Heist welcomes, late 80’s DMC World DJ Championship contender, Techno veteran, and house royalty Orlando Voorn to the label with his ‘Heist Mastercuts’ EP.

Orlando Voorn is a man who needs little introduction. He’s played a pivotal role in the development of the electronic music scene in the Netherlands, as well as in the USA where he now lives. With countless aliases, he has released everything from old school hiphop to sample-heavy breaks, to banging Detroit techno to soulful house music. His recent outings as ‘Frequency’ on Clone, as well as his latest EP on our sublabel Transient Nature, are proof that even after 30+ years, the man is still very much on top of his game.

The Heist Mastercuts EP sees Orlando dig deep in his archive for some of his undercover hits from the nineties that have been remastered for this EP. On top of that, he delivers a new track in the form of a soulful house bomb “Be with you.”

‘Be with you’ starts off with a hazy groove and distant pads. The steady beat and funky electronic chops set a steady foundation for a rush-inducing string sample that works together with looping diva vocals for maximum dancefloor excitement. No heavy drumrolls, FX or other tools necessary here: It’s clever sampling and Orlando’s soulful touch that make this track tick.

Next up is the vinyl-only track ‘Love Feelings’ – originally released in ’96 on Urban Sounds of Amsterdam-. Think 130+ BPM vintage house grooves with hazy pads and you’ll get an idea of what’s coming. Love Feelings is an up-tempo dreamhouse track that, even though it’s almost 25 years old, still ticks all the boxes of a contemporary festival groover.

On the B-side you’ll find 2 versions of ‘Tenderness’: The original mix and the Late nite dub, both originally released on Clubstitute records back in ’95. The original has a 90’s garage groove with male vocal chops, old-school house keys, and strings. The late-night dub is exactly that: a dreamy ethereal deephouse groove with warm synth hits, introverted percussion some very on-point sax loops.

The Heist mastercuts EP is the first EP of Orlando Voorn on Heist Recordings but considering the connection we’ve built with him over the last year and having heard the music he’s shared with us, we’re sure you’ll see much more of him on Heist in the future.

You can now listen to the full premiere of ‘Tenderness’ exclusively on When We Dip. Enjoy!

 

WWD: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. Where are you at this moment and how are you spending your day?

I am based in Georgia, Atlanta, USA. I spend my days producing, remixing, and mastering. I have done this consistently for over 30 years.

 

WWD: You were born and raised in Amsterdam. Which area of the city are you from exactly?

I was born in Amsterdam south. The Scheldestraat was the first house and after Churcillaan .

 

WWD: Do you get back to Amsterdam much these days?

No, not very often really.

 

WWD: The city plays some key industry events like ADE. Have you been part of the event over the years?

There are many events out there in Holland, however I am known more for the many production styles more than I am known as DJ. Over the years I produced many styles of music and I like to play diverse DJ sets. Most of the bookers want you to play one thing and they do that pretty much everywhere the same.

 

WWD: When did you first make the move to the USA?

I made the move around 2002 after a divorce. I wasn’t feeling the music direction it was going in and figured I go somewhere they understood what I am about. So, I moved to Detroit with Submerge from Underground Resistance. Mike Banks and all the UR members were just what I needed. It was a good match and from then I started my label, Ignitor.

 

WWD: What keeps you in the USA today?

I consider it my home. I have lived here for over 19 years

 

WWD: You were a musical child, Djing when you were so young – just 12 years old. Was there someone that you looked up to then who encouraged you to DJ then?

Yea I was inspired by the culture, and I listened to Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jeff, and Cash Money. I actually played in hip hop shows as the opener for Cash Money later on. Before all that, I was practicing daily and putting sets together.

 

WWD: Where were you playing and who were you playing to?

I would play at a roller disco and in the BOC, which was a Sunday club that was very popular then. I would play a mix of disco, rap, electro & funk. At that time, it was still possible to mix things up and not lose a crowd. When I was 13, I won a scratch competition in the back then, Flora Palace, with borrowed records from another competitor. He got second and cried after. I will never forget! The jury was all American and I got carried around on someone’s back when they announced it! Part of the price was an appearance on TV but because I was too young, they decided to let No2 do the TV show.

 

WWD: What were the records you were playing in these early days?

I played anything I liked, I was very versatile in taste, and listened to P-Funk, Heavy Metal, Reggae, Symphonic Rock, R&B, Disco, Electro, Hip Hop, and Jazz.

 

WWD: Do you recall the first time you saw someone scratching that made you think – I wanna do that!

I recall hearing the adventures on the wheels of steel by Grandmaster Flash. That was the first time I remember I was intrigued by it.

 

WWD: What were the records that you used in your early scratching attempts?

Vaughan Mason- Bounce Rock Skate Roll, Clear -Cybotron, Play At Your Qwn Risk – Planet Patrol, Herbie Hancock – Rock It, Kurtis Blow -Tough, LL COOL J- Rock The Bells, Hashim – Al Nafish- The Soul, Trouble Funk- Pump me up.

 

WWD: DMC championships are still going strong today even if by video submissions in these crazy last couple of years. How did you get involved in the Dutch championships originally?

Robin Albers from AVRO, at that time, was organizing DJ events and the ones that were the best were competing with one another. I became two times Dutch mixing champion.

 

WWD: Was it long after you started to compete before you won in ‘86?

To win a competition was of course great, but the thrill of doing DMC in UK for the first time was really incredible. To see the people in an Arena make waves for you as you mix is something else.

 

WWD: You got involved in the UK championships a few times. Do you think the UK was more important in the DMC world at that time?

Most definitely it was done in a big manner, and it was an eye opener for what was to come.

 

WWD: When you came 3rd in UK competition who came first and second?

Second was Chad Jackson UK, and Number one DJ Cheese USA

 

WWD: When was the crossover for you from Djing to production? How did it all begin?

Around 1989 I had saved moneys from playing in Mallorca for a month every night.

 

WWD: What kit were you working on in your first creations?

The Roland W30. I learned that thing and soon I was producing the first house and techno works.

 

WWD: What was the first record you produced and released?

First record was a hip hop record called ‘Fixomatic Hurt ‘em Bad’ on CNR in 1989.

 

WWD: Productions centred around samples were your starting point, but you mastered chord structures which formed the basis of your later output. Was this development self-taught?

I learned chord progressions from a musician called Steve Clisby, from the band American Gypsy. He would play a bunch of stuff on my W30, and I would record the midi. Then, note for note, I could understand how some harmonies were assembled together. With that knowledge, and my own interpretation of some chords that normally can’t be done, I was just doing. So, when I told him I wish I knew how to play by the rule he told me “don’t you worry about it you got this jam-packed!”

 

WWD: Under your Frequency alias, you put out a few releases on Lower East Side Records, Kiss The Sky, and Industrial Metal. Was it these tracks that got picked by the heads and is that how you hooked up with Juan Atkins?

I was putting out Frequency- Kiss the sky, and Lower east side boss told me he knew Juan and thought we would be a good match together, and they played some of my stuff to him and it was settled really naturally.

 

WWD: You spent a lot of time working with Juan. Would you say that the time you spent working with him taught you a lot and what did you learn?

We learned from one another, but what I learned from him was the merging of sounds and that there is one rule – There is not a rule! Bending the rules is something I learned.

 

WWD: You and Juan Atkins produced together under the name ‘Infiniti’ putting out ‘Game One’. Tell us a little about this record.

We did Game One in my Amsterdam second studio. When we were in there he looked at all the gear and said, “lets fire this shit up” and so we did! Game One was done in a couple hours really a 50/50 collab and a Metroplex classic.

 

WWD: Did you do many more productions together?

I did two 12s with Juan and one Album under Frequency VS Atkins.

 

WWD: You have worked with some pretty key people in your time, like Blake Baxter as the Ghetto Brothers.

Everything kinda fell in place once I did the stuff with Juan. I had a record out Format #1 – Solid Session, and Blake told the record shop that was his number one pick. So, I hooked up in the club Roxy and we chatted and two weeks later I visited him in Detroit did the Ghetto Brothers project.

 

WWD: You have released on many key labels like Rush Hour, and KMS. For you, what do you feel has been your most notable release throughout your career?

I think my key success label was KMS with my Fix Flash Release because the record was a hit in Detroit first. It took another year for the record to really break. At some point, someone told me every DJ had purchased two copies and it got hammered everywhere!

 

WWD: Any self-respecting collector at some point will have stumbled across a record with one of your aliases.

The reason I released under so many aliases in the past was merely because I could put out a lot of things at the same time under different styles. I still use Frequency, but mostly I release now under my own name.

 

WWD: How did you hook up with the Heist gang? Have you ever played a gig with Dam Swindle?

Maarten runs transient Nature and he approached me. Ever since we are really cool with each other. There is only one thing important that is that you are in one line, and you understand each other. No, I haven’t played with Dam Swindle. Not yet 🙂

 

WWD: You just dropped a release on their sub-label – Transient Nature. How does the label’s output differentiate from Heist?

Transient Nature is more techno-related but still in varies in some ways. That is what I like about the label, it is not strictly one sound. That gets boring to me when it’s just one thing over and over.

 

WWD: Your new EP on Heist is a collection of classic and new beats. Can you talk us through the new tracks on the Mastercuts EP a little

There is one new track on the EP, ‘Be With You’. It contains a lot of disco produced with samples and added bass chords and drums. You could say a classic house cut produced in 2021. The other tracks were previously released a decade ago.

 

WWD: What would you say of the health of the techno scene today, is it still producing legends?

I think there are still some good producers out there but as far as for me to keep up with what is what in 2022, and who is the next big thing, I am not really busy with that. My main thing is to keep improving my sound on every level and everything that happens to fall in my way music-wise that can inspire me, I greatly accept! As far as what I consider bad music, I am not really interested in listening any of it.

 

WWD: What artists do you have your eyes on these days?

No one in particular. The days of being flabbergasted are long gone but the one dude I like is Marc Rebillet on Youtube. That dude is super funky and does it with a controller and little sequencer on the side and is now working with some cream of the crop artists.

 

WWD: What other material are you working on at the moment?

There’s a lot coming out. Burek release with Amp Fiddler on Vocals. An EP on Kompakt Records. My double album on Nighttripper Records, Planet Odnalro is out now. Frequency EPs on Clone, Orlando Voorn Handjes in de lucent (put your hands in the air), a rave anthem on USA Records.

 

WWD: What do you like to do when you are not in the studio?

Relax and enjoy the good weather.

 

WWD: You have covered a lot of ground in your career musical. What are you next ambitions as an artist?

I like to work with like-minded people. I click good people like Gary Gritness, a very talented musician. He is young but got an old soul. Knows more than me on some aspects. It’s real refreshing to see a young cat with such a great expansion of sound and is a multi-instrumentalist too. I want to continue working with people that inspire you to do better then you already are.

 

WWD: You have dedicated most of your life to music. If you hadn’t taken this path, what do you think you might have done instead?

I would be a miserable cunt hahaha..

Orland Voorn: Facebook // SoundCloud
Heist Recordings: Facebook // SoundCloud

Release Date: May 6th, 2022. Buy Here