RB Miami 2016 Exclusive Interview: Firebeatz Ain’t Scared of No Heat

We all know that Miami Music week just tornado-ed through Miami, leaving us all windswept with the amount of crazy talent, sexy vibes, and legendary marks in electronic music history it made. Not only did we get some Ultra Music Festival, but the streets and beaches of South Beach were littered with Nightclub shows and Pool Parties all week and weekend long. Among this slew of ragers was the Spinnin Pool Party at Nautilus Hotel where I got the chance to speak to Dutch duo Firebeatz!

Firebeatz New Logo Reveal

Firebeatz, made up of Tim Smulders and Jurre van Doeselaar, had a busy schedule ahead of them, playing multiple shows throughout the weekend including the Spinnin’ party which we were attending, a club show later that night at Mokai for Dyro’s label party, and much more. They were here for fun though, a bit of a break from their work load of producing club anthems and experimenting with new sounds.

With Firebeatz set to dominate Miami and to do the same in Phoenix just a couple of weeks from now, what better time to sit down with the duo for a conversation about MMW, Dutch house, new music, and scorching heat. Check it out!

So we’re here for Miami Music Week and Ultra, is there anything the two of you are looking outside of all your shows and your performances?

Jurre: “Well actually, we have a villa with a lot of our DJ friends and we’re just having fun at the place, doing crazy stuff. That’s something that I really like about this week.

Who are you guys staying with?

Jurre: “Julian Jordan, Jay Hardway, Dubvision.”

Tim: “All the Dutch crazy kids. The youngsters.”

Photo: Firebeatz Facebook Page

Dutch DJs really have a huge presence during Miami Music Week. What is it about the Dutch House scene that you really think resonates worldwide?

Tim: “There’s a lot of competition in our small little country and it has a huge history in dance music. For instance, if you put on the daytime radio, it’s almost all dance music that you’ll hear.”

Jurre: “And we all support each other also.”

Tim: “Yeah, we can play like three shows in one night, you know, because everything is like an hour or two drive from eachother. Yeah, and we all support each other.”

Jurre: “I mean we’re all staying in a villa together. I don’t know a lot of DJs who do that. *laughs* Yeah, you know, everybody wants to be the best and we all support each other. We listen to each other’s stuff, we give feedback. It’s like a family.”

So, how does an event like Amsterdam Dance Event compare to an event like Miami Music Week?

Tim: “It’s much more industry at ADE, less of a party. More work gets done. Here its like more drinking, sun, pool parties at E11even.”

Is it similar at all?

Jurre: “Well, everybody is there so that is similar, but like we said it is just more industry in Amsterdam. We get our work done. There’s too much partying here *laughs*”

You don’t all have a villa to stay in in Amsterdam?

Tim: “*laughs* No, we are all so close to home.”

How do you prepare for an event as big as this both musically and on a personal level?

Tim: “Actually, not really at all. I mean, we are constantly working, and touring, and playing, so we’ve got our shit down. You know, we come here and just try to enjoy it. We try to see as many people and as many parties as possible.”

Jurre: “And of course, you always want to play a new song or premiere a new song and Miami makes it a bit more special because everybody is watching.”

Tim: “But that stuff is planned like a year ahead. We sit down with the label and have a discussion, like in March we have a new track coming out, so we’re gonna tease it. That’s what we’d call preparing for that, but personally, not really. Just coming to party.”

So you guys obviously have new music dropping this weekend then?

Jurre: “Yeah, we’re giving away a free track soon, so keep an eye on our socials. And at our own party, we just premiered our new collaboration with Chocolate Puma.”

You guys recently released Dat Disco Swindle, which is pretty different than most of your music style-wise, what inspired you guys to explore the disco sound?

Jurre: “It’s back to our roots really. We like that groovy style.”

Have you guys considered dabbling in any other experimental hybrids of sound? Any dubstep or trap?

Jurre: “Yeah, yeah! We’ve actually done it in a couple of track already, but yeah definitely.”

So we’ve got you guys out in Arizona for our Releease Pool Party in a couple of weeks. What do you do differently with a pool party set, as opposed to a club or a festival set?

Jurre: “With a pool party it should be more dance-y”

Tim: “More sexy vibes. More drum influenced music. Happy shit.”

Jurre: “You want the girls to go crazy.”

Tim: “Not too much EDM-y. And to prepare we just make a big ass playlist and we ALWAYS see what happens when we’re there. We never make a pre-set and never play the same shit.”

And although Miami has got the sun, are you ready for the scorching Arizona heat?

Jurre: “Come on, we are Firebeatz!”

Tim: “We ain’t scared of no heat!”

Speaking of heat, you guys just completely re-vamped your entire logo. What was the inspiration for that?

Tim: “We really wanted to create our own identity, to make an icon, to build that brand of Firebeatz. We sat down with an amazing company called Magnetic, who helped us. So yeah, that was our main goal, to really develop our brand and we are very happy with the result. It’s dope.”

As the final question, do you guys have any advice for aspiring producers?

Jurre: “Make your own sound.”

Tim: “Keep working hard. Do the work.”

Jurre: “Make a lot of tracks. Of course you can listen to other productions and even try to recreate them, but don’t bring it out, work on your own sound. That’s how you’re going to make a difference.”

With the Talking Stick Resort and Release Pool Party season kicking into gear starting April 9th, you’re going to want to catch this fire act in the series’ second weekend for their show on April 16th! Also, keep an eye on those socials for the latest from Firebeatz’s time in Miami and their future releases they hinted at!

Connect with Firebeatz: Facebook | Official Website | Twitter | Soundcloud | Beatport

Featured Image: Firebeatz Facebook Page