Etikettarkiv: Trance

Pictures: MondayBar XL pres. Ferry Corsten

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For atleast two decades, MondayBar has had an annual Easter-party on Maundy Thursday. This year was no exception!
With a MASSIVE lineup consisting of 21 dj’s it was party in every corner of the club Colosseum in Stockholm.

Lineup:
Floor 1
FERRY CORSTEN – 3 hr set- (nl)
AMAR S [Kollektivet]
➤ KAMBIZ [Kollektivet]

Floor 2 (psy, prog)
VIBE TRIBE – LIVE RETRO SET (il)
MICHELE ADAMSON vs PERPLEX (uk/fr)
PROGMA
MAD ACTORS NICK PSARROS

Floor 3 (techno, dark/hard techno, tech house)
DRAKENBERG
GESTALT [Techtribe]
PTRC [Kollektivet]
➤ ANDREAS FRANZÉN [Kameleont]

Floor 4 (hardstyle, hardcore, hard trance)
EZITSUJ
FREDDZ
EYE-SON
TAVA

Floor 5 (deep/tech house)
ANNIE V vs PSON [More Metro Music]
MNFST [Tach&Nacht]
FABIAN TANZ [SeaWeed]
➤ JONATHAN BERGLUND [DRMBK]

This is Patric’s pictures from the party.

MondayBar XL pres. Ferry Corsten + 20 djs on 5 floors, Colosseum, Stockholm, Sweden, 2015.04.02
Pictures: 85

Pictures: MondayBar WinterCruise 2014

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The 44rd edition of the o-so-popular Cruise-parties took place in Winter 2014.
Bejbi.se was shooting the official pictures for the party, this is Olof’s pictures.

LINEUP

Jeff Cooper, Christina Novelli, Gareth Emery, SKAZI, Noisecontrollers, Josba, Will Atkinson, Kutski – Keeping The Rave Alive, Mosquito, Phil York b2b Fausto, Atmosfearz, E-Force, Tha Playah, Tim.Win, Dondale, Drakenberg, Mikael Jonasson, J.P. Bates, Ticon, Ibojima, Alter Nature & Kenuna, Johan Shadow, O-Zone & Magnus Gustavsson

MondayBar WinterCruise 2014, M/S Silja Galaxy, Stockholm-Turkuu, Sweden-Finland, 2014.12.12
Pictures: 189

Art Of Sound / Tillsammans presents Sanctuary with Ummet Özcan

Sanctuary

Our friends at Art Of Sound / Tillsammans is having a major trance-booking this coming weekend, an event that you dont want to miss out on!

They have booked the internationally famous Ummet Özcan together with local talents for a gig that won’t be forgotten for a long time!

Warmup-dj’s will be Jonas Hörnblad, JP Bates and Steve Sundheden, all of them pretty known in the Swedish trance-community.

Art Of Sound / Tillsammans usually book artists who play in the Techno, Deep & Tech-House, Progressive & Psytrance-genres and will have their second dancefloor dedicated to the latter with artists like Gaudium, Tegma, Bakke & Mama Gaia

The third floor will be dedicated to two of the local partyproviders BZO and Tribalism where Jakob Westling and Kenneth Kenuna will play some true progressive classics from 1992 until today.Expect major goosebumps if you’re into old heroes in the genre like James Holden and Sasha.

Except for the major DJ’s. there will be stunning decors, wicked visuals and amazing 3d-mappings + phat lasers. So even if you don’t like the music, come for the visuals!!

The timetable isn’t 100% set at the moment but to give you a glimpse into who plays when, check this out:

Floor 1 (in order of play)

JP Bates
Jonas Hörnblad
Ummet Özcan
Sundheden

Floor 2 (in order of play)

Bakke
Tegma
Mama Gaia
Gaudium

Floor 3
B2B Jakob Westling / Kenneth Kenuna (+ friends)

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The event is next friday (the 26th) and the venue is open from 22.00 – 05.00
Adress: Palmfeltsvägen 1B.
Nearest subway: Globen. About 100 meter to walk.
Entrance-fee: 180 sek. You can buy a 2-day ticket for another party on saturday (the 27th) at the same location and pay 300 sek for both. The party on saturday is more techno-influented with acts like Function, Oliver Bondzio (one half of legendary duo Hardfloor), Jesper Dahlbäck and Nima Khak.
Age limit: 20 year and older

Feel free to join Art Of Sound and Tillsammans / Suburbias facebook pages for more info on the next coming parties.

Tillsammans has had some quite big names in their bookings over the years. Click this link for a complete list.

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Ummet Özcan

Short bio on Ummet Özcan.

DJ & producer from Putten, Gelderland, the Netherlands with turkish parents.
Aside from making music, Ummet is also a sound designer and have been working with some of the major sound bank designers like Rob Papen (Albino, Predator) and Acces Music (Virus).

His musical career started back in 2006 with the release of the single Chica God but his major breakthrough as a producer came in 2009 with the release of Time Wave Zero. Since then, he’s released some 30 releases and collaborated with acts like W&W, Sied Van Riel, MEM, El Toro just to name a few.

Meantime, while producing tracks and sounds, Ummet has frequeted many of the hottest clubs around the world. So far this year Ummet have toured Canada, USA, Egypt, The Netherlands, Malaysia and the UK just to name a few and his touring will continue most of this year.

As a DJ, Ummet usually plays really energetic trance and has a strong stageprecence and drives the crowd wild with his choice of tracks. His gigs at Luminosity Beach Festival over the years has been legendary and the most remeberable gigs of the whole festival.

Hope to see you at the party!

Top 10 classic-list of 2012

I hope everyone had a really good new years eve! What better way to spend your new years day than writing about your top ten classics of 2012. I don’t mean the tracks from 2012, but my most current top 10 classic tracks of all time.

Last time I actually did a top 10 of classics were in 2008 and then the list looked like this:

1. Chicane – Offshore (Disco Citizens Remix)
2. Energy 52 – Cafe Del Mar (Three ’N One Remix)
3. Gat Decor – Passion (Original Mix)
4. Veracocha – Carte Blanche
5. Subliminal Cuts – Le Voie Le Soleil (1996 Way Out West Club Mix)
6. Y Trax – Mystery Land (Original Mix)
7. BT – Flaming June (BT & PVD Mix)
8. Dumonde – Tomorrow (Moogwai Remix)
9. Solid Sessions – Janeiro (Armin Van Buuren Remix)
10. Solarstone – Seven Cities (Atlantis Mix)

So what has happen since then? Which track has climbed? Which new track has entered the list? Which track has left the list?

Well, let’s start from the top:

1. Chicane – Offshore (Disco Citizens Remix)

Still my number one of all time, so timeless. So simple but yet so advanced. I’m really intrigued with the smash hit that Nick Bracegirdle managed to make. Big in the charts aswell as to the clubgoers and still driving clubbers to madness when dropped by their favourite DJ.

2. Energy 52 – Cafe Del Mar (Three ’N One Remix)

Still no 2 on my list. The great buildup before the amazing breakdown is still giving me major goosebumps. Many have tried to make a better remix but none has made it (so far)..

3. Veracocha – Carte Blanche (Original Mix)

Climbed one position since last list and such an amazing track. Ferry Corsten and Vincet De Moor’s classic track will always be in my top 5. The explosion after the piano-breakdown is simply a masterpiece!

4. Cosmic Gate – Body Of Conflict (Club Mix)

The first newcomer on the list. The original track is really good but the Club Mix is something completely different. All the small effects, the sweet bass and I just love what they did with the vocals.

5. Ferry Corsten vs The Thrillseekers – Sublime (The Thrillseekers Remix)

New on the list and actually a track that I completely forgot about. The warm sounds from The Thrillseekers makes this track simply amazing. I just love the disted lead-synth. So epic!

6. Solid Sessions featuring Pronti & Kalmani – Janeiro (Armin Van Buuren Remix)

Climbing 3 positions and getting a well deserved place just outside the top 5. Remember the firt time I heard that track on Armin’s radioshow, A State Of Trance. Blew my mind! The vocals together with Armin’s buildup will always keep a legendary-status in my book.

7. BT – Flaming June (BT & PVD Remix)

Flaming June keeps it’s position from the old list. Just love the piano in the track and the amazing work that BT and Paul Van Dyk put into the track. So old and yet so fresh.

8. Solarstone & Jes – Like A Waterfall (Deeper Sunrise Mix)

A newcomer to the list and so magical. Just love the buildup with all the effects aswell as Jes’s amazing voice. Did I mention that I love the piano? The Deeper Sunrise-remix isn’t available on youtube so I had to go for the club mix instead.

9. Gouryella – Walhalla (Original Mix)

Ferry has always been my biggest idol when it comes to trancemusic and together with Tiesto he accomplished some really nice gems. Although only releasing 3 tracks togehter, all of them are still legendary. What I really love with this track is the amazing buildup after the breakdown with the piano.

10. Oceanlab – Satellite

Another new entry. Above & Beyond’s music has always fascinated me, especially the Oceanlab-moniker together with Justine Suissa. Her amazing voice together with Above & Beyond’s music is simply a match made in heaven.

So what do you think? What does your top 10 classic list look like?

Interview: Lily V Nine


Lily V Nine, photo: Patric Franksson / bejbi.se

We continue our interviews here on bejbi.se, this time with the talented Lily V Nine!
Tatsumi and I, Patric, got into Tatsumis car and drove through a colorful landscape, all the way from Stockholm to Hedemora.
When we got there we sat down with Lily in her studio and had a great interview.

Before we start can you tell us a little more about yourself, on a non musical front?
Where did you grow up? where do you currently reside?

I grew up South of Stockholm with my family, and about eight years ago we moved up to Dalarna where I currently live.
Besides my music I’m studying graphic design at college, and I work extra in a store.
I see myself as an ordinary girl, but I guess if I didn’t have my music, I would seem really boring.

It’s really difficult to make it as a successful woman producing especially when EDM is still reaching other parts of the world. When did the fascination with knobs and production begin?
It was early, I started to play the piano when I was nine years old, but I thought it was boring to play alone.
But then I heard my first EDM song when I was around 14 years old. It was Infected Mushroom, and I couldn’t help wondering how they did that wonderful music, so I started to research and I began producing music with Propellerheads Reason around 2005, not at a professional level but I learned a lot. But I switched to Cubase last year after a friend recommended it because I wanted to produce more trancier tunes, rather than the hardstyle and psytrance I did before, and Cubase has a lot more to offer with all synths and addons that is available than Reason.

Did your parents get bothered with your music making?
Yes they actually did! Since I grew up in a musical family, with my father being a rock musician. He thinks I should play the piano as it should be played, with Beethoven and such. He thinks that ”techno” just sounds like a lot of noise, but he doesn’t have any problems with me making the music on the computer. I, on the other hand, think it’s more fun to combine the piano sound with the trance-beats, it’s more my style rather than the classical tunes I’ve learned to play when I was younger.
My mother is very proud of me, she thinks I’m really strong to take on this all by myself.

Can you take us through your current studio set up? What does it consist of and what pieces of equipment/software would you say are most essential?
I use Yamaha HS5, it’s the worlds most honest speakers. In these everything sounds like crap if you can’t master the tracks right. I also have a M-Audio Fasttrack Pro, it’s a very cheap studio sound card but it works like a charm. The computer is a heavy loaded PC, and there is this (she says and points at a CME M-key midi-keyboard), which I won’t even mention because it broke down on me last week.
I really can’t live without my sound card and the speakers. It’s the most important part of a studio, you can’t make music without a pair of decent speakers!


We can see you have a old beautiful and huge Grand Piano in your studio too, tell us a little more about this piece.
Yes, this is a 200 year old Grand Piano made in Germany by Friedrich Wieck and I got it from my father when we moved to Dalarna.
I was a teenager and I really hated to move from everything I had back in Stockholm, so he bought me this so I could concentrate more on the music and less on the life I left in Stockholm. It has a really beautiful sound, but it can be difficult to play on because the keys are really hard to press down. I love it, cause the sound is so unique!
Everything I write I write on this piano, but It’s hard to get the sound of it to match the trance-style so I can’t use it in a faster track.

As a female Producer in the male dominated EDM scene, how do you draw the line with your productions? We’ve found your productions emotionally gratifying as well as banging too!
I want to be as characteristic as possible, and since I’m a classically trained pianist I want to show it in my productions with a lot of uplifting sounds. I don’t want to be mainstream as everyone else seems to want to be. I want to give the listener a emotional feeling of the track, just like the one I had when I produced it.

Diving into the creative process for a moment, can you tell us how long does it take to produce a track for you and where you get the inspiration from?
I get most of my inspiration from my life, people I’ve met and from places I’ve been to. Most of my titles comes from my everyday life. Like my upcoming track ”My love story” is about my boyfriend.
It takes about a week to make the production, if I’m in the studio for a whole week that is. But the mixing and mastering of the track could take longer. I’m not that good at that part yet, haha.
But music should take time, it’s about feelings, not technique.

If you get an idea for a track when you are running about in the city, how do you bring it to life?
It’s hard to write a melody down, so I record it on my phone, singing the melody. Then I go to the studio and listen through the recording and try to recreate it on the piano. Sometimes the idea isn’t a melody, like a feeling, so I’ll write it down like: It’s dark, lost in the woods.. just words that helps to create the feeling I got for the idea.

If you were given the opportunity to work with any producer as well as to collaborate with any vocalist who would it be and why?
I think Raphael Frost is a really good producer, he mixes his music with a emotional melody, but I also like darker music to, like Indecent Noise and John Askew.
There are some persons I would like to work with, but it’s a little hard since they’ve all been dead for the last 200 years. Names like Chopin and Schubert would be a dream to work with but it’s of course impossible. Therefore I rely on the talents of the modern times instead. I also listen to a lot of women to, just to see how they work, like Claudia Cazacu.

I want to work with vocalists, like Jonathan Mendelson. I love his work and I think his dark voice would fit my bright melodies perfect.

How do you define a beautiful voice and melody?
– Do you record your own vocals for your tracks, or have you made a vocal track?

I have humblings in productions that I’ve recorded myself. Although I have done one vocal track, I think my own voice is to dark to fit my own music and I really had to tweak the vocals with reverbs and such.

How do you feel about chopped vocals? Is it a cool effect or a butchering of the vocal talent of the singer?
I love it! I think it gives a better effect than a synth sometimes. I want to use it in some of my own tracks but I haven’t found any good vocals to use yet. I think it works as a teaser for the real vocals that comes after in the chorus. Really cool!

Since Hedemora is a small town in the countryside of Sweden, do you have the possibility to collaborate with other producers and do you have a mentor, or are you the mentor for someone?
I don’t have any mentor. If I want help I ask my old teacher, but he can only help me with the technical part on the computer, not the musical part on how I can sound better or do a thing differently. If I want to make a collab with someone, everyone lives in Stockholm so I have to plan weeks before to match their schedule.
I actually did a collab with Novaline, but that one is put on ice since we both got a little short on time.

Many artists find themselves stuck to one genre throughout their careers, simply because their fan base refuse to accept anything else. This can sometimes push our artists in to a corner that prevents future growth. How important do you feel it is for an artist to stand their ground, evolve and play around with as many genres as they can?
If the audience expects Armin van Buuren, for example, to produce one style, and he does something that doesn’t fit the expectations from the crowd.. he should change his name.
If you are a product, as most of the producers of today is, you should live up to it. And if you want to make another style, you should come up with another product name.

So when Ferry Corsten remixed Justin Bieber did he sold his soul to the devil or is he just trying out some new grounds?
I think Ferry Corsten is a great musician. I think he heard this song and made an remix of it cause he liked it wanted to do something with it.

Anything you would like to tell us on your upcoming projects? You actually have “My love story” open in Cubase on your computer in front of us. Can you tell us more about it?
It’s a really big production, it’s about the story of when I met my boyfriend.
I sat by the grand piano, just playing around, a normal day in the studio and the melody just came, my fingers did all the job and I didn’t have to think much at all.
So I thought it was love, and it is a really uplifting track, but with a lot of different parts in it.
It’s more like a story than a regular “trance” buildup, and I did it like this to tell the specific story of this track.
Regular trance is very much thinking inside the box, but this is a bit different, even if everything is in it.
It’s a nice track to listen to in your mp3-player, but it’s a little to slow and emotional for some dancefloors.
When I’ve showed this for people, they are both “too much emotions”, “it’s awesome!” and “I’ve got goosebumps from the piano melody”. It makes me want to continue and to eventually get it to be played on a club.
I work with both “happy parts” and “sad parts” in this track, since I love classical music from Mozart, Chopin and Schubert, and they work a lot with this technique. It took one minute to complete the piano melody and I think it’s really cool that my fingers did all the work, like if they were under a spell.

Here’s rather a strange question – do you aspire to spin behind the decks some day?
Yes, I really want to be a DJ someday, but I have a little stage fright. But I have no gear and I have to practice a lot before I go out and do it in front of a crowd.

If you could listen to just one record for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
Wow, that is a really hard question. It won’t be a trance track, but I think it would be Chopin’s Nocturne Opus 9 No.2. A classical piece.

Listen to music in the club or relaxed home listening, which do you prefer?
If I listen to music at home, I hear the details in the music and I can understand the story the artist is trying to tell, but I love to listen to music in the club to, to feel the beat and to just go crazy.

Do you attend to party’s to? Which do you prefer, the Swedish party’s or the party’s in other countries?
I prefer the Swedish party’s any day! The party’s outside Sweden is bigger, louder and cooler, but the Swedish party’s are more about meeting the friends and to listen to really good music.

If Electronic Dance Music didn’t exist, and you were given the key to create it and the scene around, would you make it as it was in the beginning with the PLUR (Peace Love Unity and Respect) everywhere, or as it is today where PLUR more or less doesn’t exist and a whole lot of different variations of styles, or would you do something completely different with it?
I think the beginning of the culture was really good but I think I would’ve made the scene a little bit more public, and not have kept it away from other people. The music would still be the same, the beat would still be the important part of the tracks.
If I could rewind everything I would do so much techno, I love every kind of EDM, but techno, I really love it!
But if I created everything I could never have guessed that it would be this big. I think it’s because other peoples preconception with EDM and the history of it that have made it so closed for the outside world, and I would have made it more open, so people would see that it’s more about the music and scene rather than the drugs and shit.

As you’ve grown and matured as a person, do you think this has reflected in your music? Why your style has changed for example?
When you start making music everything is fun, and you just play around. But when you grow older and listen to those tracks you think “Oh My God, this sounds like crap!”, and you think that no one would buy this.
When I make a production today, I feel that I have to be more critical to myself. I really want people to like my work. It hurts to hear other people to criticize your work but you can take the criticism and work with it.

If you were converted into a song, which one would it be and why?
Haha! Does it have to be a song, can I be a sound?
In that case I would be a base drum. Everyone would love me!

Do you prefer to use hardware or software?
Software, since I don’t have much hardware, but I would love to have a Virus-synth!

What is the best comment you’ve heard when you’ve uploaded a new tune on the social networks?
“You’re better than Swedish House Mafia!” hahaha.. It was strange to hear that.
But when someone told me that my music gave him goosebumps it was really satisfying for me.

Have you been given support for your tracks from a big DJ/producer?
No I don’t think so, only from friends here in Sweden who has their own podcast and smaller radio shows.

If we look way into the future, when you are old and talking to your grandchildren, what would you say was the biggest goal or achievement with your musical career?
That I wanted to show the world my music, and my feelings around it. And I hope I will get there.. I will! Someday!

Do you create other styles of music too, under another name than Lily V Nine?
Yes! I am the pianist in a recently created pop group, but I use my own given name in that group.

Have you ever done something music wise that you feel ashamed of?
I have done a lot of bad tracks, but I don’t feel that I have to be ashamed of anything. I’m only a beginner so far.

Which is the song that changed your life?
Infected mushrooms “Frog machine”. It was the track I heard that got me interested in everything about making my own music.

When you are not doing music what can u be found doing?
Painting and drawing a lot on the computer, I edit and manipulate a lot of pictures that my brother and sister takes.

Name 3 things you absolutely can’t live without?
1. My computer and internet
2. Music
3. All of my family and friends and my boyfriend.

One thing you would like to change or develop about yourself?
I want to have more power to believe in my own music creations.

Most embarrassing moment?
I walked straight up to Sean Tyas and asked him to marry me. I was drunk.

What was his answer?
He just laughed. I think he is used to it, he has probably met a lot of crazy woman.
Hopefully he doesn’t remember me if I ever run into him again!

Best hangover cure?
An iced lolly called “Twister”, with fruit taste. I eat three of those and then I’m cured

What´s the first record you bought?
I think it was a Swedish group called Caramell, “Om du var min” on single. I was so young, I went to the store and listened to music every day and that was the first one I bought.
My father was a DJ back then, so he had a lot of music at home that I took and listened to it in my room.
I think the best Greatest Hits Cd I bought was “Replay Dance Mania 3

Thank you so much for this interview!
You are very welcome, it was fun!

You can hear a short preview of this interview and the full version of her track ”My love story” in Podgressive ep. 35.

– Patric

Interview: Johan Vilborg


Johan Vilborg [Photo: Patric Franksson @ bejbi.se]

We continue our interviews of talented Swedish producers and dj’s, this time we sat down at a cafe in central Stockholm with Johan Vilborg to talk about his music producing and thoughts about life.

Before we start can you tell us a little more about yourself, on a non musical front. How is a typical Johan Vilborg day?
A typical day of mine starts with me waking up early, getting ready and then off to work. I work with computers here in Stockholm. After a long day at work, I get home and and start to produce music, or sometimes I just hang out with friends. But it’s all about music when I get home. I spend like 4-5 hours on music every day in some way. Either producing, listening or just scouting.

You latest single ”Altara” has become a huge favorite on Beatport. What does ”Altara” mean?
I think there was a thread on the Anjunabeats-forum where there were many that claimed me to have stolen the name from a Adam Nicky-track also called “Altara”, but when I’m producing music words often spring to my mind, whereas they are often the most obvious names for the tracks. The word Altara comes from a fantasy book by Robert Jordan called “Wheel of Time”. It’s the name of a country in the book.

If you get an idea for a track when you are running about in the city, how do you bring it to life?
I try my best to remember it. I don’t record anything when I get them in my head. All my music really do happen in the studio. I work a lot with chords and my synths. Unfortunately I also have a lot of ideas that didn’t get there… But I guess that’s life.

What would be the perfect recipe to make a hit trance tune ‘today’?
It must be catchy and easy to remember. Something that really gets stuck in your head.
I think it have to sound “new”, not like something from 10 years ago. Something melodic, some vocals…
At the moment I’m actually doing some deeper stuff, where it’s more about getting a lot of passion into the tracks, and to really make it from the heart.

Do you think that your dreams are in any way connected to your music?
Yes, my dreams are often connected to music. I’ve had dreams when I’m at a studio together with some known producers and making music. I think, when you meet someone you tend to get a much more realistic image of that person, and thus they can appear more realistic in the dreams to.

Please tell us something about your forthcoming releases!
I have two releases at Silk Royal Records. One original track that I’ve already played out at dj gigs. Also there is a remix of a track by the owner of Silk, Jacob Henry, that I recently finished. It’s quite different from the original, the name isn’t released yet though, but it’s pretty exciting to have it released.

Who or what do you get your inspiration from?
I get it from my life and how I feel. I’m mostly happy and satisfied with my life, except I don’t work with music full time. But I get a lot of sound influences by Mat Zo and Arty, but mostly life is my inspiration. If I have a really bad day I sit down in my studio and make something. It does not sound good every time, but it’s great to get the emotions out of my system.

Do you have a mentor, or are you the mentor?
I’ve been producing for eight or nine years now, but I’ve never had the same mentor all the time. I’ve always had people around me that’s given me tips, but it’s been various people all the time. When I started out I got a lot of help from a guy in the US called Michel. He helped me out to get things started, but up until now I’ve worked alone except from a few tips from different people around me.

Which is the dream artist or singer you want to work with?
Hard one! Dream artist, would definitely Mat Zo, he is my absolute favorite right now. Can’t wait until his new album comes out!
Dream singer is a bit harder. Usually when I listen to music I don’t pay attention to the vocals that much. I’ll have to think about that one.

Can you take us through what your current studio set up? What does it consist of and what pieces of equipment/software would you say are most essential?
I recently rebuilt my studio at home. It consists of a digital Tascam DM3200 mixer, which is the heart of my system. I use a computer with Fruity Loops-studio. Then I run all the sounds trough the mixer. I want to apply all the compressors and equalizers with my own hands. I also have a Roland JP-8080. It’s one of the first synths that did a supersaw, but I have never used it in my productions so its more of a toy. It sounds too metallic to have in my tracks.

Which is the most essential VST-synth you use?
My favorite is the Z3ta+, then I use the Sylenth1 and the FM8. I also like a lot of FL-studio’s built in synths, but those three are my favorites.
I always create my own sound. I hate the feeling that I didn’t do the track by myself from the beginning. However, if I do use a preset, I try to mix it so the sound is a bit more like my own.

As a producer you’ve produced both vocal and non-vocal tracks. Which do you prefer producing and what are the challenges of producing a vocal track as well as the challenges of producing non-vocal track?
The two vocal tracks I’ve done so far. The first one I did with Aneym, and it’s called Mistaken. I made the track first and then Aneym did the vocals after. For my current track Altara I got a sample pack from my friend Adam Szabo, which I cut and rearranged to get the special vocals in that track.
I’ve never worked with a singer from the beginning of a track’s progress, although I’m actually working on one with a friend of mine right now, where we take an idea and we work out the rest during the creation of the track.
Often a vocal track has a gap between the track and the vocal. I want to have the vocals in early to create a tighter track.

As you’ve grown and matured as a person during your nine years of producing, do you think this has reflected in your music?
When I started, I was a completely different person. I had a hard time in school and started to make music. I’ve always had a huge interest for music. My personality is always about music. I think of it all the time, I listen to it all the time. It’s like an addiction.
I want to work with music full time. I don’t know if would be trance or some other genre, but I want to create music. I’m going to study music at a sound engineering school called SAE pretty soon.

You are a DJ too, how come you started DJing?
Actually it was the first thing I did. My dad was a DJ when he was young, and when I turned nine years old, I got his turntables and mixer. And so it started back then.

So you’ve been a DJ since you were nine!?
Yeah, but I didn’t really know what trance or even dance music was back then. I just scratched with the vinyls. And still today I love vinyls.
In my youth I always had turntables at home. I played at school parties and I think it was when I was in my middle teens I started producing music.

Tell us three classics that you always keep in a CD case while at a gig.
I mostly play new stuff that I like at the moment, but classics.. I like the Oceanlab’s old Satellite and the mash up that Mat Zo made of that track. Mat Zo mashed his track Synapse Dynamics with Satellite and therefore he brought the vocals from Satellite into a whole new track. I play it quite often.
I also like a lot by The Thrillseekers, Oceanlab and an favorite track is the Ehren Stowers mix of Misconceptions.
Otherwise there is a lot of old tracks on Anjunabeats , but the sound I play nowadays don’t fit into a set with older tracks since I don’t want to bring down the tempo too much.

And three must-have current ones!
I’ve been speaking a lot with the Swedish producer Johan Malmgren lately and I really love his sound, and his remix of Thrillseekers “The Last Time” is so good.
And the Mat Zo remix of Tritonal’s “Lifted” is a given newer favorite, and also the Arty mix of Trapeze by Ferry Tale.

What is the best comment you’ve heard after a gig?
Awesome set is the most common I think. I like that word; Awesome!

Do you produce other styles to, under another name than Johan Vilborg?
At first I called myself Feeltz, but when I noticed that DJs where supporting my work and they said in their radio shows “This was a track from Feeltz..” I didn’t feel like it was me. So I decided to use my real name, Johan Vilborg. I want to be remembered by my real name.
I also produce chill out tracks and I’m going to release three of them on Silk Textures later this year. I love the mood in chill out tracks.

Many artists find themselves stuck to one genre throughout their careers, simply because their fan base refuse to accept anything else. This can sometimes push our artists in to a corner that prevents future growth. How important do you feel it is for an artist to stand their ground, evolve and play around with as many genres as they can?
I think it’s very important as an artist to create whatever you feel like. You make music because you want to, and when you are in a corner it just stops. If you get stuck in a corner with something cause you must do it, I don’t think it comes from your heart. I’m quite bad at making remixes since I feel that if I’m stuck in that corner and I can’t get out from it because I cant change what I want in the track. It’s probably because I can’t make it from my heart.
And that is an important thing, because if you don’t create your music from your heart it shines through, and I think you can hear that in some artists’ music.

What do your parents think of what you do?
Both my parents are happy and support me, but my mother doesn’t really understand it as much as my dad does.
Actually my dad didn’t know I was producing music until after four or five years after I got my first record deal. He had just heard some noises coming from my room and didn’t really understand what it was. So he was really surprised when I told him and he was like: “What? Are you making music!?”

If you could listen to just one record for the rest of your life, which one would it be?
Trentemøller – Take me into your skin. I have it on vinyl and I love it.

If you were to put your money on a country for its growing trance scene, which one would it be?
Trance is more underground nowdays. Housemusic is taking over now.
However, Russia and other countries in the former Soviet Union have really created some great artists the last few years. It’s great to see the countries over there loving trance as much as we do, especially since they almost recently got out of wars. They really do look happy when they party.

The Fast questions

Three things you absolutely can’t live without.
My Speakers, my friends and my happy mood. I always see the bright side of life.

Your favorite possession.
My Tascam mixer. I really love it, it took almost four month to get it to work.

Own Productions or own Remixes?
Own Productions.

Other favorite genre after trance?
Progressive, and uplifting.

One thing your fans don’t know about you.
I don’t know what they know really, I just recently made my facebook profile more private. It’s a bad thing when people goes through my old pictures and like them.

Your favorite item of clothing.
I’m not into clothes at all, but I like to wear jeans.

One for all your adoring female fans – blondes or brunettes?
I love when you can see people. Blondes really do stick out from a crowd. If we look out of the window in front of us right now almost everyone is blonde. I like brunettes more though.

Best hangover cure?
Drink water and eat, or drink or eat.. basically keeping yourself awake.

If you weren’t a DJ/producer you’d be a…
I’ve been thinking about that, I work with computers and I think it’s something like that I would do if I didn’t produce music.

What’s the first record you bought?
I think it was Eiffel 65 – Blue

What was your worst gig?
When I was 14-15 or something I had a gig here in Stockholm and no one showed up. That was kinda boring.

What is the most interesting thing you’ve heard about your music?
I got an comment on Altara on YouTube with someone writing: “If he keeps on like this he would be one of the best producer of this year”.
That is quite interesting, I just do what I do and if someone write something like that I’m really glad hearing it.

Which big music style plaguing EDM would you like to cancel right now?
Hardstyle. I really don’t like it at all. I like it when I’m drunk, but otherwise, nah.
I hate the melodies, that brain dead melodies and the beat. I like the older Hardstyle tracks, but the new Hardstyle is too non-serious.

Thank you so much for your time, Johan!
Thanks, it was fun to talk to you Patric!

If you want to hear what Johan can do as a Dj, we got his latest guestmix for Captured Radio here:

[powerpress url=”http://www.bejbi.se/mix/Johan_Vilborg-Captured_Radio.mp3″]

[spotify:track:12YzMBaJaM5HYUqqJEMCwC]
[spotify:track:08pRLMR8C76F58wY3dkWOd]
[spotify:track:0GUPGOsKzONACMpDpvjoCM]

Novaline – Exclusive bejbi.se mix

Tracklist:

1. Johan Vilborg – Fall (Original Mix) [Silk Royal]
2. Martire pres. X&Y – New Beginnings (Solid Stone Remix) [Alter Ego]
3. Mango – Good Morning Track (Tom Fall Remix) [Silk Royal]
4. Johan Vilborg – Altara (Original Mix) [Silk Royal]
5. Johan Vilborg – ID (Original Mix) [CDR]
6. Johan Vilborg – Leaving Home (Original Mix) [Silk Royal]

And if you want to hear some of his productions, feel free to check his Soundcloud, where he puts a lot of work in progress.

Classic for the weekend: BT – Flaming June

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd_B6gOI0MA&w=680&h=491]

This weeks classic is somewhat connected with last weeks piece on Paul Van Dyk as he was a co-producer on this track. Im ofcourse talking about BT – Flaming June (BT & Paul Van Dyk Mix) (Buy on Itunes)

I remember being amazed the first time I heard it. The mixture of the Piano, The flute and the pumping bassline thru the track is really awesome. It’s been 15 years since the original release and it still sounds fresh!.

Goosebump-points:
0:27 when the piano comes in
0:53 when the flute starts
3:02 when the bass-lead starts
4:25 when the breakdown starts
4:39 when the echoing piano kicks in
4:52 when the main Piano kicks in

BT, or Brian Wayne Transeau was born in Rockville, Maryland in the early 70’s. He was early discovered as a prodigal child when it comes to music and first studied music at the Washington Conservatory of Music and later went to Berklee College of Music.

In the beginning of the 90’s he met up with Dubfire and Sharam of Deep Dish and started doing dancemusic. His first releases didn’t get any big response in the US but on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, djs Paul Oakenfold and Sasha played his music at every gig. It wasn’t until Sasha bought BT a planeticket to visit London that BT really witnessed his own success.

Until this time he had released Libra presents TaylorAnomaly (Calling Your Name) with vocalist Jan Johnston and
his own singles Embracing the Future and Nocturnal Transmission.

While in London, he met up with dj/producer Paul Oakenfold and got signed to his label, Perfecto.
The first release on Perfecto was came in 1995 with the single Loving You More with singer Vincent Covello and later the same year BT’s first album, IMA (the title means ”now” in Japanese).

The album contains some cool songs like Embracing The Sunshine, Nocturnal Transmission (which was partially used on the soundtrack to the movie ”The Fast & The Furious”) and Loving You More.
The same year, BT also remixed a couple of tracks. Most memorable is his remix on GraceNot Over Yet.

The US version of the IMA album released in 1996 also contained the hit single Blue Skies with singer Tori Amos. The single also became no1 on the Billboard Dance Chart.

It was around this time I discovered BT after hearing Embracing The Sunshine on MTV. I later bought both Loving You More and Blue Skies on CDM.

In 1997, BT released the singles Flaming June and Remember., both singles were also featured on BT’s second album, ESCM (Electric Sky Church Music).

Compared to the IMA-album, ESCM contained more vocals and a saw more experimental BT with darker sounds and also contained both drum & bass and breakbeat. BT also use live instruments like guitar, bass and drums, all played by himself.

ESCM saw the return of vocalist Jan Johnston who sings on both Remember and Lullaby for Gaia.

1999 saw the release of the third album, Movement In Still Life and contained hit singles Godspeed, Mercury & Solace, Namistai (with Paul Van Dyk), and the US version also contained Never Gonna Come Back Down. The album was heavily influented by the new hip hop-wave in the US so the original UK version was totally remade for the US market.

Tracks like Godspeed and Mercury and Solace did well in the UK, but would not fare well on US radios, where Never Gonna Come Back Down and Shame performed well on American alternative rock stations.

The fourth album, Emotional Technology came out in 2003 and contained hits like Somnambulist (Simply being loved), Force Of Gravity and Superfabulous.

It was also the year that BT got into Guineess world record-book for the Somnambulist-tracks that contains most vocal edits in a single track, with 6,178 in the album version. This technique is called Stutter and uses a program called Bias peak which BT loves to work in. You can hear it being used in loads of BT’s productions including the NSYNC-track Pop which BT produced.

The album, This Binary Universe, was BT’s fifth album and wasnt a typical album but more an experiment into producing in full 5,1 cinema sound. It was actually BT’s 2nd album to do this, the first was the soundtrack to the movie Monster, released back in 2003.

The album, both released as CD and DVD contains a broad mixture of jazz, breakbeats and classical music and even a full 110-piece orchestra. This was a non-vocal album and didnt really contain any hits.

The latest album, These Hopeful Machines, released in 2010 was the biggest success to date. 8 out of 12 tracks from the 2CD album became singles including, The Rose Of Jericho, The Emergency, Every Other Way, Forget Me and A Million Stars. The album featured vocalists Jes, Kirsty Hawkshaw, Christian Burns, BT and Rob Dickinson. Even his daughter, Kaia Transeau sung the lullaby-part on the track Forget Me.

The album also came out as These Humble Machines with radioedits and released as 1CD and later as These Re-imagined Machines as a remix-album with remixes from Adam K & Soha, Marcus Schossow, Ferry Corsten, Tydi, Chicane and Armin Van Buuren just to name a few.

While doing his own thing, BT’s songs has also been featured on loads of film scores including The Jackal, American Pie, Driven, 3000 miles to Graceland, Zoolander and The Core just to name a few. He has also had his tracks featured in videogames as Gran Turismo 3, FIFA 2002, Wipeout Fusion, Need For Speed: Underground, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 and Burnout Revenge just to name a few.

For me personally, These Hopeful Machines was 2010s biggest album by far and I really love the remix-album too. So many beautiful tracks, especially the Josh Gabriel remix of Every Other Way. It is one of those albums that will live on forever.

BT – Embracing The Sunshine
BT feat Tori Amos – Blue Skies (Deep Dish Blue Phunk Mix)
Grace – Not Over Yet (BT Remix)
BT – Godspeed
BT – Mercury & Solace
NSYNC – Pop
BT feat JC Chasez – Force Of Gravity (Ferry Corsten Remix)
BT & Jes – Every Other Way (Josh Gabriel Remix)
BT feat Kirsty Hawkshaw – A Million Stars (Myon & Shane 54 Remix)
Tiesto feat BT – Love Comes Again