It's October 2004 and the Rockit Festival is in full swing in Victoria Park. Before headlining act The Cooper Temple Clause take to the main stage, a little-known Dutch DJ by the name of Joris Voorn is holding court in the dance music arena. The sparse crowd milling around the tent probably didn't know it at the time, but they were witnessing the emergence of an artist who would soon become a phenomenon in the world of dance music.
In the six-plus years since that appearance on the sidelines of Rockit, Voorn has matured into an A-list attraction who now headlines some of the world's biggest electronic music events, such as this year's Miami Winter Music Conference and the Exit Festivalin Serbia.
Looking back, Voorn traces the beginning of his meteoric rise to that very month in 2004, as that gig at the now-defunct Rockit Festival also coincided with the release of his debut album, Future History. 'It all really started with that first album. It got me to a comfortable level where I could play every weekend and make a decent living out of music,' he says ahead of his return to Hong Kong for a performance at Central's Kee Club on Friday night.
'I wasn't a big star at that stage, but already felt well respected because of my music. From then I climbed a little bit every year, doing more and more gigs and having a few hits, which helped for sure. As an artist, you don't have to release a lot of music - as long as you touch people's hearts with what you do, you can build a solid following among people who believe in you as an artist.'
The Rotterdam native grew up surrounded by music - but not of the pre-recorded variety. 'My parents rarely played records at home, or at least hardly ever, maybe only at Christmas. They were more into playing music with real instruments or singing songs,' he says.
'One of my earliest musical memories was when a violin teacher came to our house to give my brother his first lesson. He totally didn't like the violin, so I took the lesson instead. I played the violin from then, I was six or seven, until I was about 16.'
Voorn's brother turned to the piano, which remains a source of envy for the DJ. 'I wish I had also learned to play as it would have been helpful now that I'm in the studio making music with keyboards.'