We talk to multi-talented DJ and producer Sander Kleinenberg about the making of his brand new single.

Sander Kleinenberg is in trouble. Well, not really, but that is the name of his latest track. Released on Armada Deep at the tail end of August, ‘Trouble’ was produced in collaboration with fellow DJ Boris Smith, and features an energetic attitude-laden spoken-word vocal from Baby Sol.

Trouble seems to follow Kleinenberg wherever he goes. The song title, that is. In 2015, he produced a hugely popular remix of Halsey’s song of the same name, embedding in the track a harsh synth breakdown between soaring vocal sections.

This new ‘Trouble’ has little in common with the Halsey track. Boris Smith and Sander Kleinenberg’s beat is bouncing from the start. So too are Baby Sol’s vocals. Each syllable of her addictive vocal refrain hops over the bassline like a bouncing ball over karaoke lyrics. No earnest melodies here; trouble is all about the rhythm.

This concept guided Kleinenberg’s process throughout the making of the track. Asked about his inspiration, Sander tells us he set out to make “a dancefloor oriented piece of funk!” So what was it like putting the track together? “Really fun and natural, sometimes you work on a record that writes itself. This vocal was not hard to work with.”

That fun, natural energy shines through in the final track. No doubt that’s helped it find fans on the dancefloor. Kleinenberg agrees. “I’ve been playing it all summer,” he tells us. “It’s a bomb!”

Kleinenberg couldn’t have made this track without his collaborators, of course. He credits fellow Dutch DJ Boris Smith with coming up with the bassline, and the song’s overall “lovely, laid back approach.” Sander admits his own productions tend to be of a little more complicated nature, but that “this bassline was a great start to the overall feel.”  Complicated is good, but sometimes laid back plays better on the dancefloor. As the track progressed, Kleinenberg “mixed and created sound design and arrangement.”

As for Baby Sol, what did she bring to the process? “Baby Sol brought the match that ignited the gasoline.” That’s a great way of summing it up. ‘Trouble’ would still sound fantastic as an instrumental, but it’s Baby Sol’s chilled out rapping that sets it on fire.

This isn’t the first Sander Kleinenberg release on Armada. Earlier in 2017 he released ‘Another Chance’ collaboration with Ryan Blyth and vocalist Parisalexa. He also recently headlined his own Armada Invites session at the label’s HQ/club in Amsterdam.

Kleinenberg describes the people at Armada as, “Lovely people that I have known for many years. All about the music, all about the community.”

Releasing the track on Armada Deep has proved a wise move. The song has gained support from many major tastemakers worldwide, including Don Diablo, who included ‘Trouble’ on his latest mixtape, as well as Dannic and Sam Feldt, who each featured the track on their radio shows.

Now ‘Trouble’ is out in the world, what does the ever-prolific Sander Kleinenberg have lined up next for us. “Loads of stuff, actually,” he says, which is no surprise at all considering his output.  “A collab with CID, a big pop tune with Sam Bruno,” is what we’ll likely be seeing next.

Our last question for Sander Kleinenberg was irresistible, keeping in mind the theme of his latest song: what is the most trouble you have ever been in. Sander is coy in his response. “I’ve been in a few compromising situations. My lawyer says it’s wiser to let that be a thing between me and the CIA.”

‘Trouble’ by Sander Kleinenberg X Boris Smith feat. Baby Sol is available to download here.

Book Sander Kleinenberg now to bring the troublemaker to your venue.