I read you two met in a bar over an incident involving accidentally swapped jackets. Did you ever guess it would lead to performing together?

I don't think we thought that far ahead. It's funny, sometimes you connect with people in life for whatever reason and that initial interaction turns into something much bigger. Thankfully the coat mix up happened and we are here today performing together!

Did you think “Cry (Just A Little)” was going to be so huge while you were producing it?

We spent a while working on that record. We would test out various versions at our gigs, tweaking it a long the way. The record always got a good response but we didn't know when we released it that it would get played all over the world by superstar DJs and on the radio. It's been a big track for us and we are really happy about all of the love it has gotten.

When a track becomes such a commercial hit, it can be a good thing or a bad thing for the artist who produced it. For some, it type-casts them into a specific “sound,” yet for others, it provides a launching pad. What do you guys think about the success of “Cry” and “Rattle?”

The success of "Cry" and "Rattle have been huge for us and our careers. We want to make records that people all over the world can feel good about, records that allow people to have a good time. If making records that people love results in us having a commercial hit, then that is great. The two of us certainly don't set out to have a set sound, we create each track as if the others didn't exist We think all of our records have their own distinct sound.

Maarten, I read you’re a big Daft Punk fan. Excited for May?

I couldn't be more excited! I've been asking everyone I know who may have access to the album if I can hear it, but still no luck. Vice is doing a cool series of interviews with the musicians who performed or were sampled on the record. The first video interview is with Giorgio Moroder. It's super inspiring!

Melody or bassline? What takes center stage?

It depends on the track and how it is created. Sometimes we have a great melody before we have any of the other parts so we will start to build everything around that initial melodic idea and then develop all the other ideas from that point. The same happens if we have a chord progression or bass line, we start with what we have and add on from there. We always experiment with our productions and production techniques so it's hard to say if melody or bassline takes center stage, it depends on the track.

What’s the strangest thing a fan has ever done/said to you?

Fans have gotten tattoos, that's not really strange I guess as much as it is flattering. We've had fans sneak into our dressing rooms, we've had fans ask us on dates, etc. We love our fans so it's all good. I don't know if you saw the video going around of the toothpaste guy from ULTRA. He was going nuts during out set dressed as a giant toothpaste dispenser and using a tooth brush to brush his body while dancing. That was pretty strange!

Best and worst advice you’ve received during your musical career?

Best advice came as support in the early days. People saw potential in us and were really encouraging. Worst advice, that's a hard one, everyone has an opinion and is entitled to theirs.

Which track, if any, gave you the most difficulty when producing?

It wasn't necessarily difficult but RATTLE took a while to get into its final produced state. We really played with that record a lot. It was a very different sounding track and very different from our previous productions up until that point so the two of us wanted to make sure we felt 100% about the track before releasing it into the world.

Are you DJs first, or producers?

We are producers first. Anyone can learn to DJ but for us it is really important to be able to produce great records. Our passion for DJing came from our passion to produce. We've been doing both for so long now that they both seem like second nature.

Favorite pre/post-show snack?

Pre show/ Grey Goose
Post show / Grey Goose

If you could compare your sound to a food, what would it be?

It would be like Mexican food! There are a lot of different ingredients and spices but at the end of the day Mexican food comes down to the basics, rice, beans, vegetables, etc. In dance music, it's bass, melody, rhythm and then we add the spice!

Your music is very high-energy, full-throttle. What would you play during an after hours set?

It depends on the crowd and how much energy they had left! If we are playing a 4AM set we may play a bit chiller but if the crowd is up for going hard then so are we.

Favorite parties growing up? Places you really learned about the industry/music?

All of the small clubs in Holland. We started by playing four or five gigs in a night, going from club to club, driving ourselves around. You learn a lot when you have limited resources and really want something. We just made sure to play as much as possible, asked questions and eventually learned what we know today.

More From Elektro Daily