Biography
Master of numerous music industry disciplines, Menno de Jong has already carved enough notches on the dance tree for someone twice his age. His production & remix career has seen him record for some of Europe’s biggest trance labels and he’s the owner of lauded Dutch independent Intuition Recordings. A bona-fide Podcast pioneer, he’s produced and presented the much respected and widely-syndicated Intuition Radio show for the last 3 years. As a DJ he’s closed gigs for Tiesto & Paul van Dyk, is currently ranked at No. 48 in DJ Magazine’s Top 100 Chart and has spun in over 25 countries. At just 24 years old, he’s is without question the next challenger to the Dutch trance throne!
Born into a musical family, it took very little time for Menno to start experimenting with the array of synths corralled in his father’s studio. His production career started in auspicious fashion in 2004 when ‘Guanxi’, his debut production was signed to Anjunabeats. The consummate music workaholic, Menno has continued to conjure one magical, melodic feat after another. Double-header ‘Magma’/‘Momentum’ and ‘Sjamaan’ were released on Fundamental (in 2005 & 2007 respectively), while ‘Tundra’ (2005) and ‘Nolthando’/‘Solid State’ (2007) appeared on his own Intuition label. Remix-wise, he has re-scripted tracks for The Thrillseekers, Karen Overton & Mark Otten, amongst others and to ever-increasing acclaim.
As with studio production Menno also dabbled in DJing from an early age. At 17 he progressed from school discos & friends parties to a two year residency at an underground club in Eindhoven. Further charged by the reception ‘Guanxi’ received from DJs and still aged just 20 years old he threw himself into music nearly full-time, juggling his busy schedule with his studies at university. In the last three years he has successfully catapulted himself into the upper echelons of the trance DJ hierarchy. Having now spun in over 25 countries, Menno has played at clubs and events that are themselves the virtual synonyms of trance. Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Creamfields, Trance Energy, Sensation White, Mysteryland, Amnesia Ibiza, Love Parade, Berlin, The Gaudi Arena in Moscow & WMC in Miami have all hosted his pin-point perfect tune selection and sophisticated mixing style. Alongside that he has DJed with some of the biggest names in the scene, including trail-blazers such as Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, The Prodigy, Paul van Dyk, Marco V and Markus Schulz. With his non-stop smile, energetic dancing and ever-present contact with the audience, he continues to share his passion for evocative melodies and dance-floor rocking beats.
Menno’s rise through the deck-spinning ranks has been suitably reflected in DJ Magazine’s annual Top 100 poll. He debuted at 72 in 2006 before rising 10 places to 62 a year later, and a staggering 14 places to 48 in 2008. He is also ranked at No. 11 in Trance Addict’s annual top 100 Trance DJs poll.
Following an inspiring tour of Africa, Menno broke into the compilation market in mid-2007. Mixing the first in a projected series of country-themed albums, Intuition Sessions Vol. 1: South Africa gathered together the cream of the label’s highly recognizable crop.
De Jong was also at the leading-edge of the internet radio and podcasting phenomenon, launching his Intuition Radio show in 2005. The weekly episodes rapidly became required listening for the internet’s trance-hungry hoards, with Menno showcasing the very best in EDM. The show has now gone monthly and progressed onto the airwaves of XM Radio, Dutch national Slam FM & Worldspace with tens of thousands of listeners tuning in each week. The Intuition Podcast is also available as a download via iTunes.
Tim Stark – DJ Magazine
