MC Da Syndrome – What It Means To Be An MC

Interview At The Hardstyle 2000 – Scantraxx Record Label Showcase.

Imagine that the fate of a crowds liveliness was laid in right in front of you and it was your sole responsibility to ensure that this crowd has one bangin’ time. Well for Wouter Koops, or better known as the notorious MC Da Syndrome, this is his exciting reality every time he steps up on stage. Being a long-standing and well loved MC amongst the world of hardstyle it only seemed logical to grab MC Da Syndrome for a quick chat about what exactly it means to be an MC, his ADHD energy and of course, some miscellaneous chatter about breakfast.

1. First of all, I must know where you get all of this energy from, so what did you eat for breakfast today?
I ate a sandwich with cheese and ham and some orange juice. Really healthy.

2. Does a good breakfast give you energy on stage?
Yeah it always gives me energy. A good breakfast is the basis for a great performance on stage as well as a good lunch and a good dinner! Good food is very important

3. How did you get into MCing to begin with?
Back in the year 1996 it began together with my homeboy Don Diablo who used to produce hardcore and hardstyle (now producing house music) tracks and also used to live in the same street as me. At the end of 2005 – 2006 I was contacted by my man DJ The Prophet and he asked me if I wanted to do the Scantraxx World Artist Tour together with him and the other DJ’s. We traveled around Europe and had a lot of parties and after that, I came to the biggest bookings bureau and it all kicked off. I think that 2003 was when my career really kicked off.

4. And do you feel as though touring with The Prophet really kicked things off for you?
Yeah I think so, I didn’t have a lot of exposure back then, nobody really knew who MC Da Syndrome was. You had MC Villain, MC DV8, Ruffian and a lot of other MC’s, but back then the Scantraxx World Artist Tour really gave me the opportunity to show myself on stage and show myself to the world.

5. You are quite a unique MC, you have so much energy which is said to be like an ADHD energy! Where do you get all of this energy from?!
Yeah it’s all about drugs! *Laughs* No, no, I’m joking… I do however have ADD which is a form of ADHD but I use it in the right way. Back then I had a lot of medicine but it didn’t work out for me so I thought, why not use this ADHD in another form, like bringing the energy to the crowd whilst on stage. When I wake up, I can feel tired and fed up, but when I’m on stage it’s the release of my energy.

6. What about the days when you wake up feeling like crap, how do you pump up and get in the mood and hype up the crowd?
It’s because of the audience, they give me that power to go on and on and on, even when it’s not such a good night. Every time I’m on stage and I see the audience and feel the vibe and atmosphere it gives me so much energy. Every party is awesome, whether it be a small club or a huge event.

**Waverider: “WTF is going on?” MC Da Syndrome: “F*CK YEAH!”**

7. What does it take to be an MC?
Be yourself and don’t shout too much on stage. You have to have in your head that your a host, not the DJ. You are a back-up of the DJ and that’s the power of a good MC – to shut up when you need to and speak when you need to.

8. And speaking of shouting, what do you do to make sure that you don’t get a sore throat whilst MCing?
Well there are some times where I have to perform 3 days in a row and you have to make sure that your voice works. The key is to get the sound from your stomach, not your lungs. Learning to use your voice in the right way is the key to be able to sustain it.

9. Have you had vocal training over the years to help you use it correctly?
No vocal training! I just figured it out myself 🙂

10. Is it difficult to improvise your performance on the spot?
Definitely not. Improvise is my middle name. When I’m at a party, I never have anything written down, I improvise the announcements and I improvise what I say on stage.

11. What about when you have a tough crowd? How do you bring them to life?
I unplug my microphone and I go away *Laughs*
No, that’s also a joke. I just give it my all to get the crowd going and most of the time it works out. It’s really difficult but you have to keep on going, whether there’s 10 people in front of you or 1000.

12. You’ve had a lot of bookings in 2014, sometimes more than DJs themselves! Which bookings were your favourite?
Hmm.. that’s a really tough question, there were a lot of great festivals such as Defqon.1, Intents, Beat The Bridgeas well as some great indoor parties. I love every party and every performance that I go to, so I can’t name any party which was my favourite in 2014. I live for the weekend! (As Showtek says)

13. You just mentioned that you really enjoyed Beat The Bridge and one definite highlight was seeing you ‘hakkuh’ with Thera:
He really is my ADHD brother! When we’re standing together on stage, we both go wild, he gives me energy and I give him energy.

14. Was that your most memorable moment? If not, what is your most memorable moment on stage?
My most memorable moment in my entire career was at Sensation Black in 2009 with The Prophet during one particular song for about five minutes straight the entire arena was going absolutely wild!

15. And what about your most awkward moment?
Well I have torn my pants like five times on stage which was pretty awkward.

16. Which country are you absolutely dying to perform in?
I’d really like to go to the USA or Australia because I have seen most of the European countries. The opportunity would be really cool.

17. You’ve hosted so many stages in many countries and have had such a huge MCing career – what is left to conquer in 2015?
Building a future with my girlfriend… Hmm… to MC at many more parties all over the world! That’s my goal.

18. Finally, many upcoming MC’s are entering the scene – what advice can you give to them to making performances entertaining and fun?
Be yourself and improvise! Never copy!

Thanks to MC Da Syndrome for chatting with me! His career is truly a celebration of a lifetime of achievements and we wish him the very best in 2015!