Behind every musician stands a mother who encouraged her son or daughter’s sonic aspirations. Without the mamas, we wouldn’t have our favorite DJs—plain and simple.
In homage to the moms who have stood by the creatives they birthed, from the first song to the most recent release, Mix Session presents Mom’s Picks. DJs including Nora En Pure, San Holo, Kaskade, and more share their mom’s favorite song that they have produced, and a photo with their mother. Happy Mother’s Day from Mix Session.
NORA EN PURE
“When I asked my mum for her favourite track of mine, she said, ‘Well I like your new one a lot.’ I said, ‘the ‘In The Air Tonight’ cover?’”
“Yes that one, but I don’t like the video, it’s a bit too dark for my taste! Oh yes, and [Birthright] that’s a nice one. Actually, I love all of your music. I love when the tracks are melodic and uplifting!”
JASON ROSS
Says Jason’s mother, “‘Chains’ has a very special place in my heart since the very first time I heard it. I believe this powerful song was waiting to be born just at the right time. Life on Earth before and after COVID-19, at a time when a mass awakening is taking place on the planet.”
“I love ‘Chains’ for the beautiful melody as well as the multi-faceted message it carries. This song tugs at our hearts, it connects with listeners at a very deep and personal level.”
SAN HOLO
“My favorite song from Sander is ‘go back in time!’ I love this song because Sander sings it wonderfully and you can hear the vulnerability in his voice. I love to sing along to it in the car.
As a mother, I often think about the beautiful memories of my kids growing up. Sometimes I would love to be able to ‘go back in time’ to experience it all over again, but of course, I’m also excited for all the memories yet to be created!”
OTR
“My favorite song so far is ‘Night’ because the music taps into emotions that allows me to escape reality for awhile, especially during these uncertain times.”
WHIPPED CREAM
Says WHIPPED CREAM, “My moms favorite song by me is ‘Ignorant’—she says she likes the beat—it makes her dance!”
KASKADE
“My mom is one of those moms they write TV shows about. She sees me (and all her children) with some fuzzy filter that amplifies our good points and kind of blurs our deficits. To that end, she is forever telling me I need to sing more in my music, and so was especially excited when ‘Atmosphere’ came out. It was the first song where I really stepped into that featured vocalist spotlight and it was the equivalent of her getting to be in the front row of a school play where I was no longer playing the part of the tree.” –Kaskade
JAAP OF ZONDERLING
“Being the mother of Jaap gives me the privilege of hearing a lot of Zonderling music while it’s in early stages and discuss it at the kitchen table until the early hours. Not everything that Jaap and Martijn do musically gets my immediate approval haha, but ‘Crazy’ I already played out loud at home way before it became big. ‘Love To Go’ is my new favorite. I think it’s a hit-record and especially the choir elements get me stirred. Add in the Zonderling ‘priegel’ sound making it recognizable and there you go.”
MARTIJN OF ZONDERLING
“As the mother of Martijn, I appreciate all Zonderling music. The electronic genre is very easily accessible I feel, however, the collaborations with Lost Frequencies add in just that extra bit. ‘Crazy’ is the type of song that really sticks with you but the lyrics in ‘Love To Go’ appeal to me more. And besides the guitars, the indispensable and recognizable sound of Martijn really stands out. That’s why this is my favorite.”
Featured image: Haley Lan
