In retrospect, it should’ve been obvious that the synth intro to “Such Great Heights” by The Postal Service would eventually get used as source material for a great downtempo track, but it took the Dutch artist torus to actually go there. Their new release, Summer of Love, is a chill-out megamix of sorts. It features flips of everyone from Basic Channel to Eric Prydz. The end result is a singular Balearic mash-up record that is the perfect compliment to your coming cold weather visualization exercises—close your eyes and picture a beach. We sent the artist, who is currently based in The Hague, some questions; read the interview, and listen to the record below. 

Tell us about Summer of Love.

The past two summers of touring have been really intense, playing all types of venues, slots, and crowds. I wanted to capture and commemorate my Favorite DJ Moments by turning some of the improvised live blends and highlights that I performed on tour into collages that fit into a track format. They make me think of these radio hit mash-ups where the DJ tries to fit as many pop songs into a ten minute mix.

Is it appropriate to call this project more of a mixtape than an album?

It's an album of mini-mixtapes.

There are some standout themes and samples that give this record a sort of bucolic, Mediterranean feeling—almost a bit nostalgic. What influences went into the making of this release?

I always want my music to feel nostalgic, even if it doesn't have any direct references /samples. It's a really great tool for the audience to project personal experiences onto the music, which allows them to create a personal bond with the compositions. I forced myself to only sample music that already has this feature, huge pop songs distilled to their absolute melancholic essence, turned into dynamic ambient soundscapes on the threshold of recognizability.

What are some of your earliest musical experiences?

Listening to “Café del Mar” in my mom’s car, listening to Barthezz on The Move in my dad’s car, accidentally downloading Aphex Twin “Flim” on Limewire when I was 9. 

Have those earlier musical experiences influenced the way you approach your own music?

I would say these three moments form the absolute core of my musical practice.

You are very much involved in an exciting scene out in Den Haag, how would you describe it to the rest of the world?

I'm born and raised in Den Haag and when I grew up it was in a kind of cultural in-between state. The peak era of Bunker Records was behind us and there weren't a lot of new sounds coming from the local scene, at least nothing that I was interested in. After focusing my music outside of The Netherlands for a few years I came back to the city when I went to art school and got in touch with the international/exchange student crowd in the city, inspiring me to start Laser Club all the way up to opening Club Laak with some friends two years ago. 

I think the scene here is exciting because of the experimental history of the squatting scene including Bunker, festivals like Rewire & TodaysArt (RIP), and art school house parties. Contemporary The Hague comes from a place of club-cultural drought and people here are so thirsty for good club nights. Because of this, club nights can get very experimental and the art school crowd mixes really well with the local crowd, essentially everyone is just open to whatever you serve them. There's no fierce competition for attention and ticket sales like in Amsterdam, yet we have the best sound system in the country (Kantarion + Addit sound) at Laak. Right now the municipality is changing its regulations regarding night culture—it feels like we're at the start of something big.

What are some other scenes that excite or inspire you?

I like how in Paris there's not a single good club and not a single good sound system, but then there's a lot of really good promoters, crowds, and artists. I like how Milan is completely dependent on (fashion) brand money, but then they convince the brands to give them carte blanche and put on really avant garde events. I like how London clubs are so obedient to the early club curfews but the crowd goes really hard and the music is too. All scenes I like come out of some sort of creative necessity and cultural suppression. When there's no exigency, people get lazy.