DJ Chuckie is one of the biggest names in the Dutch house scene, and is fast becoming a global phenomenon. His eclectic sounds are versatile and innovative, weaving effortlessly between styles and genres; and his unique tracks, rife with climaxes, surprise effects and explosive beats, never fail to infuse the crowd with energy and euphoria. It’s no wonder he’s often dubbed the “Mix-King”.

He’s pumped dance floors all over the world, most notably when he opened for the 2008 edition of Sensation in Amsterdam in 2008, which earned him recognition from international heavyweights like Armin van Buuren and David Guetta. He has been officially recognised numerous times and won multiple awardsand he even has his own annual event Dirty Dutch, which has sold out every year since 2005. Without a doubt, DJ Chuckie will be a name to look out for in 2010, and he’s here for the first time to tour with the Good Vibrations Festival. ITM corners him to get the goss.

So DJ Chuckie, what projects are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I’m working on some remixes for Moby, Sidney Samson, Felix The Housecat, Estelle and Jermaine Dupri’s new artist Dondria. I’m so excited about these new remixes I’m doing because I’ve been working on a new sound for my remixes I do in 2010. Besides that I’m working on some dancefloor minded records, not really pop songs but more focussed on the clubs and festivals. I’ve also started to work on some tracks for my forthcoming album, which should be ready by the end of 2010. In between a very busy tour schedule I’m also helping local Dutch artists to prepare some releases for my own label Dirty Dutch Music.

Tell us about your musical roots in Suriname, South America.

When you grow up in a multicultural country like Suriname, it’s very obvious you are growing up with a wide range of music. As a kid I grew up listening to reggae, soul, soca, disco, calypso, zouk, merengue and traditional Surinamese and Caribbean music. I’m really happy that grew up with all these different types of music. It’s part of the foundation of my musical background. My dad used to be a radio jockey and he played more Western pop music. As a kid I used to listen to his radio shows a lot. I remember the breakdance scene was fresh, my first record I bought in Surinam was the Beatstreet soundtrack.

When you moved to the Netherlands, how did it affect your musical style and taste?

When I moved to Holland I used to watch a lot of MTV and really enjoyed this whole pop and rock culture. Depeche Mode, A-Ha, The Bangles, Culture Club, The Police to name a few, were dominating the charts back then. I also liked to tape songs from the radio as a youngster. In 1988 I discovered this weekly pirate radio show that on only played early breakbeat and drum n’ bass. I recorded that show every week and started cutting up tapes. Kind of my own mixtapes. In the early 90s hip hop was dominating my Walkman. I was a true B-boy. When I started DJing I started out as a hip hop DJ, but soon got bored because I really loved a lot of other genres too. So I ended up doing very eclectic sets with a hip hop mindstate. I used to spend a lot of time in record stores and couldn’t help it buying a lot of house music. Labels like Big Beat, Nervous Records and Strictly Rhythm were really some of my favourite labels back then.

Although your career has been steadily on the rise for several years, the international music scene officially took notice when you opened for Sensation in 2008. How did this affect your exposure and popularity?

For the local Dutch dance scene I was an established DJ, but for the rest of the world I was this new kid on the block. Because the live sets of Sensation are really popular downloads, people all over the downloaded my Sensation opening and started noticing what I was doing! At that same time people started to hear of my Let The Bass Kick record too. At exactly the same time I was working on some remixes for David Guetta. It all kind of synced and worked out really great for me. At the moment I’m doing more gigs outside of Holland than ever, I’m enjoying it!

Over the years, which artists have you most prominently drawn your influences from?

Music wise, it’s kind of hard to say. I would rather say that different subgenres influenced me a lot. Minimal and techno gave me a totally different view on house music. The structures are so different compared to ‘traditional’ house music. Lately I’m getting influenced by acid a lot.

Are there any new artists we should be looking out for on DJ Chuckie playlists?

For sure, Holland got so much talent. Local heroes like R3hab, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Shermanology, Hardwell and Afrojack are leaders of the new school to me. I’m also following a lot of international artists like Jacob Plant, Bar9, Sam La More, and Norman Doray and Arno Cost are killing it at the moment too!

What do you think about the state of the house scene at the moment and where do you think it is headed?

These are such exciting times for dance music. The international dance scene will soon rule all pop charts, but at the same time it will be stronger than ever in the underground. It’s not a secret that dance embraces so many different genres, this is the diversity which keeps it vibrant and ever evolving. House will be considered as world music in the next 24 months.

You are often referred to as the ‘Mix-King’ due to your versatility and ability to smoothly glide between sounds and genres. How would you best describe your style?
– I just do an eclectic mix of different subgenres of house music, with a hip hop mindstate. I wouldn’t say it’s rocket science, but it works for me.

You were originally a hip hop DJ. Why did you move from hip hop to house?

It’s part of my musical evolution. For me hip hop was fun in the 90s, off course I like artists like Lil Wayne too, but it’s so different nowadays. I feel that the music lost its essential ingredients. I’m inspired by Kenny Dope, who was also doing hip hop and house at the same time. I always visited house raves as a teenager and I’m buying house music since the early 90s, but things really got interesting for me when I developed a sound that really represented me. Producing house music opened a lot of doors for me and made my dreams come true. At the moment I work with so much hip hop artists on cross over records, that’s something I always wished for. I feel real comfortable now, but the journey continues.

Your own music event, Dirty Dutch, has been a huge success and is consistently expanding. What was the motivation behind it?

I started Dirty Dutch 5 years ago because I wanted to do parties in my own way, with my own door policy and my own entertainment and side acts. I was doing so many different parties but there was always something I didn’t like about a party. So I started my own “playground” where I could basically play anything I want. I can play techno, house or soulful and the crowd will have it without doubt. Musical freedom is what I stand for and Dirty Dutch is a reflection of my mind.

Your recent release Let The Bass Kick is becoming a real dancefloor banger. Is there a story behind this track?

When ID&T asked me to open up for Sensation 2008 they also asked me to produce a track for the compilation CD. Let The Bass Kick was the result. I wanted to do a typical Dutch record because I knew people all over the world will download this compilation. For me it was the perfect opportunity for me to get some exposure for our Dutch sound. I’m really happy that I took the chance and delivered that record because ID&T was giving me hard time because of the tight deadline!

Your real name is Clyde Narain. How did the name DJ Chuckie come about? Any affiliation with psychopathic children’s toys?

Where I grew up everybody had a nickname, some of my friends had nicknames because they were hiding from the police and some of them were just street artists. They gave me that name because I was that little bastard always looking for trouble, just like that doll Chucky in the film hahahah.

For all your Good Vibrations needs, check out ITM’s Festival Page for loads of news, interviews and more. National dates below…

Sat 13 Feb – Good Vibrations, Sydney
Sat 13 Feb – Chinese Laundry, Sydney
Sun 14 Feb – Good Vibrations, Perth
Sat 20 Feb – Good Vibrations, Gold Coast
Sun 21 Feb – Good Vibrations, Melbourne