Dirkie Coetzee started his career in the EDM scene as a bedroom DJ way back at the tender age of 16. After spending numerous years perfecting his mixing skills he quickly started to feature in night clubs, events and radio stations around Southern Africa. It was in this time that Dirkie started to gain interest in the art of music production.
Without any formal training in music theory, rhythms, chord progressions, sound synthesis or music production in general, Dirkie set out to learn this fine art by scouring any available articles and tutorials available on the internet. With many years of trial and error Dirkie slowly refined his skills as a music producer to create the sounds you hear in his music today.
It’s this passion for music and trance music production in particular that has helped Dirkie to get his music signed to some of the best labels in the business including Black Hole Recordings, Enhanced Music, Bonzai Music, Nukleuz Records, FSOE, Armada, Perfecto and many other respected global record labels.
Dimitris: Can you mention your biggest music career achievements in 2018?
Dirkie Coetzee: I’ve been blessed with a few highs in 2018, but signing music to Armada and FSOE in the same month was something I never dreamed to be possible. Further to this have I joined Perfecto Records as well which was another career goal I finally achieved in the same year.
Dimitris: Can you rate 2018 for you as a year with 1 being very bad until 10 that is perfect year!
Dirkie Coetzee: 10 perfect year Like I mentioned before; I’ve managed to join some of the most respected record labels in the world and with that seen continuous support from some of the biggest Trance DJs in the scene. Hearing my music being played on ASOT to TomorrowLand is something that makes me feel extremely happy and it’s certainly a year that will remain close to my heart for a long time coming.
1) Best 3 Tracks from other artists in 2018:
Dirkie Coetzee: Pale Blue Dot by Protoculture is a must play track in most sets I play. It’s just the perfect embodiment of how I like my proglifting trance.
The Dave Neven remix of 4 Strings Take Me Away have also managed to become another track I seem to reach for every set. It just make my soul smile and works a treat on any dance floor.
There’s a bootleg/cover of Rank1 Airwave I have that does the trick every set! It’s unreleased and will probably remain so indefinitely so its become an exclusive in my sets.
2) Your 3 Best of 2018 personal productions, give us more background info about them:
Dirkie Coetzee:
1. Aether was released via Armada and was supported heavily by most of my heroes in the scene including ASOT by Armin van Buuren.
2. Astraeus was released on FSOE Paralells and is a staple of my sets. This was actually the first attempt of a new sound I wanted to push this year and it came out better than expected.
3. Divinitus also have a special place in my heart and sets as it was written in a time of need for intervention. The intervention feels like it has not arrived as yet so you can imagine I squeeze this one in wherever I can.
All of these tracks were written in specific times in my life and they all hold special meaning to me and my life so I was really grateful and thankful to see how well they were supported. Thank you to anyone who’ve supported this one.
3) Best Artist in 2018(DJ & producer):
Dirkie Coetzee: I’m going to mention two; Radion6 and Pierre Pienaar. Apart from them being brothers in my world are they absolutely amazingly talented and humble humans. They inspire me on many levels and I’ve had the opportunity to play alongside them both and they are some of the best DJs I’ve ever had the privilege of supporting.
4) Best Remix in 2018, please explain why you liked it so much:
Dirkie Coetzee: 4 Strings - Take Me Away (Dave Neven Remix) this track just works. Great feel to it and hits the spot every time!
5) Best Remix that you have produced in 2018, please tell us why you believe is your best work?
Dirkie Coetzee: I don’t Remix often, but when I do it must be something that pulls me in and that exactly what Torio vs Bigtopo & Omar Diaz - Fall For me did when I first heard the original. I basically took their original progressive idea and made a 138 Uplifting Remix and it ended seeing fantastic support even getting ASOT play!
6) Best Remixer for 2018:
Dirkie Coetzee: This one is difficult, but from what I see and hear Steve Allen seems to be the gonto guy for remixes. He makes fantastic originals also btw!
7) Best New Talent in 2018 (DJ or producer), please explain the reasons why you choose him/her :
Dirkie Coetzee: By no means “new”, but was new to my ears; Jase Thirwall. I invited him to play at my We Are Trance club night and OMG can this guy play. One of the most technical DJs I’ve heard in a while + he plays a banger of a set! Highly recommend!
8) Best electronic music album in 2018? Please explain your decision why you think is the best album?(b) Do you believe that albums are still relevant or you prefer singles:
Dirkie Coetzee: A. I don’t follow albums. Not sure why...
B. As a DJ I prefer singles. As a producer I prefer albums. I’m only saying that cause I have an artist album on the horizon (lol).
9) Best electronic music compilation in 2018, please explain what exactly you liked about this compilation:
Dirkie Coetzee: Again, I don’t seem to follow compilations at all. I however enjoy the Black Hole compilations, mostly because my choons are on it some times (haha).
10) Best artwork/cover for a single/ album or compilation released in 2018, please justify your opinion why this and not another one:
Dirkie Coetzee: It’ll have to be my cover art of Divinitus. It’s a wolf howling into heaven and reminds me of myself looking up and crying out for divine intervention. After my track Nymeria on Black Hole Recordings which also features a wolf, the wolf seemed to have become my spirit animal hence the emotional connection with the artwork.
11) Best lyrics in an electronic music track in 2018 (it can be your production or from other artists) Please explain why you like these lyrics so much!
Dirkie Coetzee: I tend to play and produce less and less vocal stuff over the years, but the one that still touches my heart is Saving Light by vocalist Haliene. I know it’s a 2017 release, but I have not heard anything yet that stirs my emotions as that track. I think we all can relate to the meaning behind the track and this makes it personal to me.
12) Best vocalist/singer featured on electronic music track in 2018, please tell why you appreciate this singer/vocalist and why:
Dirkie Coetzee: I’ve recently come across and remixed a track by Clara Yates which will be released towards the later part of 2018. Early December to be more specific and OMG can this girl sing! I haven’t had those goosebumps while producing in a long time but her voice just hit all the right spots. She’s one to watch!
13) Best electronic music label for 2018, please justify why you choose this label and what was so special in 2018 about it:
Dirkie Coetzee: Black Sunset Music delivers choon after choon for my sets. Just love their flavor.
14) Best electronic music video for 2018, please explain why you like this video so much:
Dirkie Coetzee: Do they still make videos? Haha :) unfortunately I don’t seem to watch many music videos. Again Saving Light is one that really touched me visually as well.
15) Best online social media for 2018 and why you believe is the best particularly in 2018?:
Dirkie Coetzee: Facebook, I have a love hate relationship with it, but it gets my message and music out it seems.
16) Best Twitter/Facebook/Instagram message you may have received about your music or your DJ performance in 2018:
Dirkie Coetzee: I got a few messages this year by artist/djs and fans (I hate that word, to me it’s friends I haven’t met yet) who thanked and applauded me for taking the time to speak to everyone who contacts me with a message of support or a music/dj related question or just plain old banter. It’s means a lot to me to be seen as a normal human being who loves to interact with like minded people. I can never get tired of being seen as “real”!
17) Best music composition software in 2018, please explain why you appreciate it so much:
Dirkie Coetzee: Ableton. I just love it. It does what I need and makes, making music fun for me.
18) Best Club event or Festival that you have performed there or you would love one day to perform there, please explain the reasons that influenced your choice of the event & festival:
Dirkie Coetzee: Well, most Psy Trance events don’t particularly peak my interest, but some of the videos I see online I really enjoy seeing how the crowd loses their minds. It really is a culture like no other in the dance scene. I secretly admire it, but don’t tell anyone.
19) Your Best personal DJ Gig for 2018 (if you are active as DJ) and why you believe is the finest:
Dirkie Coetzee: I’m blessed to play quite a bit throughout the year, mostly because I run a monthly trance club night called We Are Trance, but one of my favorite gigs this year was my birthday set. I got to play some of my favorite classics in a great club to awesome people.
20) Best DJ set from other fellow DJ in 2018 and why you believe his/her set was so fantastic?:
Dirkie Coetzee: Pierre Pienaar and Jase Thirlwall got me up and dancing, which I never do, so kudos to them. They certainly are fantastic and talented DJs.
22) Best radio show/podcast or Vlog(video blog) in 2018, please explain why you think this is the best radio show or vlog?:
Dirkie Coetzee: I don’t watch many VLOGS or listen to full shows so I can’t really say which are better than others. Armin seems to be the go to guy with his vlogs and ASOT show.
*Do you have a radio show or vlog? Have you produced any YouTube tutorials for fellow artists to learn from you? If yes please tell us here the details and choose the best episode from your radio show/vlog/YouTube tutorial for 2018.
Dirkie Coetzee: Unfortunately not. Hopefully some tutorials soon!
23) Best Radio station in 2018, please explain why this radio station is your favourite:
Dirkie Coetzee: ASOT really brings the most attention to a producers music. Aly and Fila’s FSOE also hits the spot when I do get a chance to listen.
24) Best music related website that you visit frequently, please explain what you exactly appreciate in this web site and you may recommended to your fans as well:
Dirkie Coetzee: None really... I Facebook too much, haha :)
25) Best production or DJ equipment (a)software & (b) hardware) in 2018 particularly if they were released in 2018:
Dirkie Coetzee: I’m quite surprised I managed to get from vinyl to CDJ and I’ve been stuck there ever since. As mentioned Ableton is my go to Software for anything production related.
26) Best new sound or sample that has been introduced in any electronic music track in 2018 and you wish to have invented it or you may even have introduced it for the first time?
Dirkie Coetzee: There’s new sounds? Haha, I don’t know tbh... I’m still stuck on the “standard stuff” we hear in most tracks. I heard a weekyweekywoahboemsti-A sound in a track once which I thought was cool, haha :)
27) Best technical tips that you learnt in 2018 in relation to your DJing or music productions:
Dirkie Coetzee: Less is more. Don’t say I stick to it, but it was good advice :)
28) Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career in 2018 and has helped you to progress even further:
Dirkie Coetzee: Don’t be a D... I actually said it, but I took my own advice as well.
Dimitris: Can you mention briefly your plans for your future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, DJ gigs for 2019!
Dirkie Coetzee: My first artist album will see the light of day in 2019 which is one of the biggest moments of my career! From there, I’m just focusing on what I do now and hopefully grow my name so I can one day get on a plane again and play overseas. America is in my sights!
Dimitris: In 2018 there was a big movement for revival of classic tracks and retro events have boomed with music policy of solely classic tracks. What is your opinion about events or stages only with classics and can you choose for us your absolute 3 favourite classics?
Dirkie Coetzee: I dig playing a classic show once or twice a year, anything more and I get bored.
1. Rank1 - Airwave
2. Silence - Tiesto mix
I can carry on and on and on!
Dimitris: Finally, what is your biggest wish for 2019 and give us your wishes for our readers?
Dirkie Coetzee: To hopefully see my artist album get decent support globally. It’s a lifelong dream and I’ve been working years towards this moment so it’s pretty important to me. But mostly, I’m just excited it’s finally coming out.
Thanks to Dirkie for answering all the questions and making this interview #mustread item!
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