Exclusive Interview: Toolroom mainstay Siege talks Tomorrowland, Carl Cox, and Ibiza

You don’t get to play Ibiza residencies and regular Tomorrowland slots if you aren’t putting out some seriously good content. Sieg Motmans – or has he is widely known, Siege – has seen his rise from an unknown producer from Hasselt, Belgium, to featuring on some of the biggest labels in the house music scene. Blending a variety of tech house, house, and techno elements through an array of releases has landed him on the likes of Toolroom Records, Saved Records, Circus Recordings, and more, whilst gaining widespread support from some of the biggest names in the world. Recently playing for the mightly Elrow for the first time in his home country, Siege has had a busy year with regular slots on the White Isle, taking over from Jack Back (David Guetta) during ADE, and becoming a popular figure amongst the Toolroom faithful. The rapidly growing sensation that is Siege has sat down with us to talk all things 2019, Toolroom, collaborations and what is yet to come.

It’s almost the end of 2019 now, and you’ve had a lot going on with gigs and track releases. How has this year been for you?

2019 has been an amazing year. It feels like every year is getting better and better and the hard work finally starts to pay off. I’ve had some of the most amazing shows including closing down Fuse in Brussels after Hot Since 82, playing for Toolroom in Ibiza during the summer – which is a childhood dream come true – and just a few weeks ago I was playing a peak time slot for elrow in Belgium. Just saying this out loud right now reminds me how crazy that is!! My musical output also has been so big this year. I think I’ve released 13 pieces of music in total and probably got as many in the locker for next year already. My sets consist of 50% Siege music at the moment, which makes me very happy too.

You recently returned back to Toolroom Records with your new track ‘Haus’, which features the legend Chuck Roberts on vocals. Tell us about this track and how it came about.

Believe it or not this came about during a writing camp in Amsterdam earlier this year. The summer was mad busy already when Armada reached out last minute to see if I could join their writing camp. I’ve never done one before so I’d figured out it was time to do one. Chuck Roberts was there as well and they arranged a session for us. We chatted for a few minutes and he said ‘right play me some music’. I played him a few tracks and he loved them. He told me to put on the mic and record him. 15 minutes later we had everything down and we chatted for a few more hours. He’s such an amazing vocalist and a great person altogether. I went back home with the vocal and it sat on my computer for a bit. At some point I wrote the backing track and I thought of Chuck’s vocal. I put the two together and they worked brilliant together. Toolroom loved the idea and picked it up straight away!

You have become a big part of the Toolroom Family, playing at shows in Ibiza all summer, in London, and more. How does it feel to play at these events alongside names like Mark Knight, David Guetta’s Jack Back project, Danny Howard, and more?

I’m really thankful and extremely happy I’ve joined the Toolroom Family. First and foremost they’re all great people who work really hard and all have a real passion for music. I think my music works perfect with the label too, and they really know how to throw a party. All the events from Ibiza and Studio 338 to a pub in Maidstone and their office rave are so fun to play at. They have these hardcore fans that you see at all the events as well. They’re all so nice and it really feels like one big family. Off course it’s a nice extra to be on the bill with these big shots but in the end it’s still a family affair!

You’ve also been heavily involved with huge international brands such as Tomorrowland and Elrow, plus receiving widespread support from industry legends like Carl Cox and Nic Fanciulli. How do these experiences benefit you as a DJ and producer?

I think it was my fifth show for Tomorrowland this year and I did play my first elrow show a few weeks ago. These are shows everyone wants to play so I can’t deny it feels really good to be able to play them. Every show is an experience and makes you grow as an artist. It’s also great to test out new tracks and see how the crowd reacts so I guess in that sense my productions also benefit from that. Seeing someone like Carl Cox play records I made is a feeling you can’t really describe. It’s like a seal of approval but also helps to take away any doubts. I think every producer sometimes struggles with the question ‘is this good enough?!’ – now I sometimes say to myself ‘well if it’s good enough for Carl I must be doing something right’ hahaha.

Many legendary names have already been mentioned, but if not one of those, who would be your ultimate collaboration and why?

I’d have to go with the SOS Band or Chic – maybe Prince. As some of you might now I’m a sucker for disco. Some of these records are more than 30 years old but they still sound fresh. When I need a little boost I put on my disco playlist on Spotify and instant I get that feel-good vibe. I’d love to blend these vibes with my current sound and see where that takes us.

Finally, what does 2020 hold in store for Siege?

I hope we just continue the same way 2019 ended – positive vibes all round. We did a Toolroom writing camp last month so there’s collaborations coming up with Raumakustik & Gene Farris, Tuff London, Maxinne, Frederick & Kusse. Also started something rather special with ATFC – can’t wait to finish that one off. I’m also working on music with Mark Knight but we need to put our heads in the studio one more time to finish that bad boy. As for gigs there’s already some big shows confirmed but you’ll have to wait till 2020 to hear about them!

You can keep up with all things Siege over on his Instagram, and check out his selection on Spotify below.