Susanne Alt (dj/saxophonist)
Susanne Alt is a saxophonist, composer, DJ, and producer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
As a saxophone player deeply rooted in jazz, funk and soul, Alt is embracing the multiple musical possibilities of a dj/producer, stretching out into electronic music, especially everything that's soulful, funky and deep. She performs solo as a dj or together with the dj live collective Venus Tunes Live and recently also rediscovered her first love: jazz. Her latest album is "Royalty for Real" (release date: February 2024).
Born in 1978 in Würzburg, Germany, to a musical parental home, she studied classical saxophone at the Meistersinger-Konservatorium Nuremberg (1993-1996) and won the Siemens Prize for young talent (1996). At 18, Alt moved to the Netherlands for jazz saxophone studies at the Hilversum and later Amsterdam conservatories (1996-2000). She continued her studies at the Universität der Künste Berlin (2000-2003), graduating with honors.
Since 1999, Alt has performed as a saxophonist in various settings. She has her own jazz quartet but also performs as one of the first musicians live with DJs in the Amsterdam nightlife. In 2004, she debuted as a producer with "Nocturne" on her own label, Venus Tunes, followed by several more albums.
In 2015, Alt was asked by a booker if she's also dj'ing and as a joke she said "yes". To her dismay she discovered that this answer had consequences, she just got her first booking as a dj! Quickly she had to catch up and prepare a set.
One thing lead to another, her soulful deep and funky sound immediately got picked up within the Amsterdam nightlife. Performing live sets as a unique saxophonist-dj lead to an expansion of Alt's career and also her dj-only sets (without sax) are in high demand. Alt's experience in dance music inspired the creation of "
Venus Tunes Live," an all-female live act with musicians who are also DJs. From 2016 on, Alt focused more on dj'ing and releasing on her label. Since then she has been providing a monthly guest mix on radio Freak31.
Besides her own projects, she is a sought-after guest and session musician, collaborating with artists such as Fred Wesley, DJ Spinna, Opolopo, Johan S, Hardsoul,
DJ Maestro, Wicked Jazz Sounds and
many more.
Also check out
Venus Tunes Sessions, my monthly guest mix I am doing for Freak31. In addition to
Mixcloud and
Hearthis, all mixes are also available as podcasts on
Deezer and
iTunes.Book here
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Venus Tunes Live is a very danceable closing act of any festival! But there's more...Flyer of the Venus Tunes label night in 2016Venus Tunes Live is a collective of female artists, founded in 2016 by saxophonist/dj/producer Susanne Alt (read dj bio here)The kick-off took place during Amsterdam Dance Event: the Venus Tunes label night.Alt has been running her own record label Venus Tunes since 2007. In the beginning, Venus Tunes was a jazz imprint only. In 2016, funk album Saxify was released and the vision arose not to promote the album by touring with a traditional band but to change the concept and perform with a dj/live act instead. With the help of nationally and internationally acclaimed producers*, remixes of Saxify were created, further enhancing their versality and appeal.DJ music platforms like Traxsource, Juno Download and Beatport embraced these tunes, and dj's around the world started to include the remixes in their sets. This peer-to-peer-approach lead to new collaborations and releases of new music.With an impressive list of original tracks** Susanne Alt and her companions stole the hearts of dj’s and music lovers around the world.Up to then, this only had been taken place in the studio. Alt looked for a group to perform these tracks live. Venus Tunes Live (hereafter referred to as VTL) was born, an all-female group. At the same time, festival directors realized that inclusiveness would create a better revenue. This gave VTL a kickstart!Lorrèn, Femke Krone, SaraLee, Mavis Acquah and Susanne Alt in 2019 (photo shoot by Michel Zoeter)When gathering on stage for performing, VTL is mixing original music with music by others and mash-ups of existing songs. This blend creates a completely distinctive sound. Their fans are being provided with a complete experience: new tracks, great live shows and plenty of YouTube material.VTL engages actively with the crowd and will definitely add another facet to any festival. This is a jazz disco house crossover experience, the perfect spectacular closing act with a happy end everybody wishes for. Zosja El Rhazi and Susanne Alt in Thailand (photo shoot with Icine Asia, 2023)*DJ Spinna, Opolopo, Estroe, Zoe Xenia, Junie Morrison, DJ Maestro, Angelo Ferreri, Johan S, Greg & Grandi and more**including Time And Time Again, Susie Saxophone, Elixir, Open Up, The Harder We Fight (the Sweeter the Love), Sax Damage in NYC, Tantra Sax and Tudo Bem” and moreThis is a full-length concert of Venus Tunes Live XL on the mainstage of Jazz in Duketown ('s-Hertogenbosch, NL) in 2023. Featuring SaraLee Vos and Zosja El Rhazi (vocals), Katya Gabeli (dj/violin), Annick Sickinghe (percussion) and Susanne Alt (dj/saxophone).This video illustrates how well we fit on a big festival stage and also how to end a festival on a Saturday night. All of this with a all-female line-up playing own compositions like Susie Saxophone, Elixir, Open Up and more in the blend with music we adapted and made it our own. Book us hereWatch more videos; there's an extensive Venus Tunes Live playlist on Youtube, including shows we did in Germany, Spain, Côte d'Ivoire, India, Thailand and a whole lot of festivals in the Netherlands.Follow us on social media: Venus Tunes release pages on Traxsource, Juno Download and Beatport: - Susanne Alt is a saxophonist, composer, DJ, and producer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. As a saxophone player deeply rooted in jazz, funk and soul, Alt is embracing the multiple musical possibilities of a dj/producer, stretching out into electronic music, especially everything that's soulful, funky and deep. She performs solo as a dj or together with the dj live collective Venus Tunes Live and recently also rediscovered her first love: jazz. Her latest album is Royalty for Real (release date: February 2024).Born in 1978 in Würzburg, Germany, to a musical parental home, she studied classical saxophone at the Meistersinger-Konservatorium Nuremberg (1993-1996) and won the Siemens Prize for young talent (1996). At 18, Alt moved to the Netherlands for jazz saxophone studies at the Hilversum and later Amsterdam conservatories (1996-2000). She continued her studies at the Universität der Künste Berlin (2000-2003), graduating with honors.Since 1999, Alt has performed as a saxophonist in various settings. She has her own jazz quartet but also performs as one of the first musicians live with DJs in the Amsterdam nightlife. In 2004, she debuted as a producer with Nocturne on her own label, Venus Tunes, followed by several more albums. In 2015, Alt was asked by a booker if she's also dj'ing and as a joke she said yes. To her dismay she discovered that this answer had consequences, she just got her first booking as a dj! Quickly she had to catch up and prepare a set. One thing lead to another, her soulful deep and funky sound immediately got picked up within the Amsterdam nightlife. Performing live sets as a unique saxophonist-dj lead to an expansion of Alt's career and also her dj-only sets (without sax) are in high demand. Alt's experience in dance music inspired the creation of Venus Tunes Live, an all-female live act with musicians who are also DJs. From 2016 on, Alt focused more on dj'ing and releasing on her label. Since then she has been providing a monthly guest mix on radio Freak31. Besides her own projects, she is a sought-after guest and session musician, collaborating with artists such as Fred Wesley, DJ Spinna, Opolopo, Johan S, Hardsoul,DJ Maestro, Wicked Jazz Sounds and many more.Also check out Venus Tunes Sessions, my monthly guest mix I am doing for Freak31. In addition to Mixcloud and Hearthis, all mixes are also available as podcasts on Deezer and iTunes.Book here
