Should You Adapt to Trends? Ferreck Dawn's 20-Year Answer | EF EP 129

0:00 You want to cater to what's trending and what's popular, but you also want to have your own sound or vision. But you have to think about it because you can't. You can't keep doing the same thing over and over and over. And for instance, I'd like to be at one 24125 BPM, but the world at the minute apparently is at 134 BPM. So you can do 2 things. You can be stubborn, kind of wait until this wave of fast-paced music goes on again, or you adjust to it. Ever wonder how top DJs actually built their careers? I had to do 15 years of hard work to get any of the recognition that I wanted. Where I saw a turning point in my career is when I came true to myself. From marketing and mindset to networking and negotiation, I'm giving you the tools you need to build a lasting career in dance music.

0:50 Give them bits of you. And your everyday life, you have to change. The way you view. The word no. Like me, I'm encouraged by it. Join me, Olivia Mancuso and industry leaders as we reveal what it really takes to turn your passion into profit. This is elevated frequencies. Welcome to your weekly elevation, your dose of real strategies for real results in dance music. I'm Olivia, and today we are digging into what it takes to build a career that lasts decades, not just seasons. This was back during Amsterdam dance event. I sat down with Dutch house legend Ferrick Don, who's been navigating this industry for more than 20 years. Ferrick has mastered something most artists struggle with, staying relevant while the industry transforms around you. We're talking about the real pressures artists face when trends shift, how to build genuine longevity, and why sometimes the best strategy is simply refusing to quit. So if you've ever wondered how to balance your artistic vision with commercial success, this conversation, some answers. Let's start here.

1:54 I was so wow, hearing your track. Seriously, when I got sent that link, it was on repeat. If you you can see on Spotify or on SoundCloud, right? How many times a track has played? Like, at least half of those were mine from the private link. Yeah. Fantastic. Just joyful. That's what we were going for. Oh my God, it was so good. I can tell from your vibe that that's that's what I want. That's very fitting, except when you don't have a beer available. Fucking terrible hotel. What's the name of the hotel? Hotel Asteria. Yes. That review, I hate it here. Leave them a Yelp review for me, please, on my behalf. OK, So obviously we're in your homeland.

2:35 There's there's these young artists here who are trying to, they're fighting for the same opportunities that you once fought for. So seeing all this young fresh energy out here, what would be your number one piece of advice for taking advantage of Ade? What we? Literally just had it happened today. So I, I feel the, the, the, the most valuable thing of Ade is if you just wander around, you'll meet people in the street and the meetings probably like one or two minutes. It's so valuable just to be here and you meet, you run into people that you've been emailing with or calling with and everything. But the random chance meetings in the street, in my opinion, is the most valuable thing of Ade. So for instance, we do this interview and you have one or two meetings, but to hang out at a lobby of a couple of the hotels where everybody gathers and you just have these little chats, super valuable. Yeah, and it's like everyone's here for networking, so it doesn't have to feel weird like it would trying to like approach someone in the club.

3:30 Yeah, it's very loose. You know, you sit at the bar, this person comes up to you, you see that guy, hey, what are you doing? And there's little like one or two-minute chats might lead to great things. And it's just good to look at to each other in the eyes instead of just being on e-mail and WhatsApp and all, you know? When you first started, when your career first started, social media and online communication wasn't as prevalent as it is today. Where do you fall on that spectrum of how important you think it is? It's very important, but I hate it. But it's it's a it's just, it's you have to play the game, you know, and some guys are and the girls are better at it than other people. It's, it's just part of music is of course is one thing, but it's definitely your social presence.

4:13 Is, is very important, of course. But it's I, I find it an interesting balance that instead of just focusing on your music, you also have to think about content all the time. But it's just the times we're in, right. So you can resist it. But that's silly, I reckon. So just play the game. But it is very important, yeah. I I saw you post something about Adm here, boxing something. What happened to your face is what I'm getting at. You just jog my memory, yeah. No, I fell, which is usually the excuse people say when they got into a fight right? But I really I fell. I just tripped after a night out with my friends on Saturday.

4:55 Busted open my mouth at this. So now which it was just a running gag at me. He fought the pavement. I did. I had butted the curve. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, I'm glad you're still got it, though. Yeah, not worried. That's good, That's good. You can still perform. Not concussed. It's weird. I saw that post that you made, but like an hour before that when I just touched down here, it was Tuesday. Whatever. I saw two people with black eyes in the streets. Amsterdam is dangerous. Is that is that a thing? No, that was just coincidence. Coincidence. Very well. I've never, never. Nothing happened to me a year. I lived there for 10 years, so it's fine. It's absolutely safe. Yeah, yeah, it's not like America, I guess. So bit different, a little bit different. So everyone, every artist has like a a moment where they think in my producing the right music.

5:49 Then maybe they get influenced by social media, by trends, by what their friends are playing. And you've had many evolutions throughout your career. How do you know it's coming from a place of this is what I want to do, this is who I am artistically versus this is what the market wants. And I feel pressured to respond to that. That's a great question. It's something I think about a lot. While of course you want to, you want to cater to what's trending and what's popular, but you also want to have your own sound or vision. So it's a, it's a balance that you, you have to think about it because you can't, you can't keep doing the same thing over and over and over and apparent. For instance, I'd like to be at one 24125 BBM, but the world at the minute apparently is at 134 BPM. So you can do 2 things.

6:41 You can be stubborn. We kind of wait until this wave of fast-paced music goes on again or you adjust to it. So this is actually something I've been thinking about a lot lately and produce music that's a bit faster than I usually would. Because you do want to kind of, you know, go with the flow instead of go against it. And maybe if you're stubborn, you could be right and you'll be the one who stuck to what he what he was doing. And the industry of the the music evolves back to where you want it to be, but it might as well not. So I do believe it's good to you have to adjust and evolve, even though it's maybe a bit faster than you would expect you want to do. But you have to, you have to join the wave, right? Otherwise, I feel it's a bit.

7:31 It's not smart to go against it all the time. So how did that influence Sirius? Not really because it's 126 BPM, which is still, I think it's a BPM I'm very comfortable with, but it's just I feel it's not really per se something that's very current. I just the vocal is just so 80s like that. I just wanted to do the TuneIn kind with the reverb snares and all and the disco steps. I wanted it to be feel like it's 80s, early 90s, but then 2025, you know? Right, right. So is there elements that will always be you no matter what BPM the track is what what trends you're playing into? Do you have certain elements that are kind of the through line and?

8:16 I have a secret element. What is it? Secret element is it's a it's a clock and it's literally the sound of a clock that I put on the kick. So people who listen to my music and like the music, they will say, well, I can hear a ferry Dondrich from from the get go. It's because of the clock is on. It's like a top kick. So but it's very distinct and I use the same one all the time. So sometimes it's a bit more present, sometimes it's a bit less present, but it's always there in every song, which I think is nice. It's a little touch that I use that sound on every song. And so you will, if you are really into the stuff I do, you will probably recognize it from the beginning that, ah, that's the song you did.

8:59 So that's I like that you have this little signature thing. Right. Yeah, No, I think that's important. And sometimes for artists it's either that and or certain way you perform. There's there's so many different ways to make a brand consistent. How long have you been making music? About 20 years. OK. So was the was the term brand even top of mind for you back then? No, no issues. Everything just changed in a way very rapidly. You know, you can't compare even 10 years ago is completely different than the way it is now, let alone 20 years ago. So now at the time, no, you just did what you do and did what you wanted to do and to see where you, where it takes you. And that's still something how I would like to do it. But you have to be kind of strategize and talk with management and where, where, what do we want to do, where we went ahead.

9:54 So now I feel it's completely changed the last 10-15 years. What are those conversations like? Well, just as we just discussing, you know, a musical direction style of it, are we going, we're going to go a bit faster? Do you want to, you know, aim for certain markets with music? You can go, if you go, for instance, if you go a bit harder, tech house, offbeat base. It's the stuff that's very popular in the US with guys like Max Tyler and Fisher and all those guys. You can do that. Or if you you say if you want to dip more into the Josh Baker, Prosper, Chris Stassi world, you know, that's a different kind of. So that's stuff you talk about with your management like Fairy Dawn's here. The do we do we want to move into certain directions?

10:36 Stuff like that is something I would have never thought of 10 or 15 years ago. You have to do it now. Yeah, yeah. I think the message is here because I've interviewed all sorts of artists who have been doing it as long as you have to, some newer artists and lots of behind the scenes folks. And I think the main message that I try to get across, but you know, asking you with asking you these questions is the work doesn't ever stop. You don't get to a point where you just get to coast. No, no, it's, it's in a way it's you're always on, you know, it's every DJ or producer probably has the same. It's just never stops when you're on holiday with your family, you're always like on your phone, checking emails in your head all the time. It's part of it.

11:19 You know it keeps going. And you have a family. How I'm curious when, because I, I have someone close in my life who's going through the struggles now of just breaking through finally after years of pushing, he's starting to have some real momentum. We're talking like gigging every weekend now, traveling. It's domestic only for a couple, couple shows and Caribbean islands and stuff. But like close by starting to make good money. And there's some struggles of as I'm, as I'm starting to really like hit a breakneck speed. How do I incorporate or bring into the fold a girlfriend all these other life achievements, you know, or milestones that one would want to reach?

12:04 So are you comfortable sharing like when that happened for you, how long have you been with your partner and. I've been with her for 14 years so and I started doing this full time 12 years ago. So she she grew into the whole thing with me. She did say if we were ever going to break up, which we're not because but she's I would never ever did a date at traveling DJ again and fair enough, you know, so we have two sorry we have two kids as well. So it's not always easy as by for instance, now I said that my daughter broke her leg 2 days ago and now I'm here. She has to take time off work to cater to her and this is not the first time that this happened. You know, there's a lot of moments in our life that I'm away for two weeks.

12:51 Sometimes I'm away for three weeks. I don't want to do 3 weeks anymore. Two weeks is enough is the maximum I want to do, but you ask a lot from your partner and if you find someone who is willing to do it had you're blessed because it's it's not easy being with someone who does the job I do also for the kids is sorry, it's a bit of a challenge now and again. So yeah, now a lot of respect for my girlfriend and to all the girlfriends that are dating, traveling DJs because you're way off. So every weekend it's normal for she someplace says I feel like I'm I'm a mom with two kids on my own. You know, every weekend I'm not there family stuff, you name it fun stuff with friends.

13:33 You have to do it with the kids because I'm not there. Right. Which is, which is a challenge. Not again, and it's not easy to balance that, but it's that she, she literally grew into it with me. So it, this is what our life is. She's used to it now. Yeah, there's not one right way to do it, but it's it's interesting. It's like, well, when technically would be the best, Is it like with you like where it was kind of in the beginning grew into it or is it right in the middle or is it when you've already reached a certain status? And I think it's something that anyone who's in the public eye struggles with or is aiming to be in the public eye because there's just so many extra factors that you have to think about versus if you just had like a, a regular job. 100% but I don't know what the exact, what the perfect timing would be.

14:22 I would say ideally if you're at a point where you just you're financially independent, then you can say to your partner if you want to, you know, quit your job and focus on the family or something. Depends on the situation, but that that'd be a great place to be that you have the opportunity of the possibility to offer that to someone if the partner wants that. For the rest, there's no good time. I think what I did, what happened to me with my girlfriend is the best way because you this isn't how it went slowly but surely. I think if you join, if you get into a relation with someone who's already doing this line of work, I think it's very hard to kind of do that with someone. Do your kids think you're cool?

15:06 They like it, Yeah, they're eight and six or they like that dad's DJ, but they don't really. They see the videos, they see Instagram on again and they find it funny. I used my son on the video a couple days. Ago I saw that he's like hi, I'm I'm fairing yeah that was. Awesome, because he's reading all the comments and he loves the fact that people say that he looks like me. Yeah, he does. He's really like Meanie Ferrick, Meanie Ferrick, so it's nice to see that. That's, that's awesome. So have they shown an affinity for for house music or are they kind of exploring? Because I grew up in a house music family, which I feel lucky that that you know, which is not necessarily a common thing for Americans. It's not now.

15:46 It's very normal here. As in as in you get, you get house music was in the dance charts or in the Top 40 in since I was 45. So it's very normal that you get, you get, you know, you hear this music from a very young age. They don't show a particular interest. My boy likes song festival, you know, the song festival the Netherlands in Europe. So it's a very theatrical music stuff that I thought my thing that's called like that. So we have a very different taste of music. Sure. Well. Give him time. I do, I try, but they do. Like if I do a new song and he comes into the studio because my studio is in the house. So he just comes in and just he have a little and then he likes it when it's when it's out and he can find it on Spotify.

16:29 He does enjoy that. But now he likes very different music scenario. But he's 8. Yeah, he's 8, so. It's fun, you know, We'll get there. We'll hold it. Against it. The last interview I just did, we were talking about it was with a track stack. If you know that that platform, the founders and we were talking about the importance of proximity and setting yourself up for success by living in areas where it's easy to network and not necessarily with like the top 20% of DJs, but just have a other people who have the same interests. There's events happening, There's some sort of like just scene, right? And how important that is to have a successful career. So growing it. So where I want to know your take on that, especially considering where you grew up? I'm from the South of the Netherlands, it's called Eindhoven.

17:15 It's not. It's not a big scene. I moved to Amsterdam when I was 25 or something. But also for that just to be more around where you know the, the, the cool stuff is happening. But nowadays with all the Internet and the opportunities you can get the stuff you do online, I'm not sure if it's as important as it maybe was 15 years ago when before Internet then you definitely want to be in an area where all the other DJs who play similar music and similar events and all 100%. But nowadays with Internet and then with just the stuff you can do online, I don't, I don't know if it's that, if it's still that important. What do you think?

17:56 Well, I have an interesting perspective being from Chicago. Living in Chicago, we do have a scene. I do think that it is overlooked compared to the coast, LA and New York. I don't think we get as many resources as much attention, which is crazy because it's consider the birth place of house music, right? So it's like a weird struggle. I've and there's a lot of talent and we have it like we have a lot of venues, but not necessarily the international pull for like businesses and labels to and, and, you know, promote it like like Defected isn't going to come do a showcase like every every month, you know what I'm saying? So it's weird.

18:42 I think it's slowly moving in that direction. I'm sure you've played Spy Bar or Prism or Smart Bar. Yeah, yeah. So Oris, you know, owns a lot of those those venues and they're amazing. They put on Ark music Festival. So it's changing, but it's crazy that we don't get the same support as like LA or New York. It is to me, Chicago is if I go to the US, Chicago is definitely one of the cities you want to include in the list of, of of cities you you're going to visit. So of course, LA, New York, Miami, but Chicago is definitely in my like the top five cities to me. I said all the places you just mentioned, Smart Bar, Spy Bar Prism, There's loads of cool places in, in, in Chicago.

19:23 So. Do you have a favorite place to play in Chicago? I think I like I, I mix up Spy bar and Smart bar in my head, but either one of the two, I played both and I liked them both. But that's one that you stand a little bit higher and you look down on the people, which I usually don't like because I like to be closed. But that would I just, I like the atmosphere of the of the venue. That's Spy Bar, yeah. I I loved it there. Yeah, yeah, I have a spy bar hat and I have so much. I have every piece of Spy bar merch that's ever existed because that's, you know, that's, that's the spot. Very much like has kept its original roots, like the community aspect. It's a, it's a, it's a great venue. Smart bar too. So what would you tell a producer that's been grinding for years? Maybe they've had marginal success, but they haven't hit that breakthrough yet.

20:11 What's your best advice for them? Keep going because there's there's no, it's it, there's no recipe for success. You know, I think the only thing you can do is be consistent and keep going. If I it's very frustrating and even for it doesn't matter on what level you are, you always want that next song to be the one that everybody, you know, latches onto. So I think the most important thing is don't be discouraged if the song doesn't do what you want it to do, which is very easy. I've had it 100 million times already that you just you're surprised that it didn't do what you were hoping or expecting it to do. But this is just, it's just you can't predict that this sometimes you release a song, you think like, let's see, and then that one will do way better than the song you thought like, this is the one, this is the, this is the new song that's going to push me to the next level.

21:03 So it's just you can't predict that you don't. I don't. There's no recipe for it. The only thing you can do is just keep going, keep grinding. And The funny thing is it doesn't really matter on what level you are. You will always have the same feeling about like I think this song needs to be. So it doesn't matter where you sit on the DJ ladder, if you will. This is a feeling that you will never lose. It will always be there. You always want the next song to do better than right, so you keep going. Yeah, yeah. You can't get satisfied or, and that goes back to what I said earlier, everyone thinks that like, well, when I just get a manager, I just get this. I just get that everything will be easy. And it's never easy because you're constantly pushing yourself for the next best thing. And as a, let's say, establish guys like a Fisher or a Dumbbell or you name all the guys that they're like on the top. I'm sure they have their own like thoughts about Oh, I want to do this next year.

21:53 I want to do that next year. Doesn't there will no DJ will ever be like, Oh, done. Fuck it. No, you doesn't happen. You know, you there's there's always stuff you want to do more. So it doesn't really matter on the what's what level you are. You always want to get to the next thing because you will see, you will look at the others like, Oh, you did that. I want to do that. It doesn't matter where you are. Yeah. I love it. The most important thing is just keep going. Yep, Yep. It's the most boring advice, but it's the stuff that works. There's no. I can't make it any more fun. No, no, it's not fun. It's not fun. I saw cuz I told you before like I'm jet lagged whatever. And then I saw this TikTok while I was getting ready and it was like, you know, pros play hurt.

22:37 Pros don't complain about what they have to do. They keep pushing. And that was like the motivation I needed to stop being a little bitch and just go out like all night tonight because I can definitely. I need that advice myself because, you know, it is it is a grind trying to make waves. I mean, this interview wouldn't have happened two years ago when I started my podcast because I was brand new. It was a result of like, consistent effort, right? That that made it possible and so I I try to live those values and I know all the artists that I bring on that give this advice live these values too. It's as, as you said, it's boring advice, but I, I, it's the one thing I would say to any young producer who is, who is annoyed or frustrated that it's not going as fast as he wants it to go. We've all been there, you know, and everybody has a different path to where they are, but the only thing you can do is just keep going.

23:33 Yeah, very boring, but it's literally it. It works well. Thank you for taking the time. I'm sorry that you didn't get your beer. I will get one. You're free now to go. In this terrible hotel. Thank you. Thank. You approach is how he's learned to adapt without losing himself. While everyone else is kind of chasing the next best thing, he's focused on consistency and discipline. The industry is going to keep changing whether you like it or not, but the artists who survive are the ones who stay true to their core while making strategic moves when it matters. Keep grinding, stay disciplined, and remember you're in control of your own path.

24:16 That is your weekly elevation. Remember, success in dance music isn't about luck, it's about strategy. I'll talk to you next week.