Lovers of Leisure
Milou Neelen & Davey Massikki
Photography by Anna Pihan
We meet with creative lovers––DJ Davey Massikki and Milou Neelen co-creator of The Pleasure of Leisure and founder of Hôtel Magique, in Bali, Indonesia. Immersed in magique, music and leisure, they love to explore their island home together with their four rescue dogs Vinny, Mika, Jasmine, and Gonzo.
“We are never not talking, but during leisure time we take our conversations to the next level.”
–– Davey Massikki
Hi Milou & Davey! Can you tell us a little about yourselves?
Davey: DJ and producer Batik Boy. Born and raised in Makassar, Indonesia before moving to The Netherlands in my early teens, and now back living in Bali, Indonesia since 2016. Married to Milou Neelen.
Milou: I am the owner and creative director of Hôtel Magique and the other half of The Pleasure of Leisure together with Anna Pihan. Born and raised in The Netherlands where I met Davey and happily joined him to our tropical island home of Bali.
How you spend your leisure time?
Davey & Milou: Every morning starts leisurely when we take our 4 rescue dogs to the beach. The best way ever to start your morning; sitting in the sand below a palm tree, enjoying endless ocean views while the dogs play in the river. We spend weekends exploring the island. Even after 8 years, we feel like we have still only seen a fraction of the island, and love to jump on our bikes to explore new areas.
Davey: I often play (DJ) on other islands and love to try local dishes when I am visiting. Cooking is a major part of Indonesian culture. DJing and making music is like cooking, with all its layers and flavors. Every island has its own flavors and specialties, which is an important part of how I like to spend my leisure time.
“I love to listen to music from all around the world, travel through sound.”
–– Davey Massikki
In what way is leisure time important for your creativity?
Milou and Davey: We both need leisure time to stay creative. Even though we both love long days in a creative bubble, emptying your mind wondering around, and making trips makes space for next-level ideas.
Milou: Especially leisure time in nature. The beauty of nature feeds my soul and sparks my curiosity. Even though we created the ultimate place for inspiration by designing and building our own home, your curiosity can only come so far by staying in one place. I need curiosity to stay creative, so leisure time in nature is a must.
Since last year I have created more time and space, to think, read, and write. Some of my favorite books recently is The Karma of Success by Liz Tran, which also highlights solitude. I’ve always loved being alone, it helps me think and dream beyond limitations. Since my new love for books, I am now trying to spend mornings on the beach by myself, reading. I have noticed my mind has opened up to so many new ideas since then, and I feel these leisurely moments spent by the ocean, alone, have been a big part of this new idea-making and creative thinking.
Has there been a project that was inspired by your leisure time?
Milou: For me, everything is inspired by travel and leisure time, including Hôtel Magique. Before I came up with the name, I loved visiting hotels - even the ones I couldn’t afford. I would have a coffee in the foyer to get a glimpse of the hotel, the beautifully curated interiors, and experience the vibe. This became my starting point for whenever and whatever I want to design. I create a mood board for an imaginary hotel, where it is located, what the bellboy is wearing, and depending on what I have to design, I envision this product and how it perfectly matches this hotel. So when I wanted to paint a piece for my living room back when we still lived in Amsterdam I did exactly that. I started combining the word Hotel with other words, and Hôtel Magique hit the right tone. I painted these words for a living room piece, the starting point to build a brand that is now Hôtel Magique.
Davey: I love to listen to music from all around the world, travel through sound and learn about their tunes and instruments.
“I’ve always loved being alone, it helps me think and dream beyond limitations.”
–– Milou Neelen
Sunrise, midday or sunset?
Davey & Milou: We both agree on sunset ;) The range of colors, that orange / pink / red sun that looks like it drops into the ocean so so fast. Every sunset we try to drop whatever we’re doing and take the time to watch the sunset from our balcony.
What’s your favorite leisurely destination and why?
Davey: Two years ago, I fell in love with Mallorca and Barcelona. The people, lifestyle, beach culture; it feels like people fully enjoy life there. Everyone’s outside, reading a book on a bench, having a drink at 11:00 in the morning with friends ;p Very laidback combined with city vibes which I love.
Milou: I can not choose between Indonesia and New York. Two different worlds where I feel endlessly inspired even by just wandering around. For Indonesia, I can never get enough of the lush green surroundings, just in awe of the beauty of this tropical slice of paradise. For New York, my love is just as big, which is one of the reasons why the Hôtel Magique logo heart is my translation of the Big Apple.
If you could spend a day with any artist or creative person, who would it be and why?
Davey: Pharrell Williams. One of my biggest inspirations because he is so creative amongst so many different levels: music, art, fashion etc, he always brings something new and unexpected.
Milou: Oprah Winfrey. She inspires me to dream big which I think is a big and important part of being creative. And Simon Sinek to pick his brain on purposeful growing brand worlds.
Have you ever travelled to a place that completely exceeded your expectations?
Davey: The Philippines. I had no idea how insanely beautiful it is. I also was surprised by their healthy lifestyle; less people smoking, more people working out, pleasantly surprised to see that.
Milou: I try to go anywhere without any expectations and be open to any surprises, but if I would have to choose; Portland and the surrounding areas. So green, wide, and a fun mix of US with European vibes. And it has a special place in my heart since it opened up the idea for Hôtel Magique there.
Most treasured souvenir?
Davey: Our Keith Hairing diptique offset art prints hanging in our living room, which he originally designed to be a Playboy cover.
Milou: Books. Every book reminds me of my travels, the shop where I bought it, the walk to the shop, etc. Another favourite is an illustration of the Statue of Liberty. Years ago I already had this illustration in my hands on the Monday morning vintage marketing in Amsterdam. I did not buy it and always regretted that. Last year, when visiting the market again I recognised the stall owner and found this same illustration! Happiest girl on the market.
Dream hotel you’ve stayed at?
Davey: Not a hotel, but a little beach shack in a tiny private island in the Philippines. You could only get there with a small fishing boat, and we would spend days snorkeling, reading and sleeping.
Milou: I am probably too focused on the little details at hotels because we are working on opening a real Hôtel Magique boutique hotel, so I don’t have one specific dream hotel, but snippets and details of many.
If you could have any superpower while travelling, what would it be?
Milou: Walk through walls and visit hotels. And multiply myself, so I can have a team visiting all the hotels in the area on the same day ;).
“My big love for New York inspired the Big Apple logo-heart of Hôtel Magique.”
–– Milou Neelen
Have you had any travel experiences that have led to a significant creative breakthrough?
Davey: A couple of years ago when I was still DJ-ing under the name Dave Croqett (inspired by Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice) Milou and I were sitting on Thomas Beach in Bali, and we were dreaming out loud about one of the many ideas for brands we had, and how it had to have a link to my heritage and Indonesia, like batik. Milou called me Batik Boy which had a nice tune and merged well with my identity. Also, batik patterns have many layers and there are many types of batik, the same as music has many layers and styles. So I changed my DJ name to Batik Boy. I am now working on growing Batik Boy into a lifestyle brand and platform for cultural exchange through music.
What does leisure time mean for you as a couple?
Milou: I love exploring so much, that I can wear myself out during trips (Anna Pihan can confirm ;). When I travel alone I wake up super early and explore by foot or bike all day long into the evening or night. Davey takes more time, might skip a location but enjoys another a little longer. He makes time to eat, drink, and nap, all things I can rush or skip. So when I travel alone I might come home exhausted, whereas if we travel together I feel just as happy plus rested. Plus I love just watching him enjoy our trip as well, how he experiences it, experience through his eyes.
Davey: I think our leisure time together grows the quality of our relationship, I enjoy my time more sharing it together. Also, we are never not talking, but during leisure time we take our conversations to the next level. We have come up with the best ideas, solutions, or thoughts that help us grow individually or as a couple during those long conversations.
If you could teleport to any place in the world right now and stay for 1 day, where would you go and what would you do?
Davey: Costa Rica. We had planned to go there in 2020, which of course couldn’t happen, but I still can’t wait to visit. Curious to experience life in a Blue Zone area.
Milou: Same, also because on my bucket list is visiting Territorio de Zaguitas - Land of the Strays: a mountain area that shelters hundreds of stray dogs, in Costa Rica. When they allow visitors, you can hike through their mountains and lakes, surrounded by all these strays - my type of heaven.
What is magique for you?
Davey: I think we are very lucky to start every morning surrounded by magique by walking on the beach, enjoy nature and watching our dogs, simple but magique.
Milou: Magique is literally all around, something you are more aware of when you are feeling great, and something you can forget when feeling less great. I hope with Hôtel Magique we can offer small reminders of magique being all around, including within yourself. We are also developing the concept of “Magique Makers” because true creativity comes from a magique place within, something that cannot be recreated. We are working on creating an Artist Platform at Hôtel Magique to celebrate this unique creativity and “Magique Makers”.
What does photography mean for you?
Milou: It only became clear to me how big of a source of inspiration photography is to me when Anna Pihan her photography for the first time gave me the idea to create a book together. Her eye for detail, exploration, colors, it gives me endless ideas for artwork because her images take me on a journey to places I haven’t visited before. I love how our combined worlds come to life through The Pleasure of Leisure.
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