Where are you from? What is the music scene like, in the area where you are from?

I am from the east of the Netherlands. While the Dutch hardcore scene is very big, the area where I live is mostly rural. I like to live there, as I love nature and peace, but for my music the audience usually isn’t really big. Luckily, I get booked for gigs in the west of the Netherlands regularly

How did you come up with your DJ Name?

I wanted a name that kind of sounded like my real name, but not exactly. So that’s when I came up with Manic. It doesn’t really mean something, although in English I guess it means like you lose your mind or something, but this absolutely doesn’t have anything to do with me 😉 It just sounds nice I think.

What animal best personifies your music and why?

This is a hard question. It has to be some kind of mystical, obscure animal. I think a cobra would do the job. It is mystical and elegant, although deadly venomous. It can also dance hypnotically on the music.

What are you trying to convey with your music?  

-That is really different for each track. Usually I just like to try to create an atmosphere in a track that alters your mind, bringing you in some kind of hypnose. Like you get lost in the music, in the melody, the drums etc. Like you are traveling through another dimension and nothing around you is important anymore.

Can you describe the feeling you get when you’re on stage?

When there is a big crowd and everyone is dancing on a new track I just finished, I get goosebumps all over my body. I also get this feeling a lot when I am part of the crowd myself, but then it is purely induced by the music and the performance. When I perform myself, it is induced by the energy of the crowd. I love that feeling.

What moment do you cherish the most so far in your career as a DJ/artist or musician?

The moment I got contracted by my favorite record label: Cenobite Records.

What was the first song or album that you remember listening to?

– I think it was an Elvis record of the old vinyl collection of my mom. Can’t remember exactly which one it was, but I loved Elvis when I was about 7 years old.

What are your major influences?

When I started making hardcore techno, I listened a lot to trancecore/psycore/artcore style, like releases on Cenobite (obviously), Ruffneck, KNOR, H2OH, Mokum, etc. Later on I discovered goa/psytrance and acid techno and some harder derivatives. I think these are my major influences. I think my music is evolving all the time, and I think (and hope) it always will

Where do you see yourself a year from now?

I really have no idea. Things got a bit on the back burner for a while because I was busy with my study, but after releasing my second full album, this time together with my Slovakian partner in crime Csabi, I went full on producing again and bought a lot of new gear. I am also learning a lot of new sound design techniques, and I’m experimenting with performing live, also with various kinds of music styles, so I really don’t know where this all will bring me in a year. We will see I guess. One thing is for sure, I am not standing still 😉.

-Manic