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

For anyone interested in keeping up to date directly with Betsie Larkin’s work then please make use of the following links:

If you liked this interview please subscribe to the site at the top of the page, retweet, share and feel free to link to the article from your sites you use!
Be sure to stay tuned for further interviews and interesting posts!

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

My #trancetuesday this week is Ben Nicky!

Owner of Abstract Recordings, super hot DJ and producer. I think you get the message by now that he is onto big things and if you have not heard of him yet you sure will as he just got signed to Motion Artist Management who also manage Genix, Thomas Bronzwaer, Joey V and many more!

Link: April Demo Mix

Tracklisting:
Mark Eteson Feat Zirenz- The Hymn [Anjunabeats]
Sebastian Brandt – Serenade (Artic Moon Remix) [A state of trance]
Will Holland ft Yana Kay – Tears in the rain (Alex Morph & Woody Van Eyden Remix) [Enhanced Recordings]
Adam Nickey – Slider [Anjunabeats]
Mojado – ID
Kamui – Exceed [Tone Diary]
Mecha L-Yen vs Ben Nicky – Flux My Catapult (Ben Nicky Mashup)
Ben Nicky vs Adam Hayley – Morning Breeze [Abstract Recordings]
Dt8 Project – Destination (Akesson Remix) [Mondo]
Lores – Spacious (Derek Recay Remix) [Proxoz Recordings]
Ben Nicky – Special Moment [Shah-Music]
Veracocha & Michael de Kooker vs. Simon Patterson – Carte Smack (F1D0 Mashup)
Taylor & Close – Vanity Fair (Tech Mix) [Abstract Recordings]
Delusion vs Liquid Vision & Ben Nicky – Kick da Kick (Paul Maffia Bass Edit)

Upcoming Gigs:
27/3/09 Transfusion, Southport
28/3/09 Trans4mation, Sheffield
3/4/09 Honeyclub, Brighton
12/4/09 Gatecrasher, Bristol with Ferry Corsten
25/4/09 Transition, Berlin (German Debut)
3/5/09 Godskitchen with Above and beyond and joc
16/5/09 Homegrown, Ireland (Irish Debut)
25/5/09 Gatecrasher Classics, Bristol

Upcoming Releases:
1st April – Ben Nicky & Adam Hayley – Morning Breeze [Abstract] including Karl G Remix
Support from Ferry Corsten, Menno De Jong, Jon O’Bir, Sander van Doorn, etc.

16th May – Severn Bridge (Ben Nicky Remix)

June/July – Special Moment On Shah Music

For Bookings: lisa[at]motion-am.com (0044) 7974429517

Link: April Demo Mix

If you want to keep up to date with further Trance Tuesday posts please don’t forget to click the RSS icon to subscribe or use the Email subscription if that ain’t your bag

Who do you recommend today?

Ercola feat. Daniella – Every Word (Scandall Sunset On Ibiza Remix)

Cayenne Recordings
TrackItDown Link

If you’ve not heard this one, then what hole have you been hiding in? Anyway, spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere and with it comes massive vocal anthems! I particularly liked this mix because it has a more euphoric sound than the original doing the rounds but does not go off the beaten path too much.

Mark Norman – Life’s Too Short 2009 (Original Mix)

Magik Muzik
DJ Download Link
An absolute classic reworked by Mark Norman, relive those 1996 moments all over again. Hell, I may even dig out my original CD release for work when I wake up!

OceanLab – On A Good Day (Daniel Kandi Remix)

Anjunabeats
TrackItDown Link

I know some of you are going to frown as to my choice not being the Above & Beyond Club Mix here. I feel Daniel Kandi has just got the tempo right here and I even feel that I prefer the Original Extended Mix over the almighty Above & Beyond :S Another fantastic anthem from Anjunabeats none the less!

Substate – Release (Sa.Vee.Oh Remix)

Joyride Recordings
DJ Download Link

Time to turn up the noise with this release from Joyride Recordings! It rather reminds me of Yoji’s releases of old, think ‘Theme From Banging Globe’ infused with a nice acid riff.

Ben Nicky vs. Adam Hayley – Morning Breeze

Abstract Recordings
TrackItDown Link

2008 was a storming year for Abstract Recordings and has had many tracks hit the No.1 spot in a short space of time since its birth. 2009 sees the labels performance continue and label owner Ben Nicky churning out excellent releases and fast becoming a most wanted man. Here we see another corking uplifting trancer with support from all the big names!

That’s it!

Make sure you subscribe to the sites feed either by RSS or Email so you don’t miss next weeks post and everything else happening
Of course today is #trancetuesday on Twitter, so get your thinking caps on as to who you want to give a shout out to…and if that made no sense to you then check out here for a full explanation.

To finish off, what tracks are making your hands rise in the air currently?

Thank you for reading!

Stuart

Photo credit: poetrosakranse

If you did not catch the Top 25 Trance DJs post I made please click here before delving into the second half which includes those from 26-50.

Here I have now compiled the list further to complete the Top 50 Trance DJs as voted by DJmag.com readers!

…26. DJ Feel
27. Yahel
28. DJ Shah
29. John O’Callaghan
30. Blank & Jones
31. Cosmic Gate
32. Simon Patterson
33. Gabriel & Dresden
34. Richard Durand
35. Matt Hardwick
36. Signum
37. Tiddey
38. Greg Downey
39. Marcel Woods
40. Solar System
41. Skazi
42. Mike Koglin
43. Solarstone
44. Astral Projection
45. Leon Bolier
46. Ronski Speed
47. Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Woody van Eyden
48. John ’00′ Fleming
49. Christopher Lawrence
50. Bt

The last three were just outside the official Top 100 list.

DJs in the list I was glad to see…

Artists I was particularly glad to see in this list were Simon Patterson, Richard Durand, Leon Boiler, Marcel Woods, Solarstone and John ’00′ Fleming. Also worth noting the continuation of psy-trance being featured as it continues its popularity across the globe.

As mentioned in the comments for the Top 25 Trance DJs list, there are again a high number of DJs in the list who are well known for their productions, and more so for their productions than their ability as a DJ in many people’s opinion.
My thoughts are that in any part of the music industry you have to be accomplished as an artist releasing music (if your actually writing it is another matter) to be taken seriously and climb the stardom ladder. Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Kings of Leon, Metallica, Madonna, Lilly Allen, none of them would of got anywhere if they had stayed in a pub/club singing covers. For that reason I think it is wise to assume the same goes within the electronic music industry and the top lists reinforce that idea.

My advice if you want to make the Top 100 DJ list is; start learning to produce music with the intention to release some tracks and worry about your DJ skills being polished and refined later

If you like this post please don’t forget to subscribe by RSS or Email, retweet and share. There is lots more to come with interviews, updates on podcasts and releases of singles!

EDIT: Below is the original post made where I intended that Twitter users spread the word of up and coming DJs and artists. Many users were recommending known artists, so in a later post I suggested that people do just that and recommend whoever they like. I will be trying my hardest still to seek out new people in the scene for you all to listen to though.
What is Trance Tuesday?

TranceTuesday is an opportunity for you to make at least one tweet that informs your followers of a new DJ/artist/producer. Look at it as our own take on FollowFriday, but aimed specifically at us helping what we truely enjoy, rather than an internet marketing ploy of gaining more followers

For more on FollowFriday please look at this article… #FollowFriday: The Anatomy of a Twitter Trend
I understand that there is a @newmusictuesday as I did some research seeing if there was already a Trance Tuesday. They cover a spectrum of music though and not aiming at any particular genre from what I can see.

So what do I do on TranceTuesday?

You simply send a tweet about your newly discovered talented DJ/artist/producer!

It can be their username on Twitter, but a much better way of supporting your new found person(s) would be an legite link also to their production or demo mix I’m sure you’ll agree! (Please do not condone filesharing, send your followers to official download sites to pay for the artists work, support the scene!)

The aim is then that your followers who also like your find, will listen to said track or mix and retweet if they like it. You have then helped create a new fanbase and contributed to the scene. I would like to think you focus primarily at up and coming DJs/artists/producers. It is not that I have anything against the likes of Tiesto, Paul van Dyk, etc. I just love good trance music and finding new hidden gems, as I’m sure you do too!

I was deciding between Thursday or Tuesday as you may recall. The reason I decided on Tuesday is as follows:

1. Thursday everyone is looking towards the weekend, not back to last weekend as they do on say a Tuesday. The conversation would be more focused on the forthcoming headliner, rather than the DJ who shined in the back room at 4am.
2. It gives you a chance to recover after the Monday blues when returning back to your Mon-Fri 9-5 routine (if applicable to you

So I announce today as the first TranceTuesday! I hope you all love the idea and take part!

Follow me on Twitter to see who I recommend each TranceTuesday! @ilovetrance

Cheers to illustrator-artwork.blogspot.com for the birdie in the design I made.