Every other week, BIRD takes a peek into the record bag of a musical soulmate. This time it's the turn of Rush Hour legend who will be at BIRD on September 16th; Antal!

Which tracks can you remember from the early stages of your DJ career and what made these such special tunes to play?

Ricky Rouge's 'Strange Love', or Morel's 'Groove 4'. These were tracks I had heard in the club that took months to find afterwards. I used to record little melodies to not forget the track until I heard them again.

What's your favourite opening tune for a set and why (can be more than one, depends on the type of set of course)?

Recently, I started with Rick Asikpo 'Love, love'. That track sets the tone for me straight away!

What is one of the most special DJ moments and which tune was associated with it? (talk us through it!)

I have a few, but an example is a back-to-back with Hunee at Lowlands 2014 where he played Ashford & Simpson's 'The Boss'. Then I played Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love' and timing-wise it was spot on at that moment creating an unforgettable moment (as if the evening wasn't unforgettable already). You can only play that record at an unforgettable moment. If not, you end up feeling like you're at an abandoned wedding. I'm always annoyed with myself if I haven't timed tracks well. I don't take the record with me easily.

What is your summer tune of 2022 and why?

Mr. Fingers' 'Something Is Going On'. Not necessarily THE tune, but definitely a very nice one!

Which track do you consider a hidden gem and why MUST we discover it? why?

Delly Rollies 'Licik'. Re-issued by Sekan's Jiwa Jiwa label. A beautiful tune from Indonesia.

Which track reminds you of your childhood and why (what was your first encounter with music and is there an artist/track that played a big role in that?)

Chez Damier 'Untitled' (KMS 049). I was lucky that my cousin had turntables at home, and that's where I came into contact with mixing records. Together with Carl Craig's 'The Wonders Of Wishing'. I remember it well, but I didn't realise back then that I had come to know music from these two maestros.

What's your Sunday morning jam and what kind of breakfast goes with it?

Alex Figueira 'Aprende'. And as I've just returned from Japan, let's have a nice Japanese breakfast 🙂

Is there already a track you're planning to play during your 360 degrees all-nighter, if so, tell us about it!

I've already started noting down tracks I want to take to Bird, and the list currently includes tunes like Middle Name Dance Band's 'Move Into It'.

Listen to Antal’s favourite picks here!