What happens when classical training meets the raw energy of the dancefloor? For Clas51fied, the Dutch electronic artist, the answer lies somewhere between orchestral arrangements and improvised live sets, between discipline and spontaneity, between who he was and who he’s become.
In this interview, he opens up about his evolution from hungover party-goer to focused composer, the eight-year sobriety journey that transformed his artistry, and why his debut vocal performance, a reimagined Radiohead classic, became one of the most personal releases of his career. We dive deep into his unique live setup, his concerns about AI’s role in creativity, and why he believes the real magic happens in the space between the stage and the studio.
1. Your journey started in film and TV composition before moving into electronic music. What was the pivotal moment that made you want to shift your focus to the dancefloor?
Interestingly, my journey actually started on the dancefloor. When I was very young, I attended my first major event ,Extrema on New Year’s Eve in 2005/2006 and seeing a DJ control the energy of a crowd with those records was a defining moment for me. I remember thinking, “I want to do that one day.” At the time, I had no idea how long the road would be, or how much work it takes to make not just decent music, but truly great music.
Film and TV composition came later, as I began to dig deeper into music itself. I started playing piano at a young age, which opened up a completely different world for me. a goldmine of harmony, melody, and musical storytelling. Through film music, I learned how to create emotion, tension, and narrative, and over time I realized those same tools could be just as powerful on the dancefloor. That realization became the bridge between cinematic composition and electronic music for me.
2. You’ve worked with orchestras and classical musicians in the past. How does that experience influence the way you approach creating dancefloor oriented music?
Working with orchestras and classical musicians made me much more aware of the full musical spectrum, timbre, dynamics, and spatial balance. When you read a score and see how different instruments interact melodically and dynamically, you gain a deep understanding of how music functions as a living system rather than just a collection of sounds.
Melody plays a central role in that world, and even though a lot of contemporary dance music focuses more on texture and rhythm, I still believe melody is essential. When I’m producing, I consciously try to use the entire frequency spectrum in a musical way, making sure each element has space, purpose, and emotional weight.
One moment that really stayed with me was standing near a conductor during rehearsals. The conductor sits right in the sweet spot of the orchestra, and you immediately realize that the physical placement of the musicians is essentially a live version of a mix. You hear balance, depth, and separation in real time. That experience strongly influences how I approach mixing and arrangement in the DAW . I think about instruments as if they’re positioned in a physical space, not just stacked on top of each other.
That orchestral background doesn’t necessarily translate into an immediate or obvious effect on the dancefloor. A crowd won’t consciously notice those details in the moment. But it has a huge impact on my musicality as a whole
3. Can you walk us through what’s happening on stage during one of your sets, and how much is planned versus improvised?
A typical set starts well before I step on stage. In the studio, I select a handful of my own released and unreleased tracks, and often combine them with themes or musical ideas that are widely recognizable, for example from film or other sources. I spend time experimenting with how these elements work together, and then build custom clips and scenes in Ableton Live, mainly focused on rhythm, structure, and transitions.
That preparation phase is quite detailed, but not rigid. I keep a separate document where I track keys, chord progressions, and melodic ideas, mainly as a musical map. It’s there to guide me, not to lock me in , leaving space for improvisation is essential.
On stage, I set up my gear, which includes an APC40, my laptop, a synthesizer, a Nord Stage piano, and a few smaller MIDI controllers and effects. Once the first scene is triggered, everything starts to unfold live. I usually begin by playing the bassline, then gradually introduce chords, and finally melodies. Because I know exactly which key I’m in, I can freely play with consonance and dissonance, creating tension and release in real time.
That setup gives me full control over the music. I can loop or stretch sections as long as the moment demands, strip the beat down to just hi-hats, or completely remove the drums and rebuild the groove from scratch. Every element is accessible, which creates a strong sense of freedom and allows me to respond to the energy of the crowd. Each performance ends up being unique, even if the core material is the same.
4. Given that your live performances involve building tracks layer by layer in real time, do you find yourself more creatively inspired and free on stage, or is the studio where the real magic happens for you?
I usually record my live sets, because every musician knows that sometimes you accidentally discover a melody, rhythm, or concept you would never have found by consciously searching for it. I see those moments as small gifts from the universe, and I try to handle them with care.
My live set is often a rough, evolving version of ideas that I will later refine in the studio. Being on stage removes overthinking , the music has to move forward and that pressure often leads to more instinctive and honest decisions. A lot of my strongest ideas are born through improvisation during performances.
The studio, on the other hand, is where those raw ideas are carefully shaped, structured, and polished. For me, the real magic doesn’t belong exclusively to one place; it happens in the exchange between live performance and studio work, where spontaneous moments are transformed into finished tracks.
5. Your recent EP on Manual Music marks a significant moment, not just as a reimagining of a classic Radiohead track, but as your debut using your own voice. Can you take us inside the creative process of developing “Mirror Without A Face”? How did you approach writing new lyrics and vocals for it, and what was the journey like from initial concept to the final arrangement?
It’s actually a funny and very personal story. I kept hearing the original song everywhere at the time. It became a real trend on platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok and that distinctive chord progression really stuck with me. It has a way of touching something deep emotionally. I started exploring it on the piano, and from there I developed an initial version that I could use in my live set.
Quite early on, I felt the track needed a vocal to fully express its emotional weight. Around that time, I had just started taking singing lessons and was literally working my way through books like Singing for Dummies and Songwriting for Dummies. Still, I had never let anyone hear my singing before. I wasn’t confident at all and didn’t really like my own voice.
The original idea was simply to create a rough vocal demo similar to a voice-over so a vocalist could understand the rhythm, phrasing, and emotional tone of the lyrics. By chance, my sister was visiting while I was working on it, and she said, “Hey, this sounds really cool,” without even realizing it was my voice. That moment completely surprised me. Her reaction gave me the confidence to take the idea seriously and consider singing it myself.
From there, I continued taking lessons, refining both the lyrics and the vocal delivery, and gradually the track evolved into its final form. What started as a live concept turned into something very personal , my first time using my own voice on a release. Releasing it on Manual Music felt like the right home for it, and the journey from initial idea to finished arrangement ended up being as transformative as the song itself.
6. The track got official clearance from Radiohead, which is no small feat. What was that process like?
For me, the process was mainly about patience. Clearance is something that’s largely out of your hands as an artist, so once the track was finished, it was really a matter of trusting the process and waiting. I was genuinely grateful that Manual Music was willing to put in the time and effort to make it happen, because that kind of support isn’t something you can take for granted.
When the clearance from Radiohead finally came through, it felt incredibly rewarding. This track is very personal to me, and honestly one of the strongest pieces of music I’ve ever made. Knowing it could be released officially, with full approval, made the whole journey feel complete. It turned a deeply personal project into something I could finally share with the world in the right way.
7. AI tools are rapidly changing music production, from arrangement assistants to vocal synthesis. How do you view AI’s role in the creative process?
I think Generative AI reflects something that’s very present in Western society right now. The idea of the magic pill or the quick fix. Everything has to be easy. That mentality shows up everywhere, from advertising to productivity culture, and I’m personally quite cautious about it when it comes to art.
As an assistant, I don’t have a problem with AI at all. Tools that help with organization, workflow, or technical tasks can be genuinely useful and can free up time for creative decisions. Where I struggle is with fully generative AI that replaces the creative process itself. For me, that risks removing the very thing that makes making music meaningful.
I’ve been playing the piano for over ten years, and only now do I feel I can play with real confidence and read notation fluently. That journey took time, discipline, and a lot of effort. the same is true for producing music. It’s not always easy, but the process itself is beautiful, because it shapes who you become as an artist and person.
When you finally create a track you’re proud of, the reward comes even before anyone else hears it. That sense of growth and ownership is irreplaceable. My concern is that if we lean too heavily on shortcuts, future generations may lose touch with the value of learning difficult things and with the deeper satisfaction that comes from mastering a craft.
8. The Netherlands has a rich electronic music scene spanning everything from harder styles to deep melodic sounds. How has being based there shaped your artistic development and opportunities?
Being based in the Netherlands has definitely shaped me, though maybe not in the most obvious way at first. We have such a rich and accessible electronic music scene that there’s always something happening. Events, parties, inspiration everywhere. In my early years as an artist, I didn’t always handle that environment very well. I spent a lot of time partying, often hungover, and I hadn’t yet developed the discipline needed to truly master my craft.
Looking back, alcohol became a kind of glass ceiling for me. It limited my focus and slowed down my artistic growth, even though the potential was always there. That wasn’t the fault of the scene, it was a personal learning process.
Over the past eight years, I’ve been mostly sober, and that change gave me something incredibly valuable: time, clarity, and consistency. It allowed me to really work on my skills, refine my sound, and understand who I am as an artist. Now I feel grounded, with a clear vision and a strong sense of direction. In that way, the Dutch scene didn’t just influence my opportunities, it ultimately pushed me to grow up, take responsibility, and fully commit to my artistic path.
9. For producers and DJs just starting out who want to develop a unique sound rather than chase trends, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from your journey so far?
The difficult reality today is that if you want your music to be heard, there’s often pressure to compromise, to “water things down” a bit so they fit into current trends. And to some extent, that’s part of the game. But the most important lesson I’ve learned is that you still need the courage to do your own thing.
Take inspiration from artists you genuinely admire, study what moves you about their music, but don’t copy the surface. Filter those influences through your own experiences, tastes, and limitations. That’s where a personal sound starts to emerge.
Above all, stay true to yourself, even if that means not everyone immediately understands or approves of what you’re doing. Trends are temporary, they come and go. But if you commit to something honest and personal, you’ll eventually create music that feels genuine and real. And when the moment comes that your sound connects with a wider audience, that success feels much more meaningful, because it’s built on who you truly are rather than what was popular at the time.
10. What’s on the horizon for 2026? Are there new sonic territories you’re planning to explore, or any shifts in how you approach either your studio releases or live shows?
2026 feels like a year of expansion for me. I have several new releases already lined up, which continue to develop the musical world I’ve been building over the past years. At the same time, I’m giving myself space to recharge, I’ll be spending about five weeks in New Zealand and Australia visiting family.
On the live side, I’m planning to further expand my performance setup. I’m always looking for ways to make the live show more expressive and fluid, and I have my eye on a new synthesizer that could open up some interesting sonic possibilities on stage.
Overall, 2026 is less about drastic change and more about deepening what I already do, refining my sound, evolving the live experience, and staying curious without losing focus.
Buy the EP here