Meet Jordy Bruins | Music producer, teacher and DJ

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordy Bruins and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordy, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
Quitting my job! I worked at a nice spot in a hospital. The pay was good, the boss was good but I just couldn’t keep going. I need a challenge every now and then, something new to work on, but the average day job doesn’t deliver much in that regard.

I turned out to be one of the worst timings in human history to quit a job, I was diagnosed with cancer just 6 months later. In a weird turn of events, I had to return to the very hospital I worked at but as a patient this time. As you can probably imagine this took it’s toll on my carreer. It’s been exactly 3 years now. After 1,5 years of chemo and surgeries I could finally say I was clean and cured. But it feels like I’ve only just started recovering

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
After I started mixing records in 2003 and producing music in 2005 I decided to focus on sound-design, specifically with synthesizers. I thought, a little naively, that it would be possible to make any sound using synthesizers and with the help of further processing (effects) make it as realistic as possible. I wasn’t wrong! But the challenge of trying to make some of the most typical sounds in nature taught me many things and since I’ve become quite fast at making sounds. My students are often amazed at my speed when recreating certain sounds. I would say it’s not that hard to emulate most (if not all) classic drumachines. But my students beg to differ.

I’m really looking forward to starting my own record label! A vinyl only series of records with my best work yet.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Since I’m not from Michigan this will be a little tour of relevant places to DJ culture in my home town and country. I reckon many people in the techno scene of Detroit already know some of these! Starting with Rush Hour and Clone in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, respectively. For those who know these record stores need no introduction My home town of Utrecht also has a small record store by the name of Dig Dis. It’s sad all the legendary record stores in my home town closed in the 00s, especially Metro Records will always have a special place in my heart. This is where I bought most of my techno records back in the day and where I was introduced to the sound of UR, Underground Resistance, from Detroit. The rest, as they say, is history.

I like to hike in forests and woods, and as such I must recommend ‘De Hoge Veluwe’. One of the larger forests in The Netherlands. If you’re a little further south, in Belgium, check out the Ardennes for some peace, quiet, and trees of course.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom Cora and my girlfriend Brechtje who have never stopped believing in me and my talent! Without them I would quite literally not be here today. See the part about getting sick as to why they have played a huge roll in getting me up and running again. I might’ve ended up on the street or worse if it wasn’t for them.

Website: https://sonof8bits.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonof8bits/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sonof8Bits/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/sonof8bits

Other: https://links.sonof8bits.com/ For easy access to all these pages in one easy list!

Image Credits
1st picture: Ronald Pronk
2nd picture: Thijs van der Meijden
Both the shooting and editing.