep reading to find out more about this famous DJ.

DJ Maestro

Interview with trendsetter DJ Maestro

Let's start at the beginning: when and how did your love for jazz begin?

Actually quite young, when I was 15 or 16 years old. I started DJing a bit at the hockey club and tennis club and sometimes even at school during breaks. After that, I was pretty much done with the standard disco music we were playing back then and I developed an interest in hiphop, but I don't like rap. So I started digging through all kinds of hip-hop records, looking for samples that were used by hiphoppers. That's how I started to discover groove and jazz.

I didn't have much money at the time, so I would go to flea markets. People were also throwing away vinyl records, because everyone was switching to CDs. I would take any record that was by funky artists. I wish that, with today's knowledge, I would go out on the streets again and look for good vinyl records. That's how I got into groove and jazz. It was and still is what I like best.

What's a day in the life of a DJ Maestro like?

Coffee and cigarettes. Apart from that, I spend a lot of time on the computer. I programme the radio station Jazz de Ville. It has four channels, so it's a lot of work. I also try to discover new music by searching record shops. Later on I also walk around. The other day I found a very old record of mine for 3 euros. I always buy them when I see them and then I give the record to someone else. Those are the main things and on weekdays I also spend time with my daughter.

You have had the opportunity to release many great albums. Which is your favourite, or which one did you enjoy the most during the making of the album?

The first one I released on Blue Note was very special because it was a dream of mine to one day sign with Blue Note. However, that album was put together very quickly, really in 2 or 3 hours. In that time I had fished and grouped together all my favourite Blue Note songs, which was pretty quick. The second one sold better, but I was incredibly sad at the time. That's why there are all these weird songs. To create it, I went on a boat and brought a big bag of CDs with me. I have a lot of memories of that.

Little Girl Blue - Maestro remix

The radio station we also talked about a bit earlier, Jazz de Ville, where did it come from and what was the idea behind it?

I used to be a programmer and director of Arrow Jazz FM, which later became Sublime FM. Eventually, I stopped because I couldn't do what I wanted there. Then I founded Jazz de Ville. We have a lot of listeners but we are still not making money. That's why I'm going to build an app soon and get people to pay per month. Similar to what you see everywhere now with Spotify and Netflix etc. The difference with other radio stations is that Jazz de Ville really has 4 'mood' stations. If you want something quiet you put on the 'chill' channel, and during work you can for example put on the 'groove' channel. But the most popular channel is the real jazz channel. It makes sense, hence the name.

Music has changed a lot over the years. How have you personally experienced all these changes and what strikes you the most? Maybe music has also become more elekctonic nowadays?

Exactly, but there are always counter-moves too. When I became known with Blue Note Trip the music had been very electronic before then, and then it came as a counter-movement with lounge music. I also followed that movement to a certain extent. Today it's all very electronic, with techno, etc. So, I think there will be a counter-movement for more organic music in the coming times.

What I find unfortunate is that nowadays everyone calls themselves a DJ. That with a sync button press you can pretend you can mix. That's why I've always played vinyl and why I emphasize that I'm a DJ. With vinyl spinning, I think it's nice that you show that you bought the records, that you took the effort to find that music.

What is the best moment of your career so far and what would you still like to achieve or do?

Signing with Blue Note is really the best thing that has happened in my career. It has allowed me to travel a lot and that has opened a lot of doors. What I would like to do is to play at Montreal Jazz.

DJ Maestro and his vinyl collection

Do you have any tips you want to share with our Gigstarter artists/DJs?

Yes, follow your own path and make your own music. I was lucky that you could get famous with a compilation LP or mix album as it was still possible back then. Nowadays they hardly make that anymore. Now you really have to make your own music, eventually you will be booked for something unique. I also see making remixes as making your own music.

Would you like to say something yourself, something which we didn't ask?

Yes, I want to tell you the story as to why I became a DJ. I just like to make people dance. As I became better known I was also allowed to perform on larger stages, but I don't really like that. When I started to DJ at school parties, I was simultaneously washing glasses and DJing in a corner of the room. Back then I would stick my head around the corner to see if everything was going well and then I would see that they were all dancing.

For me, it's not so much about the attention that's involved. You shouldn't really look at a DJ at all either, yes only if it's a really good scratcher maybe. If someone is only filming with his phone because there is a great artist spinning and not dancing, I think that's nonsense. People should really come for the music. That's why I like to bring musicians, people can enjoy watching and it also makes it more interesting musically.

Thank you DJ Maestro for answering our questions and your time!

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Tags: dj maestro, dj, jazz, nina simone, blue note trip, jazz de ville, sublime fm