L'Etiket Meets Soulrock
Written by the B&B Crew
Saturday, 18 September 2010 12:00
Club Special - The L'Etiket crew and Amsterdam-based Soulrock agency combine their forces for a massive 10 Years Of Soulrock anniversary bash on October 16th at the Winkel van Sinkel, Utrecht (The Netherlands).Time for a chat with Soulrock founder Carlos Valdes...
Adventurous clubbers can expect a lot of dirty action to take place in the Dutch city of Utrecht in the next few months as the beloved L'Etiket nights are about to return. The place where it all goes down will be the event’s anchored spot Winkel van Sinkel, and you can again expect some of the hottest tastemakers in house and techno popping up for a full night of dancefloor destruction. Why we know so sure? Because many hold L'Etiket in high regard for its intimate setup and signature atmosphere, whilst at the same time presenting a-class lineups catering to clubbers from various backgrounds.
Next up on the roster is a very special celebration -on October 16th- in the form of a night dedicated to the revered Soulrock agency from Amsterdam, one of the most acclaimed and self-wise platforms in the scene. None less than Nick Curly, Petter, and Luna City Express are just some of the names who will rock the spot to its very foundations. Soulrock was founded in 2000 by DJ Carlos Valdes and evolved from a small promotion organization to a multi-faceted platform that has carved its own niche in today’s music industry as it now provides shelter to a booking agency, record label and event organization. Fact is that its playful nature has spawned a series of events that have grown out to become clubber's favorite in and around Amsterdam.
Needless to say the lineup of the night –aptly titled L’Etiket: 10 Years Of Soulrock- reflects both L'Etiket's as Soulrock's passion for profound electronic music with a twist. On deck duty will be Moonharbour hotshots Luna City Express, Cocoon’s Nick Curly, live sensation Petter and Carlos Valdes himself rocking the main room. The Basement sees Aron Friedman, Jason Shae, Macroscope and Pete Bandit turning up the heat.
BnB teamed up with Carlos for the full story behind a decade of Soulrock, his most memorable experiences, the future and much more...
Photo credits: Ram...
Profile: Carlos Valdes
Full name
Carlos Patricio Valdes Pares
Date of Birth
May 14th, 1982 in Amsterdam
Favorite quote
A raveless day is a wasted day.
Achievements you’re most proud of
My gigs at Panoramabar (Berlin), Robert Johnson (Frankfurt), my label and my (together with Sandrien and the Vreemd crew), 4 Golden Gnomes.
DJing since
2000
Addicted to
Music, traveling
Guilty pleasure
Net 5 (Dutch commercial TV-channels that broadcasts mostly shows aimed at middle-aged women)
Five records that changed your life
1. Rolando – Knights of the Jaguar
2. Der Dritte Raum – Hale Bobb
3. Dave Angel – Airborne (Carl Craig Remix)
4. Paperclip People - Throw
5. InSync - Storm
Current Top 5
1. Robert Hood – Power of Presence
2. Recloose – Early Works Sampler Part 1/2
3. Luke Slater – L.B. Dub Corp
4. Conforce - Grace
5. Awanto3 - I love Hugh
CDs or vinyl?Vinyl
Carlos, how’s it going?
Pretty good actually! I’ve been quite busy over the past few months with gigs both across the country as abroad, I’ve been working in the studio together with Robin (Kampschoer, BnB) and Sandrien and have been busy co-ordinating the label. Physically speaking I could do with some relaxation…
For the few that never heard of you, who’s Carlos Valdes?
Carlos Valdes? Never heard of him...
Soulrock’s celebrating its 10 year anniversary. How do you look back on the past decade?
When I look back I relive all these good moments and think back of all experiences I had and people I met. It’s kinda like the ‘Efteling’ (Dutch theme park), only without the fairytale creatures…
Can you tell us more about the early days? How did it all started?
My clubbing days started when I was 14 and started to go to these bars and clubs in Hilversum. That wasn’t really exciting, but then I went to Ibiza two years later to visit a friend and I soon ended up at club Pacha where they played this house music. It was at that night when I first heard Paul Johnson’s Get Get Down. I didn’t realize back then that two years later I would be going out in Amsterdam and getting in touch with Chemistry, Silly Symphonies, Hi Tech Soul movement, Awakenings and Meubelstukken.
The city’s vibrant clubbing scene excited me in such a way that I wanted to become part of it. I met my flyer ‘mother’ Reina Schoorl who co-ordinated promotion activities for various local organizations. I couldn’t think of cooler things to do than to promote parties I myself was crazy about. After a while I started to do so much promotion for organizations that DJ Joost van Bellen advised me to register at the Chamber of Commerce. I registered as Soulrock, which is my name backwards with a few other letters mixed in. That was done on October 1st, 2000.
That’s basically what launched my company: promotional activaties. I did various jobs for people within the city’s scene such as Isis and the famed Barkers agency. I started to buy records in ’99 and around that time I met Egbert-Jan Weeber who was my DJ-partner at the local Blitz bar. Egbert eventually got so occupied with other activities that he didn’t have time anymore to put my vinyl on and that’s how I got into mixing. Three months later I played at one of DJ Dimitri’s nights after which I got invited by Isis to join her Magma agency. I also befriended Sandrien and she helped me a lot on the DJ front. 5 years later, Sandrien and I launched Mad and eventually I launched the Vreemd nights together with a load of resident DJs. I also started with co-ordinating bookings and the Studio Soulrock label together with Ostgut Ton-artist Steffi.
There must have been quite a few changes over the past five years. What have been the three most important changes in your life and why?
Tough question. First off I’d like to say that I met a lot of people over the past 11 years that have shaped Studio Soulock into its current form, for which I'm really thankful. One of the biggest changes was when I met the Mono crew. They showed me that there was so much more than I knew back then. Mono is a very creative pack of young guns, that all have a vision and do have the balls to follow their ideas.
Vreemd has also been a very important turn in my life. It marked the moment where I switched from doing stuff for others to organize conceptual events myself. I never would have dared to dream of the success it eventually generated. The third biggest change would have been my first trip to Berlin. I heard all these stories from friends but I didn’t understand its allure until I first got there. The vibe, the music, the people… that really served as inspiration for the past five years you can say. I heard a lot of awesome DJs who I eventually booked for Amsterdam gigs. If it wasn’t for Berlin, Studio Soulrock in its current form wouldn’t exist.
Soulrock’s currently hosting a series of events nationwide. Next up is the Winkel van Sinkel venue in Utrecht. What's the story behind the collab?
Maarten Pordon (Zeus Events-co-ordinator), often books DJs at our agency for his events and recently asked if we would be interested in attending Utrecht for the tour. That definitely interested me as we gigged a lot in that city and hosted a series of nights there. So it seemed a logical place to me to host a night there.
About the L’Etiket night: the lineup does look dazzling. What can expect from?
A night of intense partying, a combination of various genres and loads and loads of fun!
Where will the afterparty be?
I hope at a very sleazy place with a massive soundsystem!
In short, why should we all go to L’Etiket?
Why not? It’s gonna blow you off your socks...
How do you see the future of Soulrock?
I have noticed that our crew shares a solid personal connection. We all want to help and support each other and make music together. It has become this friend-thing. I also see a lot of new co-ops between Soulrock artists coming together. Who knows one day there will be a festival with all organizations tied together. I really see that happening someday. My biggest dream is to have a club abroad though!
What more can we expect from you in the near future?
At the moment I am working hard on creating new concepts, but in my spare time I’m often found in the studio with Robin Kampschoer and Sandrien. I am a real chaotic planner but I have managed to pull myself together and make music on a weekly basis again. So I’m actually hoping to make some new music for the clubs and at home soon.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
After 10 years we finally got a website and we’re very proud of it.
We're sure Carlos got you all hyped up about the night, but here's some essential info anyway.
L'Etiket · 10 Years of Soulrock
Date: Saturday October 16th, 2010
Location: Winkel van Sinkel, Oudegracht 158, Utrecht
Tickets
Lineup:
Main - Soulrock
Carlos Valdes
Luna City Express
Nick Curly
Petter
2Basement - Vreemd
Aron Friedman
Jason Shae
Macroscope
Pete Bandit
