In the sprawling landscape of electronic music, authentic voices that cut through the noise are increasingly rare. Julian Fijma, the rising house music producer from North Holland, represents exactly that kind of singular talent. What started as a young artist traveling to Amsterdam for parties and record digging has evolved into a promising career marked by releases on respected labels like Eastenderz, UNLÍSH, PIV, and most recently, Three Six Zero Recordings.
Julian’s approach to production is refreshingly unpretentious – he creates his best work from his couch or dining table, armed with nothing more than a laptop and earbuds. Yet this simplicity belies the sophistication of his sound, which seamlessly blends punchy basslines, emotive textures, and tight, swinging grooves that have caught the attention of industry tastemakers worldwide.
His latest release, “Get Stupid,” marks a pivotal moment in his career. Born from a spontaneous one-hour creative session, the track has already begun charting internationally and exposing his music to new audiences across the globe. It’s a testament to Julian’s philosophy that the best art often comes when you least expect it, free from pressure and preconceptions.
In this conversation, Julian opens up about his rural Dutch roots, his evolving relationship with technology and AI in music production, and the delicate balance between maintaining artistic integrity while adapting to an ever-changing industry. From his humble beginnings in North Holland’s limited electronic scene to becoming “a name to watch” on the global stage, Julian’s story is one of passion, persistence, and the power of staying true to your craft.
1. Coming from North Holland’s electronic scene, how has that regional music community shaped your sound and approach to production?
The area that I come from in North Holland is pretty rural. There wasn’t much of an electronic music scene, especially in this type of house music. We usually travelled to Amsterdam to enjoy the parties and dig for records. I think living in an area without much going on might sound boring to a lot of people, but it really let me focus on production. It gave me a lot of freedom to explore music and the craft of making it.
2. Your signature style blends “punchy basslines, emotive textures, and tight, swinging grooves.” How did you develop this particular sonic identity, and what influences helped shape it?
Looking back at my musical taste through the years I guess this theme has always been quite prevalent in all genres I listened to. I gravitate towards music with strong melodic elements with lots of energy. Naturally this ended up becoming my musical style when it comes to producing. I think influences from going out inspired a lot of the music I make today as well. When I go out, I really try to pay attention. When a track excites me, I try to think what exactly it is about that track. When I dislike something, I try to make a mental note of that as well. Doing this throughout the years really homed in my taste.
3. You’ve released on labels like Eastenderz, UNLÍSH, and PIV before landing on Three Six Zero. How has your sound evolved across these different platforms?
My music is always and has always been evolving as I learn more, and as my taste develops. I try to make every body of work feel different but still keep that “Julian” sound. Throughout the years this has changed a lot. The tracks in my PIV EP are a lot more melodic, my Eastenderz EP has a dark sound to it, my UNLÍSH EP was generally more stripped back and hard hitting. To me it’s very important to keep thing fresh and try new things. Lately I have been really feeling the more emotional tracks, these can have such a big impact on the dancefloor.
4. “Get Stupid” marks your debut on Three Six Zero Recordings – what drew you to this label, and how does it feel to be part of their roster?
Three Six Zero Recordings felt like the right home quite early on. I was impressed by their previous releases. They manage to get the music to the right listers in the right way, to me that’s the most important job as label. Looking back at it now I can only say I made the right decision!
5. “Get Stupid” is described as built for “bustling late-night dancefloors.” Can you walk us through your creative process, do you always envision the club environment while producing?
I don’t always envision the club when I produce. For me it works best to go into the process without too many expectations and without too much pressure. When I go in with a clear mind, I tend to make the best music. That is also how ‘Get Stupid’ was born. During a session for a different track (my track ‘Up & Down’) I couldn’t quite figure a certain part out. To clear my mind from that track I gave myself 1 hour to make something new to hopefully spark some creativity. That 1 hour ended up becoming ‘Get Stupid’, I guess therefore the most impactful hour of my career.
6. Can you give us a peek into your studio setup? What are the essential pieces of gear or software that are crucial to achieving your signature sound?
My setup is actually quite simple; I don’t need much more than my laptop and earbuds or small Bluetooth speaker. I have a studio at home with a good quality monitoring system (Focal Trio STS6 for the nerds out there) but ironically, I make my best music on the couch or dining table. I find that this helps with reducing the pressure and helps being creative. When I feel a track is where it needs to be creatively, I tend to go over to the studio room to mix and finish the track. The speakers in my studio are quite big so this will give me a good indication into how a track will feel in the club.
I only work in the box so I don’t use any hardware synths. I feel hardware often just slows me down creatively. When it comes to plugins, I am quite a nerd, I can never have enough. Finding out about new plugins or tricks really excite me for some reason. Often in tracks I will just use a single plugin and try every aspect out, then for the next track I might use something entirely new.
7. With AI becoming increasingly prevalent in music production, what’s your perspective on how technology is changing the creative process? Do you see AI as a tool, a threat, or something else entirely for producers like yourself?
To me it seems that the options you named are not mutually exclusive, it’s probably a little of all of the above. I see AI as an extension of the already ongoing trend of technological developments. Back in the day making this genre of music was only reserved to the people that could get their hands on the hardware. Now young people like me can make music on their laptop without any formal music training. I am sure that with AI it will only become technically easier and easier to create music. As an artist I try not to be intimidated by technical developments. I always try to go along with the new and use that to my advantage in my process without diluting my sound. To me being an artist is much more than just the technical aspect of making music. There’s a lot intangible aspects to being an artist that AI simply can’t replace (hopefully).
8. Many artists struggle to balance studio time with touring demands. How do you manage to stay productive in the studio while maintaining an active DJ schedule?
Maintaining a balanced schedule can be quite difficult. However, to me making music is my way of winding down. When life gets busy, I always prioritise some studio time. This keeps me productive but also keeps my mind clear. I guess my setup helps a lot as well. As I work completely in the box, I can make music pretty much everywhere. Whenever I have some time on the road, I get my laptop and start working ideas.
9. Looking back at your journey so far, what’s been the most pivotal moment or release that really accelerated your career?
I think two have been most pivotal…
My Airtime EP ‘The Way’ was my first “successful” release back in December 2022. It got support from some of my favourite artists; it was also the first-time people started noticing me. Feeling that buzz and that energy really ignited something in me. From there it was game on!
I can feel that ‘Get Stupid’ will be another pivotal moment and already has before its release. My tracks have always performed well but nothing has charted or performed like this. It has exposed my music to so many people around the world. Hopefully I get to play for every single one of them!
10. As someone who’s quickly becoming “a name to watch,” what advice would you give to emerging producers trying to break through in today’s competitive electronic music landscape?
My advice would be to just enjoy your craft. If you enjoy it as much as I did, you probably also won’t be able to stop and naturally I think the rest follows. If this career has showed me anything is that with hard work and eagerness to learn, anything becomes possible. An important aspect of this is to not pressure yourself too much and just enjoy the ride. Nothing can get you of your game that way!