David Vunk (NL)

Born and raised in Rotterdam, Moustache Records label boss David Vunk is The Beast of the Harbour City with 25 years of DJ experiences to draw on. From acid to techno, Italo disco to electro and all the way back, he has energy to spare when in the booth and can contort a dance floor and fire up a crowd in an instant. He makes thrilling transitions between records that are instinctive and intriguing, whether sizing up his sound for a big festival stage or honing in on more intimate dynamics for a small and sweaty basement.

As both a DJ and producer, Vunk works up powerful sounds that are built on rough edged analog basslines, forceful drums and electrifying synths, but does so with a sense of narrative that always keeps you guessing. It’s a skill you cannot fake, and one he has picked up from endless hours of playing places like Boiler Room at Dekmantel, closing sets at Lowlands Festival or at cult clubs like Lab.oraltory and Panoramabar. Burning as bright now as he did a quarter of a century ago, he played more than 120 gigs across Europe and the rest of the world in 2018, and never failed to leave his own indelible mark.

Like all the most essential Dutch artists, David Vunk’s no frills, hype-free style is built on his own unique character and understanding. Genre doesn’t matter, and all that concerns him is dance floor impact and connecting with his dancers. This also defines his studio work: a young David picked up his first drum machine in 1986 and progressed to laying down instinctive tunes on his MPC2000 from 1997 onwards. Im Kellar on his own unashamedly floor facing Moustache Records, which he started in 2007. Trouble Tonight on Omni Disc and Omega Strap on Moustache Techno, the sub-label he has run since 2011, best exemplify his range: brain frying electro, stomping technoid funk and searing acid that twists your nerve endings and really makes you sweat. David Vunk, then, connects directly with your inner animal and never lets up.