Pep & Rash boeken

It’s all about the melody. As upcoming DJs and producers in the worldwide dance scene, Dutch duo Pep & Rash know exactly how to deliver their tracks with the right hooks and energy. Exactly this talent will prove them to be a longlasting act for dance music’s future -as for now, the ‘Rumors’ are true.

The musical skills are strong here. As a reference, in the early seventies Jesse’s father Leo was the guitarist in Shocking Blue, the world famous band that scored hits like ‘Venus’ and ‘Never Marry A Railroad Man’. As a young producer Jesse surely picked up this talent to create and recognize a solid hook, working together with best friend Rachid (aka Rash) the duo quickly made some ambitious tracks, diving deep into several sounds –as long as it was catchy.

Trademark sound
Pep & Rash (Jesse earning the nickname Pep because of his love for soft drink Dr Pepper) started making house tunes with a clear latin vibe, meanwhile also getting their groove on with the more energetic side of progressive house. The result was a blend of warm melodies and full on mainstage mania. Call it their trademark sound, fact of the matter is that these Dutch freshmen created something new and exciting, which catapulted them into the dance scene.

This didn’t happen overnight though. Coming from Zeeland, a southern region in The Netherlands, the duo really had to find its way into the electronic music scene. A demo session at Dutch convention Dance Fair proved to be their chance, the aforementioned combination of latin hooks and straight on progressive house striking a chord with Spinnin’s A&R’s.

Pure gold
And, as they say, that’s all she wrote. At this moment Pep & Rash are considered the next best thing coming from the Dutch lowlands. In 2014 the Quintino edit of their track ‘Fatality’ receives loads of support by DJs like Hardwell, Avicii, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Martin Garrix, Afrojack, Pete Tong, Steve Aoki, W&W and Showtek.

Then they strike gold. As 2015 kicks in, the buzz around Pep & Rash gets completely fulfilled when they release ‘Rumors’, a house tune that’s been going round the scene as an ID for a while, creating enthused responses everywhere. When it comes out on Spinnin’ Deep, ‘Rumors’ simply explodes. It quickly takes hold of Beatport’s number 1 spot, getting official support from just about every DJ out there, remaining in the Beatport Top 100 well into March. 

Following this claim to fame, they release ‘Red Roses’ in June, acknowledging their status only more -artists like Avicii and Calvin Harris showing lots of love. Meanwhile, the boys start doing their first festival gigs, a huge step from being unknown Zeeland DJs only a year ago. From a small town into a DJ’s dream, playing the crowds on international grounds –it won’t be long before you’ll get blown away by the inventive sound of Pep & Rash.

Download PDF