“Five records that shaped me, and why they’ll always matter. As a producer, DJ, and full-time music obsessive, there are some tracks that just stick. They don’t always have to be the biggest tunes or ones I play out all the time, but they mark a moment. A feeling. A chapter. These five records represent different stages of my journey in music – from the first time I felt the pull of electronic sound to the artists who’ve shaped how I think about rhythm, emotion, and storytelling on the dancefloor.”
Mark Fanciulli – The Tide (Joris Voorn Edit)
Label: Rejected
“If someone asked me what real tech house sounds like – like, the core of it – I’d hand them this record. “The Tide” is hypnotic without being boring. It grooves, but not in that rigid, aggressive way tech house sometimes leans into. It’s got this playful, rolling momentum to it. Then those vocals come in – spaced out, atmospheric – and suddenly you’re not just dancing, you’re floating. And the lead? It’s so cold, so clean, so sexy. Joris Voorn built a track here that’s simultaneously technical and soulful. A masterclass in restraint and groove.”
Weiss – Change Dat
Label: Dirtybird
“During my early days messing around in Ableton, Weiss was the guy I looked up to most. “Change Dat” is from a period when he was just on another level. It’s a house cut that doesn’t try too hard – it doesn’t need to. Everything about this track is cheeky. The vocals sound like a broken text-to-speech bot in a tiled bathroom, and the beat couldn’t be more stripped back. But it’s cool. It feels like it knows it’s cool and doesn’t care if you notice. The synth work is playful, almost teasing. There’s a confidence in that minimalism that really inspired me when I was trying to find my own sound.”
Chase West – Try
Label: Chaste Records
“This one hits a little differently. Chasewest isn’t just a legend in our scene – he’s a friend, and someone I’ve watched evolve over time. “Try” is one of those rare dance tracks that actually makes you feel something beyond the dancefloor. What I love about his music is that it always has a sense of story. Sometimes, the beat almost feels like an afterthought, because what really drives the track is the emotion – and that usually comes through the sample. In “Try,” there’s this undercurrent of longing, maybe even nostalgia or heartbreak. But it’s also warm, like it’s reminding you to be present. Chasewest has this gift of turning dance music into memory triggers. I’m proud of him.”
Yelle – À cause des garçons (Tepr Remix)
Label: Kitsune Musique
“This one’s a wildcard. I’ve never played it in a set. I’ve never made anything that sounds remotely like it. But this track represents my origin story with electronic music. I was living in Belgium during the peak of the Tecktonik dance craze. That whole blog house/electro-wave hit hard, and this remix was absolutely everywhere. We’d spend hours practicing dance routines in the schoolyard, filming silly clips, just vibing with it. Back then, we didn’t even call it Blog House – it was all Tecktonik to us. This remix was one of the first tracks that made me want to create. Not just listen or dance, but actually try making something of my own. It’s pure nostalgia, and even now, when I hear it, I remember exactly where I was.”
Reelow – M.O.N.E.Y
Label: Solid Grooves Records
“Trying to pick just one Reelow track feels wrong – so I picked one at random, because they all slap. “Money” just happens to be the one I landed on today. Reelow’s approach to groove is like a science experiment. He doesn’t rely on melodies or chord progressions – he builds his tracks around feel. The drum machine is his main instrument, and everything else – vocal snippets, sound FX, whatever – just slots in perfectly. He’s like a hip-hop producer who got tired of sitting still and started making tech house. His music moves with swagger, not structure. For me, Reelow is a reminder that you don’t need to overcomplicate things. If it grooves, it grooves.”