Afterlife essential and creator of emotive melodies
We wrote this article at the beginning of last year; however, so much has happened in electronic music and especially in the life of one of the most prominent pillars of Afterlife, that we are obliged to update it. In this note, meet: Colyn.
Ewout Colijn is a name that possibly no one knows, but if we summarize it in his stage name: Colyn, surely you know who we are talking about. The Dutchman is the most “romantic” face of Afterlife. The melodies of his songs evoke deep and nostalgic emotions. But where does this musical personality come from? When did he start releasing his first singles?
In an interview to Fifteen Questions, Ewout mentions that his music starts from emotion or mood when he is working on a specific track. His inspiration, like many, comes from listening to Tiësto, Armin van Buuren or Ferry Corsten. Over time, he went progressive and had a special addiction to the music of Eric Prydz, who was very influential in his beginnings as a producer.
Here, a small excerpt of what the Dutchman told Beatport in an interview:
“I started producing before I started DJing. It’s been 11 years ago now; I was 16 when I started producing music,” Colyn reflects. “After five or six years of producing, I started to realize that my music was really good and my friends were like, ‘This is really amazing. We’d listen to this even without having the bias that you’re my friend.’ I started to realize that maybe I could sign to a label and start a career. At that time, I was also DJing and playing as many venues as possible in Amsterdam that would accept me.”
First meeting with Afterlife
The first labels where the Dutchman released his music were on Us & The Records with his EP “Primal Instinct” in 2017. In 2018 he would arrive at Tentacles Recordings with his first album: “Binary Choices”. That same year he would move up a level coming to Infinite Depth with his EP “Passengers”. A year later, he would land in the one he is now part of and has established himself as an undisputed pillar: Afterlife. Here he released his outstanding EP “Resolve”. The title track of this compilation, was part of the Aftermovie of Tomorrowland 2019.
However, Ewout’s career took off that same year with the track ‘Amor’ which was part of the compilation “Realm Of Consciousness Pt.IV”. According to the artist himself, he met Tale of Us when they played his music in a set in Amsterdam. Something that surprised him since he had not sent his music to the Italian duo until then. After meeting, Colyn sent him around 35 tracks, among which was ‘Amor’. It was from there, that everything in Colyn’s life changed.
“I was in Amsterdam at a festival and they played a song of mine. I was up to my ears in nerves and I tried to talk to them. I said to Matteo, ‘Hey, you played a song of mine.’ It’s like, ‘I didn’t play it, Carmine played it.’ You should ask him. I was like phew. So I asked Carmine and he was like, ‘ Ohh , you’re that guy. That’s cool, but we have to take a helicopter to go to our next show.’ I was like, ‘Holy shit, these guys.’ I asked him how we can keep in touch and he gave me his phone number.”
New boundaries
Since then, everything has gone uphill. During the time of the pandemic, festivals were closed. But it was not an obstacle for creative minds who designed live sets without audience and in spectacular venues from where they showcased their talent and of course, their new material. Focusing on Colyn, he performed this kind of shows in places like the Hangar Grand Place in Brussels or the De Marktkantine. He also did special sets for media like Audio Obscura, Digital DGTL or DAYS like NIGHTS.
That same year, he would land for the first time on Rose Avenue by RÜFÜS DU SOL with his EP “Concepts of Love”. In Afterlife he left another legacy: “Patterns” EP. He remixed “Never” for Joris Voorn and added another EP: Complacency, for ATLANT. However, if there is a song that defines Colyn in 2020, it is “The Future Is The Past” released for DGTL Records. A single that did not stop playing during that year and strengthened his relationship with the Dutch label and festival, which today we can say that it is his second musical home.
On the road to Armada Music
2021 was possibly the year with the least material released by the Dutchman. However, all the releases are of pure quality. In Afterlife he was part of “Realm of Consciousness Pt. V” with “Obnoxious Desire” together with Innellea and released “Signs Of Change” for UNITY PT.2. Among his performances, his participation in UNTOLD, one of the biggest festivals in Europe and one of the only ones that took place last year, stands out.
As with everyone, life is a roller coaster of highs and lows. And it was Colyn’s turn to go up again in 2022. And in what a way! In January he played at Zamna Tulum along with several Afterlife exponents. That same month, he would release Armin van Buuren’s “Hollow” remix. Becoming the only producer of the group to be part of Armada Music.
A dream collaboration with Cercle
Another hit for Ewout was to have his own live set for Cercle, and he did it from India.
“We got there and I saw the DJ setup and I thought, ‘What the hell? I’m actually going to play a DJ set here.’ The Cercle guys are super professional, they know what they’re doing, so I could really focus on getting the music part right… I was really nervous because it’s live, so you can’t screw up or make big mistakes. So the first half hour was a bit choppy, but it all worked out in the end. After the first half hour, I started to get into a rhythm and relaxed a little bit more.” – says Colyn about her set for Cercle.
During those dates he also toured the United States for the first time. Among his new material, he has released the EP “Oxygen Levels Low” from which we highlight ‘Wait For You’. Also on the label, he released ‘Unstable Gravity Alert’ for UNITY PT.3. Recently, he was part of the artists who played at Tomorrowland for Afterlife. And he did it from the Atmosphere Stage which was even streamed live. In addition, he had a special set also for Afterlife but from the residence of Tale of Us at HÏ Ibiza.
Colyn’s future
Referring to his future as a producer, the Dutchman mentions:
“Musically, I want to try to build something new. I want to work on what’s next, for me it’s a six, seven, eight-month timeline and obviously there are already some contenders in the field that I think could be cool projects for what’s next. Always, when something comes out, it leaves a kind of void like, ‘Okay, now what?’ So that’s where I am now, but usually it’s a very healthy feeling where I think, ‘Okay, I need to push again and we need to find the next big thing that my sound should develop into,’ which is always interesting. “
Thank you for making it this far, we will be updating this note at a later date. Colyn still has a lot of history to write. In the meantime, we recommend you read the other biographies we’ve written for you. You can find them by scrolling down. See you then.
