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Q&A with Tommy the Sound
The last few months we’ve seen two releases by Tommy the Sound. We thought this would be a good reason to do a little Q&A with Tommy.
Can you introduce yourself?
I am Tommy the Sound, born near the Dutch city of Utrecht. When I was eleven house music caught my attention. My DJ adventure started out in my hometown where I played at several local bars. In a few years time I got booked in some of the hottest clubs around the country. When I was 18 years old I met DJ Jean, who invited me to play at the famous Madhouse Nights at Club iT in Amsterdam.
After many years of playing music I also started producing. After a few years I teamed up with JVA (Mike Luck), together we formed the ‘Essential Groovers’. We had our own radio show (Bigger than Life Radio on Dance Tunes) and released on labels like Dirty Soul and Big & Dirty. When this collaboration ended I started focusing on my solo career as Tommy the Sound, creating house/techhouse.
What or who got you into DJ’ing/Producing?
I always had an interest in music, even as a youngster. At the age of twelve me and two friends had a drive-in show and played at the notorious school parties. After that I just went up to a bar to see if they needed a dj. Two weeks later I started playing there. It was not until I was 25 before I started producing music as well.
What usually inspires you to produce a track?
For me, producing usually is just a feeling. Good tracks or festivals can give me ideas however.
How would you describe your production style?
It’s a mix of House/Techhouse/Energetic/House/Clubhouse/Groovyhouse.
What kind of hardware/software do you use?
Motu MKIII combined with Zaolla cables and Genelec active speakers, custom build Windows pc with Steinberg (Cubase) a lot of tiny plug ins and for sounds Reaktor, Corona, Sylenth, Nexus and a couple more.
Do you have any favorite plugins or other tools you are willing to share with us?
I like the Corona plugin and I am a big fan of using a ‘gate’ on my channels.
Do you have other releases coming up soon? Or cool collaborations in the studio?
Yes, a lot of new music is coming up and I am busy with two collaborations at the moment and possibly even more in the near future.
What was your best, most fun or weirdest experience so far as a DJ/Producer?
Besides the ‘regular’ groupie stories my record bags frequently got involved in these moments. I actually managed to get one driven over by a car while it was resting on the street after a gig. Taking the wrong record bag to your gig is not to be recommended. Neither is taking the wrong needle off the turntable while playing in front of 2000 people nor taking last minute bookings for Club iT, a 50 kilometer drive in 30 minutes…
Who would you like to, or hope to work with in the future?
For now I’m very busy with my solo career. My goal is to set my name as Tommy the Sound and to bring you guys some awesome new tracks.
Do you have any tips, tricks or suggestions for upcoming talent or other DJ’s/Producers?
Be patient! Don’t think you will be the next Tiësto or Afrojack in half a year. Create a good network of people around you and ask questions if you don’t understand! You are an entrepreneur and you must arrange a lot of things for your business. Don’t give up!
Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
Tommy the Sound is coming up! : -)
At Döner Records we sure hope so! You can still check out Tommy the Sound’s EP, The Fonky Funk/Like That and Lost Organ/Double Trouble at all major download portals.
