'Time is the enemy'

Fans of drum ‘n’ bass, dubstep, neurofunk and house music are sure to have heard of ‘Noisia’, the popular electronic music trio from Groningen, Netherlands. Comprising Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger, ‘Noisia’ has toured the world extensively in their decade-long career and recently played their first India gig at ‘NH7 Weekender’.

Nik Roos recalls, “We go back a long way because we went to high school together. In school, I’d go to Thijs’ house, smoke and do the usual teenager things. We became friends first and only later did we start making music. We never set out to make a career of this as we didn’t realise that somewhere along the way, we’d actually start loving it. But essentially, we’re running a business based on close relationships.”

Of course, this proximity is also bound to lead to conflicts. “Sometimes, there are fights. But the cool thing is that among the three of us, the system is that if someone has an idea and one of us doesn’t like it, it’s up to the third person to take sides and make the final decision," shares Nik. He adds, “Making a song with your heart is better than saying that this is how a song should be, this is how a scene should be.”

Given that the members of ‘Noisia’ have three record labels to their names, are constantly producing new music and even make time for side projects, they face their fair share of challenges. “Time is the enemy. Balancing your personal life and work is also quite tough. Sometimes, even if I’m home, a work day might mean 13 hours in the studio after which all I want to do is sleep,” says Nik.

‘Noisia’’s side project with UK-based hip-hop group ‘Foreign Beggars’ called ‘I Am Legion’ reflects yet another spark of their brilliance. “We wanted to work with vocalists but the ones we’ve tried to work with didn’t get our music. With ‘Foreign Beggars’, it was different but cool,” he reveals. When it comes to Electric Dance Music (EDM), the most popular genre back home for the Dutch trio, Nik is quite critical. He explains, “Holland is crowded with EDM at this point. There’s a big wave in EDM but it gets pulled from the roots because of all the cash flowing into the industry. My hope is that out of this energy comes a scene that isn’t relying on hype but the right music that’s based on love.”   

During their stay in Bangalore, the trio saw quite a bit of the City. “The City is incredible. People look at each other but there’s no anger or aggression. We also love the little nod that Indians do when they talk,” wraps up Nik.