Da Tweekaz Are Coming for You
Over the years, the Norwegian-bred, Belgium-based duo Da Tweekaz have developed a signature brand of euphoric hardstyle and complemented it with their easygoing, quirky personas. They wear sunglasses at all of their shows (yes, even the indoor ones) and did a hardstyle remake of “Let It Go” from Frozen. The duo just wrapped up their #Tweekay14 campaign, in which they released one track, music video and episode of Tweekay TV a month in 2014 (if it sounds ambitious, it is). “It was somewhat ballsy to take on a challenge like this,” they said. “But we managed to pull it off, and the reactions have been nothing but wonderful.”
To find out more about #Tweekay14, Da Tweekaz’s debut at Basscon: Wasteland next month and how on earth they got their name, look no further than the interview below.
Basscon will be your first time playing in the US. How have you envisioned your debut in the States?
We are incredibly excited to finally come and play for you guys! You wouldn’t believe how much work it took to get our visas approved, but we know it’ll be totally worth it. We’ve already seen a massive burst of reactions online after Insomniac announced us on the Basscon: Wasteland lineup; clearly the US crowd is ready for some Tweeka-madness.
How do you expect the American hardstyle crowd to be different from the European crowds you usually play for? What is your approach going to be like?
The European crowd has access to hardstyle parties every single weekend, making them somewhat spoiled in terms of which party they’d like to attend and which DJs they want to see. From what we’ve heard, Americans don’t have hardstyle events every single weekend, which means people get more excited for hardstyle parties. We’ve seen some videos of our colleagues playing in the US, and it looks like you guys go crazy. We normally don’t have a particular approach in terms of what to play or what to do. We’re just going to hit play and see what the crowd reacts to and wants to hear. That’s always the best strategy!
You are known for playing euphoric hardstyle. At what point did you know this was the sound for you?
We’re very positive and energetic guys who love to experiment and have fun in the studio and also onstage. That image reflects in our songwriting—we just love making people happy with our music and sharing it with the world.
You’ve ran #Tweekay14 throughout 2014, releasing a track, a music video and a new episode of Tweeka TV every month. How did you manage to keep the project up, and how did it turn out?
Tweekay14 is by far the best project we’ve ever done. It’s 12 tracks, 12 music videos, 5,000 stickers, and our very own 8-bit-style online video game rolled out in one year! We’ve been incredibly busy every single day with this and sometimes had to push our own boundaries to make ends meet. Our beloved fans have given us tons of heartwarming comments and feedback, and we’ve also seen a massive growth in die-hard party-lovers at our sets.
What do you do on your downtime when not focusing on music? Any hobbies?
We’re pretty much “nerds” in our private lives, so most of our downtime is spent playing computer games or watching TV shows. When you fly here and there and party twice (or even more) every single weekend, it’s nice to sit back and chill out during the weekdays with your favorite show or a new game on PlayStation 4.
Tell us your favorite joke.
What do you call cheese that’s not yours? …Nacho cheese!
How did you come up with your name?
Back in 2007, when we were producing our very first Tweeka track, we were scratching our heads over what to call ourselves. The track we were working on had this cute little chip sound, which we had turned into a monstrous screech. Then, it struck us kind of like those light bulbs you see over people’s heads in the cartoons. We had just “tweaked” and “twisted” the sound into something completely different, and that’s how the name Da Tweekaz came to life. We’ve heard that “tweakers” has a very different meaning in the US, but for us, it’s just about tweaking the sounds.
What do you want to tell everyone going to see you at Basscon: Wasteland?
Wasteland: We hope you’re ready for a show like you’ve never seen before! We promise to bring our A-game as we take the stage for our very first US appearance. We’re so goddamn ready, are you?
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Da Tweekaz will be making their US debut at Basscon: Wasteland at the Hollywood Palladium January 23. Tickets to see them, along with Isaac, Lady Faith, LNY TNZ, Ran-D and Tuneboy are on sale no
