Arts The Beatdoctor
Utrecht, Netherlands
Void
Behind the Music
Arts The BeatdoctorAlthough The Outlaw Ocean’s subject matter is heavy, at times making it difficult to stay positive about the state of the world, I do think that music has the power to inspire change and point to possibilities. Therefore, I aim for creating music that evokes bits of hope, without making light of serious subjects.
Many chapters within the book were pivotal in the creation of my music. First, “The Scofflaw Fleet” and “The Middlemen,” had a deep impact on me, highlighting the seriousness of human rights abuses and slavery at sea. It paints an inescapable mental picture, without resorting to oversimplified categories of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people. The complexity of these stories make you wonder who, if anyone, can step in and make positive changes. The chapter “Rusty Kingdom,” also entertainingly puts a spotlight on how the law works differently at sea, and the often-bizarre lands this can result in.
About Arts The Beatdoctor
Arts The Beatdoctor is a producer from the Netherlands who crushes electronic synths with grainy samples and organic field recordings. The result is a raw, knob-twisting mixture in the vein of his contemporaries, Flying Lotus, Bonobo and Four Tet. On the stage he is equal parts DJ and musician, building immersive mixes from his catalog while incorporating studio production techniques and live instrumentation.
Arriving on the instrumental hip hop scene with 2006's “Fragments,” Arts built a name for himself constructing compositions from decades-old vinyl samples. Symbolically closing the door on an era of jazz infused laidback hip hop with the 30-track collection “Lost Track Of Time” in 2013, Arts showed an evolved version of his former sound with “Lazy Thunder.” Combining the hypnotic atmospheres of before with a more intense, electronic and hard-hitting flavor, he once again defied simple genre-tagging.
Occasionally branching out of his comfort zone, Arts has performed his music in various forms (including a 40-person vocal choir), composed an alternative soundtrack to the movie “Gattaca,” (2009), and collaborated with installation builder Tijmenrockt on an interactive performance installation, “Moebius' Travel Machine” (2014).
Following his 2016 single “With You,” Arts took a break from music to focus on personal development. It is unclear what the future will hold. What is clear, is that music isn't done with Arts The Beatdoctor just yet.
Currently, Arts The Beatdoctor teaches Electronic Music Production at the Rockacademie (Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts).