Interview with Jan van Lier

Loöq flagged down Jan van Lier in the midst of his South America tour.  His new single "Comet" is out today on Loöq Records.

Loöq: What was your inspiration for the track "Comet"?

JvL: I do a variety of styles. Some tracks are full-on dancefloor mayhem (One Through Seven, DeepRush, etc) and others more euphoric melodic dance music (Rishada, Comet, etc...) For me it's important to keep a balance because it allows me to stay fresh and not get hung up on a particular sound.

Comet started off with just trying out a few different sounds and modulations, and building the rest of the track around that. It ended up as a nice and big track to play towards the end of a set to have people reflect on the night they just had, which hopefully was a great one.

Loöq: Tell us about your current tour.

JvL: I'm in Lima, Peru for a few weeks, doing some shows and setting others up as I go along. I'm traveling to Cusco and Buenos Aires (Argentina) as well for a couple gigs, and returning to Machu Picchu for the third time in my life, which will surely provide me with years of inspiration. As a Peruvian, it's important for me to reconnect with the country every now and then, and the delicious food doesn't hurt either! The music scene here is very vibrant with many different styles, and I look forward to experiencing it all, from the traditional folkloric music of the Andes to the Salsa of the nightclubs in Lima, in addition of course to the dance music, which is very popular here.

Loöq: What producers are blowing your socks off at the moment?

JvL: Damn, so many! My good friends Taurus and Vaggeli from Philly are definitely some of my favorites right now, and I have actually done sets of exclusively my music along with theirs which are always a hit. Their sound is new and unique and that's the most important thing that I look for in music to play. I think some other wicked producers who consistently blow my mind with their productions are Ramon Tapia, Kid Dub, Olivier Giacomotto, Robot Needs Oil, Carlo Lio, Kobbe, Sebastien Leger, Eric Prydz, and on a less dancefloor level, M83 who I think is just one of the best musical acts to come about in the last 10 years, period.

Loöq: What's the oldest track in your record bag/cd case/hard drive … the one that keeps on giving?

JvL: "Glamour Profession" by Steely Dan, though it takes a really special party to pull that one out. On a more dancefloor tip I have this record called "Coast" by Sedona on Rampant records. It's a funky breaks/house masterpiece that pretty much always works. So either that or the Oliver Lieb mix of "Hope" by Illuminatus but that's really more just for listening and nostalia's sake.

Loöq: What's the most extreme thing you've done in the name of music?

JvL: Well, there was the time I wrestled a lion, jumped out of a fiery airplane, and crossed the border illegally to play a set for the Maharajah of Bombay... but if word got out about that I would probably be deported, so we'll have to settle for this one.... One time a few years back I rode in the bed of a 1985 Toyota pickup 10 hours all the way to Portland (and back) to play at a 3-day outdoor festival in the pouring rain. My shoes and socks got so drenched that I took the protective plastic covers of two of my records and put them around my feet on the inside of my shoes so my feet would not freeze. I ended up playing a very extended set which was not only very fun, but one of the most memorable musical experiences of my life. Also, my friends and I used to drag a full-sized sound system up to the top of the tallest mountain in Humboldt to throw free full-moon parties for crazy Humboldt ravers every month. For some reason though, that always struck me as quite normal, lol.

Loöq: You get the mud-raving medal of honor.  We are deliriously happy to have another Jan van Lier release on Loöq Records.  You'll have to tell us all about the tour when you return!

Jan van Lier's new single "Comet" is out now on Loöq Records (click the Music button on the left to list)