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Two years ago almost to the day, a couple of really cool guys from Amsterdam released their first EP, "The Wrap Around." Within mere months they were playing Panorama Bar live, releasing more stellar cuts, launching their own label and consistently carving their space in the scene of what I like to dub real, true house music. Yes, this is Detroit Swindle.
For them, when it comes to music, it’s all about the vibe. And this is apparent when you listen to their tracks, as they manage to encompass soul, hip hop, Motown, house and techno into a sound synonymous with their name (the Detroit, not the Swindle!). After being a big fan of their music since the beginning, I was delighted to get the chance to chat to Maarten, one half of the Dutch duo, about their meteoric and hugely deserved rise over the last two years, their new “Boxed Out” LP, which comes out today, and endeavour to discover whether the rumours are true – do they really make a good Sunday roast?
You just got back from Horizon Festival in Bulgaria – How was the festival? Which do you prefer, snow festival or sunny festival? And who’s the better skier?! Ah well, Lars is not here so I can definitely say I’m the better snowboarder! The festival and general vibe were great. I like smaller festivals; this had maybe 1500 people over the whole village. It needs a bit of time for people to understand how it works, but I think every festival needs a few years for that. The setup of the main stage was great; it was next to a beautiful hotel on the slopes with pine trees all around and beautiful projections everywhere and the snow gave a really nice cushioning to the sound. The day we arrived there was so much snowfall we were lucky to get up the mountain at all, but it meant the next day we had a great time on the slopes as well. Actually, both Lars and I have had quite serious snowboard accidents – Lars broke his arm seven years ago and I broke my collarbone ten years ago. Lars tried to go snowboarding two times after but didn’t really feel comfortable. I knew that I had to go the year after my accident straight away cause I knew I’d be scared, so I did an even bigger jump to get over the fear and I landed it! Lars is a really natural snowboarder as well so I think we’re both equal actually. Snow festivals are weird; you’re playing in venues you’d normally never go to unless you were drunk on Jägermeister! But it’s a fun combination. I think summer festivals are a bit more natural because everyone’s just chilling on the beach and listening to music. Both have their charm.
You’ve just finished your Asia/Oz/NZ tour. When you’re travelling, do you find you are inspired or distracted by your surroundings with regards to making music? We do a lot of stuff on the road. From the moment we started getting some attention, we’ve been touring a lot, so it was kind of a necessity for us. It’s something we’re used to, I’m not sure if it’s more or less inspiring than being in the studio. When you’re stuck on a plane for hours, you can sleep ![]()
or read, but you can also grab your laptop and explore some synths!
You’ve come so far in just two years. Looking at your journey so far from “TWA” to your new album “Boxed Out,” what do you think are the most important lessons you’ve learnt about this industry? Wow that’s a difficult question! We’re the best example I think of an “underground” act getting popular in a super short amount of time. After our second EP, we worked on our live set, and within four months after “The Wrap Around” we were playing Panorama Bar live! We’ve learnt you have to stay relaxed, and focus on the reasons why you started doing what you’re doing. For us, that’s just to produce and play music that we love. There are so many distractions when playing and when partying. People that you’ve worshipped for all your life, or artists who are really huge, suddenly contact you and ask you to do a record or play with them. Sometimes it’s hard to stay focussed on what you want and keep your integrity. That’s one of the things that we’ve really been hammering on for ourselves. We’re in this for our own reasons, and all the decisions that we make need to work with why we started this.
Let’s talk more about the new LP – It’s a stellar collection of tracks that have the strength to stand alone but work perfectly listened to collectively. Any tracks in particular you’re really proud of? Any that proved harder to finish? There are a few tracks where we had difficulties finding the right mix. We wanted to make them rougher than usual. We worked on “He’s Just This Guy, You Know?!” for ages to get the right punch, kick and sub in it. That was hard work! We're happy with it now. I think we’re both happy with the two more hip hoppy tracks. We wanted to tackle something new, and both tracks really show the influence we had when we started producing, old school Motown stuff. Those tracks are really special to us. Working with Mayer Hawthorne was something we’ll never forget, and the track worked out amazing. Overall we’re happy with the album. We’re also happy that it’s done!
The use of vocals throughout “Boxed Out” is really stunning. What’s your process with vocals usually? Do you feel inspired by a vocal sample then find a track almost writes itself around the vocal, or do you write the track then find the vocals? We’ve had both set ups work. Like we have a cool instrumental then we come across a vocal that seems to work perfectly with the vibe, you recognise the groove and mess around with it. For the Mayer Hawthorne track we had pretty much ¾ of the instrumental done, sent it to him, he wrote the whole vocal part, and then we recorded it together – we didn’t know what it was going to be like until he sang it. There’s no strict set up for us. As with most things we do, it’s based on the vibe of the moment – whatever works, works!
There must be moments when being a pair is a blessing and others when it’s a curse. What have been your biggest success and your biggest challenge as a duo? I think the biggest challenge for us is to give the best part of the other room. We both have our specialities - sometimes they really work well together and sometimes they clash, Lars has one idea and I have another. I think the challenge is to make it something that works for both of us. I think the biggest blessing is that we’re super good friends and travelling so much is good fun instead of a weary tiring process. We’re buddies, sitting next to each other on the plane, having fun! Both of us couldn’t do this without the other.
Your music really is timeless – we could listen to this in 50 years time and it would still be really great house music. What’s your secret to this sound? And what do you think a track needs to have to be "timeless?" Wow, that’s a good question! We don’t really talk about it a lot but it’s something that’s really important to both of us. One of the things that plays a big role for us when we’re producing and finishing a track is that it’s not based on any type of hit genre – something that’s working well at the moment. So instead of producing something because you know it’s going to work, sell well, or be played a lot in 2014, the music that comes out is not something we think about in advance, it’s just something that comes out of us. It’s hard to say. It’s really a subtle process. If I was to say why our music would be timeless, I think it’s because it’s more about energy and a vibe, and less about certain elements that make a hit record.
You often post photos of amazing things you’ve eaten, and I’ve heard you make a really good roast. If Detroit Swindle’s music was a meal, what would it be? Well we both love to cook, and were big fans of the Asian kitchen. But to say it would be a sushi platter is a bit too narrow. We try to make a broad perspective, and use different genres, deeper stuff, more techno, more hip-hop related. I think it might be an all out barbeque. Burgers, ribs, fish… The whole nine yards!
When you’re back in Amsterdam and you get a chance to chill, where do you like to go? We both live in the West of Amsterdam. There are some really nice bars like Razmataz, which is right in between our houses, so we’ll meet there for a coffee. And there’s a nice park called Westerpark. There’s a place near my house where I can get a coffee and there’s a playground for my little girl Lola, so I can sit in the sun and watch her mess around for an hour or so. Sometimes Lars and I will meet there when Lola’s messing around in the sand and we’re talking to-do lists!
I used to go to the nicest Mexican restaurant there, Rosa’s Cantina, every time I visited for years. Not sure if that’s even still there now! Oh yeah it still exists! When I was young my parents used to take me there every few months, because it was all you can eat nachos and stuff, the really good ones! There’s a bunch of good Mexicans but I think this one is quite a classic; it’s been around for so long.
Finally, summer plans? We’ve got our album release party in Amsterdam Saturday 29th March in Studio 80. We’ve been working towards this with loads of people to make it a really fun night for all our friends and everyone who helped out with the production and promotion; it’ll be a big celebration. The album is out today, and just before summer we're going to put out the single, “64 Ways feat Mayer Hawthorne” with three remixes. We’re doing a few really cool remixes too, but I can’t say what they are. We have a bunch of festivals in the UK and Holland too, including playing Glastonbury and a boat party at The Garden Party; they’ll be super fun. Then we’re going back to the US first 2 weeks of August for another tour. We’ll be busy!
Catch Detroit Swindle at their album release party, The Great Escape, at Studio 80 on March 29th with Cuthead.
Listen to Detroit Swindle on Pulse Radio.
or read, but you can also grab your laptop and explore some synths!
