Helsloot: Speaking in Body Language

Legacy & Vision 

When Helsloot talks about Body Language, it’s with the same measured calm that defines his productions — a quiet confidence that suggests he knows exactly where every sound belongs. The long-running Get Physical mix series has seen its share of heavyweights — from Modeselektor to Dixon — but for Volume 27, the Dutch producer was less interested in emulating the past than in finding his own conversation within it. 

“I think it was the one with Modeselektor that hit me first,” he says. “And the one by Dixon is also legendary. These mixes tend to bring out a different, experimental side of the artist.” 

So when Get Physical invited him to curate a new chapter, the weight of that legacy wasn’t lost on him. “I was very honored when they asked me,” he says. “Being in such a line up of big names that went before me feels like recognition. And it also confirms the warm connection I have with Get Physical.” 

After the introspective textures of his last album Never Tried, Helsloot wanted Volume 27 to move differently — less head, more body. “First of all I wanted to pay homage to all the artists that made the tracks which I fell in love with in a way I could play all these tracks again,” he explains. “And like the title says, I wanted it to be more dancefloor orientated. It was a bit of a challenge since I came from my last album Never Tried which was very deep and emotional. As a young kid I used to make hip hop beats, very loop based, so I tried to go back to those days to program the beats.” 

Sound & Collaboration 

Philipp Jung once described Helsloot’s sound as “balancing today’s global melodic movement with emotional clarity.” The producer takes that as the highest praise. “I see that as a big compliment,” he says. “For every track I try to put my soul in as much as possible which is not easy if you think about the fact it is all made on a computer.” 

This project, he says, gave him space to experiment. “I tried to lean more towards my love for house and hip hop for this project. Normally my productions are leaning heavily on melodies, like the actual Body Language remix. But I think ‘Mambo’ is a good example where I explored my love for house.”

Remixing M.A.N.D.Y. vs Booka Shade – Body Language was a bold move. “When I first told people I really wanted to remix this track a few of them said ‘are you sure?’ haha,” he recalls. “I know there are like a ton of good remixes out there (shout out to Patrice Baumel and Tocadisco) but all I could think was ‘challenge accepted’. From the start I had a clear plan of how I wanted to approach the remix. I wanted to make a full chord melody on top of that famous bassline. When I made it and actually worked I wanted to tease people with it for 4 minutes so you go like ‘hey it sounds familiar, but what is it again?’ And then use that building tension to actually drop with the bassline for that ‘eureka’ moment. When playing it live it worked out even better than I thought.” 

Collaboration runs throughout the project, from Sailor & I to Richard Judge and Audiofly. “Well I’m a big fan of working with vocals, especially the ones that secretly lure you in the beginning,” he says. “Both Richard Judge and Sailor & I have that hypnotizing quality. Also the feature with Audiofly, they are not written according to the traditional songwriting structures which could feel too dominant in my sound.” 

That sense of depth and emotion shines through tracks like “I Dream Deep.” “When I get the chills or shed a tear, and still be able to move, I know I’m in the right spot,” Helsloot says. 

Movement & Meaning 

The launch event at Amsterdam’s Melkweg promises to bring that balance of motion and emotion to life. “I’m very excited for this one,” he says. “The Melkweg is an iconic location in Amsterdam. We moved to a bigger room as the last edition was sold out. As the title states this event will be about body language. Not too focused on a certain point, just the music and feel the freedom to move however you like.” 

And while the Body Language series has a long history, Helsloot chose to keep his ears clear. “To be honest I didn’t listen too much to the previous editions,” he admits. “Like I said earlier I did listen to Moderat and Dixon’s but not as an example.” 

Two projects in, his sound continues to evolve — unbound by genre but grounded in feeling. “Well the funny thing is, I always have a hard time explaining what ‘my sound’ is,” he says. “I also don’t like to box it in certain genres but I know it makes it easier for a person to find my music. The only thing I did for this project is to create as freely as possible and still be able to play it in my sets. In that case I think we can add ‘house’ without ‘melodic’ to the list of genres.” 

And if Body Language is about communicating through music without words, what does he hope listeners hear in Volume 27? “So I’m still giving words to the music haha?” he says with a grin. “I just hope whenever they listen to it they can find a bit of enlightenment in their skin and/or mind.”