‘Just Do It!” Delete reveals the purpose of VIP, his unique productions & his studio!

Delete is just one of the handful of Australian artists who has taken his productions to an international scale. Renowned for his hard-hitting and underground sound that also boasts accessible touch, this Theracords’ artist has undoubtedly made his mark with tracks like “Just Do It,” “Ghetto,” “Dismissed” and “Fast Lane.” Earning his spot on the most prestigious line-ups in 2015, Delete also made his mark on Supremacy with the launch of his exclusive act ‘Delete VIP.’ With the VIP an abbreviation for ‘variation in production,’ there’s quite an interesting story behind this act, which is why we had the honour to catch up with this fellow Aussie to talk about some of his plans for the act, his unique productions and much more!

– We’re kind of still recovering from the very first Delete VIP at Supremacy. Can you tell us about your experience on this incredible night?
The launch of Delete VIP at Supremacy was really amazing! It was the perfect event to launch my new live-act as it’s fully dedicated to raw hardstyle and in my opinion Supremacy is one of the best events of the year. I couldn’t be happier with how it went down. It was a lot of work in the studio leading up to the event so finally revealing all that new material live in front of that crowd was a great experience!

– What was your first reaction when you saw that huge crowd standing beneath you at Supremacy?
It was a mix between “fuck yeah!” and “holy shit!” At the time it was the biggest crowd I’ve performed in front of and also the fact that I was doing something completely new made the adrenaline pump even more than usual!

– When and how did you come up with the idea of Delete VIP?
I had the idea to do a live-act for some time and I always wanted to do something new with it so it would be a new and unique experience. Over the years I’ve had so many ideas that have never made it to the public and also so many variations of tracks. I’m always changing things in my tracks even though the original ideas I had were cool. I guess I’m always trying new things and they seem to replace other things in the final versions of my tracks, so I thought it would be cool to bring all those variations to life and present them to the crowd in a live environment whilst giving myself a platform to create new variations of older tracks. It ends up being a nice mixture of old and new.

– Can you explain what VIP stands for?
VIP stands for ‘Variation In Production’ and is a term used mostly in other genres to name edits of tracks used in live sets that offer some variation in the track, but never intended for release. I like the VIP tag and thought it suited the live-act name perfectly! The only thing is I’ve taken the variation thing way beyond what a standard VIP edit would entail and some tracks I’ve almost completely remixed in a totally different way rather than just editing slightly. I also take the name a step further by adding variation to every performance where I won’t just replay the same edits each time. So the name goes with the performances as well as the tracks themselves.

– What makes your live-set different from the others?
I guess my explanation before shows how different it is to the standard live-acts, but another thing that makes it unique is that by each performance I have new tracks that I can fuck around with and then take older tracks that I haven’t messed with yet and give them the VIP treatment. I can also take others and do something totally different with them or combine elements from several tracks to create a super mash-up style edit. Basically every time is a new experience!

– The crowd’s response to ‘Delete VIP’ at Supremacy was immense! How do you feel about the public’s comments and huge support of the concept?
I’m really happy with the responses and feedback. I think the Delete sound in general is quite underground compared to most raw hardstyle, but with Delete VIP I went even further and really went back to my roots bringing in lots of gated style kicks and industrial influences but then giving them a new twist. I did of course mix it up so there was lots of variety with more newer and classic sounds, but I think people really appreciate the different sound as it gives something new and fresh in what I believe is becoming a repetitive and ‘copy-cat’ genre. It’s always my goal to bring something different to the table and I’m so happy that I’ve had huge support with doing this!

– Which VIP edit are you currently most proud of?
That’s a tough question. For me I’m proud of the diversity between them. For example my ‘Level VIP’ edit is totally different to say the ‘Syndrome VIP’ edit. I’m proud of both equally in different ways and also all the others, although some took a lot more work and so are probably more rewarding but I can’t really single out one of the bunch at the moment!

– Are you planning on releasing some VIP edits or do people need to hear them exclusively at your live-set?
I haven’t completely decided yet. The original plan was to keep them exclusive for the VIP sets only, but I don’t want to be greedy and not share them so maybe eventually i’ll be releasing them. Who knows. I don’t want to leave my fans empty-handed in the end (besides the live memories) but, I love the idea of keeping the live experience as exclusive as possible so for now that is how it will be!

– Besides the launch of Delete VIP you also spoke about the possibility of releasing an album. Is there anything you can say about that now?
I think most of my fans expect an album as my next step, however, like Delete VIP, I want to take my time planning it right and not rush it. For me it will be a chance to really explore and experiment with my sound. If I do it I want to be completely satisfied and so I want to push my sound development even further and do something ground-breaking rather than just release a collection of many tracks that showcases where am I in that point in time. So an album is possible in the future but I won’t guarantee anything just yet!

– You’ve just been announced as a part of the Qapital line-up to perform an exclusive Delete VIP set, what can visitors expect from the night?
I’m really excited for Qapital! For a bit of a taste you can listen tp my liveset from Supremacy on the Art of Dance SoundCloud page (soundcloud.com/officialartofdance).
Each VIP performance I want to make unique and special so expect new edits of more tracks, new and old with high energy through the whole set with lots of suprises!

– I’d like to speak about one of your 2015 releases “Just Do It,” which is seriously a sick track! What inspired it and how has the public’s response been on it?
“Just Do It” started as a fun track as I really loved the Shia Labeouf parody’s that came out and thought the vocals were perfect for a track. I really love the motivational vocals as it’s something powerful you can shout but without it being all about death and chaos. It’s actually very positive and inspiring and the track itself is quite simple yet catchy. I wanted to make it sound a little more old-school; going back to when hardstyle was just ‘hard’ yet still had a positive vibe. It got picked up really well with great response and support so I’m really stoked with that!

– You’re renowned for having one of the most distinguishable sounds in hardstyle, for you, what’s the importance of staying original?
I think staying original is key. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I had a standard sound and style. Being unique is what makes you stand out from the rest. The one thing that irritates me a bit about the raw scene is that most of the rising talents just aim to sound like the big guys, like Radical Redemption for example, copying his signatures. Sure, their tracks will probably get supported, but they will never make it too far beyond that unless they craft a style they can stand for individually. Of course you have to develop your sound and signature so let’s hope that happens more as these artists grow.

But it’s not only about individual success. The raw scene depends on innovation and diversity in order to survive. Each artist needs to contribute in some way to make the scene constantly fresh and not just repeat itself over and over. Otherwise the genre will crash and burn like many other genres that become popular in the past. I don’t want it to be just a hype, and I’m sure all the other artists and fans don’t either. My one wish would be for some more originality and diversity in our scene and less ‘copy-cat’ing.

– What does it mean for you to be a part of the Theracords family?
Theracords has been a great family and has allowed me to bring out my sound as it is without compromise. I think that the label is very unique with some great artists and it also has a very dedicated following, so it’s great to be a part of that! It’s nice to be able to be myself which is the most important thing!

– Just a little question for all the budding producers out there: what does your studio set-up consist of?
My studio is quite modest. I currently use no hardware synths or outboard gear. I don’t believe you need a virus to make sick sounds (although I do have a love for synths and synthesis so when I have more money I do want to start collecting older synths), but as for the basics I run Cubase on a Mac with Adam A7X monitors, a Presonus T10 sub, a Novation XIo which is my midi keyboard and audio interface in one (very convenient and tidy) and a Mackie big knob to expand my Ins and Outs which gives me different monitor routing options to test the sound in different ways (I also have a mini Fostex sub so I can test with that or with the 10” or without any using the big knob switches which I find really great for triple checking mixdowns and masters, especially with kicks).

You can do this with different new interfaces but I’m happy with my setup which I’ve had similar for a long time now and works for me. There are other bits and pieces like a Rode Mic, my live gear and what not. As for software, I use a lot of different stuff but the main player these days for me is Serum by Xfer Records. It’s by far the best software synthesiser I’ve ever used and I believe can give most hardware synths a run for their money! Only major setback is it’s quite a power hog and so I really need to upgrade my Mac as that is quite old now… Like me ha-ha!

– It’s starting to look like 2016 will be legendary for you. Can you tell us a little bit more about some of your plans for the year?
2016 will be legen… wait for it………. dary! (Sorry, it had to be done…)
Last year, (2015) was really awesome but I think this year will be a big step forward. Already with the bookings I have coming through it’s set to be a big one! I’m also going to be doing more with my event concept ‘Ctrl Alt Delete’ by taking it to different locations and of course Delete VIP will be coming back strong this year with my next gig being Qapital and more already planned for the rest of the year! However it’s not just about the gigs; musically I’m aiming high and really want to make an impact, so no rest for me in the studio either!

– This interview wouldn’t be complete without the most important question of all: what did you eat for breakfast this morning?
Googy eggs on toast with anchovies. OMNOMONOMONOMONOM 😀 Thanks for the interview guys!
Thanks Delete for your time! We’re getting more and more excited for his performance at the upcoming Qapital in April; we’re sure he has some special tricks up his sleeve for this great event! For those wanting to keep updated on Delete and Delete VIP, check out his socials below:

Delete  |   Delete VIP

 

Images: Vincentvandenboogaard.com & Richard Brunsveld

Article written by: Marloes Bovenkamp & Mike Damen