Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 215: Heart and Well]

"Middle Eastern?" Ryan asked R3HAB, who sat across from him.

"Morrocan descent," R3HAB smiled and quickly added, "but for now, I live and work in the Netherlands."

"You know, the DJ scene is pretty developed in the Netherlands. In my last year of college, I hosted some parties in Morocco. I realized this line of work suited me, so after graduation, I went to Breda in the Netherlands, which isn't far from where this guy lives," R3HAB said, pointing to a man with messy hair sitting next to him.

Ryan turned to look. The man had a befuddled expression, with a slight baby face that made his cheeks appear puffy, coupled with a disheveled hairstyle and a "wise" look in his eyes; he seemed like a total greenhorn.

"Robbert van de Corput," the man said, somewhat awkwardly shaking Ryan's hand with a shy smile.

"That's not an easy name to remember," Ryan remarked, picking up his drink.

"So, I took a stage name. I translated my name into English from Dutch, it means heart and good, so I go by Heartwell," he explained.

"Why not just go with Hardwell? Sounds tougher," Ryan suggested casually.

"Good! Let's call it Hardwell!" Robbert immediately agreed.

"I was just throwing that out there. Stage names are pretty important," Ryan quickly clarified, knowing this could be a big deal.

"I genuinely think the name is cool, and since you came up with it, it adds special value," Robbert beamed.

"Robbert is your crazy fan. He loves big room electronic music, bought your entire set of plugins, and spends all day messing around with sawtooth wave sounds," R3HAB added.

Ryan was clearly surprised. This guy, whom he jokingly called Hardwell, would one day become a true king of the DJ world, famously clinching the top spot on DJ Mag's rankings in both 2013 and 2014, only dropping to fourth in 2017. He remained a top contender until 2018, a thriving period in electronic music that saw heated competition among DJs.

"Alright then," Ryan waved his hand. "How's the DJ work treating you?"

This question seemed to hit a nerve. R3HAB and Robbert exchanged awkward glances and shared embarrassed smiles.

Clearly, things weren't going too well.

"Can you pay rent?" Ryan continued probing.

"It's manageable. I have support from my family for now," R3HAB nodded, revealing a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms with a black dial on his wrist on his wrist.

"Nice watch," Ryan complimented.

"Just a little decoration. I'm about to hit the festival stage," R3HAB chuckled.

"Just a little decoration" amounted to thousands of dollars, so clearly, his family wasn't lacking in resources. A Moroccan moving to the Netherlands right after college to chase a dream certainly needed a bit of financial backing.

Having settled on the situation, Ryan offered, "Have you considered a residency at Bad Room?"

R3HAB nearly fell off his seat, and Robbert quickly steadied him.

Clearly, while R3HAB might not reach Robbert's level of achievement, he had a different path in the DJ scene with a specialty in remixing and collaborating with numerous artists, including Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Lady Gaga.

"Of course! I mean, being able to perform at Bad Room is a dream of mine!" R3HAB grinned wide, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"You both should move to the U.S.," Ryan suggested, glancing at Robbert, knowing they were buddies and could stick together.

[A/N: In real life, these two people were indeed neighbors in the early days and had also worked together.]

"I'm on board!" R3HAB's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"I think you should hear my work first," Robbert said cautiously.

He wasn't hesitant to go; he simply doubted he could handle the scene at Bad Room and feared he'd end up getting dismissed.

"You don't need to worry. You two are exactly what I want, but I should tell you that Bad Room and Bedroom Records are tied together. All future music from DJs under Bad Room will be released by Bedroom Records. Which label are you two signed to?" Ryan asked. He wasn't going to let them perform in his club if it meant giving other labels the advantage.

He contemplated if he could buy out their contracts since they were still relatively unknown and likely wouldn't cost much.

"The buyout fee... is a bit high. I think it's around $200,000," R3HAB replied with a gloomy expression.

$200,000? You could recoup that with just one hit song.

R3HAB and Robbert exchanged uneasy looks.

"I'll call my mom; she'll agree. Worst case, I go back and talk to her in person," R3HAB said, his privilege shining through.

"Can you lend me some?" Robbert whispered. Ryan couldn't help but chuckle at their assumption that they needed to pay their own penalties just to get to Bad Room; they were willing to take quite a hit.

After hearing Ryan's explanation, it dawned on them. They looked a bit overwhelmed by the offer.

"By the way, what label are you signed to?"

"Right over there," R3HAB and Robbert said in unison, pointing to a nearby man.

Not far away, a man with a pointed face was clinking glasses with a DJ. He appeared somewhat baffled when he noticed Ryan looking at him.

...

"Afrojack. I indeed signed R3HAB and Robbert; that's a sub-label of Spinnin' Records." The man with the sharp features shook Ryan's hand enthusiastically.

Afrojack had made the DJ Mag Top 100 list in 2011, but his signature tracks didn't compare to those of R3HAB or Hardwell, though he offered a different advantage -- artist management.

Spinnin' Records? That worked well; there would be room for negotiation.

"It would be great for R3HAB and Robbert to come to you, but I have another thought -- how about you buy me as well? As Bad Room's roster grows, there needs to be someone to handle performance bookings. That's my expertise," Afrojack suggested, putting himself forward.

Ryan's Bad Room was almost like a sanctuary in the DJ world, so Afrojack definitely didn't want to miss this chance.

"Then come and give it a try!" Ryan said, knowing he needed more hands. With the New Orleans branch just opening and the Atlanta branch on the horizon, he needed help fast.

"To Bad Room!" Ryan raised his glass.

"To Bad Room!" the other three echoed.

"By the way, how old are you?" Ryan looked at the three.

"I was born in '86," R3HAB said.

"I was born in '87," Afrojack responded.

"I'm '88," Robbert added last.

Wow, that made Ryan the youngest in the group.

"Guess we'll have a lot to talk about," Ryan said, clinking glasses.

...

For the rest of the party, the three stayed close to Ryan, chatting about everything from electronic music to daily life and even girls. The three DJs immediately started fantasizing.

"As long as you say you are the resident DJ of the Bad Room, and I guarantee over twenty girls will want to hook up with you every night. If you're good-looking, the number may even increase," Ryan joked.

The three stared in shock, wishing they could perform the very next night.

"Ryan, it seems like your engagement came a bit early," Afrojack laughed.

Ryan smiled, not wanting to dive deeper into it.

Normally, there should be fewer hints in this regard after engagement.

In reality, after every performance, the number of women sending flirty glances and getting the staff to pass their numbers to him seemed to increase.

Poor Taylor.

"By the way, you haven't told me why you love big room style so much," Ryan asked, looking at R3HAB.

"Because big room type music is the most powerful!" Robbert replied instinctively.

Powerful?

Ryan noticed Robbert pause for a moment, then suddenly leap up. "Ryan! I just thought of a new song that would be perfect for you to sing!"

*****

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