EDC Las Vegas 2023 DJ And Producer Mau P Speaks On What's Next In House Music & Insomniac Events

EDC Las Vegas 2023 gathers a talented set of music artists, DJs and producers to entertain audiences. Producer and DJ Mau P speaks on his budding global influence on the house music scene and his connection to Insomniac events.

See Also: EDC 2023 DJ Alok Teases Details About His Closing Set And His Music Journey With Insomniac

Q: Congratulations on securing your EDC Las Vegas set. How was your relationship with Insomniac established and how has it grown?

A: With the Insomniac label it's way more than just a song you're releasing; they give you the whole sport of live shows. At first, they didn't want me to do a solo release because I just released one song…then they saw me do the shows and saw in the crowds that I would win.

My management kept the conversation going with them, and they kept seeing my name pop up more and more. I’m so appreciative that they took a leap of faith to give me a solo release. We have a good connection with the label manager and everyone on the team. It feels like family…so that's amazing.

Q: How has your sound progressed since your first hit up until now?

A: It's techno-ish, but it's approachable. My first track, “Drugs From Amsterdam,” is more on the tech-house side, it's dark but sounds like a party. That's what I'm going for. Basically, every song, like “Gimme That Bounce,” also has a grimy sound. The pace is kind of dark, but if you listen to the whole song, it's a party anthem; it goes off.

I don't want to necessarily please everybody, but I aim to make as many people happy with my music as possible. I slowly started finding out how to do that, so that's how I've been navigating through music as a producer.

Q: What was the creation process of your new track, “Your Mind Is Dirty,” from ideation to the release?

A: I remember I was on the plane just working on a new idea for 10 minutes because the flight was only one hour. I was developing five ideas for 10 minutes each. One of those was “Your Mind Is Dirty.”

I just had a rough sketch; there were no vocals, but I had a synth lead and notes. I decided to start playing it to see the reaction I got and every show was so insane. I focused on making it sound even better to be able to release it.

I'm more driven by testing tracks at shows and seeing what works. For example with “Your Mind Is Dirty,” we just had to release it because so many people asked for it, same with “Gimme That Bounce.”

Mau P producer and DJ

Q: How has it been performing at clubs here in Las Vegas?

A: The last show I did was at Marquee, in the library, where they book house DJs. Last time it was so busy that they invited me to DJ again during EDC week. Today, I'm playing at Tao Beach with Fisher. My team just did a soundcheck and said it's the coolest thing they've ever seen, so I'm hyped for it.

Q: Are you planning on playing in Las Vegas more often?

A: Oh, yeah, for sure. The house community here is growing rapidly. It is a VIP-driven crowd which is always a fun challenge.

Q: How has your versatility increased for different types of audiences?

A: Last month, we did two weeks of college shows with just kids that knew me from ”Drugs From Amsterdam”. Throughout those two weeks, I had to keep changing my set, as some of them left after I played my biggest tunes.

In the end, I had about 10 different playlists for the college shows that I would filter each time to see what actually worked. I had it down at the final show of the tour…So it's safe to say it keeps evolving every day and differs depending on which crowd I have in front of me.

Q: What is the most important thing to you regarding your musical journey?

A: I started the whole Mau P project because I wanted to play five or eight-hour sets in sweaty clubs and have everybody forget about whatever they're doing in their normal life. Just let go and party with me for a few hours. I had no idea “Drugs From Amsterdam” would turn into a hit.

I’m still trying to find my way between mainstream and underground as I don't want it to turn into a commercial type of thing, but I do want to make a lot of people happy. I just started to find a balance between those two worlds.

Q: How do you balance traveling and touring with taking care of yourself with such a demanding schedule?

A: I used to go to the gym about four times a week when I was back at home in Amsterdam. Now it's so hard to go to the gym. I get to the hotel and have a few hours of downtime before the show.

So I either sleep before the show and have a bite to eat, or I'm trying to push myself so that whenever I arrive at a hotel, I go straight to the gym. It's not working just yet *laughs* but I'm definitely trying.

Q: What other Insomniac events have you performed at?

A: Beyond Wonderland…I did Night Trip, too. They now have a new venue called Day Trip for daytime parties. They do a great job. It's a lot of fun doing shows with the Insomniac team. Together we keep on building!

Q: What is your main goal or intention for your EDC Las Vegas audience?

A: My approach for the EDC set is to draw people in that don’t really know me yet, haven't seen a full set or only listened to old sets on SoundCloud. I will be playing a lot of my own songs that have been staples in my set.

It’s one hour long and about 15 songs, which is super difficult to squeeze everything in. The other day I played for five hours and didn’t look at the time, I just kept going but at EDC there's a clock on the DJ booth ticking.

It's almost like Tetris; you play that song and then you can fit in that one and that one, then at one point it will be full. It's definitely challenging, but I'm more than prepared!