With the advent of accessible music production software comes an onslaught of young, yet capable producers and DJs. Making and mixing music no longer belongs to the rich and experienced, and cities like Amsterdam help foster aspiring youngsters dreaming to become the next Tiësto or Armin van Buuren. A 16-year-old Dutch producer and DJ by the name of Mesto currently sits on the precipice of international exposure, playing gigs in Amsterdam and even courting the attention of fellow Dutch prodigy Martin Garrix.
Known for his house originals that amass 90k to 200k listeners per track on his Soundcloud page, Mesto sits at a unique place in today’s EDM world. He uploads a steady stream of original tracks and remixes, all while DJing for local EDM fans in Amsterdam. He downloaded the production program Fruity Loops 1.5 years ago, and seemingly overnight earned a swelling fanbase. He started DJing after promoting for a party and asking the owner for a shot at playing the event, going on to playing his first event with 50 or so attendees. Now hundreds flock to his shows.
Even though many of his tracks fit into the future house genre, Mesto aims to experiment with all of house music and other genres. This mantra ties into his DJ sets, which he states are never planned and always showcase the music he loves. Inspired by producers like Oliver Heldens and Fox Stevenson, it’s no surprise Mesto’s talents eventually captivated Martin Garrix. The two went on to collaborate with Justin Mylo to create the future house/big room fusion track “Bouncybob,” which Garrix debuted with Mesto and Justin Mylo live during ADE this past year. Read on to learn how the two Dutch producers linked up:
You’ve been involved with Martin Garrix over the past year. How did you two meet?
It’s a funny story because he lived like two streets away from me. I was playing in a club in my hometown when he came by (we already knew each other a little). He came to me and he said that he liked my music a lot. After that night we kept in contact and “Bouncybob” was born!
Since meeting Garrix, how have you two collaborated? What was the experience like?
It was very nice to work with him. It was such a funny process during “Bouncybob,” we really tried to make it different and more groovy. I think the combination between our styles worked out really well; in the track you can hear our 3 styles all combined together.
You guys are releasing “Bouncybob” for free. Can you describe the process behind creating this collaboration, and what inspired the decision to release it for free?
The track is already almost a year old, and finally it’s getting released. We wanted to make something that wasn’t done before, and the idea was to make a ‘Bigroom meets Future House’ kinda drop. Because it took so long, we decided to give it for free. I’m so happy with all the positive reactions!
Bouncybob free download December 31st!!
Posted by Martin Garrix on Monday, December 28, 2015
Do you have any collaborations you can reveal for the future?
At the moment I’m working on many collaborations, but also many solo tracks. At the moment I’m spending a lot of time in the studio with Mike Williams and Justin Mylo; it’s a fun combination because we’re also very good friends. I would love to be in the studio with Fox Stevenson!
Where do you hope to take your music and your brand in the coming years?
I hope to make everyone happy with the music I make and play all over the world, I’m super thankful for all the support I’m getting!
“Bouncybob” releases for free on December 31, but we wager this won’t be the last we hear of Mesto. If anything, “Bouncybob” marks only the beginning for the young producer and DJ. All the elements mix together to predict a future star: genre-defying tracks, captivating live shows, sign-offs from one of EDM’s most influential artists, and a shared heritage with many of electronic music’s greatest figures. 2015 opened the floodgates for Mesto, but 2016’s coming wave will launch him to the stratosphere.
We’ll leave you with this, his recently launched mix series which delivers on all fronts. Enjoy!
