DJ Isaac Interview

In this man's view, music always changes but it in a circular - "MUSIC always repeats Itself”, chimes DJ Isaac. "I have changed my style a few times over the years. I have played hardcore, house, trance, hard trance and hardstyle and I love it all." Indeed, Isaac has been passionate about music since he was a little kid. Listening to and recording music was a quirky curiosity that turned into a fashionable pastime and then a career. "At the age of 15, I started making remixes for Dutch radio stations. The only equipment I had was one turntable, a cheap Casio sampler and a tape recorder. At the same time I started as a DJ in a small club but no one really liked my 'weird' music. They preferred to have listened to Guns 'n Roses instead of my techno beats. Some promoters really liked my style and booked me for house parties. With the money I made, I bought some keyboards and a computer, and in 1995 I released my first E.P. called Bad : Dreams which became a huge club hit. From then, I started to get booked all over the world. I never really decided to be become a DJ. I was born as one." Make no mistake, as a gifted DJ, Isaac has been credited with making a considerable contribution to the success and growth of the hardstyle genre. With a focus on trying to keep things different, he accepts that it's a love-it or hate-it kind of sound. But he won't be a follower; rather he sees him self as a visionary and pioneer - someone who isn't afraid of taking calculated risks or pushing the boundaries a little. "The thing is I have always tried to create a different sound. Right now, everyone is making tracks with pitched kicks and trancy melodies. It's cool, but instead of that, I'm trying something else. When I released my first hardstyle song called On the Edge, the label manager didn't want to release it because it was too strange and too hard. It was just a new style. Being different is the only way to become big and stay big out there!" To that end, he setup the X-Rate imprint as a means of releasing his own tracks. However he adds, "l'm not trying to sign new artists because I am too picky and I will drive my artist's nuts! I do everything myself - producing my music, creating the covers, licensing - the works! I don't like to depend on a record company or label manager!" And in turn, Isaac is about to release The Sound Of The Underground on his label. And while there are no plans for an artist album just yet, he sees it as a bit of a pipe dream that one day may see the light.