(Check out the links with * for audio clips from the interview)
Maurice van der Molen and Robin Klaver, the Holland-based duo known as Magnificence, have been grabbing the attention of industry super powers and fans all over the world since their first release in 2014. Magnificence’s sound is progressive house, but their beats are easily identifiable in this crowded subset of dance music.
Their most recent release, “The Drill” with 7 Skies, is an instant big room hit. Magnificence and 7 Skies met at the Musical Freedom writing camp* in Almere, Holland, where they composed the song. In their first session Robin presented a beat he had been working on, and, as luck would have it, 7 Skies had clip in a matching key. Immediately after the track’s creation, it was embraced by Musical Freedom label creator, Tiësto, who has been dropping it in sets ever since.
At this past Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), I had the chance to hear the track played live – and at each set the crowd lost it! Magnificence played four different sets at ADE this year, being hosted by the likes of AMF, D.O.D., and Tiësto. When reflecting on the week, the boys said that their favorite set was when they packed out the room at Tiësto and Friends*. The room was barely full when they began, but not even five minutes in fans were the space was jam-packed.
They experienced a similar situation this past summer at Tomorrowland*. With an early slot on the Freedom stage during the rainy Saturday of weekend two, Maurice and Robin weren’t sure what the turn-out would be like – but as soon they started their intro the square filled with fans. The boys spoke about how humbled they were by how many people came out to see them play, and after the set almost 200 people stuck around to say “hi” and take pictures. They even got to see their first fan-made flag, created by a dedicated fan who came all the way from Australia.
2019 has easily been the biggest year to date for the duo. They’ve been playing some of Europe’s biggest festivals and releasing tracks and remixes on labels like Armada, Axtone, and Musical Freedom, but Magnificence is nowhere near done. At the time of our interview they had just landed to play their first Canadian show at New City Gas in Montreal. In the coming months*, Maurice and Robin will also be playing in Spain, Vietnam, Japan, and Switzerland. The two also mentioned more music is on the way but kept a tight lip when it came to their “well-known” collaborators.
On a more personal note, I met these two amazing humans back at ADE in 2018, and seeing them progress has been a pleasure. Maurice and Robin are two of the most genuine goofballs and I am honored to call them friends. They had humble beginnings, meeting when they were in university* studying to be teachers, though now Robin isn’t a far cry from that after teaching a production master class at ADE this year. Even with their success, they still say that each performance is an adrenaline rush, and that meeting their childhood dance music idols* – only to hear them praise the music they make – is something really special.
Do yourself a favor and check Magnificence out! Their new single “The Drill” with 7 Skies is out now.
Hear the boy’s sign off here* and check out a few more clips from the interview.
Here for the Music 