Welcome to iLove Trance Music Christopher! For the benefit of any readers that are unfamiliar to your background, could you briefly describe the beginnings of your career and your sound…

I started DJing in San Francisco in 1992 but moved to Los Angeles in 1994 just in time for the West Coast rave explosion. I was soon playing all over North America and began producing for label called Hook Recordings in Scotland in 1997 and touring internationally. I have always had a unique big room underground trance sound that was developed in those early warehouse and desert party rave days. I am not a fan of the commercial pop dance music that people often mistake for trance. I have remained true to my roots over the years and continue to play a more powerful underground trance sound.

Like so many DJs during 2011 you have had another extraordinary busy year, what have been the highlights for you?

Some of the highlights this year have been great tour dates, in particular EDC in Las Vegas, Creamfields in Buenos Aires and Burning Man in the Nevada desert. Production wise, this has also been a good year. I’ve spent a lot of time in the studio working on my third artist album and this year saw the release of several singles and remixes, most notably the remix I did of LMFAO’s ‘Party Rock Anthem’ which was a lot of fun.

This year also saw Rush Hour, my monthly radio show and podcast move into its fourth year. The show is getting bigger every month which is great to see because it proves that people are still looking for quality trance.

Pharmacy Music, my label, has finally come of age with the addition of several new artists and tons of releases this year. I am proud of the artists on the label and the top notch productions they have been releasing. That is why I have just released Pharmacy: Phase 1, the first in a series of mix compilations, showcasing the incredible roster of artists on the label like Jonathan Allyn, Sean J Morris, Fergie & Sadrian, Magnus and Gian Carlo.

Who inspires you?

John 00 Fleming is one of my biggest inspirations. John is one of those people that truly believes in the music and has forged his own way in a world where commercialization and low standards have become the standard. I have always admired John Digweed, again, for his dedication to a sound, his professionalism and his sincerity. But my greatest influence would have to be my wife, Sara. She inspires me because of her absolute love of the music. It is a lot of fun to DJ with her in my side project, Mr & Mrs Smith. We play a dark dirty and tough underground electro sound.

With 2012 only round the corner, what plans do you have for next year?

Most important for 2012 is to finish my artist album. Once again it has taken a back seat to all the other projects that I am juggling. I’m also looking forward to what happens with my label Pharmacy Music. There is plenty of room to grow and lots of amazing talent out there. We’ve done some Pharmacy Music label nights on the West Coast which have been massive and we’re very excited about on taking Pharmacy on the road showcasing its talent next year.

If the world was to end as some suggest in 2012, what would be the last song you would like to hear played?

Ha ha, an obvious answer.. “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” by R.E.M

If you weren’t a DJ and producer, what other career would you have pursued?

I think I would have been good at music studio troubleshooting or at least I would be good at that now. It seems as if I spend half my time in the studio trying to fix things that were working the day before!

I have noticed the fans in the USA are very vocal in supporting the trance music scene across sites like Twitter. Having been part of the scene for well over 10 years, how does it make you feel getting so much support from your fans?

It is fantastic to see the love and support of the fans for trance music. The really cool thing is that it allows people to be more involved as opposed to passively participating. I think it is incredible. It is one of the things that inspires me everyday.

Which new artist(s) do you tip for success in the future?

That’s a tough one. A lot of artists become successful now as a result of marketing and polls, rather than perfecting their craft as producers and DJs. Artists show up from nowhere in the Top 100 and suddenly they’re the next big thing. Problem is there are so many “next big things” that the market has become saturated and the audience is developing a short attention span, so DJs have to work harder than ever to maintain their success. The artists that I hope to see having success are the ones who play from the heart and do it for the love of the music, you find a lot of them in the underground scene, for example John 00 Fleming who’s having a massive resurgence at the moment. My other favorites are Sean J Morris, Jonathan Allyn and Ismael Rodriguez.

What new productions do you have in the pipeline?

“Pharmacy: Phase 1″ which is a compilation of the best tracks to date on my Pharmacy label came out this month. Following that I have a new single, ‘Faith in the Future’ coming out next month, and then the artist album later in 2012. I am also finishing up a collaboration with John 00 Fleming that will be out under our Fleming & Lawrence moniker.

If you could work with any artist who would you choose?

Astrix. He is an amazing psy trance producer and I would love to know how he gets his baselines so punchy and tight!

(Please finish the following sentence) I Love Trance Music because…

I feel it in my soul.

Markus Schulz has become a staple diet in the trance scene over the past 10 years. Be it pushing his unique progressive sound that has revolutionised DJs sets across the globe, or introducing new artists to the scene through Coldharbour Recordings. When you tune in to his Global DJ Broadcast show you know that this is an artist who deserves the following of an army – a Schulz Army of fans that is!

Markus Schulz will be playing at Madrid Arena Tuesday 11th October. Click here for details.

For our UK readers (and some international trance music lovers from what I have heard), you can join me seeing Markus Schulz lift the roof off Ministry of Sound at The Gallery on Friday 21st October!
Hopefully he’ll be carrying on the celebrations after playing, and getting a good result at the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll awards party which takes place the night before at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE).

If you can’t make it to London, you can also catch him the following night at Godskitchen (Air).

Having played a number of shows across Spain, which has been your favourite to date and why?

No favourites. It’s sort of a rule of mine! I’ve found in the past that if you come with anything other than a long-considered answer to ‘favourite’ questions you can fall foul of yourself. You can look back and think ‘now why did I say that then when I’ve been to so many other incredible cities/gigs? Was that really fair? The answer more often than not is ‘no’! You can have ones, which have a much longer lasting impression, for any number of reasons. But an out-and-out favourite, that’s a no-no!

From your experience, do you feel the scene in the mainland differs much from party isle Ibiza?

I do. There’s no two ways about that. Ibiza is season-driven, so it only has a window of opportunity to qualify its existence as a party isle every year. That’s what gives it its 24/7 vibe, which is very special – no doubt. On the mainland, to my mind, everything is a bit cooler. I think people clubbing there have a more relaxed perspective. As there’s not the 1-week/2-week cram-it-in time constraint, there’s a more chilled approach to clubbing, which for one reason or another tends to give a more clued-up crowd.

What do you like/love about Spain in general?

So, so much! The language for starters – you hear it spoken in the States a lot, but there’s just something about touching down in mainland Spain or Ibiza and hearing it that’s different. I love the culture too, the climate of course – just being there makes me feel good. I only wish I was playing here more!

Do you know the Macarena?

Now who doesn’t!?

Your last outing in Madrid was at the Klubbersday festival in 2010.  How do you feel you have progressed as an artist over the last year?

It was and that was a fantastic event! In terms of progressing, honestly, I’m not sure. I guess that’s more down to others to evaluate. For me though 2011 has felt like an incredible year. By August I’d been involved in over 8 physical releases, including a DVD of my DO You Dream album, a 2nd Dakota album and Prague visit for my city compilation series.

How would you describe your style?

Well, when it comes to Dakota, which is what I’ve been concentrated on this year,  there are these three kind of unwritten rules to the music. There are next to no vocals on the tracks and the tempo range is tighter than a Markus Schulz album – running between 126 – 132bpms. The Dakota albums explore tech/house/progressive and occasionally electro-ish paths as well as trance. Dakota allows me to concentrate on the club side of my mind (as opposed to the more radio-orientated side). Stylistically the album picks right up where the first one left off. The first three tracks could be the last ‘missing’ ones from the first album. It is a sequel in everything including the name, and one I’m very happy with.

Do you feel you have needed to adapt your style to Armada’s own or do you maintain your own creative trademark?

I get asked that a lot and the honest answer is no. Largely because I feel that the perception of what Armada’s style is, these days, is so expansive, that there wouldn’t be a need to adapt even if I was prepared to! If you look at my last artist album ‘Do You Dream’, it was any way you perceive it the most wide ranging in terms of the music that was on there. Everything from mid-tempo progressive, melodic and some full blown trance, downtempo breakbeat, chillout, atypical vocals. They, like any label, are going to give advice and their thoughts on the music I produce. However to them, as to me, there’s really only two types of music – good and bad.

Did you suffer many knockbacks at the beginning of your career? How did you manage and deal with them?

No so very many, I’m happy to say. However everybody gets them from time to time. I deal by getting back up, dusting off and getting straight back into it. Usually with twice the determination!

What would you advise to an overlooked artist in the industry to do?

Stick with it and never compromise what you’re doing artistically. If the talent is there, you’ll get there, one way or the other.

Do you like communicating with and supporting your fans?

I love it. Honestly if you don’t, I don’t think your should be in this industry. They’re the ones that get you started and support you as you climb the ladder. I was in Mexico at the start of this month and I got to do a couple of in-store signing sessions, which you don’t see so much of anymore. It was really cool to be out, in the daytime and be able to talk to fans en masse!

Reproduced with kind permission from
Richard Lewington and InMadrid www.in-madrid.com

So, who are you and what do you do?

My name is Matt Driver, self employed architect and courier by day. At night I become Dj Matt van Driver, co-host of the Trance Sessions show on In2Beats 106.5FM & www.in2beats.co.uk.

Location?

The hotbed of the UK Trance scene, Milton Keynes.

Age?

29 and fastly approaching my prime aka a round number.

What is the trance scene like where you live?

Pretty non-existent at the moment, so along with my Trance Sessions co-host MyCool we are looking to educate people’s ears in the area. Starting with the radio show which has been running for nearly 4 months now and been getting very good feedback. We’re currently in the process of trying to sort out playing in a local venue plus also putting on our own Trance & Progressive event.

Other than the above if you want to catch a decent Trance act live (apart from myself & MyCool) then it’s the short hour trip to either London or Birmingham.

When did you get into trance music?

I’d say late 90s when I was in Sixth Form. I originally come from Essex and every Friday night at Time & Envy in Romford they had an act on called Taggart & Rawlings. Some of the mixing was questionable but the they played tune after tune. This was at the time when the huge Ibiza boom had started so people were going nuts to the likes of Binary Finary, Verracocha, Gouryella and DJ Jean. I fell in love with the uplifting melodies, pure and simple.

Do you have a night that stands out as the best you have ever been to?

I recently attended GlobalGathering UK 2011, because of the radio show we do I managed to get us press passes and had arranged to interview several artists backstage. I will class the Friday night as the best night out I’ve ever experienced. The line up in the Group Therapy tent was quality and every DJ delivered a great set. Backstage we got interviews with Mat Zo, Super8 & Tab, John O’Callaghan, Ashley Wallbridge, Gareth Emery, Above & Beyond and Sander van Doorn. Will a night ever top that? I don’t think so! I think I found my element that night.

Name a favourite DJ or Producer…

I have so many that I like but I’m gonna choose two, firstly Gareth Emery. A man I would say got me back into the Trance scene in 2009 after my brother-in-law gave me a copy of his Sound Of Garuda album. I love his sound, he produces big track after big track and live is one of the best DJs to see for the whole experience. His choice of music is spot on and interacts well with a crowd.

Second, Ben Gold. Really sprung into the mainstream last year with some great productions and has continued with it this year. The lad works really hard and is now reaping the rewards with sets at big events and clubs. Another good one to see live, really gets into his set, bundles of energy and good music selections.

What was the last trance album you purchased?

Well I’ll plump for the last album I received as we get a few promo’s. Got a copy of Sander van Doorn’s new album this week, quality.

Favourite all time trance track?

Again I’ll have to go for 2 tracks, 1 old & 1 newish.

Verracocha – Carte Blanche – Its proper old school but this was one of the tracks that got me into the scene back in the day. I will still play this track in my sets as it always gets a huge crowd reaction.

Above & Beyond – Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery Remix) – This was the track off the Sound Of Garuda album that had me constantly hitting the repeat button. Just something really simple about the sound but I love it. If I ever do a longish mix I will always play this tune.

Do you DJ or produce music, if so tell us more…

As mentioned at the start I run under the DJ name of Matt van Driver and co-host a radio show called Trance Sessions monday nights 10PM on In2beats 106.5FM & www.in2beats.co.uk. Currently in talks to get into a local club and also in process of sorting out our own event. If you live near Bedford or Milton Keynes and are into your Trance music then you can keep up to date with whats going on with us by following us on twitter @In2Trance or via our Trance Sessions Radio Show Facebook Fanpage. Production wise its something that I’m looking to dabble in shortly. I have some sounds which are always floating around in my head and it would be good to try and make them come to life.

I Love Trance Music because…

For me Trance music has provided me with a soundtrack to my life. So many tunes remind me of good times, I can always listen back to tracks and think of what I was doing and where I was when I heard it. Also as genres of music go it’s one that is pretty upbeat, I know if I’ve had a bad day I can always put some Trance on and it will ‘tranceform’ my mood.

Thanks you to Matt for submitting his interview! Any questions, or if you just want to add to the discussion, please leave a comment below!

So, who are you and what do you do?

I’m Andy White, @arcwhite on twitter, and I’m a software developer. I work for a company that creates start-up businesses on the Internet, and we just this week launched our new venture http://paypygg.com. I never would have finished it without trance music to listen to.

Location?

Sydney, Australia.

Age?

I’m 27 going on 18.

What is the trance scene like where you live?

Australia’s trance scene is a little more underground than what I’ve seen in Europe. Trance isn’t as celebrated here as it is over there, which is a real shame. We do get some really amazing events though, with fantastic DJs taking the 24 hour flight to get over to us (which we really appreciate!)

We’re starting to see Trance get a lot more lively locally, with local artists like TyDi springing up and making waves, so there’s plenty of hope for Australian trance.

When did you get into trance music?

I think I started listening to Trance in 2005 – I came to the party a little late. Godskitchen 2007 (in Melbourne) was probably the pivotal moment when I really fell in love with trance though.

Do you have a night that stands out as the best you have ever been to?

Oh man, that’s a hard one. Every event is special and unique.
I’m going to say A State of Trance 500 here in Sydney earlier this year – the artists were epic and the crowd had this real energy to it.

Close runner up would be Hybrid at Lot 33 in Canberra back in 2008 (I think?). I know they don’t really fit neatly into the trance genre – but I think they’re close. The night was really powerful – tight crowd, small venue, loud speakers and a brilliant performance.

Name a favourite DJ or Producer…

Another tough one, hahaha. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to pick a favorite, because I think we should be focused on the music and the experience of trance and not so much the artists. However, we should celebrate the talented people who make the music we love too, so…

I’ll probably go with Orbital to begin with, they’ve just got this really stunning sound and their passion for music shows through in everything they do.

I’d feel bad if I left it there, so I’m going to list a few others, in no particular order: BT, Armin van Buuren, Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten and Kräma.

I’m really into the commercial trance at the moment, but I’m starting to get into psy a little more.

What was the last trance album you purchased?

TyDi – Shooting Stars. It’s been getting a lot of playtime from me this week.

Favourite all time trance track?

Menno De Jong played Delirium – Silence at Godskitchen in 2007, so that song really carries some powerful memories for me and gets me dancing like a fiend every time I hear it. I know, I know, it’s such a cliche, but it really is a fantastic track.

Do you DJ or produce music, if so tell us more…

Sadly, I don’t. I recently bought a copy of Ableton and I’m starting to learn the basics, but I think I’m too busy to really dedicate myself to it (… for now).

I Love Trance Music because…

It’s a powerful expression of the human spirit through technology; it reaches right into the emotional part of your brain and carries you away. It sounds kinda naff, but it’s like magic to me.

As this is the first interview, if people have questions of their own, they may ask them in the comments section and Andy may possibly answer them Plus, if those questions prove to be interesting then they could be used in future interviews.

On the 6th of June we celebrate our 2nd Birthday! Hooray! I originally started the night with my friend Sue Portman, but with Uni and work commitments during 2007 she stepped down and during that same period my resident DJs, Nathan Hunt and Alex Eneas, stepped up and became co-promoters.

I’m proud to say we represent what we truly believe in; hosting a trance night once a month.
Last year on Halloween 31st October, we also launched ‘iLLuMIDanCe Hard‘ to spread the word about the brand to those who liked things a little bit tougher.
This meant us hosting two nights a month at which point I also worked on the ‘iLLuMIDanCe presents‘ concept. This is where one DJ plays all night from when the club opens at 9pm and closes at 2am (told you Portsmouth does not have late licensing didn’t I ). The DJ then gets to play a variety of genres in their collection, rather than being limited to the typical one hour set they are booked for. We now rotate those two nights every other month on the Friday night before we host the trance night on the Saturday.

The future is looking good given the current financial climate and with Nathan and Alex on board with me, we make a good team where we always able to talk things over and pull each other up if something is not thought to be right. One of those things is us re-branding the night as I’m not too happy with the name after two years, still not many people can spell it correctly and what use is a night that no one can spell right? It will be nice to freshen up things a little I’ve been thinking.

In August we are doing a fund raising night for my girlfriend who is running 10 miles for Chase, a hospice for life-limited children. Later in the year I hope to move to a bigger venue or host an event successfully out of Portsmouth involving DJs that are established in the trance scene.

For our Birthday I was very keen to have two particular DJs. One was a lad I had heard something of on DontStayIn.com named Gio, we went up to see him play at Passion and all good there so booked him. I hope to interview him real soon and get a mix off him for you to download.

The other was Stu Rush…

If you live in the North of England then you have no doubt heard of Stu Rush as he has played many nights alongside some of the top names in hard dance. He has a very techno influenced style, with some trance thrown in and a splash of hard dance. After listening to four demos of his, I was very much impressed and wanted that little bit something different for our night that he offers with his cutting, chopping and 3 decks with FX style.

I hope you enjoy the interview and find that it still suits the site’s format. Please leave feedback at the end and also enjoy the following mix that you can download in the background whilst reading. It showcases really what Stu Rush is all about

MegaUpload Link
Tracklist:
1. Distek – Argon
2. Axel Karakasis – Speciation
(3 DEX)
3. Jerimiah – Treeman (Reaky Remix)
4. JOC – Marshmallow
(3 DEX)
5. Axel Karakasis – Timebomb
6. Marcel Woods – Static State (Tech-Trance Mix)
7. John Askew – Z List UberStar
(3 DEX)
8. Barry Connel – Frizzbomb (Bryan Kearney’s Twice as Bright Remix)
9. Jochen Miller – Vanity
10. Th3shold – The Beggining – Jordan Suckley VS aka Carl Remix)
11. Simon Patterson – Thump
12. Mallorca Lee – Dogma (Joey V Remix)
13. Moonyani – Heavy Rotation (Reaky Remix)
14. Mr Sam VS t99 – Anasthesia
15. Joe E – Your Love
16. TT Collective – Strings for Yasmin (Tidy Djs Mavis Remix)
17. Dj Misjah & Dj Tim – Access (KY Jellybabies Remix)
(Roll Scratch EFX Trick)
18. Organ Doners – Super Mario Bros
19. Remo Con – Prototype
20. Joy Kitikonti – Joyenergizer (Dj Choose Remix)

iLLuMIDanCe: Thanks for taking this time to do this interview Stu! This is the first iLLuMIDanCe interview to feature on www.ilovetrancemusic.com
Talking of first times… When was your first time playing out and what made you take up the decks?

Stu Rush: Cool mate no problemo!
My first gig was at a up’n'coming night called Super Stars. If you did well at this night you got to play at the bigger event Eat Your Words, which in its hay day was the biggest night here in hull. I’ve played many EYW events now with some top names. I got into clubbing when I was 19, I use to watch the DJs and think I can do this! I got my first set of decks and got straight into it!

iD: So for first time DJs you would recommend just putting yourself out there and seeing what the crowd thinks of you as you never know where it will lead?

Stu Rush: I was so nervous at my first gig I thought I was gonna be shit, but after 1 or 2 mixes I settled right into it and had the crowd eating outta my hand. I later realised that to get anywhere these days you need to be offering something different. From the first time I heard Eddie Halliwell’s bosh mix from Mixmag, I was totally influenced by him and decided I wanted to go down the technical route rather than the production side of things that everyone else seems to be going down.

iD: Yes Eddie seems to be one of very few who has been able to make a successful career from DJing alone on the merit that he does what he does on the decks so well.
How do you feel about the music industry where it is perceived that in order to be successful you have to be able to produce too?

Stu Rush: Don’t get me wrong, producing good tracks will make the DJ work come in time. Everyone seems to be making tunes these days as production packages are so accessible now, but I still believe strongly that a crowd love to see a DJ getting involved with a crowd and perform, rather than just play a handful of tunes that they have made whilst not entertaining behind the decks.
I have produced a track recently and really enjoyed doing it, but at heart I’m a DJ and that will always come first for me as I love working up a crowd!

iD: Well I will certainly look forward to you whipping up the iLLuMIDanCe crowd into a frenzy with your hard and techy style on the 6th June for our 2nd Birthday! Has this sound crossed over fully with your production do you feel?

Stu Rush: Yes the track I produced is a tech-trance slammer, with a dark and catchy hook. It’s called ‘The Dark Theory’ and I made it with a top young producer called Tomas Evans. I have been going a little more trancier lately, but still try to keep the cut-and-paste mixing style in there without killing the trance vibe.

iD: So Stu Rush in the studio, I’ll be looking forward to listening to that!
Going back to DJing again, what sets you have been booked for stand out in your mind?

Stu Rush: I have played at Helmsley Biker Festival four times. It attracts around 10,000 people each year, and around a third of them go crazy in the dance tent. Also NYE 2004/2005 I played at a massive all day rave at The Street in Skegness.

iD: Has there been any favourite DJs you have played alongside at such events, maybe those who inspired you to take up DJing?

Stu Rush: I have played alongside and also b2b with Jordan Suckley before. He is a top young DJ who has the same approach to DJing I have, to break the rules a little and mangle the tracks up. His stuff will always inspire and appeal to me. I’m still hoping to get the dream gig of warming up for my idols Eddie Halliwell or Kutski yet.

iD: Well if we ever book either we’ll keep you in mind
If you could only play three tracks back to back all night, what would they be?

Stu Rush: Tony Di Vit – The Dawn (Paul Janes Remix)
Signum – What You Got 4 Me
Dejure – Sanctuary

iD: And what three new trance releases are you loving right now?

Stu Rush: The Killers – Spaceman (Sander van Doorn Remix)
John Askew – Vandalism
Paul Webster – Istanbul (Fred Baker Remix)

iD: Nice choices there!
So your latest demo is called ’3 Dex & FX Extreme Bosh Mix’. How would you describe this mix to anyone not having heard it?

Stu Rush: A no holds barred trip into techno, tech-trance and hard dance, with loadsa my trademark tricks and scratching!

iD: Other than iLLuMIDanCe what other gigs can we catch you at?

Stu Rush: I regularly play for Ultrasonic, Lets Av It, Confusion and Eat Your Words all here up north (England, UK), so check places like Facebook and DontStayIn.com for their listings.

iD: Thanks once again for your time Stu, and as our final question that is always asked on iLove Trance Music… What does trance music mean to you?

Stu Rush: Trance music is powerful, emotional music. I love all different genres but nothing can create the feeling that trance can, 10,000 people with their hands in the air to the same euphoric tune can’t be wrong!

You can check out more of Stu Rush by visiting the following links:

MySpace Videos

Please click image for event page on DontStayIn.com!

Facebook Event Page

Thank you for reading once again trance lovers!

Stuart

Just before her most recent release ‘A New Day’ with ATB on his latest album ‘Future Memories’, I had a chance to catch up with Betsie. Here you can find out some more of what the New York City girl is up to and what she has to say of her successful collaboration with Ferry Corsten on his third artist album ‘Twice In A Blue Moon’.

So going back before your work with Ferry Corsten. At what age did you start singing and performing?

I can honestly say I’ve been singing forever. I was told that I sang in my crib At probably around 16 I started writing lyrics and playing guitar to accompany myself and started performing while I was in college with my first band.

Who do you say influenced you most musically whilst growing up?

I listened to a lot of alternative rock bands during high school – I loved Radiohead and the Smashing Pumpkins but was also crazy about some of the 80′s British bands like the Cure, Depeche Mode, and Joy Division. The first DJ that I really loved was Carl Cox. My friends and I would get dressed up in crazy colorful outfits and dance until the sun came up.

And what about now, as you have grown up and started performing yourself, what new inspiration have you found with people you hear, meet or work with?

I try to learn how to play other people’s music on guitar… it introduces me to new chords and combinations and often takes me places vocally that I wouldn’t go on my own. It’s also fun to just sit down with other musicians and work on ideas – you usually end up learning a few new tricks in these sessions. Working with Ferry Corsten was amazing because I honestly liked every idea he came up with – that’s rare in musical collaborations.

I see you have a broad range of music covered by your work so far, from rock to electronica, do you have a favorite genre of music you like to sing to?

Discovering trance music was really a gift. I often felt over-powered by the live drums in rock music and was told by a musician friend that I’d be insane not to do electronic music. That said, I like to keep my options open. All of the instruments and styles are there to help us get our ideas across.

Was trance music ever a style that you envisioned yourself working with when you began your career?

I owned a guitar and that was what I always used to write which led me to identifying with that sound. I liked a lot of electronic music but knew very little about how it was made. I had a project called Mariposa with a producer, Brendan Hawkins, that was very experimental/electronic but wouldn’t be considered trance or dance for that matter. The collaboration with Ferry is actually my first trance collaboration but I’ve since been able to work with some other amazing DJ’s: ATB, Kenneth Thomas, and Austin Leeds.

What have the highlights of your music career been so far?

Full on Ferry in Rotterdam is still fresh in my mind. Ferry playing a huge event in his hometown – I was so happy to be a part of it. The light show was stunning and the fans couldn’t have been more amazing and supportive. Showing up on the charts this month in the Netherlands alongside U2, Coldplay and the Killers is incredible. Pre-Ferry: Performing an original song live on MTV. Hearing my first band on the radio

How did you come to work with the legendary Ferry Corsten?

Ferry’s manager is a friend of mine. We met soon after I arrived in NY at a party for my friend’s music licensing company. He played some of my songs for Ferry and told me that when the time came for his next record, Ferry wanted to try out a collaboration.

How much creative input did you have when working on the vocals for ‘Made of Love’ and ‘Feel You’?

I actually wrote a guitar version of “Made Of Love” a few weeks before Ferry sent me the track to start writing over. I put the idea to Ferry’s’ music and it was a perfect fit. I think I my excitement to start the collaboration gave me a burst of creative energy. I wrote “Feel You” almost immediately after getting the files. When we got together, he really liked both ideas. We spent a day arranging and adding some new parts. Ferry had some incredible melody ideas that took “Made of Love” to the next level. Very musical, that one

Comparing a song such as ‘Made of Love’ to say ‘When You’re Dreaming’ with Mariposa, what differences do you have to make in your approach when creating the lyrics and being in the studio?

I never consciously change my approach but you can’t help but react to different styles of music. It may be similar to how people move differently while dancing to different styles of music. If it’s inspiring, you can’t help but be drawn into the mood. In “When You’re Dreaming” I slipped into a jazz style for the first time. Brendan Hawkins, the producer, suggested trying a bossa nova feel to the guitar player. The whole thing was magic and really fun. My Sister had suggested that I write a song that people of all ages could appreciate and I wrote it immediately after talking to her (while driving) by singing the idea into my tape recorder. I write a lot of songs while driving – keep your distance if you see me on the road!

Playing at an event such as Full On Ferry in 2008 must have been very emotionally moving, and I would of thought scary at the same time! What feeling do you get when you hear a crowd singing along to your songs at such a big event?

It was really overwhelming the night before in sound-check but the crowd was so cool on the night of the show, all of my nervousness calmed down. I get chills when I hear people singing along. It makes me feel incredibly connected to them – like we’re all in it together.

I like many have enjoyed hearing ‘Made of love’, it has become pretty much a main player in DJs sets across the globe. Can we expect to hear more from you in the trance scene?

I have a song that’s coming out on ATB’s artist album on May 1st – it’s called “A New Day.” I’ve also recently finished a song with a DJ on Ultra Records named Austin Leeds. He brought in Willem Faber to put some touches on it. I don’t have the exact release date for that one yet but I promise to keep you posted. I plan to keep working on more dance music and also have plans for another solo record. Details to come…

As my final question… What does trance music mean to you?

Trance music is about reaching new levels by completely letting go.

Thank you for your time Betsie, it has been a pleasure interviewing you for iLove Trance Music!

Thank you so much for taking interest in my work! The collaboration with Ferry has opened me to a new world of music and amazing people. All the best to you

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If you did not catch it yesterday, there is a free mix to be found from Jordan Suckley who was my Trance Tuesday suggestion: Click here for your free mix!

Stuart

Here I catch Emma with a 9 hour time difference between us. This means I’m having my morning coffee at 10am, whilst Emma is waiting to settle down for the evening no doubt with it being 7pm on a Monday. Assuming I’m in “London Town” (as that is where all Englishmen live right?) she asks how it is there? I live in Portsmouth I tell her, but as I’m visiting London next week I’ll update her.
We quickly discuss the A State of trance 400 show, both wishing we had been at any one of the 3 events held over the weekend and find we both like Gareth Emery. Musically that is, I couldn’t tell you if she has a crush on him! And no, I don’t before anyone starts…

When I ask her what she got up to on the weekend she replies with “Umm…I went down the coast and actually witnessed a pretty massive boat smash! Carnage! I think the captain may have been drunk… Driving this huge cruiser, he just smashed into the jetty and rear ended three fishing boats.
I didn’t head out to any clubs or anything though, just trying to be low key!!” She was even standing on the jetty when it happened! If that is having a low key weekend, I can only wonder what a weekend out partying is like with Emma Hewitt?!

So I’ll quit my, or our ramblings, and move onto what you really want to read about…

Thank you for our brief chat about what is happening in our worlds, I’m glad I worked out the time zone difference correctly to catch up with you and you made it off the jetty alive!

You have made such an impact on the scene with your collaborations, both with Chris Lake and Cosmic Gate, what do you think of all the buzz surrounding your tracks?

Well I am extremely lucky to have had the opportunity of working with such great producers/djs, it is exciting to hear the tracks are getting a bit of buzz around them!!

At what age did you start singing, and was it always a goal to turn professional and make it a career?

I pretty much always wanted to sing, it was really the only career option I was ever interested in!  (I was pretty bad at most other things too, so I guess that is a good thing! )

I started in bands at about the age of 16 and just kept writing and pursuing music from there.  I never had any formal training or anything, I just kind of picked it up along the way.

I’m seeing a reoccurring theme that female singers being picked up by trance producers have background experience in other music genres, such as rock. I know you yourself have your band Missing Hours. Did you ever think that you would hear your voice being heard anywhere other than on stage with a band behind you?

Yeah, it is kind of a strange experience to venture into different genres!  I had always hoped to sing on some trance tracks, as I really love the style of music.   I just seemed to be surrounded by rock musicians all the time, and no one that knew anything about the trance genre, so it seemed a foreign world to me!

I am finding myself more and more captivated by the world of trance music and less inspired by rock music at the moment.  There seem to be so many possibilities with trance, rock music can be quite limiting I suppose.

When you say limiting, do you mean that by the time and effort you have to put in with a band, or other factors?

Yeah, the recording process with a band is a lot more time consuming. Then you have to deal with record labels and marketing people all pushing and pulling you in different directions. It takes months and months for a rock album to filter out!!

I love the fact that with trance music it is more about creating music that you love and getting it out to the clubs for people to hear as quickly as possible!! There is potential for a much broader range of people to hear the music too!

Cosmic Gate are massive producers and achieved so much in the scene and even had commercial success with the likes of the classic ‘Firewire’. How did you end up creating a track with them that has took the trance scene by storm?

I was so lucky here! I am a big fan of Cosmic Gate! They are fantastic producers. They actually got in contact through MySpace and asked me to work on a track. I fell in love with the instrumental they sent through, just beautiful!  I wrote and recorded the vocals in a little studio over here and emailed it across to them.

They had the track mastered in a matter of days, and started playing it in their sets almost immediately…A wonderful experience working with such professional people. I hope to meet the guys in person someday!!

So going back to your previous answer, that is a great example as to the possibilities that you can achieve with trance music, or any electronic dance music for that matter. You have not even met Cosmic Gate, not travelled across the world, but still accomplished what many people dream of. Great stuff!

Exactly! It blows my mind that I can record vocals in my friend’s little studio by the ocean over here, and in a matter of weeks they are being played in clubs on the other side of the world!

You speak of your love of trance music. What are your top 3 tracks old and new that you enjoy?

The Tiesto mix of ‘Silence’ is my all time favorite still! I love Armin’s ‘Sound of Goodbye’ and funnily enough, Cosmic Gate’s classic ‘Firewire’ just takes me back to some good old memories!! haha.

Oooh, I forgot to mention Nadia Ali though… I really love her vocals and am really enjoying ‘Love Story’.

So now that you have a main player under your belt, is your inbox and phone buzzing with producers wanting you to work with them? If so, can you let the cat out of the bag about any projects?

Haha, well a lot more doors have been opening lately, which is fantastic! I have a track in the pipeline with Gareth Emery which I am really excited about!! I love his production, so I can’t wait to hear where he takes this one! I am about to start a track with Sied van Riel, who I am also a big fan of! I am currently writing vocals for Andy Duguid and Marcus Shossow as well.

I am really excited to be working on some ideas for Tiesto’s side project “Allure”  too.  So there is lots to keep me busy this year!!

I really like the Sied van Riel mix of ‘Not Enough Time’, so I expect he will do great things with you, likewise for all of them though. You really do have a list of top names there, well done! I’ll look forward to hearing your voice hitting the dance floor for a long time yet it seems.

With work lined up with some of the biggest trance producers in the world, is there anyone else that you would wish to work with?

I would love to work with Ferry Corsten, we have had a few email chats about working on something for his next album, so hopefully that works out. And Armin Van Buuren, of course, would be great!

Ah yes Ferry Corsten, iLove Trance music readers should stay tuned for something Ferry related real soon!

Are you planning on travelling to the northern hemisphere any time soon, with say doing a live set with Cosmic Gate as an example?

I would love to!!  I am definitely planning a trip out to Europe during the summer to do some shows, it would be wonderful to do a live set with Cosmic Gate…I will have to have a chat to them and see if we can organize something!

Aiming high I see!

Haha, well I guess, might as well aim somewhere!!

Recently you had Trance Energy tour around Australia, what is the trance scene like in Australia?

The trance scene in Australia is a little underground, it is nowhere near as appreciated as it is in Europe. People seem to be more into electro and house out here, but I think trance is slowly starting to emerge a bit more. The people that do follow trance here are definitely die hard fans of the music!

As one last question before I let you enjoy the rest of the evening in Australia…
What does trance music mean to you?

Trance music to me is music that feels as though it can almost raise your vibrational energetic levels and intensify feelings, like it could take you to a different place of being at times ….music that transcends…

A real spiritual answer there. Well it has been fantastic chatting to you Emma!

You too Stuart!!! Lovely talking to you! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat

Thank you ever so much for your time and answers. I wish you all the best for the future and I’m looking forward to hearing more from you!

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Thank you for reading!

Stuart