Terminal V Podcast 017 || Joyhauser

Belgian techno stars Joyhauser take control of podcast episode 017 and being products of the 90’s trance and techno scene their productions and DJ sets are equally full of energy. Coupling pounding rhythms with big room soundscapes and decades of music history Joyhauser present a sound that speaks to what has gone before them while at the same time firmly looking to the horizon.

Having blown up in the last few years Stijn and Joris are consistently attacking the various taste making charts the world over. A quick look at their discography will tell you all you need to know just why that is. The pair will be making their long awaited Scottish debut when they turn out at Terminal V Festival in October and there is no doubt in our mind that the pair will blow minds and melt hearts. We caught up with the deadly duo to pick their brain on their life in the fast lane and of course their music…

 

 

 

Hi lads, how has your year been going so far?

It’s going well, or better: relatively good! You can’t say it’s going great when you’re at home for over a year, right? In the beginning of this crisis we enjoyed our time off from touring, we toured for 2 years straight without some decent time off in between. Later on we did start worrying about our future as DJ’s. This is all taking much longer than everybody expected. The uncertainty that came with that wasn’t a pleasant feeling. In the end we always tried to stay positive though, we made the best of the year with some nice releases and livestreams. We started selling our very own beer and a had a lot of fun in the process of doing so. Right now though we’re more than ready for everything to get back to normal. Just a bit more patience!

What do you have planned for that first weekend out of lockdown?

Straight to the bar for a ton of draft beers and some good food afterwards. Seriously we miss this so much. Full support for the hospitality industry! It would also be really nice to have a big gathering of friends. We missed so much people during the last year.

How have you been preparing the restarting of nightlife? Any new projects in the offing?

In September last year our very own radio show started airing on Studio Brussels. A refreshing alternative to playing for live crowds. It pushed us to keep on searching for good music week after week. When we’ll finally go back to touring we’ll have loads of bomb tracks to play for our fans.

Also it was our initial goal to release an album this year. We started working on tracks for that project in the beginning of 2020. Due to Covid however, the timing just didn’t feel right and we decided to postpone the album for another year. It’s coming for sure!

You have clearly been busy in the studio, what has been happening lately and what do you have coming up?

That’s right like we mention above we worked already on some cool new productions for our album. For this year our release schema is quiet full already again. First we had our pigment ep last month on terminal M and now in June we have our first ep on the mighty filth on acid, Reinier Zonnevelds label. What will happen after summer you will see later.

Your ‘Pigment’ EP on Terminal M is already doing really well in the charts. Tell us about the release and your process for writing it? (When, where, why did you write it)

We made our Pigment EP in the first months of lockdown. It’s kind of a tribute to the dark club nights we’ve been missing so much. Dark, chaotic, sweaty, strobe lighted nights. We really miss the energy those nights gave us week after week.

Your previous Terminal M release is a reworking of the trance classic by PUSH, what made you choose this track to rework and what is your history with the track?

We have been big fans of Push since we were youngsters. Mike (Push) is a true legend in Belgium and Strange World was one of his biggest releases. It’s always been our favourite trance track, since we were. In 2018 we already made an unofficial remix, which we only played at our show at Pukkelpop Belgium and one other occasion. When Push asked us to do an official remix we were excited as hell! It’s kind of nerve wrecking to do a rework of an already perfect track but we did the best we could. The Joyhauser 2020 remix sounds nothing like the unofficial one we did earlier, in a good way! (laughing)

Along with your Terminal M tracks you have also released on Drumcode and Pan Pot’s Second State, what other labels do you have your sights set on?

Terminal M is our home label and will always be. We have such a great and special connection with Monika. She believed in us from the start and gave us the opportunity to release our first EP on a big label. Musically it’s also the label that leans closest to our style of music.

On the other hand it’s also important to keep on pushing and developing yourself. Second State is an excellent label for our straighter techno stuff, while Drumcode fills in yet another gap of our sound. We’re talking with Reinier Zonneveld’s Filth On Acid label to do a release in the near future, that will mainly be to showcase the harder ravey side on the Joyhauser spectrum.

Give us a lowdown on your podcast for us, any new acts in there that we should be keeping an eye out for?

Well, we ourselves discovered Vikthor & Oscar Aguilera. They signed a new EP on Terminal M and we’re loving the tracks.

Be sure to keep an eye out for Trudge (last track). We totally love the last stuff he’s been putting out lately. The track by Jacidorex and Raito is also ace!

Which part of your mix most reflects the type of set you will be playing at Terminal V?

As we will be playing one of the last sets of the night we’ll probably play a bit harder than usual, more like the last 20-30 minutes of the mix. Nothing is set in stone though, it all depends on how we experience the vibe on the night itself.

What else can we expect from your set at Terminal V?

Lots of new Joyhauser work, that’s for sure. We’re really looking forward to our set at Terminal V, it will probably be the best night we’ll have since a very very long time and we’re sure the crowd will go mental as well. Can it be October already?

Interview by  Stu Todd