In the latest episode of PLAFONDDIENST – The Harder Styles Podcast, Major Conspiracy joins the couch. Jari and Sunny talk about their early years, the meaning behind their name, their sound, launching their own label, and the road to their show at AFAS Live. They also share plans for a brand-new live act, a mix of sharp edits, spontaneous choices, and a hefty dose of freestyle.
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According to Sunny, a good performance is all about balance: “The secret to a Major Conspiracy set is the dynamic between telling a story and delivering a hits parade. Jari plays our own tracks, he produces them too, so people keep clapping along and you create that connection with the crowd. I’m constantly on the lookout for trends, not just in uptempo. Everyone knows ‘Baila De Gasolina’ now, but also older songs like ‘Bloed, Zweet en Tranen’. I’m always digging for that kind of music.”
People often think it’s just an edit, but it all happens live”
“It’s the same abroad,” Jari adds. “‘Sweet Caroline’ is a good example of that.” Sunny continues: “Jari can make an edit of it, but I love doing it live on the decks. I look at artists like James Hype, or other big house DJs. Those guys are masters to me. Then I figure out how I can apply that to uptempo. It takes a lot of time, you prepare everything in Rekordbox, and on stage we freestyle it all. We just feel when it’s time to take it down, and then build it back up. That’s why a set in the Netherlands is very different from one in Germany or Australia.”
Jari explains how this works with different crowds: “Sometimes Sunny suddenly finds a new version of a track, like the French version of ‘Bloed, Zweet en Tranen’, which is. He won’t tell me beforehand, so I’ll just hear it on stage and think: what is this? But I always trust the process. Suddenly the whole crowd is screaming those vocals, and I’m like: wtf. It’s super fun. Sunny is really good at live mixing. People often think it’s an edit, but it sounds exactly like how I would produce it on the computer. Basically, everything you can do on a computer, you can also do on turntables, if you have the knowledge. And Sunny really does.”
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Freestyling as a new live act
Their passion for live mixing also forms the foundation for a new step. “Maybe it’s fun to already mention this,” says Jari. “We’re working on an act where this is the only thing we do. We tried it once during VOL GAS! at AFAS Live, when we had to fill half an hour. We decided to go all in: half an hour of live-mixed uptempo tracks. It worked so well that we’re going to do it again at TITANIUM, this time on the mainstage. And next year we want to fully launch this act.”
Major Conspiracy in the new episode of PLAFONDDIENST – The Harder Styles Podcast
In episode 23 of PLAFONDDIENST – The Harder Styles Podcast, Jari and Sunny share the full story of Major Conspiracy: from their beginnings and the meaning behind their name, to their sound, label, and why their sets are all about dynamics and live freestyling. They also reveal an exclusive first look at their new live act that fully focuses on live mixing. Listen to the full episode now on YouTube or on your favorite podcast platform.
Footage via: Major Conspiracy / Kate Duijts Photography
