Growing up in the small Dutch city of Emmeloord, Peter Jelle Idzenga was a quiet child who loved getting lost in creative activities while absorbing the rhythms of his father’s J. J. Cale, Bob Marley, Neil Young and Blues records. But upon reflection, he can pinpoint the precise moment he really fell in love with music.
“I was spending the weekend at my uncle’s house when he pulled out two CDs: Dr. Dre’s ‘The Chronic’, and Cypress Hill’s ‘Black Sunday’. He played me Dr. Dre’s ‘Let Me Ride’ and from then on all I wanted to do was listen to rap.”
That experience sparked a deep appreciation for music that Peter would cultivate throughout his life – and which ultimately led him to music production and A&R at Sizzer today, an independent music agency based in Amsterdam.
Peter didn’t take a direct route here. He actually studied to become a designer at college, specialising in UX and UI. “It was the least uninteresting course I could pick, but college was never my thing,” Peter assesses. Still, that’s how he was introduced to the world of advertising, embarking upon a half-year adventure in Tokyo for a UX internship at creative agency UltraSuperNew. All the while, Peter was making beats with his friends, realising more and more by the day that this was his true calling. He’d complete his design degree as back up, yet it was music he’d pursue after college.
The next two years saw Peter making beats full-time and working with his favourite rappers, honing his craft through online tutorials. “I found out that all the hip-hop beats I liked were made by the same people – Pete Rock, Hi-Tek, DJ Premier, Madlib, etc – and they were using samples. So, I went to YouTube and typed in ‘how to make sample-based hip-hop’. The steps were really clear: ‘buy’ (ahem) a DAW, figure out how it works, go to a record store to dig for samples, and make some fire beats.”
Peter’s first paid project was an LP titled ‘Uptown Bandits’ by New York New York emcee, Musalini, producing alongside “my guy Don D, the hardest hip-hop producer in Amsterdam.” As several “true fans” of the underground hip-hop scene are into vinyl, Peter came up with a concept for cover art, reached out to a small independent distributor, and released 250 copies – which sold in a matter of hours. “It made me realise that you don’t need to be a big star to make a living off music.”
Curiosity brewing, Peter started looking for an environment where he could learn more about music production – enter Sizzer. Impressed with its work, he asked for and secured an internship, and worked up to where he is now: a music producer / A&R who’s worked on major campaigns like JBL ‘Classics Reimagined’, Coca-Cola ‘Ramadan is Coming’, and DVAG ‘Lebenswege’.
Above: Coca-Cola ‚Ramadan Is Coming‘
At Sizzer, Peter’s skillset has bloomed, teaching himself music theory, bass, guitar, and keys, and soaking up mixing and general music knowledge from “the OG, Michiel Marsman, a.k.a. Dr. Mindfuck.” Whether its music, languages, or even physical skills, that process of learning is one that Peter relishes, and its songwriting and arranging that he’s set his sights on next.
Asked about his favourite part of the job, Peter comments, “More than music, I like people who make music.” He admires the Sizzer team – with whom he’ll be attending Cannes Lions later this year – for always getting the job done without losing character, harbouring a deep respect for those who dedicate themselves to such hard work rather than following the path of least resistance.
Still, there are certainly challenges to the role. Describing himself as ambitious, driven, and competitive when it comes to the things he cares about, Peter has to be intentional about maintaining a work-life balance in the interests of durability. He’s also had to learn not to get too attached to his own ideas, especially when so much of the work ends up not being used when the creative direction ends up changing.
To stay fresh, Peter keeps himself abreast of developments by checking out the winners of the big awards, news sites like LBB, and the soundtracks of the latest cinema releases. “The way people use music changes, but the funny thing is that music itself doesn’t change that much. It’s still just rhythm, harmony and melody, and if it feels good, it feels good.” The debate around what constitutes ‘modern’ music in one he particularly enjoys: “You can record instruments with microphones from the ‘70s, synthesisers from the ‘80s, and it can still be ‘modern’. It’s sometimes a challenging discussion, but also really fun to hear how people think of the word ‚modern‘ in different ways.”
Outside of work, Peter considers it of the utmost importance to protect his “love for, and innocent enjoyment of, music.” It’s still what he turns to for entertainment, naming Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, Grant Green, Pete Rock, Madlib, Nas, Blu, and Kendrick Lamar among his favourite artists. But he also just really likes Japanese dramas, and is always ready to dive into the next topic that sparks his curiosity.
“Life offers an endless supply of new ideas and things to be learned. How can you ever get bored?”
