TomorroWorld is days, even hours, away from kicking off its inaugural festival in Chattahoochee and hundreds of DJs are flocking down south to make it special. Enter Jaz von D. Netherlands native and bubbling dance act, Jaz has most recently joined Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano on tour and in the studio. With a musical style and preference similar to the duo, and the durability that matches their capabilities in the booth, Jaz is on a strong campaign as a rising electro whiz who can offer a wide range of talents. Catch him this weekend at TomorrowWorld, but get to know him first.

Where did you begin DJing and producing, and when was it that you started to feel like you were going to make a breakthrough into American scene?

I started at a young age (15) in a club up north in Holland where I opened every saturday for all the big DjJs who where booked in the club. I did this for 1.5 year long and it really taught me how you open a night and guide it from point A to B. After doing a lot of gigs in Holland for 2 years I felt i needed to take the next step,.Slowly I started with developing the international career and really happy i can do this for a living and really hope i can bring my sound global.

How did you first connect with Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano?

This was in the club where i was resident in Holland, they heard me play and where impressed by my age and the way i played my music.

Has touring with Sunnery & Ryan taught you anything, or is there anything you’ve learned from them in the booth or on the road?

Yeah they taught me a lot! Luckily we think the same about how you enter a night and close one, but the big thing they taught me is to keep a energy level in your set and spread that over the night, so we can play DJ sets for 3/5 hours long and the crowd is not tired after a hour or 2. Another big thing they taught me is to keep believe in what you do and love. I guess if they not told me that I would do something way more predictable and not develop a own sound!

What atmosphere do you try to create with your DJ sets in a club, and what atmosphere in a festival?

This question I love to answer because its pretty much the same for me. I always try to build a bridge in my DJ sets between both worlds starting with more underground and ending mainstream. my love for the raw beats is huge but I am also a guy who can really appreciate a great progressive hook in a more mainstream track. That’s the reason why I would play both tracks in my sets. Main thing with this is its need to have a certain amount of groove in it.

What are some of the tracks you’re playing in your sets now? And what are some of the songs you’re listening to on your iPod that you don’t play in a DJ set.

Here is a small peak in my collection, as you can see when I listen to my iPod I always try to escape the high energy radio sounds and relax a bit.

DJ SET:

Destructo – Higher

Kanye West – New Slaves (Jaz von D vs A Beat 2K13 Bootleg)

Nicky Romero vs Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano – S.O.T.U

Steve Angello vs Matisse & Sadko – SLVR

iPod:

Yuna – Lullabies

Laura Mvula- Green Garden

Drake ft Sampha – Too Much

Joris Voorn – Ringo

What have you been working on, who have you been working with, and what can fans expect next from you?

I been working on a lot of stuff i am pretty much all the time in the studio if i am not travelling, i love to play a lot of own tunes in my DJ sets so come check me out on that if your curious. i am also busy signing a few originals from myself to all kind of cool labels and hope to finish the collab with SJ RM soon! they can also expect a follow up on my old track Rave Nation who Steve Angello still plays in his sets.

Check out Jaz’s “New Slaves” edit:

Tags: jaz von d, tomorrowworld

Categories: Music