Artist
Mr. Probz
Why we feature this artist One song keeps two very different horizons Mr. Probz’s Waves first reaches the listener as a close, exposed song. Robin Schulz’s later remix gives the same voice a broader rhythmic horizon. The Dutch singer, writer and producer’s sto…
- From
- Netherlands
- Sound
- hip-hop, pop, soul
- Active
- 1999–present
Start with the music
Tracks to explore
The artist, in context
The story of Mr. Probz
Why we feature this artist
One song keeps two very different horizons
Mr. Probz’s Waves first reaches the listener as a close, exposed song. Robin Schulz’s later remix gives the same voice a broader rhythmic horizon. The Dutch singer, writer and producer’s story is especially clear when those recordings remain distinct: the remix carries an existing emotional centre into another setting, rather than creating the artist’s entire musical identity.
The original song belongs to a larger recording life
Waves appeared independently in 2013, the same period as The Treatment. In his official account, Mr. Probz describes losing his home and studio to a fire, with recordings surviving on a laptop. He subsequently made the album available free to listeners. That episode gives the release history a concrete personal context without reducing the songs to the circumstances around them.
The original Waves leaves the grain of the voice particularly exposed. The melody has enough space to feel like an account being worked through, with the instrumental setting supporting its measured pace.
The remix changes where the song can live
Robin Schulz’s remix in 2014 adds a recognisable house pulse and a different instrumental movement. The altered setting lets the song travel through clubs and a much wider pop audience, while the central vocal perspective remains intact. Mr. Probz’s own later reflections distinguish the original writing from that new production chapter. Nothing Really Matters offers another melodic reference beyond Waves, and subsequent recordings continue the singer’s wider catalogue. The two best-known versions nevertheless remain a particularly useful musical pair. The quieter recording makes the voice seem close enough to hear its hesitation; the remix puts that same hesitation inside a rhythm shared with other people. The distance between them reveals how much a change of arrangement can alter a song’s social setting while preserving the words and performance that first gave it character.
Essential releases
The Treatment
The early album supplies a wider recorded context around the independently released Waves and the artist’s account of rebuilding after the studio fire.
Waves
The original recording keeps the voice and melodic line exposed, establishing the emotional centre before the later dance treatment.
Waves — Robin Schulz remix
The remix places the existing vocal within a new house setting, changing the song’s rhythmic reach while retaining its recognisable performance.