Collabhouse

Rising Star Q&A with Engelbert

Kat Bailey

After shifting his electronic direction to alternative techno in 2020, Collabhouse’s latest Rising Star Engelbert seems to have found his musical groove. With singles signed to the likes of ICONYC, Manual Music and Steyoyoke, as well as his own imprint 3RD Act, the sound of Engelbert has increasingly frequented dance floors and radio waves across the Netherlands and beyond.

His single ‘Hart Loopt Over’, part of a double EP with track Leven, keeps it firmly in the family, featuring his sister Luke van Veen on vocals. The track received widespread acclaim and was picked up by national Dutch radio station SLAM FM for their influential show The Boom Room.

As he continues to create incredible new music, served up with a healthy dose of forward-thinking ambition, we thought it was high time we turned the Collabhouse Rising Star slot over to this exciting new talent…

Name: Engelbert
‍
Genre: Alternative Techno
‍
Latest release: My latest release, Depth of Night, is a collaboration with Nick Devon and Bokslag, and it was unveiled on Steyoyoke last December. I'm thrilled that it was also released on vinyl Having a physical version is such an amazing feeling! The response from listeners and fellow producers has been very positive.
‍
Biggest release? I’m not sure which of my releases would count as the biggest, but my favourite is probably my EP Leven/Hart Loopt Over featuring Luke van Veen (my sister). It also includes an incredible remix by one of my favourite producers, Whirl. When Hart Loopt Over was played on national radio at its release, it was such an emotional moment - hearing our track live on air was truly unforgettable.
‍
What labels have you released on: I’ve had the pleasure of releasing music on labels such as WAYU, Cinematique, ICONYC, MANUAL, Steyoyoke, Sequence, and my own imprint, 3RD Act. Looking ahead, I would love the opportunity to release on Stil vor Talent or Spectrum.
‍
Who have you collaborated with: With my friend Whirl, as I mentioned earlier, but also with Nick Devon, Pentia, and Monarke, as well as vocalists Luke van Veen and Bokslag.
‍
Who are your musical influences? I listen to a wide variety of musical genres - anything goes, really, as long as it evokes a feeling. Within the alternative melodic techno scene, I’m a big fan of artists like Remcord, Stephan Bodzin, Ovend, Tim Engelhardt, Mark Hoffen, and many more. Looking back at my youth, I was inspired by acts like The Prodigy, Bad Company, Pendulum, Fatboy Slim, as well as Depeche Mode and New Order. I also enjoy creating free remixes of tracks I love - you can check them out on my SoundCloud.
‍
If you could collaborate with one major artist, who would it be and why? That’s a tough question! There are so many artists I’d love to collaborate with. I’m particularly drawn to vocalists who don’t typically make techno but have such unique sounds, like Björk, Thom Yorke, or Brian Molko from Placebo. On the production side, working with talents like Moderat, Olivier Giacomotto, or Mark Hoffen would be an absolute dream.
‍
What’s coming up for you that we should be excited about? My upcoming EP, Carry On/Far Out, is set to release on January 24th through my label, 3RD Act. It features two tracks with the talented singer Bokslag. I’m super excited to see where this release will take me. I’ve spent over a year working on these tracks, and I love how they turned out.
‍
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I’m aiming for the stars with my vision set on becoming a full-time producer. My dream is to collaborate with incredible artists while achieving the freedom to focus entirely on my music—without worrying about my mortgage.
‍
What’s your Spotify account: Spotify