We recently got a golden opportunity to interview the young Big Room sensational artist, Maurice West from the Netherlands. He started off his journey at a very young age playing a variety of instruments including, piano, drums, and guitar. With stunning releases such as Love & Money,” “Festival of Lights”, “Yin Yang”, ‘Festival of Lights”(with KSHMR), the young prodigy has garnered heavy support from the top guns Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Hardwell, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Martin Garrix, Nicky Romero, W&W to name a few. He recently dropped an official remix of Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike ft. Era Istrefi – Selfish.
We got an amazing opportunity to chat with him, go through this amazing interview we had with Maurice to know more about his journey so far!
1. Firstly, your music style has a separate and unique vibe which surely differs you from the rest of the producers out there. What’s the secret behind your massive supersaws and uplifting big room melodies?
Maurice: First of all, thank you, that’s a huge compliment! There isn’t really a secret to music. I think the power lies in the harmonic aspect of the songs. You can have the coolest and biggest synths ever but they’re not gonna do their justice if they play an “okay” melody or chord progression. For me, the melody is the most important element of my songs and that’s also why I always start with the melody when producing a new song.
2. You recently released “Matrix” with the legendary duo W&W, how was your experience working with the bosses of Rave Culture (ex: Mainstage Music) and is there anything more we could expect from you three? Also, congratulations on the release of “Matrix” we all really loved this one!
Maurice: Working with them was so cool! ‘Matrix’ started from an idea that I made and I loved their vision on it. We produced the whole thing in their studio together and tested it out all summer long. In the meantime, we’ve been tweaking it until perfection but we’re super happy with the end result. We’ve definitely been working on other songs as well. There’s a new one that both of us are gonna be playing during this summer actually.
3. How do you usually start your day and what is the main source of inspiration to produce music? Is there any particular schedule/plan you follow or do the ideas come to your head at any time randomly.
Maurice: I always start with food. I eat a LOT and I just can’t function or think without eating. During each and every day I draw inspiration from all sorts of different music that I pick up from anywhere. I listen to a lot of music anyway but I’ve also gotten really inspired by hearing random stuff on the radio or in a movie. The weird thing is my brain stores all of these melodies in a special place in my head, merges all that information together and makes me new melodies from all of it. So at really random moments, I can get the most amazing idea for a song and then I have to rush to my laptop. Welcome to my life haha.
4. Have you ever visited India? If no, should we expect you to see here anytime soon? We would honestly love a Maurice West India Tour!
Maurice: No I have not but I really want to! The love I get from Indian people online is just so overwhelming. I’d be really honored to visit their beautiful country one day and do a few shows there and be able to thank them for their support, in person. There’s nothing planned as of yet but let’s hope we can make a tour happen anytime soon!
5. Throughout your entire musical career till now as a part of the “Maurice West” project, when did you feel sure that you wanted to do music full-time and how has your journey been till now?
Maurice: There was a time when I was still experimenting with dance music in Garageband, just for fun. I think I was about 12. Then I figured if I want to actually give this a shot I should step up my game and get the software that the big guys were working in. I was really into Skrillex so that’s why I started making my tracks in Ableton. I absolutely loved being able to make my own tracks and was always showing them to my friends. Music was always a big part of my life but now I found out that being a DJ and an electronic music producer was what I wanted to be.
6. What advise would you give to the upcoming producers to make their way out in this fast-paced music industry?
Maurice: My advice is to not care about literally anything that the others are doing. Be weird. Follow your own path. Most importantly, find your own style and exploit that. Find your own identity and grow with it. Stand for the music that you are making and stick with your own sound.
7. Big ups to the Maurice West merchandise you launched, the hoodies are absolutely amazing! Could you tell us in brief about any of your future projects and goals you’ve set and planned for 2019? Also, what motivates you to keep this amazing Big Room spirit alive?
Maurice: Glad you like them! They’re actually gonna be on sale really soon and I’m honestly really happy how they turned out. They’re so comfy! I’m working on a lot of solo music right now because this year I wanna make a really clear point on what Maurice West is about. We’re planning to make the music, the experience you get during my shows and the stuff you see online all blend together. The people that listen to my music and always support what I do are 100% what I do this for. Also, I feel like everywhere you go Big Room is still alive and well but it just doesn’t show that much online or in Spotify streams for example. Still, every time when I play “The Kick” at a festival or in a club everybody sings along to the melody.
8. Any special message to your fan-base in India?
Maurice: You’re always showing me so much love online and I hope I’ll be able to give you guys some love and cool music back when I get to visit your country. Hope to see you soon!
Make sure you keep an eye on him & follow him across all his social media handles!
Follow Me