At age 16, Reinier Zonneveld nearly enrolled in a conservatory to become a classical pianist — but luckily for techno lovers, he ditched the prospect of filling concert halls and traded it in for clubland reveries. The Dutch producer’s compositional skills stayed with him, however, and the music he produces — both solo and in tandem with the likes of Oliver Heldens and Carl Cox — are defined by creative arrangements and powerful sound design, while never straying far from the thump-thump of the dancefloor. Megan Venzin caught up with the Filth On Acid label honcho to find out more about his love of live improvisation, his refusal to be pigeonholed, and his evolution from a piano-plunking kid into a crafter of peak-time bangers.
Zonneveld makes music that sounds great over a world-class soundsystem, but it’s unlikely that he’ll ever play on the amazing setup that sits, 3600 miles away, in an unlikely space: a Coney Island bumpercar rink. The system — boasting components from Richard Long, the famed sound man responsible for the sonic magic at such hallowed halls as the Paradise Garage and Zanzibar — rivals that of most of the world’s best club soundsystems, and surpasses many of them. The system’s been in place since the disco era; for the last seven years, sound engineer Dan Prosseda has kept it booming, and Vivian Host caught up with him to find out more.
You’ll also find conversations with Christopher Willits, the Ghostly International mainstay who’s just put out one of the most immersive ambient albums you’re likely to hear; Chicago’s Javonntte, whose soulfully emotive version of house music rarely fails to hit the spot; the preternaturally talented Sudan Archives, who’s about to drop her sophomore LP on the Stones Throw label; and lots more. As always, you’ll find album reviews, tech news and columns, too — summer may be coming to a close, after all, but clubbing season goes on and on and on.
Bruce Tantum
Editor