Daily Archives: April 24, 2020

Paul van Dyks name is synonymous with trance. A pioneer of the genre before it even had a name, the German producer and DJ established its characteristics with his early productions and remixes. Most notable of these is his track, For An Angel, and his remix of Humates Love Simulation at the start of the 90s.

With these productions and the rise of Stateside DJ culture, van Dyk shifted into international superstardom. Forbes named him one of the worlds greatest DJs in 2012. He occupied a top 20 spot in DJ Mags Top 100 DJs for 15 years, hitting No. 1 twice, in 2005 and 2006. When the Grammys introduced the best electronic/dance album category in 2005, van Dyks Reflections was nominated. (He won a Grammy in 2008, for his remix contribution to The Dark Knight soundtrack, which won best score soundtrack album for motion picture, television or other visual media.)

In the past 16 years, van Dyk has released nine artist albums and sold millions of records. His 10th LP, Guiding Light was set for release this spring, but due to the pandemic, van Dyk is instead releasing his fifth remix album, Escape Reality.Many years in the making and out on his own longstanding VANDIT Records,Escape Reality reimagines some of van Dyks most memorable songs into non-dancefloor versions better suited to the at-home listening audiences are presently confined to.

During quarantine, Van Dyk has also been giving fans a weekly livestream -- Sunday Sessions, at 7 p.m. CET, from his home in Berlin. This program is in addition to van Dyks VONYC weekly show on Dash Radio, which recently passed its 700th episode.Upon the release of Escape Reality, van Dyk discusses growing up in East Berlin, the resurgence of trance and shifting gears in these unprecedented times.

1. Where are you right now and what is the setting like?

In Berlin, at home, in my home office/studio, cant go anywhere. Im in a different room than where I do the livestreams -- but its in the same, lets say, facility.

2. What was the first album or piece of music you bought for yourself and what was the medium?

I grew up in East Germany, but my grandma was allowed to travel to the West. She smuggled a record back for me. It was the vinyl album of Orchestra Manoeuvres in the Darks [1980 synth-pop album]Organisation. It was extremely influential. Early electronic, but also melodies and poppy elements, the general imprint of what later came for me in music.

3. What was distinctive about where you grew up and/or where you spent the specific years that shaped you as a musician?

Where I lived in East Berlin was 600 meters away from the Berlin club, UFO. The Berlin Wall was between me and the club, which created a certain hunger to experience this music live. I was listening to the radio all the time and hearing about whats going on in the clubs in West Berlin, and I could never go. That energy and that vibe definitely had an impact on me. Music wasnt just a sound I was excited about. It was also the gateway to a free society for me. Listening to this music behind the Iron Curtain connected me to the world.

4. What did you parents do for a living when you were a kid and what do they think of what you do for a living now?

My mom was an interior designer. I had an apprenticeship in East Germany as a broadcast technician, which stopped when we moved to Hamburg when I was 17 and I started an apprenticeship as a carpenter. My mom raised me very grounded, to have a proper profession, to have a job. When I told her Im not going to do this carpenter thing anymore, Im going to do this music thing, she said she trusted me. The way she raised me, she was sure I wouldnt do this lighthearted.

5. What was the first track you made?

It was a remix for a project called Effective Force called Illuminate the Planet in 1993. The remix was called New World Order Mix, because I was a fan of New Order and because it was two years after The Wall went down and everything was different. My first own track is called My World in 1994. To me, all music fills the room. Trance music goes through the world, all the way to the horizon. Maybe that has to do with where I grew up and how I grew up. When you grow up in a confined space, the world and the universe is what you dream of.

6. What was the first thing you bought for yourself when you started making money from music?

I didnt have any money at all, so when I was booked to play my first paying show, I went to the promoter and asked him if he could pay me some of my fee upfront so I could buy some more records to play a better set.

7. What was your first ever gig?

At Tresor in Berlin. I wasnt paid for that. I was just invited to play in the beginning when nobody was there. That was my first gig in front of a few people. But my first real booking was at a club called Turbine in Berlin.

8. What moved you toward dance music as far as a particular club, party or raving experience?

When I was a kid, I used to listen to the West Berlin radio stations when I did my homework. When I heard The Smiths for the very first time, I thought, Wow, this is awesome, its so different. At the same time, I had this taste for electronic-sounding stuff like OMD and Depeche Mode and Yazoo. I started to listen to specialized radio shows and heard stuff we would call early house music. It was interesting, because there wasnt actually anyone singing and telling you to be sad or to be happy or whatever the lyrics might say. It was the instrumentation and the energy that moved me. That was so exciting to me, especially since I didnt speak any English anyway -- we learned Russian in school in East Berlin -- so I didnt understand what they were saying.

9. Do you remember how it felt when you got a reaction in terms of people actually dancing?

My first emotional memory is fear. I was a typical bedroom DJ. I was at home, never turning the music up really loud, turning the bass down. Then suddenly I was in the club, where I heard the same records very, very differently. I heard all these things that I was never able to hear before at home. It was frightening. The thing was, I believed so much in the music that I was playing that I didnt doubt that people would like it. At that age, when youre just beginning, youre so nave, you think this is the best music ever, everybody must love it. Until you realize a lot of people have different tastes and different approaches to things. No one left the club when I was playing. That made me happy and gave me hope.

10. If you had to recommend one album for someone to get introduced to dance music, what would you give them?

Gargantuan by ['90s progressive house duo] Spooky. They laid a phenomenal groundwork with this album in regards to sound and a different approach to music. Its a very inspirational record. In regards to production, BT Ima is phenomenal. It was because of that album that we got introduced and made music together.

11. What was the last text message you sent and to whom?

The last text message I sent was to my IT guy because one of my software plugins wouldnt work. There are these programs where you can remotely log into the studio system and go on to the computer and see the problem. I wanted to see if he could do that.

12. You were originally scheduled to release a different album, Guiding Light, this spring. What was the idea behind releasing the ambient remix album, Escape Reality, instead?

I was finalizing everything for Guiding Light, and at the same time, the lockdown became more and more intense. Im banging 138 BPM. Im really excited. I would love to go out on the weekend and play in front of people, see their reaction, but its not possible when everyone has to stay home.

Im a huge fan of straightforward club music, but thats not necessarily what Im listening to right now. I thought it would be a good moment in time to finish the Escape Reality project and release it now when people are posted at home and actually listening to and enjoying music. Releasing club music right now is like going fishing in a pond where there are no fish. You throw the bait in, but it cant be consumed when there is nothing there to consume it.

13. What was your intention with the creation of Escape Reality?

I compose a lot of music on keyboard or guitar with proper songwriting. In the clubbing context, sometimes the actual song is undermined by the electronics of the music. I wanted those tracks to feel like individual parts of the composition rather than the energetic vibe. Someone like Luke Howard or Niklas Paschburg, who make very reduced piano-based, electronic-influenced music that is meant to be sat down and listened to -- I find really inspiring, and thats what I tried to achieve.

14. What effect do you hope the album has on people during this specific point in time?

As the title says, maybe a little escape. Maybe sit and look out of the window and listen to the music and get some hope. It will be better. We just have to be patient. We have to get through this together. Maybe the whole album, or just one or two tracks will become something that give that little glimpse of hope in rather miserable times.

15. The general opinion is that this is a productive time for making music, without knowing when, or if, your music will ever be released. Does that feel true for you?

I would make music without it ever coming out. Thats one of the reasons why Escape Reality took so long. I was working on it whenever I felt like it. I finished each individual track without ever having a plan about if its going to be released or when it will be released. Every artist is different, so every approach to art is different.

16. Youve had your tour dates postponed indefinitely. What are some impacts of these changes?

The uncertainty, not just for me, but for everyone, is whats nerve-racking. For example, in Germany yesterday they said there are no big events allowed until the 31st of August. The next sentence was: "then we will see." It doesnt give you anything. The only way to stay sane is to be active and communicative. The term social distancing is incorrect. We have to distance ourselves physically, but, if anything, we should socially stay far closer together these days. We should be there for each other and communicate with each other.

17. You do a weekly livestream, Sunday Sessions. What do you hope your fans will get out of these?

My main aim for the people on there is that they all communicate with each other. They all logged on together, at the same time, a big community that is together, connected through the music. Im just the vehicle they use to communicate through and be together. Playing music is the only thing I can do right now and through that create a communication platform. It feels good to see people from all over the world talking to each other.

18. Youve always been active and articulate about politics. How do you feel you can use your position to create awareness and have influence?

The complexity of the world and especially the political decision-making process needs much more than [the number of characters you're allowed] on Twitter. It doesnt make much sense these days to use social media to make a statement. First, you will be ripped apart. No one takes the time anymore to really think twice about why I may have made a statement and what led me to think in a certain way. It seems that the world is conditioned to no longer read. I learned that it makes more sense to connect behind the scenes with politicians and decision makers to work on changing things and initiate a positive thinking process.

19. As a trance pioneer, what are your thoughts on its recent resurgence?

Trance was never gone. I love this music, and I listen to it every day. I hear all the amazing up-and-coming talent. To me, its still the most creative electronic music form -- because artisticallyyou have to be able to bring an idea across through a composition, not just a soundscape that is created by plucking on a filter. You have to be able to play a melody, to play chords and also to produce. It takes much more from someone to make this kind of music.

It goes back to my nave way of thinking when I started: "I love this music so much, everybody must love it." Its good for the musical genre as a whole that its coming back and gaining more popularity again. A young kid who starts making trance music, its not the latest, super-duper-popular stuff. They know theyre in a niche, and you know theyre in it for the music.

20. What piece of advice would you give to yourself at the beginning of your music career?

Dont take disappointment too close to heart. If youre a passionate musician, if youre a passionate DJ, one way or another, you will run into a situation where somebody rips you off or sidelines you or does other things to you. Dont take it to heart, and believe in your music.

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20 Questions With Paul van Dyk: The Trance Icon on Growing Up in East Berlin & Why Social Distancing 'Is Incor - Billboard

Widely acclaimed Techno starlet Charlotte de Witte presents not one but two brand-new renditions of Jerome Isma-Aes Hold That Sucker Down. The two versions come in the forms of a Rave Remix and Trance Remix set to appease Techno lovers and Trance enthusiasts alike.

Charlotte de Witte: Remixing a classic is something that always feels extremely honorable and rewarding to me. While remixing Jerome Isma-Ae, I decided to aim for two different remixes. One would respect the massive trance lead and vibe of the original, while the other would be faster and more stripped down, bringing forward the techno that I love so much.

Turning Jerome Isma-Aes spin on The O.T. Quartets 1994 original into a nostalgia-infused floor-thriller, the Belgian tastemaker does what she does best; crafting up records for the sole purpose of dance floor domination. Charlotte de Witte has further solidified herself as one of the most exciting techno projects right now and with these remixes, she has expanded her artistry to Armada and their fans, especially with her trance mix.

More:

Charlotte de Witte Showcases Two Sides of Her Production Abilities With 'Hold That Sucker Down' Remixes - CULTR

Tony McGuiness, British DJ and producer, one third of Above & Beyond, has shaken up the trance community with some amazing news last week. He announced that he will be recreating the very first episode of the signature Trance Around The World radio show, that aired for the first time in 2004. Livestreams have recently replaced parties and festivals due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Artists from all around the world are currently transforming their bedrooms and living rooms into trendy club settings and entertaining fans with their amazing performances.

Tony McGuiness took his time and prepared a special two hour set, mixing the original tracklist of the first Trance Around The World radio show on his Twitch account. Apparently the original episode was just a test broadcast and the tracks were unmixed and separately trimmed out in a playable list. Somehow Tony managed to save it on his card, just in case they might do something with it. It was streamed back in January 13th, 2004 onMinistry of Sound Radioand was never recorded or archived, so the re-do that McGuiness did was highly appreciated.The weekly Trance Around The World show aired between 2004 and 2012, attracting approximately 35 million listeners from more than 35 countries.

He started out this memorable set with a nostalgic remake of OceanLabs track Satellite, nicely mixing it into Filo & Peri Bangin Mix of Whirpools Under The Sun. Some other highlights of the set were definitelly Above & Beyond remix of Chakras I Am, Robert Nicksons remix ofEndresKallocain, Super8s Alba, Gabriel & Dresdens mix of Sarah McLahlans Fallen, Envios Touched By The Sun and much more. The full tracklist of the set can be found here.

TATW 001 was definitely a very important milestone for Above & Beyond, now the re-creation set is finally here and people can enjoy this masterpiece anywhere and anytime. Tony also hinted that he might be bringing back theTrance Around The World 002 next week, but for now we will just have to wait and see what happens.

See the rest here:

Above & Beyond's Tony McGuiness re-creates the first episode of 'Trance Around The World' - We Rave You

Rising comboStenyand Swiss producerReplay Mhave joined forces for "Nightshift," an anthemic deep house tune out via Karonga Records.

With its pulsating bass lines and spacey pads, "Nightlife" is a hypnotic house number that harkens to the dark bliss of late-night Ibiza club revelry. Steny and Replay M did a fantastic job of maintaining the energy throughout, introducing subtle production techniques as the arrangement progresses. Crisp leads and driving, trance-inspired plucks take over after the break, building tension before eventually culminating in a synth-laden second drop, which is a refreshing change of pace on the one that precede it.

The two members of the Steny tandem are based in Switzerland and South Africa, respectively, but the artists collaborate frequently, building a unique chemistry over the years. This eventually led to a landmark signing with progressive house and trance heavyweightArmada.Their music has been supported by a slew of the industry's biggest players, includingLost Frequencies, Morgan Page, Lucas & Steve, and EDX, among many others.

International DJ Replay M has made a splash on the scene as well, making performances at The Street Parade, Openair Gampel, Oceanbeat Boat Ibiza, and Braslav Festival, among other notable shows. He has also received support from a number of electronic bigwigs, like Kris Kross Amsterdam, DJ Scene and Jan-Christian Zeller.

Facebook: facebook.com/stenymusicInstagram: instagram.com/stenymusicSoundCloud: soundcloud.com/steny-music

Facebook: facebook.com/djreplaymInstagram: instagram.com/replaymSoundCloud: soundcloud.com/replaym

Read more:

Glide Into the Weekend With Steny and Replay M's Pulsating Deep House Single "Nightshift" - EDM.com

During our last VR Game Roundup, Virtual Battlegrounds impressed with its adaptation of battle royale shooters and the Oculus Quest received a classic in Audioshield. This week features a major BoxVR DLC pack, a children-friendly dancing game, and much more.

BoxVR is one of virtual realitys best fitness games, having won our Best VR Fitness Game of the Year in 2019, and its getting even better with the release of its first pack of downloadable content. The Essentials Pack kicks off our VR Game Roundup this week and includes over an hour of new music with 18 additional tracks that range from dubstep to rock. This mix of classes will give players even more variety than ever before.

You wont get a better workout in virtual reality than BoxVR. The game has been supported with a number of excellent free updates, so its definitely worth checking out the BoxVR DLC. Youll help stay fit with a number of catchy new tracks and workouts.

Developer/Publisher: FitXR

Release Date: April 23, 2020

Compatible With: Valve Index, HTC Vive, and Oculus Rift

Price: $9.99

Link: BoxVR Essentials Pack DLC

Pinkfongs Baby Shark has become a phenomenon for children and now the catchy song has a virtual reality dancing game. Kids will get to swim with the baby shark underwater and help save them from a dangerous octopus that grabs the titular character, Pinkfong, and William.

While its not providing a serious workout by any means, this child-friendly VR gameis a healthy diversion from seated gaming. Kids will stay active by dancing around to music they like and then using their bubble blasters to fend off the octopus. At a budget price, this will deliver some entertainment for young children during the quarantine. If youre not in the target audience then this is completely skippable.

Developer/Publisher: VAR LIVE International Ltd

Release Date: April 20, 2020

Compatible With: HTC Vive and Windows Mixed Reality

Price: $9.99

Link: Baby Shark VR Dancing

Virtual reality is getting yet another rhythm-based punching game with Smashing Healthy VR. Specifically designed for fitness enthusiasts, the developer says to smash the box if you want to be healthy! Lacking a specific hook, this is an underwhelming entry in our VR Game Roundup.

As one can expect, Smashing Healthy VR delivers a solid arm workout as youre constantly punching boxes that fly towards you. However, the Steam Early Access title lacks any online leaderboards or anything that separates it from other offerings such as Soundboxingor Beat Saber. Overall, there are better rhythm fitness games to burn calories to at the moment and youd be better off checking out the BoxVR DLC. Smashing Healthy VR might evolve into something special, but it isnt quit there yet.

Developer/Publisher: Daruma The Factory, Inc.

Release Date: April 18, 2020

Compatible With: Oculus Rift,Valve Index, and HTC Vive

Price: $19.99

Link: Smashing Healthy VR

Finishing off our VR Game Roundup is a meditation app that features a trance-like experience that helps one alter their own state of consciousness. Players use their own voice to explore the world and experience emergent music. Scientists have helped the app provide an elegant symmetry of image, sound and body that takes advantage of loopholes in the way you perceive to facilitate a new experience of yourself and your world.

While Soundselfisnt a game that will help you burn calories, mental health is just as important as physical fitness. For that reason, this unique meditation app will help you recover and relax after a long day.

Developer/Publisher: Andromeda Entertainment

Release Date: April 22, 2020

Compatible With: Oculus Rift

Price: $29.99

Link: SoundSelf: A Technodelic

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This Weeks VR Game Roundup: BoxVR DLC, Baby Shark, and Meditation - VR Fitness Insider

The intervention of the coach in an individual sport such as tennis appears as a sort of diminutio of the player himself. The competitive trance, the ability to bring home a match that goes wrong is all of the tennis player, and would be mortified by the active intervention of the coach during the competitive act, giving the coach an additional role during the game, making him become protagonist almost as much as the player himself, perhaps bringing tennis coaches to an even more evident role, as happens in the reviled world of football.

Talking with his close friend Fabio Fognini, Novak Djokovic believes tennis should start allowing on-court coaching, but with one major condition. Im always in favour of innovation, World number one said.

I think that the tennis industry needs to keep evolving. One thing Id like to work on is lowering the age of the fan-base, since Im told that in the US and in Europe its usually above 60 years old.

As for rules, I like the experimentation done during the NextGen Finals in Milan. I think that on-court coaching should be implemented, but without letting the crowd hear what is being said, because it would certainly reach the ears of the opponents team.

This past Sunday, the 17-time Grand Slam champion spoke openly about his concerns of potentially being mandated into taking a COVID-19 vaccination before returning to the ATP tour. "I have expressed my views because I have the right to and I also feel responsible to highlight certain essential topics that are concerning the tennis world," the 32-year-old explained to the Associated Press.

"I am no expert, but I do want to have an option to choose what's best for my body. I am keeping an open mind, and I'll continue to research this topic because it is important, and it will affect all of us."

Read more:

Novak Djokovic: 'I think that the tennis industry needs to keep evolving' - Tennis World USA

It was under the guise of The Astral Plane Parade that we were first introduced to Hugo Costin. The far-reaching scope of his otherwordly music immediately caught our attention. With his delicate instrumental arrangements and spirited vocal melodies, he transported us into his vast musical universe.

Now, over a year since we first laid ears on his Strutting Through The Stars EP, he has returned under his own name, sharing a new collection of powerfully sparse folk gems. If youre not already familiar with this name, now is the perfect time to change that.

Over the course of its seven tracks, his new album Oranges takes the shape of a sonic apparition. The album never really begins and never really ends; it eases itself into existence, floats through a series of different coloured rooms, and leaves on a whisper. Like a dream, the record will leave you with a shapeless feeling, as opposed to a concrete memory. This, however, is far more powerful than any direct message.

The albums title track, Oranges, opens the record with a tender strength. With his subtly emotive voice and graceful guitar work, Costin is able to craft lush soundscapes out of minimalist arrangements. Oranges is the albums first showcase of this.

Fool In Love somehow manages to strip things back even further, finding power in a ghostly sense of quiet. Madeline, on the other hand, is a standout track, incorporating more straight forward folk-pop elements.

By the time The Sun And The Moon reaches its final moments, youll undoubtedly have been drawn into a trance by Costin.

Listen to the new album above.

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PREMIERE: Hugo Costin shares plaintive and poignant new album - Happy Mag

Out of the rich West Coast music scene centered around artists like Ras G and Jonwayne, creators like Zeroh have been working in the lab perfecting the expression of their meditations. And after six years of looking within and outside, Zeroh is ready to release his next project BLQLYTE.

This is not something to passively listen to while working on something else. The 14 tracks demand your attention as he experiments with the production from noise to classical to jazz with sprinkles of trance and the grey area of what you might hear in your brain during REM sleep. He pitches his voice all over the place, also tweaking with the BPM within a song to throw your brain for a loop. He even engineers his voice differently within the track "The Lord & Nature" bringing it front and center in the first half then couching it behind the beat on the second half.

Zeroh is known to make his music steeped in ulterior motives. He probably doesn't mind that all of his listeners won't fully comprehend the lyrics of finding yourself while still being conscious of real life demands from society. Spend ample time with BLQLYTE and see what kind of self-discovery you end up with it afterwards.

You can pre-order the album on Zeroh's Bandcamp. It'll be available 4/24.

Originally posted here:

Zerohs BLQLYTE is a choose-your-own-adventure journey into the psyche - The FADER