Artist Spotlight: Van Múrten
You started in bass music before finding your sound in melodic breaks. How many versions of Van Múrten existed before the one people know now?
In fact, there were quite a few! Before arriving at the sound that listeners are familiar with today, I went through several different phases. I started out making bass music, but over time I realised that I wanted to blend elements from several different worlds, rather than limiting myself to a single genre. Breaks proved to be the ideal genre for this. I built my sound piece by piece: the
drums and low-end were largely inspired by artists such as Grum, Bicep and Franky Wah, while the energy and synth lines were inspired by my love of progressive house and trance, particularly artists such as Eric Prydz, Alpha 9 and Armin van Buuren. Ultimately, all these influences merged into a single sound, and that’s where I feel Van Múrten has really found its own identity.
Does teaching production change how you work in the studio yourself?
Definitely. A significant part of my work involves analysing the techniques used by some of the world’s best producers for the educational materials and video tutorials I create for other musicians. This deep immersion into how great music is actually made
has not only changed my approach to my own work but also pushed me to think more outside the box: to explore ideas and creative directions I wouldn’t have considered before. It doesn’t matter how well a track is produced or mastered, or how many plugins and techniques you’ve used, if the idea itself doesn’t move you. That’s something I’ve come to realise much more clearly thanks to teaching. So yes, it has definitely influenced my approach: now I try to listen to my heart first and let the technical side follow the idea.
Tell us more about this new release: is there a moment in the track you’re most proud of?
Honestly, “Doppelgänger” was an experiment. I’d never combined two different breakbeat-style drum parts in a single track before. They sound completely different in the drop and the breakdown. A layered reese bass driving the drums, old-school progressive synths, which, to be honest, are my favourite part of the whole track, and vocals that brought the whole concept together. When I finished the track, I dreamed of it being signed on the Armada / A State of Trance labels. But I also knew that this genre doesn’t always find a home there, so I wasn’t sure it would happen. When it became real, I was genuinely overwhelmed. And hearing Armin play it puts everything into perspective. The years of work, the doubts, the experiments like this one. It all makes sense. So thank you to Armin and the whole ASOT team for making this release possible. I can’t wait to see what happens next.