Ever since the release of Drugs from Amsterdam, Mau P has showcased why he deserves his spot at the big table in the dance music scene. And it's his meteoric rise since the 2022 banger that has seen him land a coveted residency at the iconicPacha nightclub in Ibiza.
However, despite his huge success and sell-out shows across the globe in recent years, the Dutch DJ openly admits he was surprised when the legendary venue came knocking. Ahead of Mau's Pacha latest show on the White Island, where he is residing for 10 weeks every Wednesday, he spoke to Mirror about his love of the venue and the huge names in the industry who have shared their faith in him as he continues to climb the ladder.
The 28-year-old star, whose real name is Maurits Westveen, revealed the way the coveted spot came about, thanking a fellow Pacha resident DJ for their support. As he chilled in the early hours of the morning prior to his 3am set time, he said: "The residency is called Baddest Behaviour and it's a concept that's been in the US and it's been going so well that we thought we should move it to Europe too.
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"I think it mainly happened because of my connection with Solomun, who has been a resident here for a long time. He does the Sundays and puts in my name with the owners. I was super surprised, I was like 'wow, I get a residency? I don't even know if I can sell that many tickets, you know?'
"But they had a lot of confidence in me doing this, and it's been going very well so far. It's a very iconic spot to me. I've seen the pictures and video from Pacha from years ago and, yeah, it seems like it's been around forever, and it means a lot to the dance music culture, so to be a part of it now is really cool."
And he promised partiers a unique show on every occasion, admitting he tends to freestyle his set. "You never know what's about to happen," he went on. "I think my style, just the way I DJ, is just unique among other DJs. I think every DJ is supposed to have their own style, and my style is just a little bit of everything, but it always has a groove to it."
Despite enjoying riding the wave of his success, he admits the way Drugs from Amsterdam turned him into a global star had "two sides". He candidly explained: "It's amazing to get the stamp of approval and to be recognised by so many people because that's what I have been dreaming of for years, because I've been doing this for like 10 years and it would never sort of click. So, for me, I felt like all eyes were on me.
"I got messages from Calvin Harris and Tiesto and whatever big DJ you can think of. But then, it also kind of messes with your creative flow as there's like a sort of pressure going on where you think 'oh, I need another song that does just as well as Drugs From Amsterdam', you know?
"At the time, I was lucky I had already made about 10 songs that I had ready. But you know, now, I sometimes overthink where I want a song like that, but I guess that's just the creative process."
However, he admits he trusts his own process and paid tribute to his musical family for helping him develop his vibes during his younger years; his father was a saxophonist and his mother a singer.
"I think subconsciously a lot of the music I was played when I was little is sort of the music that I'm into now and inspires me to make music in a certain way. And of course, getting raised with a classical music training or a certain ear for things really helps me to produce songs in a certain way, and I think mixing too.
"Because I can really hear this song match really well - same key, even when a computer tells me it's not the right key I'm like 'this will definitely work' and it always works, you know?"
And he feels like it's this set up that can help him establish himself as a regular name in the Pacha line-up, just like his friend Solomun. "I think it feels like a special project," he admitted. "I just try to make a special night.
"With this, it's like with every new week you create more of a feeling for the residency. I mean, I just started but I'm really trying to create a thing on the Wednesdays. So, hopefully, next year people will recognise it's Baddest Behaviour at Pacha on Wednesday and think 'we should go because I have this memory of last time'. It takes time, but it feels like I'm building something within Pacha."
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