In this “Catch A New Wav” interview, we speak with the talented Jan Vercauteren.
Jan Vercauteren was raised in the suburbs of Brussels and he developed an early interest in techno and rave music. As soon as he began experimenting with his own compositions, it became obvious that he has great skill and love for creating straighforward dance-floor bangers. From there, the rest is history as he began performing at packed nightclubs and festivals across the world including Bootshaus, Fabrik, Rex Club, Rave Rebels, Verknipt, Extrema Outdoor, and Tomorrowland.
We learn a bit more about him.
Q: Who are some of your musical influences?
A: I started producing music the day after I went to a 90s techno party called “Repossesion: The First Ceremony.” It was back when the slower techno was pioneering in the European scene. Back then it was not that common to play faster than 136 BPM, only the retro techno parties where a little faster and that is where my love for harder and faster music began. I was really inspired by this one night in 2017 in Kompass club Ghent with artists such as CJ Bolland, Yves De Ruyter, MPIA3,… the day after this party, I immediately started producing 150 BPM techno influenced by 90s inserts.
Q: What’s your favorite part about being a musician?
A: The connection you create with the crowd with the music that you are playing I feel like is the best. It’s a good feeling when you see or hear people having a good time whilst you are just doing what you love to do.
Q: Who is somebody you always wanted to work with?
A: The first ever electronic music that I knew came from Daft Punk. So it’s safe to say that the first time I heard their music, I felt a connection with that music. The rhythmic and computerized sounds where something new and special for me even though I was still young.
Q: To date, what’s your most memorable music moment?
A: That is a hard question, there are so many. But if I have to choose, it would be the day my track “Hellpass” was released on Soundcloud. This was my first little breakthrough as I was so excited for this release because I was so proud of what I produced and I was so curious for the reactions on this track. I was really hoping for at least 10,000 views at that time but it turned out so much better. The track gained insane popularity alongside all my other tracks and that is when the first real international bookings started coming in.
Q: What does the immediate future hold for you in your artistic career?
A: More and better gigs! Now that I am with the Bliss Office agency, everything is vastly accelerating into a better and more manageable career. My creative side has had a downfall for a little while so I haven’t produced a lot of new material in the last year but it is slowly better better every day.
Thanks so much for sitting with us and follow Jan on Instagram and Soundcloud and enjoy some music below.