Q1. How was you'r first show in Japan? What was the most surprising or impressive experience? Is there something within your expectation in Japan?

Japan was absolutely amazing! My head is still spinning from the mind blowing experience. Massive shout out to my fans in Tokyo! I was so touched by the energy they gave me, watching them dancing and singing along with my tracks. They even gave me handmade gifts afterwards and it’s that little personal touch that really hits the spot with me. Japan was everything I expected and way more! Made a lot of new friends here that I am proud of to call my friends. Also big shout out to Squarewave, they showed me what Japan’s true hospitality is all about.

Q2. Please talk to us about your EP release "3SIX5" and the inspiration behind it. 

To be  honest, 3SIX5 basically is my first real club track. Prior to 3SIX5 I mostly worked on remixes, so creating my own EP wasn’t really a focal point. It’s the remixes that got me in touch with the right crowd and led to more interest by bookers and so the desire to create my own tracks for my live shows started to grow. The label Beyourself Music came along and they offered me the opportunity to do just that. So, long story short, I locked myself up in the studio with just a melody in my head and many hours later, 3SIX5 was a fact. The track started out as a standalone production, but soon after I sent it out to good friends of The Galaxy a call came in telling me the track was being aired during a DJ-set of The Galaxy. This momentum gave me a huge boost and even more inspiration. So almost immediately I wrote “Get Out” as a result of that.

“Money Money” was the final track I wrote, I finalized that one in a hotelroom session during ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event).

Q3. How is this EP special compared to other tracks you’ve released throughout the career?

I think it's that journey leading to creating the EP is the most rewarding and special to me. I never said to myself : “Ok, let’s make an EP” but once I started on that road it was amazing. Don’t get me wrong, it was hard work and a lot of trial and error before I finished the EP but I needed it to be a “Roy Dest thing”. So next to finishing the EP I also spoke with the label about designing my own album cover. Luckily they felt where I wanted to go and gave me the thumbs up. The end result is an EP that I am proud of and is 100% Roy Dest.

Q4. Can you pick 1 or 2 must plays in your recent sets and why?

First up of course is my remix for “Strawberry Shortcake”by Alvaro and Fight Clvb. This remix sparked my contact with SAV and Mystero from Fight Clvb. I spoke with SAV during the Barong Family Pop-Up event that took place at ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event). Thanks to this remix I was offered the opportunity to release a new track on the label of Fight Clvb, Fight Free so stay tuned for that one!

Runner up is my remix for my big bro's of LNY TNZ for their song “We go up”. I still play that one a lot. This record was released a few months ago on the the Barong Family Event. This track means the world to me cause I get a load of good memories and vibes from it. I will never forget this track and the hours spent to perfect it.

Q5. Is there any exciting new projects coming up that you can share with us for 2019?

Oh yeah, for sure! I will release my brand new track Shibuya together with Natsumi in March!

I wrote this record in Tokyo, Japan. This record will be released on Laidback Luke’s label Mixmash. Luke and I hit it of during my tour in Japan. It was a thrill to finally meet Luke, he has always been an inspiration to me and man, an absolute legend in the scene! Also ready to go is a new “poppy” record with the title “Yellow Flames”. I’m really proud of this one and looking forward to releasing it to my fans. So hit me up and let me know what you guys think of it!.  

Last but not least, I’ve started and finished a lot of colabs with my friends all over the globe. Shout out to Wukong (Singapore), Junkie Kid (USA), Kevu (Portugal), Makla (Germany) and Kaku (Malaysia). As you can see love and music have no boundries!

Q6. Please leave a message for your fans in Japan.

Man what can I say other than Japan blew me away. I am so honored and grateful to have felt the true love coming from my fans in Japan. The dedication of the fans and organization was overwhelming and I can’t express how much I admire you guys for that. Japan feels like a second home to me now and I hope you will have me back soon so I can get to see even more of this awesome country and its people! Thanks Japan!