“All art constantly aspires to the condition of music,” so said cultural critic Walter Pater in 1877, and all electronic music constantly aspires to the condition of the club - so said this cultural critic in 2017. The latter statement may lack the gravitas (or meaning) of the former but it’s a credo that seems particularly fitting when referring to Jarreau Vandal. This is owing to the fact that the Dutch producer crafts tracks with an inimitable bounce and maximal melody, a slurry of sure-fire party-starters and dancefloor-fillers, ever since he leapt onto the scene in 2013.

His knack for a layered groove stems from his musical upbringing. “My parents’ record collection was the first music I was exposed to; I was immersed in it,” Vandal explains. “Music Of My Mind by Stevie Wonder was one my parents played a lot and it allowed me to understand the way bands and instruments worked.” Soon, creating his own music in a home studio became a means of “expressing myself, it was a way of pushing my boundaries and becoming the best version of myself.”

Coming of age in Amsterdam, Vandal found himself at the centre of a burgeoning beats scene and with his productions in tow, he started the now-infamous Wavefiles parties. “The first Wavefiles we did was my first DJ set,” Vandal states, “it was luckily a huge success!” His DJing is now a skill that attracts him legions of fans with his seamless selections and high-energy mixes. Explaining his philosophy towards it, he states: “DJs need to play new music to people and create a night they won’t forget. You must allow them to escape from their daily struggles.”

Read the rest of the feature in Clash Magazine.

[This piece was published in the Autumn 2017 issue of Clash Magazine]