150 bookings per year, mainly abroad and a lot of flying hours. This is what the life of the DJ duo Bassjackers looked like until two years ago. That is different now because of corona, but Marlon Flohr and Ralph van Hilst from Waalwijk did not sit still in the corner and managed to survive the crisis. “We’re lucky, but I’m worried about the future of the dance industry,” says Ralph.
The Bassjackers don’t think they’re pathetic and don’t want to be found. “We saved in the right time, didn’t waste money and kept costs low. We just fly economy class,” says Ralph from his music studio in Waalwijk.
“Of course we had a period of disappointment because all performances suddenly stopped, but we quickly started looking at what could be done,” says the music producer of the Bassjackers. Where he first mainly made music for shows with tens of thousands of frenzied partygoers, Ralph now also makes a lot of music for video games.
“We also game a lot ourselves and the energy of the music in it is comparable to that of a dance festival or club night,” he explains. Bassjackers, for example, made songs for the popular game Destiny† Because their music is used in it, rights have to be paid and so the chimney partly continues to smoke.
The music that Ralph makes is now also more suitable for listening at home, in the car or while exercising. “I used to make songs with a large jumping festival audience in mind. Only those people often listened because they were linked to great festival memories. There are hardly any now.”
Since last summer, Marlon, the DJ of the Bassjackers, was able to perform cautiously in America and Asia again. “He lives like a nomad abroad to keep doing shows,” Ralph says. The two friends last saw each other in Portugal in November.
According to Ralph, traveling is now better, but the Dutch were far from welcome abroad. “It was especially difficult for countries requiring a visa, so it was better for Marlon to stay there. Then he had nothing to do with a code red for the Netherlands.” Only that meant leaving home and hearth behind. Marlon was only in Brabant for four days in 2021.
That was not an option for Ralph, he will soon be a father for the second time. “To be honest, we have luck hanging on our ass. First we were allowed to make your hobby your profession and then even in such a time still manage.”
Still, the Bassjackers are very concerned about the dance scene. “Every industry needs new recruits to stay strong and evolve. Festivals and clubs are going to program more carefully, so there is less room for talent.” Ralph also doubts that all fans will just return. “The audience is getting older, we were gone for two years, are they still working with us?”
According to Ralph, the fact that nothing was possible for two years in terms of festivals and nightlife has also caused an enormous outflow of good people. “Brabant has such a beautiful festival culture, here you could make flying hours and experiment. We should cherish that culture.” According to him, musical and organizational talent must continue to be given a chance.
All the relaxations make the Bassjackers hopeful. They are ready for a fantastic festival summer, but have a lot to do with it. “The uncertainty is still there and it is disastrous.” Still, the Bassjackers can’t wait to work at big shows again, especially at home in their own Brabant.