Joris Voorn: Titan of the Underground

Despite its relatively small population, The Netherlands has long been punching above its weight in the electronic music world. A succession of some of the biggest names in the industry have hailed from the lowlands, and one such titan is Joris Voorn.

Growing up in an exceptionally musical household (his father was a composer, his mother a music teacher), Joris learnt several instruments, including the violin and the guitar. After discovering live electronic acts like Orbital, Underworld and The Chemical Brothers as a teenager, he threw himself into the world of electronic music, soon discovering another key influence: Chicago house and Detroit techno.

Starting with just two CD players - without pitch controls or a mixer - and a wide selection of quality electronic music, Joris won a DJ competition at a local venue, which led to his first residency at a student night in the same venue. Joris poured all the money he made from this early residency into improving his set-up and expanding his vinyl collection.

Joris’s deep interest in the art of mixing vinyl soon awakened a curiosity about how the records he played were created. After throwing himself into the world of music production, in 2002 he released his first EP, Muted Trax Part 1. The release found support from Lauren Garnier and Carl Craig instigating a flurry of releases, culminating in Lost Memories Part 2, featuring “Incident”, which would blow up Ibiza with heavy plays from Carl Cox and Sven Vath. "Incidents" success in Ibiza led Joris to the island that would become a pivotal influence on his trajectory.

In 2005 Joris launched Green, the first of a pair of labels he would co-found with long-time collaborator Edwin Oosterwal. While Green was used as a launchpad for some of his biggest hits, including “Ringo” and “Looks Fake Obviously”, the second label, Rejected, was firmly-focused on club releases. The home of house tracks precision-engineering for the dancefloor, including the Dusty House EPs series.

Joris has released four critically acclaimed studio albums: Future History in 2004, From A Deep Place in 2007, Nobody Knows in 2014, and most recently, 2019’s Four. Over the years, Joris has been enlisted to helm several revered mix compilations, including the exceptionally well-received Balance 014 and the seminal Global Underground 043: Rotterdam.

Joris joined The Colony right from the beginning, playing at ANTS shows during our first season in 2013. Taking to the booth alongside ANTS originals such as Andrea Oliva and Francisco Allendes, Joris had an incredible role in helping to shape the sound of the dANTSfloor from the beginning until today.

Joris will showcase his unrivalled mixing skills and underground anthems at ANTS 10 YEARS STRONG, including for a highly anticipated B2B with fellow melodic maestro and ANTS favourite Kölsch, on 16th September.