Rotterdam based DJ Ronald Molendijk invited me to his studio for some trumpet solos on his tracks. He liked my sound and style, but sliced my solos into pieces in order to create new melodies and rhythmical ideas. I never worked like that until then, but he did it in a very musical way and I liked it. After some gigs and recordings, both Ronald and Jeroen asked me to join their new live project.
It actually was a bit of an all-star collective, since many of us knew each other from other bands, already successful as a session musician, soloist, DJ or MC. To me it felt like an interesting collage of personalities, representing different genres, all on a high level.
With a solid MPC, soulful vocals, a great MC, powerful trumpet, an ace bass/ guitar player and a handsome keyboard player, we literally had it all. Serious: The static dance elements combined with the ‘old skool’ playing approach turned out to be a powerful combination on stage and we were popular on festivals, and also on the radio stations.
Looking back on this project, I think I enjoyed the very beginning the most: Very energetic underground with long jams, solos and many musical influences. Another funny fact: Soulvation was the first band where I started to play with digital effects due to requests of some band members who are interested to check it.