[EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW] Maddix: Reigning in the Future of Techno

It may seem ironic, but the one thing you can count on being forever present in EDM is the fact that it is always changing. Genres fall in and out of being the hot commodity, often leaving artists on the wayside. Many struggle to stay relevant and adapt to their rapidly shifting auditory environment. Not Maddix. Surprisingly, the massive transformation that electronic music has made over the last decade has only made him stronger. He is more locked into his identity than ever, and has the means to prove it. 

Emerging during the end of the big room and progressive house era, Maddix quickly ascended to the peak of his field. In addition to being a valuable member of Hardwell's Revealed Recordings, Maddix was one of the hottest artists within his surrounding genres. However, when new fads began to take center stage, Maddix was faced with a tough decision. He decided to go with his gut and completely refine his style, diving into the techno scene head first. Since then, the risky choice Maddix made has resulted in skyrocketing success. We caught up with Maddix at Ultra to hear of his recent triumphs on a more personal level.

As soon as Maddix walked into the room, you could feel the pure euphoria radiating off him. The previous night, he had a prime slotted set at the UMF Radio Stage for his Ultra debut, along with an electrfiying club performance at Miami's Story earlier in the week. “It’s insane. Ultra has one of the best crowds to play for, when I played new songs they went crazy. The festival has such a big audience and hype around it; it’s amazing,” he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. Reflecting on the memorable experience, Maddix thought the crowd favorites were his remix of “Satisfaction” and an ID that he mixed in towards the end of his set.

While establishing new precedents for himself in DJing, Maddix is making huge strides in the realm of production too. He is on the brink of launching his inaugural plug-in, Maddix Rumble, intending to boost the influence of techno even further. Techno veterans are sure to recognize the name, as it is inspired by the iconic “rumble” sound in many of the genre's basslines. 

When asked about challenges he dealt with when creating the plug-in, Maddix emphasized how difficult it was to write it out and simultaneously make it unique. In the end, he was able to accomplish this and embed features that “you cannot find anywhere else”, referring to the reverb reset feature. Breaking it down for the production newbies in attendance, Maddix enlightened me that an issue usually occurs when a reverb is placed over a 4 by 4 kick. “It will affect the low-end in a way that is detrimental towards how the song will sound when played at a major festival like Ultra,” he stated. “We made features to completely reset this from happening, which is not available with any reverb plug-in.” Although, Maddix pointed out that it Rumble also has the standard components, such as delay, filters, sidechain compression, and a distortion module.

Explaining what drove him to forging the plug-in, Maddix said, “it sometimes took between 30 minutes to an hour to get the desired rumble kick. Now, with my plug-in, it takes me only two or three minutes. Artists who make their own plug-ins know that it will benefit other producers because they are the first ones to use them in their tracks.” Judging by the passion in his voice, it was obvious that Maddix truly aimed to help other techno producers flourish. He confirmed this notion when offering up advice on how to operate Rumble: “Just try to use it creatively. If you start experimenting and attempting crazy stuff, you can forge more than just rumbles, like side basslines and exotic soundscapes. Explore.”

For most, Rumble might seem like a crucial tool to give back to techno and its followers. In Maddix's eyes, it is not enough. Flipping the direction of our conversation, we began to discuss how Maddix has teamed up with Reveal Recordings to launch his label EXTATIC under the brand. His face lit up with excitement as he recalled the story behind conceptualizing the imprint:

“The label is based on my new sound, which I started three years ago. I’ve been evolving nonstop and pushing boundaries. Each track I try to make a bit more unique than my previous one. Right now, there are a lot of producers making this type of sound as well. I wanted to give them an opportunity to join the community by releasing on EXTATIC. I’m  super excited about it and Revealed [Recordings] is too. Together, we are going to build a brand that encompasses different flavors of techno. EXTATIC has been a dream for an extremely long time. I want to give these producers more of a voice and help them stand out other than just playing their music in my sets.”

If you are looking for a sneak preview of the upcoming label from Maddix, his recent collaboration single “Revolution” might be a solid place to turn. Joining forces with Hardwell and Timmy Trumpet on the anthem, Maddix voiced the balance between each of their signature styles on the track. He enjoys blending old-school trance in his songs, which can be heard in the breakdown. Hardwell's fusion of big room and techno kicks is evident in “Revolution” too. Then, during the harder drop, Timmy Trumpet's classic mixture of hardstyle and psy-centric sound design shines through. 

Perhaps the most fascinating part of “Revolution” is the lyrics. When questioned on the subject, Maddix laughed as he glanced over at his manager Mano. Clearly they knew something that I didn't. Mano proceeded to tell me how he was actually the one who created the lyrics for “Revolution”. He had never professionally written for a song before, yet one would think that he's been mastering the art his whole life. This is because of how he draws raw emotion and real experiences into his words. “There was a lot of uncertainty at the time. Many clubs and venues in Asia had been closed for a while and even in Holland, where we resided, there weren’t many live performances going on. The lyrics convey the frustration I was feeling surrounding this and also the need to party again, which I’m sure many can relate to,” Mano expressed.

Putting the spotlight back on Maddix, we moved the focus to the entirety of his journey across EDM. He hit on how his expectations when switching over from big room to techno were little to none. Maddix made it known that he has never cared about rules or genres, simply making music that fits into his sets and embodies who he is as an artist. So he was blown away when his first techno release, “ECSTASY”, received the level of praise that it did. He was shocked again when his single "Heute Nacht" went #1 on Beatport's Techno chart for two straight months. Suddenly, Maddix chuckled while admitting he has no idea what the future holds for EXTATIC and the rest of his ventures. While hoping to play at Ultra's Main Stage in 2024, he is zeroed in on controlling what he can control. For Maddix, this means continuing to build up and support techno, and living it up when performing at new destinations for the first time, such as his upcoming tour dates in Australia.

Honored by all the support from figureheads like Hardwell, HI-LO, Amelie Lens, and Tiësto, and more, Maddix is thankful above all else. Thankful to his fans for sticking with him and appreciating the different spectrums of music he has produced and will produce in the next phases of his career.

Photos Courtesy of Maddix and Ultra

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