When we first heard of DJ Naaldekoker we were intrigued by this unusual name for a local musician, but then we heard his slamming tunes and we were blown away! So The Beat decided to pay the 26-year-old DJ Naaldekoker a visit to give us the scoop on his strange music name and find out more about his music, his take in Die Antwoord and what fans can expect of him in 2013.
Strange name mr, how did that came about? Yeah, I know it sounds strange but it sticks and it’s unique. My real name is Jansen-Pierre Myburgh. I chose DJ Naaldekoker because I started as a scratch DJ, and scratch DJ's scratch records with needles hence "Naaldekoker" (Needle cooker) and it’s also Afrikaans for dragonfly. So there is some word play in there. And it stuck because it was different than the usual "cool" names out there like DJ crank or DJ cool or DJ bang, those are too obvious. So, where were you born and grew up? I was born in Pretoria but I dont remember anything about that. My parents moved to Mosselbay when I was two years old and I grew up there until I was twelve. It was an awesome town for a young kid to grow up in. Me and my brother surfed allot and we were out and about allot. But I am happy that we moved to Cape Town after that, there is allot more opportunities to do interesting things with your life here. How did you start getting into the music scene? I got my first set of decks when i was 15. I got them because me and my slightly older brother started getting into Hiphop music. I fell in love with the scratching sound. The record that really hooked me was Dr Octogon by Cool Keith, the DJ that did the scratching for that record is DJ Qbert who is still the best scratch DJ in the world. Me and my bro then started a hiphop crew ourselves. He rapped and I DJ'd. We played at things like our high school battle of the bands etc. Ha ha ha! It was allot of fun. We did crazy things like making our way down to KKNK to play there. Offended oomies would throw us with beer cans. Crazy times I tell you. What was the first song or mix you did? I always have been more focussed on scratching and live DJ'ing rather than studio production. So allot of the songs I have produced in earlier years are terrible. Over the last year are started focussing ALLOT more on production. I would say the first one I am very happy to put out there is my remix of Kaptein. Your song The Meltdown is a SLAMMING hot tune! How did it came about working with GoodLuck? Thanks! I have been touring all over the country all the time with Jack Parow and have come to learn pretty much all the professional artists and bands in SA. When I was done with the instrumental track for The Meltdown I felt that Juliet would be perfect for it. I sent it off to her and she liked it. She was a breeze to work with and complimented the track with her performance just as I had hoped. You did an interesting take on Kaptein, how did that happen? The best way to get good results when doing a remix is to use the good elements that is already present in the track. The thing about Kaptein is that it is already a really good song and very catchy. Even when people try to make fun of it they still find themselves humming the melody and then have it stuck in their heads afterwards. Kaptein was very easy to work with because it was already good like that. I didnt even need the separates from Kurt's song, I just used the version everyone has and then played it to Kurt afterwards and he was happy with it. When will you CD be released? Early 2013. Anything that’s. done on the international scene can be done in South Africa. I want my Album to compete with the big names in the international DJ scene, at least in quality. I will be featuring the cream of SA talent on my tracks and possibly some international features. It is going to be a PARTY album from start to finish. Any surprises for fans? I have two music videos in the pipeline. For The Meltdown and for Kaptein. Meredith Aylward will be directing the video for The Meltdown, she came up with a concept with a nice twist at the end of the video. A company called Markets online is doing the video for Kaptein and that will be more of a fun messing around video. What music do you listen to? I listen to Muse, Red hot chili peppers, Gypsy kings, Nina Simone and many many more. I don't listen allot to the genres I produce. I like to listen to other genres and then apply that to EDM.What sets you apart from other local muso's/DJs? I am younger, hungrier for success and willing to work harder. What's your take on Die Antwoord? They are true professionals. They know what they are doing. Strangest fan encounter ever? They all are still pretty strange. I work very much behind the scenes for Jack Parow and have been doing so for nearly three years. So whenever someone I dont know approaches me or greets me I never know if it’’s someone I met before and have forgotten about or a fan. I don't consider myself famous at all. Your motto for 2013? Go big or grow up!
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