bio

 

My name is Carlos Barbosa.
My parents emigrated to the Netherlands during a time when the country still ruled over Suriname, well before Suriname’s independence. We initially lived in Eindhoven, and later moved to the beautiful village of Schijndel, where we were warmly welcomed by the villagers (“Surinamese family in the village” was the newspaper headline).

I learned to ride a bike from the local farm boys and became familiar with rural life, including cows and the countryside, experiences that are still useful to me today. I’ve always had a great relationship with farmers.

Anyway, after Schijndel, we moved to Lelystad, but we didn’t quite fit in with the environment there; people were less sociable and warm. So, we quickly moved to Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam, I encountered cultures and subcultures other than the Surinamese for the first time, including Hip-Hop music, and decided that I wanted to become a DJ. My first stereo system had speakers hanging from the balcony because the whole neighborhood had to hear the new records I was playing. The postcode was 1104, and anyone causing trouble near the flat would be blown away by the heavy sounds of a 40-watt stereo.

My parents thought it would be better to leave the Bijlmer because I was becoming somewhat of a delinquent. We moved to Purmerend, a rather snobbish village at the time, where I quickly realized that you had to work hard to get by. In this village, it was all about speed and keeping the pressure on. Kids worked from the age of 14, doing all sorts of odd jobs.

I started taking music more seriously and used my savings to buy and sell cassette tapes. My mixtapes provided me with clothes, shoes, candy, and even fresh haircuts. I could shine with my scooter, which was honestly bought. I sold three to five tapes a day all summer long, at 25 guilders per tape (nowadays €25). #DoTheMath

These tapes got me on the radar. At the same time, I completed my military service. I left the defense forces when I realized that with the same effort and fewer life risks, I could earn more money than my soldier’s pay.

Making music offered more than just a fun hobby. After battling with a DJ from Amsterdam, I was declared the DJ Battle champion. During many DJ competitions, I upheld this title by winning several contests. I initially thought it was a strange name, but soon the entire Dancehall and Hip-Hop scene in the Netherlands knew who I was.

I begged for a job at a record store, and the street name led me to a management position at a large record importer, Rhythm Import. Here, I worked with a team of young, hungry wolves who have all now conquered dominant positions in today’s music industry. Even during daily practice sessions in the store (#cuts #scratches #beatjuggles), I matched my skills with other top DJs.

There must have been something in the water, I sometimes think… New contacts led me to open for concerts and shows as a mixshow DJ for nearly all the American acts that came to the Netherlands, including Montell Jordan, Keith Sweat, Backstreet, Mase, Diddy, and many more. Later on, I opened for Tyrese, Ne-Yo, MTV Base, MTV Lick, MTV Awards.

I toured the world as a Hip-Hop solo DJ and started as a Junior Studio Engineer at a Dutch- American recording studio (Quiet Storm Studios), where I made and mixed my first real productions. Huge salute to Darrell Bell for this opportunity. Suddenly, I was working with my TV idols.

I was one of the three DJs in the Dutch Urban Bubbling scene who released Dutch Dancehall/Bubbling on vinyl and actually sold units. Through vinyl productions, I entered the dance industry and later became an EDM/Latin Electro and Eclectic DJ. I released my first tracks with top labels in the Netherlands, moving quickly from Rhythm to BYTE Records, then from Digidance to Cloud9, Warner, and Arcade.

My first publishing deal was with 2psW, which later became Talpa and now BMG/Talpa, where I’ve been well-supported for two decades. I became a songwriter, producer, and, to this day, a publisher of three funds.

I wrote songs, and suddenly, the manager of #Madcon, known for “Beggin,” called me out of the blue to write for his camp. So, Eddy O, off to the USA with a release, and so it went fast… Next was producing singles for EMI NL and Switzerland.

Before long, I was producing albums for Universal Music, Sony, and other majors. I attended writing camps and produced on-demand on-site. I also worked briefly with a friend in the industry, forming my first production team, and later as a partner at a label, where we compiled numerous compilation CDs for Sony Music, Armin van Buuren’s Armada, and many other companies.

As an A&R Manager, I signed #RapDasArmas for our label, which was licensed to 55 countries through us. I was responsible for bridging the gap between the attic room and the end-user/stores for talents in my discipline. Since then, I’ve worked with many of my Dutch music heroes and artists. The list is too long to mention (see testimonials).

My official releases as a DJ, producer, and songwriter total over 400+. I taught myself how to make music and jingles. Award theme songs, you name it—I did it all with ease. Mind you, I can’t play any instrument well… Don’t ask me how this is possible, I don’t know either.

So far, I’ve performed at numerous major events, festivals, and concerts as a DJ or artist, including Mega Summer Jams, Holiday Jams, Nothing But a Party events, Challenge nights, Pure Pressure concept nights, and the Urban Bubbling battle nights, where I was a primetime resident.

Things got serious when I started doing dance music DJ gigs. By signing with the Nope is Dope and Sexy Motherfucker organizations, everything became even more serious. Touring and studio work with now-super popular fellow artists, who were really on fire, helped me improve even further.

In terms of world tours, I’ve done three in total. But I’ve also visited individual countries for bookings, including the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Lapland, Iceland, England, Italy, Spain… I’m sure I’m forgetting some EU countries, the USA, Canada, many parts of Africa, and the Middle East. I even lived on Mallorca for a while but couldn’t get used to the siestas.

I stepped out of the music scene for a few years to reset and returned after two years, fully focused on the mic and done with turntables. The result of the many studio hours now hangs on my office wall in the form of platinum or gold records.

I produce and write in the more popular corners of our art form, music. When I’m not performing, I’m busy with creative directing for TV commercials and music videos, office work, or studio sessions. It’s all fun and new stuff that I’m discovering!

Recently, I was on stage at DANCEVALLEY, DecibelFestival, Defqon, FreshTival, and many other top festivals like ElectronicPicnic, OUTDOORStereo, and DutchValley, as well as at the Ziggo Dome, Brabanthallen, and the RAI.

I returned to the music scene, picked up a Nightlife Award, and immediately followed it with a Party Award for the Most Popular DJ Act with OJKB. Recently, I produced gold and platinum records for OJKB. I can’t believe I get to experience all of this!

below are just a few of the probably more known artist/projects I have produced for and with:

MASE (Badboy Ent)
Redcafe (Badboy Ent/Shakedown)
Madcon (Beggin)
Brace (Spec)
Heartdance Awards
Flugel (drinkbrand)
Horecava TV (Rai)
AnitaDoth (2 Unlimited)
Lloyd De Meza (Schudden/Arnhems gewijs)
Def Rhymez (Schudden/Doekoe)
DJ Irwan (former PartySquad)
SnolleBollekes
Afro Bros
K-Liber
Flamman & Abraxas (Party Animals)
Blasterjaxx
Stiekz
OJKB
Rocks(THC)
Sascha Visser (NPO Tv station)
Mensen kijken (NPO Tv station)

When we work on a project together, not only are you getting industry level production and mixing, I will help you with promoting your song through my social media accounts that have over 35, 000 followers and subscribers combined on

YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. This is a good opportunity if you’re an upcoming artist looking to gain exposure.

The sky is not the limit. It’s just the sky! Thank you for reading my shortened biography.

Yours truly,
Carlos Barbosa