Secret CinemaBringing the Dancefloor Into the Studio

Jeroen Verheij a.k.a. Secret Cinema is a one of electronic music’s fearless pioneers. His output is often regarded as genre-defining and crucial to the development of techno, inspiring other famous artists to launch their own stellar careers.

But the humble beginnings of Secret Cinama’s story seem incongruous with his later reputation as one of the techno’s best producers and DJ. Yet it will resonate with many producers whose journeys also began in bedrooms or other small spaces re-purposed as tiny studios. But not many people have produced global dancefloor classics hunched over a table sitting on the side of a bed because the room didn’t have enough space for a chair.

Living at home near Rotterdam, the young Jeroen was infected with a deep-seated desire to make music on one day in 1990. The spark that ignited the wildfire of Jeroen’s musical imagination came when he realised that he could be using his Amiga 500 for something more creative and fulfilling than playing computer games.

“One guy had his Amiga set up as a fast tracker software for making music. Once I saw that I found myself a copy and started making music all day, every day.”

“I was into gaming in a big way”, Jeroen recalls during a recent interview with ADAM Audio. “I went to a game trading event where people would swap floppy disks. One guy had his Amiga set up as a fast tracker software for making music. Once I saw that I found myself a copy and started making music all day, every day.”

The tracks that cemented Jeroen’s reputation as one of techno’s upcoming stars included “Timeless Altitude” (his first release as Secret Cinema), “Grooveyard – Watch Me Now” and “Mary Go W!ld!”. His music exploded onto the scene when they were picked up by legendary DJs of the 90s club scene such as Cox and Väth. Other hits followed, including genre classics like “Maximaal” and “Trrbulence”. Live dates at the world’s biggest festivals and clubs were the logical next step in Jeroen’s meteoric career.

He looks back on those heady and frantically creative days from the vantage point of a veteran producer whose requirements have grown with experience. Jeroen has recently constructed a new, purpose-built studio in his house. It’s a creative cocoon Jeroen designed to be “secluded from human intervention to create sound sculptures”.

And it’s packed with the latest in studio technology. Like Jeroen’s pair of ADAM Audio S3H monitors. As a techno producer and DJ, Jeroen requires a monitoring system that brings the club into the studio. “My audience usually hear my music on a PA system and that’s where I need it to sound good”, he explains. “With 1350 RMS each I know the signal will remain crystal clear until way past my comfort zone.”

“I need this”

Witnessing the power of the S3H’s on-board DSP features during a demo, he recalls himself thinking simply, “I need this”. Aside from the crystal clarity at loud volumes, another key factor was the wide frequency range available. “With frequencies dropping down as low as 30 Hz, I know the concrete will crack while I check the final mix of my tracks.”