Afrojack blending story, emotion into beats
Afrojack is a party machine – a hit-making Dutch DJ-producer (“Take Over Control”) who plays tonight at club Surrender, then spins Saturday at XS.
He tells me he’d like to expand his creative output by scoring music for movies and video games. He’s already been influenced by games.
“You know what? ‘Rock the House’ is basically based on the theme of ‘Final Fantasy VIII,’ a classical piece called ‘The Landing,’ ” he says.
“To score an entire video game would be cool. They create a whole different world. And that’s what I try to do when I go into the clubs.”
He uses music and visuals in clubs and on tour to create an escapist world for revelers, he says.
“From the moment you walk into the club to the moment you leave the club, you have to be in another zone,” he says.
“In Vegas, that’s the easiest to do, because the clubs are so beautiful and the people are so nice. That’s why I see Vegas as one of my homes around the world.”
As for movies, his taste in film music runs from the soundtrack of “Shrek 2” to the Hans Zimmer score for “Inception,” which he calls the best soundtrack ever.
“I used to watch the movie every time I was on the plane. And I watched it like 30 times. And then I realized I was watching it for the soundtrack, because the music is so great.”
His love of story is why he puts narratives in his songs.
“Outside of the energy that’s in my dance tracks, I also like to have a little bit of a story. It’s not all just buildup,” he says.
“I want the melodies to mean something, and not just, ‘Party, party, hey, hey.’ I also want to make room for the emotion.”
Here’s your club planner:
TONIGHT: Markus Schulz at Marquee. Afrojack at Surrender. Diplo at XS. Mike Attack at Moon.
SATURDAY: Afrojack at XS. Erick Morillo at Marquee. Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike at Surrender. Alie Layus at ghostbar dayclub. Champagne brunch party at Lavo Dayclub. Sabi with Sex Panther at Moon. (Playmate Brittany Binger at Crazy Horse III.)
SUNDAY: Nervo at XS. Brett Rubin at ghostbar.
MONDAY: Swanky Tunes at XS. Dirty South at Marquee.
TUESDAY: Exodus with Teenwolf at Moon.
WEDNESDAY: Chris Lake at Surrender. Wicky at Gallery.
THURSDAY: Jaime Zielinski fan-contest winner at Tao. Alie Layus and Mark Stylz at Moon.
Doug Elfman’s column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.
