Member in the Spotlight: Maik Cox

Maik Cox, our Member in the Spotlight of the week, began his love affair with music at a young age. Having graduated from the Dutch Pop Academy as a music composer, Maik began producing music as an artist himself and for more than 100 different artists – where he even achieved some chart records. As a DJ (and later live artist), he played over 1,500 shows in the Netherlands and other places in Europe. In 2020 he wanted to explore new boundaries in music and accidentally came across Amp.Amsterdam, where he is now Music Producer & Supervisor.

As the Club for Creativity, we’d like to ask you to get creative and draw a self-portrait.

PERSONAL

What technology could you not do without?

Generally that would be modern technology. I prefer a fast and pragmatic workflow and I think that all starts with a decent computer and phone. I get crabby when the WIFI connection is bad, so that continually needs to be at the highest speed. I'm also a big fan of Ableton, a music production software I use on a daily basis to create compositions and edits.

Do you own a collection and if so, what is it?

This answer is a bit cliché but the collection I own is a collection of insane memories. Before I started working at Amp.Amsterdam, I was a full time music composer and DJ (something I did for almost 12 years). I was blessed by an amazing team who travelled with me through a lot of places in the Netherlands and Europe. So much funny and dumb things happened that time, don’t get me started.

What is the most unforgettable place you have travelled to?

I’m not that much of a traveller, because I don’t feel the urge to travel or escape. I really love my life in Amsterdam and almost every day feels like a holiday (really). But a couple years back I visited my brother in Bangkok because he was studying there. Thailand positively surprised me and I was overwhelmed by its culture. The ironic thing was that I didn't want to go home when it was time to go back to Amsterdam.

What music could we find on your favourite playlist?

I listen to almost every genre, except maybe heavy metal or techno. Nowadays I listen to a lot of classical music, soul and contemporary pop. Artists like Chopin, Schuman, Nora Jones, Cory Henry, Dua Lipa and John Mayer are some examples. It really depends on the mood I’m in. My granddad listened to a lot of Austrian Polka, so sometimes when I’m with friends and the mood is right I’ll play some German Schlagers haha.

What is your most recent 'find'?

‘How to draw a professional portrait’

If you didn't live in the Netherlands, where would you live?

New York or Tokyo would definitely trigger me. Amp.Amsterdam has an office in New York and I surely would be open for that in the future. I really like Amsterdam but in general I always look for incentives.

How much of a routine do you have in your daily life?

A lot. My life is all about routine. I need structure in order to control my work and personal life, which always has been one big blend. It also gives me a lot of mental calmness. Yeah, I’m the guy with uncountable to do lists.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?

My fighting neighbours. No, just kidding. My biggest passion is music and I'm blessed that I can make a living with that. When I'm not at Amp.Amsterdam supervising cool stuff, I’m working on my own projects which consist of composing or writing music for myself or other people. Days are often too short, so I really have to get out of bed in the morning.

PROFESSIONAL

Which phase of the creative process excites you the most and why?

That would be the concept phase. It’s amazing when you come up with a cool angle and the client gives the green light to create and realise the creative concept.

What makes a great or hero client?

Personally I love it when clients give us the freedom to create our own framework to play in. That kind of concepting triggers me the most creatively and it’s also the most fun thing to do.

If you weren't working in the creative industry, what else would you be doing?

I think that I would still be working as a full time composer and artist. In the past I thought a lot about my future, but I never came up with anything else besides making, teaching and performing music. I think it’s pretty much my nature.

What professional skill do you value the most?

That would be the communication with our composers and the overall translation from client briefings to musical concepts. I know how it feels to be on the other side of the line. I believe that makes my work easier.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

‘Put your ego aside.’

How do you deal with failure?

By being grumpy for a short period of time (mostly 30 minutes). Work wise I'm not a person that stays too long in a certain state of negativity. At the end of the day we didn't kill anybody, we’re not surgeons ;)

Through our Members in the Spotlight feature, we aim to get to know both professionally and personally the unique qualities of our ADCN Members. If you would like to join ADCN, the Club for Creativity, you can find out more here.