In an attempt to showcase a different sound with his former band FEW, the producer behind Dawn of a New World is now getting the feeling for creating his own music. The distinguished sound he’s looking for is not particularly danceable, but it carries an incredible atmosphere which you can’t ignore. “I always try to write music that takes the listener to a different place,” explains Dawn of a New World-producer Niek Meijer.
Written by: Mark Benthem
Special thanks to: Niek Meijer (Youtube)
Press play and read along below!
The journey
After creating demos with his former fellow student for the band FEW and a temporary collaboration with the female singer of this band, Dawn of a New World was born. Producer Niek wants to connect percussion and jazz with electronic music. It’s actually working out so far and he enjoys what he’s doing. “Yes, I’m loving this because the project is getting more tangible than before. This is because I finally released music thanks to my time in quarantine. I didn’t expect that the project would come this far already. It started with just making demos for the band, and while producing more often I learned quite a lot along the way.”
Inspiration
Niek knew that the knowledge being taught at school wouldn’t be the stuff he wanted to be known for. “In fact, I did what people expected from me and I didn’t feel comfortable at all. Now, I finally started with something which is created with my own fingers, I feel a lot more satisfaction. The creative freedom and independence in producing got a hold on me and it saved my love for being a musician.”
While looking for inspiration, Dawn of a New World loves to listen to a lot of different artists. “The list of names became longer as I knew better what path I wanted to take. In our time as FEW, names like: Bonobo, Submotion Orchestra and Cinematic Orchestra were big inspirations for me. The more I listened to House music the artists Ben Böhmer and Rufus Du Sol influenced me a lot. Downtempo artists like Parra for Cuva and Catching Flies are my taste as well! Also, music from movies is incredibly useful, like American Beauty and Interstellar. In general, I’m keen on dynamic buildups and atmospheric parts.”
Restless
A House-influenced track from Dawn of a New World is called ‘Restless’. It’s written in a period when he couldn’t sleep at night and was awake for a long time. “You can’t catch sleep because you’re thinking about all kinds of stuff. You’re getting into a flow of thoughts and imagination. ‘Restless’ represents that feeling because of its dreamy buildup. It also contains house-rhythms and the atmospheric parts gives it hypnotizing moments.”
Live sessions
Dawn of a New World is part of a new generation of producers who own the right mentality to distinguish themself from the rest. A big bonus is that he plays his own tracks on percussion equipment live on Youtube! By doing that, compositions come to life even more and it gets a different feel. It’s a big recommendation to watch (check Youtube below)! His former fellow student (Phillipp Hasse) will join him soon as well! “Phillipp and I recorded two jams together which I’ll post on YouTube in a while. I’m sure you’ll like them!” Niek, the world needs to hear what you have to offer. Keep the new tracks coming!