De Hofnar
Netherlands native Jeroen Maas, better known as De Hofnar, is one of the biggest names on the EDM scene today. Since gaining notoriety in 2014 when his melodic house tracks went viral on Soundcloud, he has showed no signs of slowing down. In years since, Hofnar has accumulated over 130 million streams on Spotify with hits like “Oxas,” “Klanga,” and “Little Love.” He has honed his style to be more disco oriented, but has made sure not to lose his element of melody — his music fits in both the club and on the radio. And with a motto like, “You are the king, I’m just here to entertain you,” when referring to his fans, De Hofnar is truly a man of the people. We recently talked to him about his success in the industry, the origins of his persona, and more!
How did you get started making music?
I think I was around 12 when I touched the decks for the first time, since my neighbor was a hobby DJ. I asked him how he created the music he was playing and he told me that he didn’t make it. I was actually surprised, because as a kid I thought DJ’s were creating the music live on stage, haha. He told me that the music was created by people that he called “producers”. After that I went straight to my parents desktop computer to do research, download my first DAW (digital audio workstation) and to watch a lot of tutorials. The rest is history.
Which of yours songs is your favorite, and what went into creating it?
That’s a difficult one because every song has a different story behind it. Let’s say “Zonnestraal” will always have this special place in my heart because it was one of my breakthrough tracks. This track gave me so many opportunities and brought me where I am today. Fun fact: This track is produced on the cheapest speakers ever, and my left speaker was broken, haha. Let that be a lesson for all beginner producers, it’s not about your equipment but about your creativity.
Which artists would you say have had the greatest impact on your work? Who would you consider a “dream collab”?
Since I’m really into the disco vibe at the moment I would love to have Dua Lipa on one of my tracks. It’s very cool to see how she brings back the sounds of the 70’s and 80’s in these modern songs. If The Weeknd wants to join that session I’ll be totally fine with that, haha. As a fellow producer I would invite Armand van Helden to introduce the real old school house sound. He inspires me and I would love to learn from him by just watching him doing his thing.
What has been your favorite venue to perform at? What is you dream venue?
That must be Lyon, France, somewhere around 2017. Can’t remember the venue's name but I was the closing act on the mainstage. I’m very critical about my performances but this day everything went perfect. The crowd, around 10k people, went nuts for 1.5 hours straight! After my show was done they chanted my name and “we want more” for at least 10 minutes, in my memory at least, haha.
Your motto regarding your fans is, “You are king, I’m just here to entertain you!” What inspired this phrase and how long have you been using it?
I've been using the phrase since I started “De Hofnar,” which is actually dutch for “Jester”. Since he was originally entertaining the king in the middle ages, I’m the jester of the modern days. Without a good crowd there will be no party. So my crowd and fans are the real kings here, I’m just that guy that will entertain you with good music!
Favorite non-music activity?
I really love to just hang out, chill, and play some card games with friends. You can wake me up for an ice cold beer and a good conversation. On a Sunday, I love to binge-watch a full season of Netflix with my girlfriend. Since I really love producing music I also produce other kinds of music just for fun or for other artists.
