Words by Rachel June
Sitting in Brighton’s kookiest Cafe, Presuming Eds, I spoke with Max Adriaan, the self-produced musical alchemist who tries to “Capture the sparkle in the sadness” within his songs. The talented yet humble musician from the Netherlands makes music you’d play whilst sunbathing, cracking open a few cans with friends on the beach, or just drifting into a daydream. He describes it as “Bedroom R&B jazz.”
Max’s spirit was full of authenticity and passion, whilst his love for jazz can be heard through tantalising dreamy beats and instruments that dance beneath his calming vocals. Each song is a new recipe and a fresh blend of flavours - so go on, take a bite! His groovy track ‘Hard Work’ weaves together a rich mix of sounds, gliding over soft beats with lyrics that mean something to him.
Inspirations are far and wide. The initial lightbulb switched on whilst listening to Ed Sheeran's nostalgic ‘Multiply’ album, one we can all reminisce on for its glorious and groundbreaking lyrics. His current Spotify diet consists of Bruno Mars, Anderson.Paak and D’angelo. “Just really good jazz R&B”, he laughs. Currently on repeat for Max is ‘Lockdown’ by Anderson.Paak, and Max would love to collaborate with Jordan Rakei someday.
Max recently collaborated with Amy Palmer on the delightful track ‘Messy’ linked here. He tells us, “Being open to collaboration will open doors for your career. You've got nothing to lose. You're just one musical experience away from finding something great”.
A standout moment for Max was playing at Brighton’s Alphabet venue - and his favourite part of his career is performing live. Losing himself in jam sessions and seeing where the music takes him is what he loves most about the experience. A dream venue? “It would be so good to play in the Las Vegas Bowl”, he admits, “That's far away, but a good goal to work towards.” Listen to Max’s new track here, out April 3rd, called Sing Your Song. “It’s a little love song”, he teases.
Max is entirely self-made, and the challenges that come with that are huge - from managing finances and finding work to chasing your passions despite the obstacles in your way. “Money can always be a problem”. Support Max by following him on Instagram here, and listening to his music on Spotify - you won’t be disappointed!
This year, Max will be performing on April 24th with Goetia at Green Door Store, Brighton. It’s free entry, so no reason we won’t see you there!
Fun fact: Max used to have a pet snake called Squiggle. “That’s my homie”, he smiles.