Mitchell Vreeswijk and Jan Stadhouders, who are better known as LNY TNZ, decided to come together and form this successful duo back in 2004, due to their shared passion of putting a new twist on hard hitting EDM. Ever since, the guys have continued to wow with their productions and we’re sure that they will continue to do so for many more years to come.
Recently, we’ve had the opportunity to have a little chat with the guys, so if you want to know more about their beginnings, their future projects and other exciting stuff, then check out our exclusive interview below!
- First of all, we want to know more about your musical background. When did you discover your passion for electronic music?
As young kids we already had a great passion for music. We both played the saxophone and some other instruments when we were youngsters. We were both really obsessed with music. We still remember when the music channel TMF started airing 24 hour music on Dutch cable TV. We used to watch TV for hours and loved to find out about all new music by that time. At the age of 16 we both went out to all different kinds of clubs in Holland and Belgium where we started experiencing a wider range of music. At that time there was no internet, so all the club tracks could only be heard in the clubs or record stores. For this reason we always visited Mid-Town records in Rotterdam to listen to all the latest 12-inch records. We love these good old days!
- And how did you two come together to form LNY TNZ?
We both shared the same passion for music and we started going out to different clubs and were immediately hooked by the underground electronic music we heard there. From that moment on we knew we had to make some music together. We were just playing around with Fruity Loops and samples we recorded from 12-inch records and created our own beats. We never really had the intention to perform in clubs or at any venues that time. After we dropped some of our tracks on MySpace and shared tracks with friends via MSN one track got picked up by some DJ’s who started playing them at big events. Later on we got approached by a record company who wanted to do an official release of the track. We had to make up a stage name and really had no idea what to call ourselves. So, we thought: the music we make is a little crazy in our opinion. So we came up with the name ‘looney tunez’, ‘looney’ stands for ‘crazy / funny’ and tunez stands for ‘music / sound’. So this had nothing to do with the cartoons. This was never a serious name but after some of our tracks got really popular by that time we were kind of stuck with the name. Later on we decided to change it to “LNY TNZ” which has way more visual options and looks less connected with the cartoons.
- You’ve already been in the industry for quite a while. Can you tell us what is the one thing you wish you would have known when you first started producing music?
When we started making music back in 2004 we had to learn everything ourselves. We used a lot of samples. Nowadays, there are a lot of studies and masterclasses in music production and even a lot of very useful tutorials on the internet which help a lot. The interfaces are also way more user friendly now. Business wise we have also learned a lot. Back in the days we used to sign any contract we received. Because we were young and really hyped we didn’t read the contracts, we just signed them. Now we know better! 😉
- You’ve recently released a brand new single called ‘Set You Free’. What was the inspiration behind this tune and how long have you been working on it?
Our latest single “Set You Free” is in our opinion a great mix between different ingredients of different styles of music. We get our inspiration from listening to a wide variety of music. We have tried to combine some pop influences with trap, hardstyle kicks and future bass. We think this single really turned out to be something fresh and we are very lucky that the people seem to like it. We receive a lot of national and international radio support which is great. We recently also dropped a club mix of “Set You Free” which is a free download on our Soundcloud page. We think this version works better for our live sets. It’s a little more rough. Go check it out now!
- What does this record say about your evolution as artists?
We definitely try to improve ourselves in every new project we start. Which makes it really hard for us. You can hear some future bass influences in our latest singles “Burn It Down” and “Set You Free”, this is something we have never done before. Of course, we have also tried to experiment with some harder style sounds like heavy kicks and some screechy synths. But now we made them less heavy and more radio friendly. But it still gives this raw edge to the song.
- When you guys aren’t performing or making a new tune, what kind of music do you prefer to listen to and who are some of your favorite artists at the moment?
Like we said; we listen to all kinds of music. From classical music to hardcore music. From hip hop to trance. It just depends in what kind of mood we are.
- In the long run, what is the biggest goal you have in your musical careers?
Our goal is to fly in our private jet to a festival, where we will host our FVCK GENRES stage somewhere near you, play all our music for you and eat all your local food!
- What do you have in store for the following months?
We are already working on our new single and we are working on a new EP with some real club bangers! We have some new merchandise coming out really soon. So, keep an eye out on our social media. We are also really looking forward to our FVCK GENRES festival hostings. We will be hosting stages with a lot of cool DJ friends and live acts we love and we support!
Follow LNY TNZ here:
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