Apr 20, 2017
Brooks Exclusive Mix
We are delighted to present an Exclusive Mix and Story from Brooks! With big Showtek and Bassjackers collaborations already out this year, he and Martin Garrix just released their own collab called “Byte.” Premiered by Martin Garrix at Ultra this year, “Byte” was a highly anticipated work between the two following up on Brooks’s huge official remix of “Scared To Be Lonely.” Dance away to his mix and enjoy a look inside the world of one of the hottest producers of 2017!
How did you approach your Exclusive Mix and how does the mix compare with your live sets?
I've released a lot of tracks lately so I definitely wanted to include those! But this mix is also a pretty good example of the tracks that I really like and play in my sets at the moment!
Can you highlight three tracks that you included and what make them stand out to you?
1. Jonas Aden – “David & Goliath.” Jonas has been a good friend for quite some time now, we've spent a lot of time in the studio together and I've always loved his tracks! It's been a while since he released new music so I'm really excited to include his upcoming track.
2. Dirty Palm – “Krew.” Dirty Palm is actually pretty new to me, but a couple of friends showed me his tracks and I think they're sick! Haven't really seen his name before so I figured this was a good way to give his track the attention it deserves.
3. Martin Garrix & Brooks – “Byte.” This may sound a bit corny, but like any other DJ/producer it's pretty much a dream to work with Martin Garrix, so I'm really proud to include my collab with him in this mix as well!
How did the chance for your remix of “Scared To Be Lonely” come about? What elements of the original did you want to preserve and how do you feel you’ve made the track your own?
I was so excited when I got the news about the remix, I loved the original and the vocals are really dope so I couldn't wait to get to the studio.
The main thing I always try to do with a remix is work out something special with the key elements, which in this case were the vocals and the drop synth. For me the most important part was to give it that future house/electro Brooks vibe so that it would work well live! I've added some more layers on the vocals, tried to use those drop synths in an original way, and tried to make it as energetic as possible!
What does it mean to you for Martin to be playing your remix in his live sets on the biggest stages across the world?
It's insane! Like I said, Martin is one of those guys that pretty much everyone in the scene looks up to, so to have him playing multiple of your tracks in every set is unreal!
And of course we have to ask about your new collab “Byte” with Martin, premiered by him at Ultra this year. Can you talk about your experience working together on that track?
It was great! I have to admit, while I was on my way to his studio in Amsterdam I was a little bit nervous haha, but the moment I got there everything was fine. He's such a chill guy and really easy to work with. We spent three days in a row in the studio and “Byte” was done! It's crazy to see how fast that all went down.
We love the vibe in your new track “On Our Own” with Showtek. Can you take us through the production process for that track starting at initial inspiration, and including work with the vocal, and arriving at the final production that we hear today?
Thanks! Well that’s quite a long story actually! I first started off making this pop/future bass beat just as an instrumental, but didn't really know what was missing in the track and what I needed to add to it. Then Wouter (half of Showtek) showed up, he loved the track and was working on a vocal that he didn’t know what to do with. Guess what? The instrumental and the vocals fit perfectly! Wouter and I stayed in the studio for about three days finalizing the project and eventually a first final was born. Everyone seemed to like it so then Sjoerd got involved (other half of Showtek) and we finished the track in about a week.
What’s your relationship like with the guys from Bassjackers? “Joyride” has been doing great! Can you talk a little about how that track came about as a follow up to “Alamo”?
My relationship with Bassjackers is amazing, they are one of the first 'big guys' to support my music and help me get noticed! I still send my new stuff to them every now and then for feedback haha. I think almost three years ago now we made “Alamo,” then some months back we started talking about how it's still getting a lot of support so why not make another collab? And that's exactly what we did! They came over to the studio, just like three years ago, and we started working on a track that eventually became “Joyride”!
With such an impressive start to the year, we can’t wait to see what you have in store for the future. Any big plans that you can share with us for this summer?
I'm really focusing in on some original tracks right now, since my last couple of releases were all collabs and remixes. It's not quite there yet, but I'm sure this next release is going to be a banger! For the first time in my career I have a really busy summer with lots of gigs all over the world, so with all of this happening right now, I couldn't be happier!
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