Born in Aruba in 1965, Michael grew up in the Netherlands in a family where music was simply part of daily life.
Family ties
His father, a Surinamese guitarist, and his Dutch mother raised a household that always made music together — at parties, on special occasions, or just for fun. For the Surinamese side of the family, playing was as natural as talking, and it still is today.
To the academy
Piano, violin, guitar, bass and drums all came early. In that house full of instruments it was his father who inspired him to take up percussion — a path he later followed all the way to the music academy.
South American rhythms
South American rhythms have always held a special place for him: harmonic instruments like piano and bass played rhythmically, tense harmonies laid out with swing. That remains his passion, and his interest reaches far beyond percussion into the many instruments you can hear in his compositions.
…and Cuba and Africa
Travelling to Cuba, Brazil and Africa, Michael studied the percussive techniques of each culture and fused them into a style of his own. Tradition matters to him: knowing where a rhythm comes from is what lets you play it with full knowledge and scope — a challenge he takes on gladly.
