PRUNK

GET TO KNOW - PRUNK

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We would love to hear all about your musical background. How did you first become interested in DJing and producing music, and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?

I am half Indonesian so on my mother's side music plays a big part. My uncle often played music with the golden earrings and my mother always sang for a long time. But my biggest inspiration is really my brother. He went to a lot of house parties when he was young. In the 90s he mainly went to gabber parties, but that later became more house & disco. He then gave me an album by Ian Pooley for my 11th birthday and with the message brother you will be a DJ and I will raise you with good music. My brother became a young father himself, so he didn't really have the ambition to become a DJ. I am extremely grateful to him for giving me CDs / vinyls of King Britt, Bugs In The Attic, Kerri Chandler, Moodymann, Defective compilations and so on. From that moment on I really had a goal I wanted to become a DJ and make it my job. From the age of 16 I started learning how to produce, resulting in one of my first releases when I was 18.

Which artists influenced you the most growing up?

Bob Sinclair was really one of my heroes. Been going to his gigs since I was 13 and bought all his albums. I especially loved The Mighty Bop alias, that was his jazz/funk/house alias.

How often do you listen to music in your personal life? And what do you listen to?

During the week I listen to a lot of music from new talents and then I actually hope to incorporate that music into my sets. When I'm in the car or listening to music at home in the living room, it's mainly disco / jazz but also gospel I'm religious and this music gives me peace. I also really like Hillsong's music.

Your tour calendar is getting busier every year. What has been your favorite place to perform so far and why?

Ibiza is my favorite destination because I come there almost twice a month in the summer. It really starts to feel like home because you now know a lot of people there and you can party but also relax very well. Last month I also played 2x in club Space in Miami, which was also a very special experience.

How did you develop your style and how would you describe it yourself?

When I just started playing you had the funky house genre, but I think that concept is something completely different now. But on big stages I turn a bit louder and also vocals, let's just call it house with funky and sometimes deep and soulful elements.

What kind of releases can we expect from you later in the year?

I don't have much planned this year as my album was recently released but there are a few nice things coming up like a release planned on Tamango by Yaya together with the talented Gaskin. I'm also working on an EP on my own label PIV and I was recently asked to do a remix on Defected for the legend Todd Edwards.

As a producer, where do you start, what is your creative process when you are about to develop a new idea?

That differs a lot, that depends on the weather or what I'm playing at that time during that period. Sometimes I just sit down and find a cool vocal or element and build something around that. For example, I recently found some old records and I plan to sample them, but I also have periods when I don't want to sample anything at all. At the moment I'm already thinking about a next new album and then I want to work with live artists a bit more.

Who are some new talented names on the scene from your perspective? Who do you fully support on their journey as DJ’s and producers?

M-High is our A&R from PIV and he is currently doing very well with his releases and DJ career. When I see what steps he has made in the past 2 years, I can only be proud. In terms of sound I also have a lot of confidence in Artmann, he is a good DJ and makes very nice house records. I have also recently been in contact with Marsolo and I think he is a very good producer, hopefully he can develop in a number of other areas and then I predict a bright future for him.

What is up next for you? What can we expect from you and anything special we should keep an eye out for?

At the moment things are going great with spinning and my label PIV. July 15th we're doing a festival with some great legends like Kerri Chandler, Mr G, Enzo Siragusa, Jeremy Underground and many more. I think we give something special with our festival where it's really about the music. In addition, many great tours are coming up, including next month in America with my debut in the Brooklyn Mirage in New York.

To wrap it up, if you had to describe with one phrase what electronic music is, you would say it is…

God is a DJ ;-)