Idir Makhlaf of Blasterjaxx Announces He Will Stop Touring For Health Reasons
Blasterjaxx will always be Thom and me, just that our roles will change. From December onwards, Thom will take the stage as Blasterjaxx by himself, and we’ll continue the studio work together as before, just that I'll be doing my bits strictly from the studio at home.
The stresses of being a world-famous DJ in this booming dance music industry are more than us fans will ever know. Playing up to three gigs a day, flying countless hours to please fans, and having to keep up an insane energy level onstage eventually takes a toll on the body.
That toll has been too much for Idir Makhlaf, one of the two members of Blasterjaxx. The Dutchman announced via a lengthy Facebook letter to fans that he will be coming off tour after their November 28 gig at Essential in Maastricht, Netherlands. From that point on, Blasterjaxx will be represented on stage solely by Thom Jongkind. Idir cited the grind of touring, a struggle with alcohol management, and repeated panic attacks as his reason for changing his role in Blasterjaxx to solely in the studio.
—————————– MESSAGE —————————-A message from Idir I have not been feeling well…
Posted by Blasterjaxx on Thursday, October 22, 2015
This system actually works really well, as fellow Dutch duo Bassjackers have split the responsibilities of touring as a DJ and doing studio work from home with great success.
Of course, the ultimate issue is Idir’s health. He made the strongest choice to value his health over his career, and we hope that he will be able to re-discover the happiness he said he lost over the past three years.
Idir – we wish you the best, and can’t wait to hear what you crank out of the studio!
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