Maurice West joined us for a chat at the Moooi pop-up studio at Nexus Lounge Amsterdam. He took part in our Take-5 series, talked about latest projects, and gave a glimpse of the ADE experience as an artist.
Maurice West is a Dutch producer making waves after his personal recruitment by W&W, a seasoned duo who launched Mainstage Music record label. He is best known for his remix of Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch” with fellow Dutch producer Hardwell. The remix boasts tens of millions of streams across listening platforms.
The young artist stays true to his roots while navigating the industry, offering the following words of wisdom:
“I feel like some DJs, especially Dutch DJs, have sort of forgotten that they’re an artist and they’re on stage. You’re not just there to plug in your USB, get the bag of money, and leave. I want to look like I’m there to perform, and to do a show, and to actually be recognized as an artist. I feel like it’s very important to look the part.”
He has certainly accomplished recognition as an artist, especially one with a unique, progressive sound. This is why it is not surprising that when asked which unconventional artist he would collaborate with, he immediately went to Stevie Wonder. “It’s not something that a dance music artist would do, but still, it would fit my sound,” he says.
His sound is definitely versatile; while his Steve Wonder collab would be “euphoric, really melodic, and upbeat,” he mentions that his latest project gets more into retro––“It’s not sampling old music, but it’s making it sound like it could have been released 20, 30 years ago.” His released music expands far and wide in genre.
On a lighter note, when asked which superpower he would choose between making animals talk, making food appear at will, and making plants grow, he excitedly chose food. Of the seven dwarves, he most identifies with Dopey. Many will relate to his reasoning, “I can be all over the place. I always need somebody with me that is, like, really punctual to make sure that I’m on time!”
To learn more about Maurice West, including why he would pick Steve Aoki as a companion for a year stranded in the Amazon Rainforest, check out our audio interview with him below:
