Justin Prime, the Dutch DJ and producer behind the massive 2012 hit “Cannonball” with Showtek recently spoke with us for an exclusive interview. Justin tells us everything from how he began producing, to the explosion of “Cannonball,” and some tips for up and coming producers. As Justin prepares to release some huge new tracks and embark on his upcoming North American tour in July, get yourself familiar with him in our interview below.
DTB: Tell us a little history on yourself and how you got into producing.
JP: My real name is Justin Putuhena, I grew up in a city called Huizen, near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I started to play piano at the age of 5 and started dj’ing and producing music at the age of 15. I grew up listening to house and pop music as a little child. I started off producing techno and trance music when I was 15/16 years old.. then at the age of 17 I decided to switch over to hardstyle music, and I’ve done this until the age of 25. At that point I spent so many years in the hardstyle scene and I wanted to grow as an producer and also improve myself in different kind of music genres. That’s when I switched over to EDM music and not long after that I made this track called Cannonball, and it really blew up my career on a world wide scale.
DTB: How did producing “Cannonball” with Showtek change your career?
JP: Well, like i mentioned above it really blew up my career. It first became a hit in the clubs and not long after that it also became a radio hit. We received two golden records + platinum for Cannonball. So yeah, after all of this not only my producer career but also my dj career was starting to blow up. I have been touring my ass off every week since the last 1,5 years!
DTB: Who are your favorite producers to work with?
JP: That’s a hard thing to say, because I actually like to work with everyone so I can’t really name a favorite producer. For me it’s about the music, I’m always open for new ideas and techniques. But I have to say I do had a lot of fun working with buddies Sidney Samson & D-Wayne. These two are really awesome guys!
DTB: Do you have any big tracks or collaborations coming up you can tell us about?
JP: I have a collab with D-Wayne finished, but I can’t tell you anything about the release date yet. So more info will follow later. I do have 2 new tracks ready for release called “Striker” & “Fairchild”, and also another track which I’m personally really proud of and will tell you more about soon.
DTB: Which has been your favorite country to perform in?
JP: Asia is always really cool to play, also India is crazy! I can’t really name one because I had soooo many cool gigs. But I have to say, I’m heading over America in July this year for my first club tour and I’m really looking forward to it because I’ve heard these guys have really sick crowds!
DTB: Which major festival is one that you would like to perform at one day?
JP: Ultra, Stereo Sonic and so many more!
DTB: What advice would you give for upcoming producers?
JP: Like I always say: Read a lot of tutorials on the internet about mixing and mastering your tracks. Nowadays you can get them for free on the internet or a web magazine. It will be really useful to know how to properly use compressors, limiters, eq’s, etc.
DTB: What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not producing/DJing?
JP: Going on vacation! Haha 🙂 I love to just sit on the beach, where the water is light blue, drink some Coronas and watch the sun go under. I also like to go to the movies, play video games from time to time, and try out all kinds of food I never ate before!
DTB: Anything else you would like to tell your fans?
JP: Thanks for reading this interview! If you want to follow me, check out my social media at:
www.facebook.com/justinprimemusic
www.soundcloud.com/justinprimemusic
www.twitter.com/justinprime
www.instagram.com/justinprime
