A Musical Approach

The Netherlands' DJs may be identified with trance or 'dirty' house, but Joris Voorn, based in Amsterdam, is repping a Dutch techno tradition that goes back to 'honorary Detroiter' Steve Rachmad. Voorn's intricate 2009 Balance 014 was hailed as game-changing – and comparable to Richie Hawtin's reconfigurations of the mix-CD. This season the Sven Väth-endorsed DJ/producer, again playing Ibiza, has assembled another compilation, Cocoon Heroes (with Cassy). And it, too, is unique. “My approach to the Cocoon CD has been almost like making a 'light' version of Balance 14 and definitely more dancefloor-oriented,” Voorn says. “The Cocoon CD is a representation of the club night in Ibiza, at least to a certain extent, so it's less experimental and more beats-driven for that reason. Still, I've used the same techniques as my Balance CD – cutting up all the tracks in Ableton Live and doing a lot of heavy editing. One of the reasons I like doing this is that the mix will be different than any other podcast or live recorded DJ mix that can be downloaded for free.”

Like most genres, techno occasionally succumbs to 'retromania'. But Voorn, who presides over the labels Rejected Music (generally dancefloor-geared) and Green (deeper fare), is one who, like Janus, simultaneously looks to the past and the future – straddling minimal, maximal and the avant-garde. Curiously, Voorn studied architecture, working in the field for two years before fully committing to music in 2003 (his father is a composer).

The Dutchman, breakthrough track, Incident on Technasia's Sino, is progressing on his third 'artist' album – the follow-up to 2007's free-ranging From A Deep Place. Initially, Voorn planned an even more experimental project, “something completely different” – possibly minus four-to-the-floor beats. “But”, he confesses, “it was difficult getting things right.” He's since retreated to his “comfort zone” of house and techno, while retaining that leftfield stance. As for his sound? “The funny thing is that nowadays it's not that different from when I just started in 1996 – [there's] still a lot of house and techno influences mixed in one style,” Voorn says. “In the more dancefloor-oriented tech-house sound of today, you can hear a lot of '90s references and samples. I'm working on some very melodic tracks in the studio – they have a more musical approach than some of the stuff I play in my DJ sets, which for me is very refreshing.”

Three years ago Voorn suggested that Detroit techno is unlikely to ever make a comeback, being “too deep, too melodic and maybe too specific” – or “dated”. Yet Cocoon Heroes closes with a '90s 'remix' of Derrick May's Strings Of Life. ”I was absolutely wrong about that – don't ever listen to me again,” Voorn laughs. “The last few years I haven't been much of a flag carrier for the Detroit sound – I think I just wanted to do something else for a change. But what comes around goes around. I'm very much interested in melodies again at the moment. Maybe I won't play the same notes and chords as in the usual Detroit classics, but their influence might be just around the corner.” On Balance 014 Voorn likewise snuck in Goldie's drum'n'bass Timeless. And, early on, he gravitated to dubstep, the music then the 'new' Detroit techno. But, he quips, ”the monstrous sound it has today is very far from my personal music aesthetic.”

Voorn is well established globally, but he's not complacent. ”You'll always have to come with something new – [and] aspire to new generations of people listening to music and going out to clubs.”

His countryman Tiësto was recently named the world's richest DJ, his net worth $65 million. “Hmmm… I'd love to be in that list,” Voorn responds good-humouredly, “but I'm nowhere near.” For now, he's about fulfilling creative ambitions. Once his next album, Voorn means to embark on more live dates, this time involving something other than the now ubiquitous laptop set-up. The DJ is returning to Australia for Stereosonic 2012, with talk of his factoring in some of his beloved club shows. “I hope I can do one or two small things on the side, but we'll see what's possible.”