Showtek is a revered Dutch DJ/producer duo consisting of Wouter Janssen and Sjoerd Janssen, who’ve been actively producing their unique take on dance music since 2001. The brothers dominated the underground hardstyle scene until 2011. They were most known for their songs, ‘FTS’ , ‘The Colours Of The Harder Style’ and ‘Black’, just to name a few. After a decade of being on top of the hardstyle scene, selling out solo shows and releasing two artists’ albums it was time for a change and a new challenge.
The following year, their style of dance music slightly shifted with the onset of the EDM boom, which paid off in the form of multiple groundbreaking smash hits. These include 2012’s collaborative track with Hardwell, ‘How We Do’, 2013’s ‘Get Loose’, ‘Cannonball’, ‘Booyah’, ‘We Like To Party’, 2014’s ‘Bouncer’, and platinum-awarded ‘Bad’ with David Guetta and VASSY, all of which currently collectively sit at an impressive 564,000,000 combined streams via Spotify and almost 1 billion views on YouTube to-date. Nearing two decades since its inception, this well-established act is now creatively pursuing the world of pop in full force, with a worldly, culturally-infused urban flair.
THE INTERVIEW
CR: Hello Wouter and Sjoerd, Glad to have you on Canadian Ravers how are you doing?
W: Thank you! Feeling inspired!
S: Doing great! Just moved into my new place in LA, so it’s been hectic but good!
CR: Tell us a little bit about yourselves, your musical journey and where did the name ‘Showtek’ come from?
W: We are two brothers from Eindhoven, in The Netherlands. Started making music out of a passion for music. Wouter played the piano since he was a kid and had a love for hip-hop and dance music. Sjoerd was captured by harder styles of dance, and when we combined our passion and common interest Showtek was born which has our initials in it.
S: Yes, it was originally Sjowteck! (Sjo from Sjoerd and ow - from Wouter). We then changed it to SHOWTECK because it sounded better. The TECK comes from us loving TECHNO music and that’s what we started to produce first back in 2000. When our first single was pressed on vinyl, it came out wrong and it said: Showtek , which looked even better! We decided to keep it!
CR: Vérité hasn't been around for very long, how did you connect with her, and what were your inspirations for the track ‘Pour It Down’?
W: Vérité is a great singer. She was introduced by a friend from NYC where I (Wouter) live part time. We both love her writing and the sound of vocals.
S: The idea was to produce a pop/house song with a good vibe. Something that you can listen to in a club, in the car, or on the beach. It’s just a vibe!
CR: You guys have been in the scene for so long and have changed your style of music as the scene has evolved, what is that one genre you like to dabble in that your followers might not be aware of?
W: We both love 'drum n bass' influenced dance music, so be prepared.
S: Yeah, acts like Prodigy, Faithless, and Rudimental inspired us a lot! We like to blend music and cultures, so it never gets boring!
CR: Since you guys have been to Canada before, which show has left the best impression on you? Are you planning to come back this year?
W: We both spend a lot of time in Toronto. Sjoerd is in Montreal a lot, Wouter in Toronto. Canada is an amazing country, beautiful scenery, great people, and just one of the best places in the world!
S: Yes, both our spouses are Canadian! I go there 3 times a year to visit family and obviously do shows! We just played ILESONIQ in Montreal not too long ago and it was super cool, but obviously there are great parties everywhere! I have to mention that I love Vancouver too, it’s an amazing city!
CR: As a DJ/Producer, what is the best advice you’ve received and who gave it to you?
W: There hasn't been one particular quote or direction someone gave us, but I think the freedom of following our curiosity which our mom always supported is the best thing that happened to us. It's very important to let someone figure out their path in life. Advice is only applicable if it is mouldable to an individual situation, otherwise it's too personal and not relevant, and just someone's own experience.
S: We have worked with a lot of different artists and from all of them we have learned something: Tiësto, Major Lazer, David Guetta, etc. It’s very important to be open-minded and don’t let your ego block your growth!
CR: We know it is fun producing/DJing with your brother, has there ever been a disagreement between you two over a track you produced?
W: You have to disagree in a group or multiple person situation in order to find common ground, that’s also the only way to move forward. So yeah many of these moments, but they are relative. We try to treat Showtek as a thing we're both committed to in our own way, doing what's best for Showtek.
S: I knocked wouter’s teeth out a few times, but for the rest it’s all love :)
CR: SKINK, your record label, consistently releases new music from established and emerging
artists alike. Is there any advice you’d share with aspiring producers?
W: Don't follow the trends, create your own.
S: I agree. We try to create a platform for musicians and producers who can have creative freedom to make something fresh and innovative.
CR: What is a regular day like for you guys when you are not producing music and DJing?
W: I'm in the studio all the time. I like my coffee break and workouts. We both work out a lot.
S: We are actually always working, if we are not producing music we are on the road. But on real off days, I spend time with my wife or friends. No matter what day it is, I always manage to get a workout in.
CR: What are some of your goals for 2022, anything our readers should know about?
W: We are working on our album and a couple of collaboration projects; we will push out way more music!! The pandemic was a great time to focus on production, new ideas, reinventing the sound, the direction, and creating unique and fresh ideas.
S: On a personal level, I’ve spent a lot of time with my friends and family over the last two years. It made me realize how precious those relationships are. Work will always be number one, but the time I had with my friends and family is very special and I need to keep that happening.
Lightning Round
Texting or talking?
W: Depends on the day, mostly text
S: Talking
Coffee or tea?
W: Coffee in the morning, tea at night
S: Same here
Hard liquor or Wine?
W: WINE
S: Kombucha
Cake or pie?
W: Apple Pie
S: Apple Pie, YES!
Hot dogs or hamburgers
W: Burger (Beyond ) We don’t eat meat
S: Impossible burger is good too :)
Xbox or PlayStation?
W: PlayStation
S: Nintendo haha
Movie theatre or arcade?
W: Movie Theatre
S: Movies
Guitar or piano?
W: Piano first
S: Samples, haha
Marvel or DC Comics?
W: No preference
S: Marvel
Dog or cat?
W: Dog
S: Dogsssssss
Hot weather or cold weather?
W: Man, this is impossible, 50/50
S: Fuck, I love the cold, but I need some sun!! 50/50
SHOWTEK SOCIALS