It was early 2001 and a Filterheadz remix of Minimalistix 'Struggle For Pleasure' was getting big airplay from all the big Progressive House DJ's. While many were hypnotised by the lush melody, brothers Bert and Maarten took a different direction in their production, a decision that has seen them become one of the top producers in the Progressive world.

The last 2 years have shown exactly why they are so loved. Be it their top draw remixes of artists such as Ashtrax and Bedrock, or their original works such as 'Protection' and the baseline filled 'Sunshine' with Tomaz. Either way, their music is impressing almost everyone that crosses its path. We caught up with the lads to discuss the rise they have gone through in the last 2 years.

For those who are not aware of your work, how would you describe the records Filterheadz are associated with?

Hard to say really, since our sound changes all the times, from tribal to progressive to techno and house. We like to surprise people and maybe just as important surprise ourselves. In general when describing our sound we'd like to use the term "organic" whatever that means :-)

Your remix of ‘Struggle for Pleasure’ by Minimalistix has been one of the biggest progressive records in the last 2 years. What inspired you to make progressive house and what impact did the success of this tune have on you?

It might sound strange but "Struggle for pleasure" was a bit of a coïncidence. The truth is we got a phone call from Jo Casters, A & R at Mostiko, asking as for a "Deep Dish" like remix. Before that we hardly new anything about progressive, apart from Deep Dish themselves. When the remix came out, everybody was talking about Filterheadz as being progressive, but for us it was just house beats, a strong bassline and some spacey sounds on top of it. The success of "struggle" put us on the map as remixers, we started getting remix work from labels like Hooj, Nebule, Platipus, etc. Also "Struggle" made us take a closer at our style and sound and moved us in a more "progressive" direction. At the same time we really got into tribal techno, the Marco Bailey, Adam Beyer stuff. Putting those two styles together with our pop/wave background sorta made the filterheadz sound where it is today.

You have recently completed the remix of Bedrock’s “Emerald”. Are you happy with the end product, and what are your reactions to reports that it absolutely tears dancefloors apart!?

We are very happy with the result. The idea was to build the groove by layering a dozen of loops, but then just use little bits of them. That way you get this cut-up feel. Then after the break we really wanted to have an explosion of energy, something nu-metal like :-) We just knew this one had to be really cool, since it was gonna be such a high profile track. So yes we're very happy with the way the mix turned out and even happier with the response the mix is getting.

Anything with the Filterheadz name has developed a club friendly reputation. Is there any secret why all your remixes and productions work so well in a club?

It's all about beats...once you lay down a "dancefloor" friendly groove, you can get away with almost anything.
After all, it is dance music, no?

I guess it is!!
Your home land (Belgium) has produced some of the finest artists in the last few years in yourselves and Pole Folder and CP especially. Is the scene in Belgium developing or are you guys forced to look outside the country for success?

We have never looked upon ourselves as "Belgian" producers. I don't think we're really involved in the Belgian scene and I'm not sure if Pole Folder and CP are either. Most of the people don't even know we are from Belgium, most of them think we're from the UK or Holland. We just did the new theme for the Belgian "I love techno" festival so that will probably give us some more exposure in Belgium.

Collaborations with Zzino and Tomaz have seen more success with the remix of Green Velvet and ‘Sunshine’ in particular. What enjoyment and benefits do you see working with other producers?

It's fun, because you get new insights, new ideas, etc. Would love to work with some non-dance people, indie producers, just to learn more about different sounds, other views on mixing and production. I'm sure well get do some stuff like that in the future...

You have remixed many artists over the years. Are there any other artists in particular that you would like to remix?

We'd love to remix some pop or indie stuff : The Cardigans, Elbow, Supergrass, perhaps even some Nu Metal or Hip Hop stuff. Busta Rhymes would be cool...or maybe Oasis? We are really into vocals, always good fun cutting things up and taking them to another world.

What can you tell us about any upcoming remixes and productions?

We did a mix for Whatever Girl: Activator (Yoshitoshi) that's going to be the bomb. The Deep Dish lads are crazy about it :-) Doing the new Sylver single right now, expect something completely different for that one...next the new Minimalistix single and then some more, loads more...
Apart from that we're still working on new material, mainly vocal stuff. We hope to have a couple of tracks ready by the end of the year. The thing is that we get so many remix request nowadays that it isn't always easy to find time to do new material...

What producers or DJ’s have been influential to you over the years?

Producers: Deep Dish, Underworld, 16B, Peace Division, Trevor Horn, Depeche Mode
DJ’s: Sander Kleinenberg, Digweed, Howells, Tong, Cox...not only for the music but also for the huge support they've given us over the years.

Could you name any tracks or albums that have influenced you?

Too much to mention really. Could be the hippest progressive track, maybe some indie stuff, an old pop tune or even the latest girl band teen sensation. It doesn't really matter, as long as it tickles our creativity and imagination. The thing is when you work on something in a particular style, people automatically assume you also listen to that style all the time.
A lot of the stuff we listen to has nothing to do with dance music. I love listening to country and bluegrass stuff like Alison Krauss or vocal jazz like Tony Bennett. Influential dance stuff? same story there, we dig everything from French house to eurotrance. Just gimme a good groove and a decent melody.
If I have to name a couple of dance records that were important : Deep Dish "Future of the future", Katcha "Touched by God" (Peace Division mix), Trancesetters "Roaches" (peace division), Satoshi Tomiie "Love in traffic".

And finally, outside the hectic music lifestyle, what do the Filterheadz lads get up to in their spare time?

Normal everyday life I guess...almost...although there is lot's of work involved, it's probably one of the coolest jobs one can have, because it's work and hobby at the same time.
We've always dreamed of being musicians and working in studios, we just never expected to be dance producers :-)