Bio Arjan-M |
Hi, my name is Arjan. Thanks for visiting my web site, I hope you enjoy it. This page takes you through my (musical) history.
Making music started when I was still very young. At the age of eight I built my first drum set, made out of boxes I got from the supermarket! Around that time I also started with music lessons on the alto saxophone. The following years I played in various orchestras. On the sideline I kept playing the drums. I formed my first own band when I was still in elementary school. I sung and played the drums in this band. We mainly played our own compositions and we did quite a few gigs.
Later on in high school, I competed in the annual School Talent Contest for six consecutive years. Five out of these six times I took the first place. Each year I did a different act in a different style of music. With two of those acts I did some additional gigs: in 1983 I played with the band Initials F.U.N. at the Talent Contest, and for the following year we played at some school parties. My 1987 band lasted longer. For more than a year Funky Trouble played gigs, mainly in my home-town Purmerend. These shows brought us quite a following of loyal fans, but after a final reunion show in front of 750 people, we called it quits.
I've always enjoyed doing musical projects: initially putting a lot of effort into perfecting an act and then, after a few shows finishing it. That way I was able to combine making music with studying Economics at the University of Amsterdam and working in the largest record store in the Netherlands: FAME music in Amsterdam ( where I met Mark King and Mike Lindup of Level 42! ).
One project I particularly liked to do was to accompany other acts in the School Talent Contest I used to attend myself. I did this for years. With some good friends of mine I formed a band that played the music for the acts that didn't have their own band. In a few weeks time we rehearsed for the Talent Contest, usually Top 40 songs. A very useful musical experience, even though it didn't give us, the band a lot of freedom. We had to stick to the original songs as close as possible. But because of that, I've become a disciplined musician, knowing what my role is in the complete "musical spectrum". With the core members of this Talent Contest band, I formed the band Handsome Jack in 1999.
In 1993 I embarked on one of the biggest projects I've done so far: together with a friend of mine I wrote a musical. I composed all music for it and rehearsed with the band. In total there were 60 people involved in this project. We played this musical 4 times, for an audience of 2000 people in total.
Around that same time, I started working in my home studio. At first just "ping-ponging" music between cassette players, adding layer after layer, but in time, I added more and more professional equipment. This enabled me to compose my own music, play multiple parts in the whole, and ask other musicians to do guitar or vocal parts.
In 1995 I joined the Combo Studio '72 for their trip to Brazil. We rehearsed for a few months, after which we went on tour to Brazil for two months. We played over 50 concerts in cities like Sao Paulo, Foz do Iguacu, Rio de Janeiro and some Dutch colonies in Brazil. We played at schools, in large halls and for 3 weeks we played daily gigs at the Holambra ExpoFlora festival. Playing that many shows in a short time and being with the same group of people for two months really was a very good experience, both musically and socially. I still have contact with some friends I made in Brazil. Thanks to the Internet and email, I've even been able to contribute some sax solos on a recording of a Brazilian band.
When I returned home from Brazil I teamed up with DJ Vincent Hendriks. He's the guy behind The Course, a group that scored a big club hit with a remake version of Ain't Nobody (original by Chaka Khan and Rufus). I played a sax solo on an earlier recording of The Course: Oh-la-la-la (original by the Fugees). That recording ended up in several dance compilations. Together with Vincent, I did some gigs in several discos. The public's reaction was overwhelming. They had never seen the interaction between a DJ and a live musician. Requests for more shows kept coming in, and the Arjan-M-act was born.
During 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 I did a lot of gigs, mainly in discos. As word got around, requests for the act come from more and more places. This got me to play in Nighttown (Rotterdam), Het Paard (The Hague), Bulldog Palace (Amsterdam), "O" Disco (The Hague), Jazz club Alto (Amsterdam), Club Velvet (Amstelveen), Yanks (Zandvoort), Club Chateau (Zandvoort) and even in the Paradiso (Amsterdam). One of the highlights for me is playing with
Hans Dulfer, which I've done at various occasions. This man is a truly original musician and an inspirational performer.
The new Millennium sees the next step in my musical career: the opening of my own web site. Lately I have been playing at various gigs, both solo and with my band Handsome Jack. Besides these gigs, composing my own material and recording with various other artists keeps me quite busy. But as a true musician, I enjoy every second of making music and interacting with other musicians, DJ's and the audience. Check this website to keep track of my activities.
I hope to see you soon at one of my gigs!
Bye,
