Michel De Hey - Recorded In Rotterdam

As owner of record label Immaculate Music, presenter of numerous radio shows, host of his own club night and compiler of many CDs, Michel De Hey has been at the forefront of Dutch dance music for 15 years. Furthermore, he is the only individual from the first wave of Dutch DJ’s who has enjoyed many years of success abroad. If you spin records, you should be able to make them too. With numerous releases under his belt, De Hey has sufficiently proved that. In 1992, the single ‘Break’ saw De Hey become the first Dutch dance producer to conquer the American Billboard Dance Charts. Many records followed, including themes from large-scale events like Dance Valley and the Rotterdam Dance Parade. As compiler of many compilations he has lived up to the constant expectations placed on him - the Essential / Technological Elements series is, with 14 editions to date, the most definitive CD-collection ever spawned by Holland’s dance scene. His latest mixed CD is entitled ‘Recorded in Rotterdam’, with contributions from Dutch producers only. According to Michel: ‘There is so much good dance music in this country.’

The first time I heard Michel play was at the beginning of 1993. It was in the Nighttown venue, which was a revolution in Rotterdam’s nightlife at the time. That occasion made such an impression on me that I have followed his music ever since. Then as a fan - as a regular at the Future nights, as collector of his mix-albums and as an devoted listener of his radio shows. Nowadays as a music reporter. Well, that’s what I tell myself, but sometimes even I am guilty of acting like a groupie. It’s hard to resist, especially in a club in Bucharest where I witnessed an incredible set from Rotterdam's most famous DJ. With ease he held the attention of hundred's of clubbers spellbound for hours on end. Importantly, he did it with a lot of help from home-grown Dutch talent. Holland is full of talented house and techno producers and is not just about trance. That is the inspiration behind the mix album that you have in your hands right now and from which the music probably pumps out of your speakers: Recorded in Rotterdam.

On this album De Hey has not simply selected music from his own pupils, connected to Immaculate Music, such as Secret Cinema, Coming Soon and Biological. Producers who give out their releases on other small record labels are spotlighted as well. For example Aardvarck, with a tune named ‘Just Washed That Pig’, who has not only conjured up a genius track-title, but a dance-floor smash that simply stands out from the rest. Or how about Holland’s finest techno talent in recent years, Joris Voorn with his Detroit techno for the 21st Century? And the inclusion of Dexter, the Dutch king of funk according to many critics in the music industry? This diversity results in a well-rounded and quality mix-album, where the finale is reserved for Alden Tyrell’s unrivalled electro-disco. Through his ‘Hills of Honolulu’ Michel de Hey lets the sun shine one more time. Not in the sky over Hawaii, but in Rotterdam. Recorded in Rotterdam is all about electronic music with depth, mixed by a vastly experienced DJ who knows how to keep the dance-floor loaded, from the first to the last track.

‘Written in Rotterdam’ by Marcel Wijnstekers, music journalist
March 2006