Powerhouse duo Sick Individuals have left a mark on the industry right since their humble beginnings. Comprising of Rinze “Ray” Hofstee and Joep “Jim” Smeele, the Dutch duo have successfully paved their way to the top and might as well have joined the ranks of other native greats like Tiesto, Hardwell, Afrojack and more. But take notice as the DJs are more than what meets the eye. Coming from extremely strong musical backgrounds, these two met while studying Music Composition and Production at the Utrecht School of the Arts in Hilversum, Netherlands. The duo who were initially composing for TV commercials found mutual interest in 2010 as they strived for something more which led to the foundation of Sick Individuals.
The staggering rise of the Dutch house duo has been noteworthy indeed. From dishing out a handful of quality remixes for several A-list artists to being featured on lineups of some of the biggest festivals to even releasing music on prosperous labels in the scene, this duo has done everything just about right.
The SICK sound originally took shape with a bucket load of remixes which even included artists like Madonna, Flo Rida, Franky Rizardo, Avicii, Nicky Romero and more before storming into the big league with their remixes for Icona Pop’s radio hit “I Love It” and “Troll” by Qulinez which saw incredible support from some of the world’s biggest DJs. Their breakthrough work not only showcased exceptional production capabilities but packed equal performance value.
The force was strong with them in 2011 as they debuted their original work with some of the earliest singles being “Ready For This One”, “Stranger” and “Future Love”. Sick Individuals became a shining talent in the recently persistent and uninspired Dutch house scene due to their versatile production skills which earned them applause from several music pundits. Be it big-room progressive or club influenced electro, the duo dabbled across multiple sub-genres.
2012 took things up a notch as the Dutch duo presented a staggering 22 remixes which eventually made them the go-to artists to receive a cracking rework as they even bagged an official remix for David Guetta & Rihanna.
Headed for even better times, 2013 overshadowed their previous achievements by a far margin as they hit the top of Beatport Charts multiple times with several originals, and most notably their progressive anthem “I AM” with Axwell and Taylor Renee. Released on Axtone Records, this euphoric gem put them onto the upper echelon of Dutch house artists. With no plans of holding up, a cracking collaboration with Dannic titled “Blueprint” happened which incredibly marked itself as a future classic.
Shifting focus to their live performances, the Dutch powerhouse were now making appearances at some of the world’s most alluring festivals like Tomorrowland, ULTRA, TomorrowWorld, Sensation, Mysteryland and Creamfields between hundreds of club gigs making it clear that they had sharpened their craft to an insane degree for the crowd to love every second of their presence.
Sick Individuals maintained their high quality production skills as they brought out their A-game in 2014 with multiple releases on Revealed Recordings, Armada and Ultra Records including chart toppers Rock & Rave, Wasting Moonlight, Lost & Found and Made For This. The SICK team also kept a tab on their remixing duties as they delivered notable reworks for Avicii and Flo Rida.
This past year was one for the books as the powerhouse duo kicked off proceedings with a debut release on W&W’s Mainstage Music titled “Skyline”. Skyrocketing to the top of the Beatport Charts, the SICK team further extended their winning run with consequent releases like “Never Fade” with Kaelyn Behr on Armada Music and another massive summer anthem “Waiting For You” with DBSTF which claimed the #1 spot. Finishing off on a high note, the Dutch titans delivered their follow-up collaboration with Dannic titled “Feel Your Love” and a heavy electro original “Drive”.
Sick Individuals‘ reputation for providing electric live performances has grown with each passing day as their extensive journey across countries and continents stands as a testament to that. Furthermore, each release also has brought in their deep-rooted passion for their collaborative game marked by their undeniable chemistry between each other as a unit and consequently pulling out genre boundaries and providing a fresh sound to the audience.
With a bright 2016 on the horizon, expect big things from Holland’s hottest progressive house duo and make sure to catch them live as they make their return to India as part of the DimensionRED showcase in New Delhi and Mumbai on the February 27th & 28th respectively.
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