For many fans, Ruthless’s story didn’t begin with ‘Banaan’, but much earlier: during the Jeckyll & Hyde era. In the latest episode of PLAFONDDIENST, he looks back on that period when jumpstyle suddenly exploded in the Netherlands.
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The collaboration between Ruthless and Maarten Vorwerk, better known together as Jeckyll & Hyde, arose quite spontaneously during their time at record label Digidance. “We drove each other completely crazy with music,” Ruthless explains. What started as experimenting with sounds from Belgium quickly grew into something much bigger. Their first tracks hit the mark immediately in clubs, and before they knew it, they were in the middle of a completely new movement.
That breakthrough gained momentum. “I think we were in the Dutch national Top 40 for a year with Jeckyll & Hyde, with three different tracks,” says Ruthless. Hits like ‘Frozen Flame’ and ‘Freefall’ were played en masse and formed the soundtrack of a generation. Jump grew from an underground movement into a national hype: and Jeckyll & Hyde were right in the middle of it.
Yet, at the time, that success didn’t always feel as grand as it actually was. “It all happened so fast and it felt a bit normal,” Ruthless further explains. At the same time, he also saw the downside of that popularity. After previous experiences with hardcore, he saw how a genre can change due to commercial attention. “I actually saw it happen again,” he says about it.
Ruthless on Jeckyll & Hyde, consulting with Jebroer and Radical Redemption for the ‘Banaan’ remix, and more
Ruthless looks back on that period with pride. Not only because of the success, but also because of the impact it had on the scene. In the full podcast episode, he talks further about the origins of jump, the rise of Pussy Lounge, bizarre festival stories, and how unexpected hits like ‘Banaan’ later gave his career a boost once again. Check out the latest episode here.
Footage via Ruthless
