Speaking of the track “Risk Worth Taking” featuring Susana
which is your most recent club mix release as an example, have you
already conceptually thought of how's it going to sound like in the
album?
Not 100% but it will probably be more ethereal in the
album. At the same time there is that 303 line that I definitely want
to keep that in there. I'm not saying that the album won't have a lot
of beats on there, there will still be beats, but what I'm saying is
that it will be developed in a different way that flows from start to
finish. It won't be a complete chill out album or anything like that.
It will be designed to listen from beginning to end so that things
blend together and there will be moments of calmness if you like with
some of the tracks. Perhaps longer sections of calm than a club mix
would allow.
“Risk Worth Taking” featuring Susana is a great 135 bpm track.
Can you tell me how you developed it and was this the first time you
have worked with Susana who was featured on the vocals?
Yes it was the first time I had worked with Susana. I've
known her for quite a while. We've toured a few times together and we
were threatening to do a track together for a while. It finally
happened and I love her vocals, she's got such a strong voice and
she's incredible live. It was really exciting to get to work with her
vocals. How I developed the track? I don't know what to say about
that really.
Do you have an inspiration behind it, did the vocals come first
and then you developed the track afterwards?
The vocals came first. That's how I pretty much work most
of the time I have to say. Either someone will send me a vocal
they've already recorded or I'll send them a very rough instrumental,
or even an instrumental that I've already made that's been released.
I'll take the vocal and I'll write something completely new
underneath it. I feel that way I can really get in the vocals in the
track rather than having the vocals added on afterwards. So that's
the way I tend to work, so yeah, vocals first. The vocals for “Risk
Worth Taking” were at 135 bpm anyway so I felt I wanted to make
something a little more upbeat because I've been doing a lot of
130-132 bpm so it seemed the right vocal to do it with.
How many vocal tracks will ultimately be released on the new
album? Can you tell us?
I don't know 100% at the moment. As I said I am making it
up as I go along. It's probably going to be 4 or 5 but don't quote me
on that because it might change over the next 6 months.
Any vocalist name that you'd like to release that will be featured
in the album or do you want to keep that under your sleeve?
There is still work to be done on most of the tracks with
vocals so I can't release anymore at the moment unfortunately.
I had to try.
Yes.
"Trance always pulls me back as there is
something about trance music that makes it very special for me"
On your website's biography it describes you as an EDM producer,
and not strictly as a trance producer - do you have any plans on
adopting inspiration from other genres in your upcoming album?
I'm always open to other genres but I never wholeheartedly
want to jump into them. Trance always pulls me back as there is
something about trance music that makes it very special for me but
I'm happy to bring in more electro influences, more techno
influences, etc, etc. I don't tend to chase the genre fashions but if
it floats my boat, I'll take inspiration from it. I love techno but I
just bring a little bit into a few tracks. Trance is where I started
and trance is likely where I'll end, it's in my blood basically.
You and your team have been busy releasing a ton of tracks off
your label Lange Recordings so far this year. What has sparked this
explosion of creativity from yourself and artists that work under
your banner?
The label has definitely gone up a gear. We work closely
now with Enhanced Music. We were completely independent before we did
a deal with those guys and to be distributed and supported by them.
Since then it has given us the chance to increase the volume on what
we do. I have a limit of one release a week so we can focus on that
specific track every week. That in itself has really gotten the word
out on the label and we're really busy with the release schedule as
we're going in to November-December already. Increasingly there are
some exciting artists joining.
The other day I asked the trance community on Reddit on whether
they had any questions they'd like to ask you. The first one is: “If
I were to just start listening to Lange, what 3 songs should I listen
to first? As in which songs are most reflective of your style?”
I guess something like “Angel Falls”.
That was predicted.
What else did they predict? (Laughs). I'm trying to think
of another from this year I will probably pick “Our Brief Time In The
Sun”. For the last one I should probably go old school with it and
pick “Happiness Happening”. It's not really my modern style but
it's still kind of got that Lange feel to it.
The second Reddit question comes from the user Permaphrost: Where
do you draw your inspiration from?
Unfortunately I cannot make music when I just feel like it
so sometimes you have to force yourself to make music. But I do draw
on stored up influences from my travels and just generally have ideas
from things I see. It might be a news article or a track that someone
has done that's given me a real good idea to do something else.
Unfortunately it has to be channelled back to the time I got back in
the studio which isn't always that much in some weeks.
Do you create tracks on the go or do you have to be in your studio
to make them?
I still don't create tracks on the go. To be honest with
you most of the time I've got sufficient amount of work, mixes, and
radio shows to do and stuff. So I actually don't have that much time.
I tend to come back to my home base in Oxford in the UK so I'm not
away months at a time like some other DJs. But I tend to come back
when I can to spend time with my wife and be in the studio where it
is easier to produce.
"Trance is one of those
genres that people like to bash or say that it's dying out. In part
of that is because we have such a passionate following."
How do you view the overall state of trance music in 2013?
I think it's still pretty healthy. Trance is one of those
genres that people like to bash or say that it's dying out. In part
of that is because we have such a passionate following. The music at
the moment is kind of shifting over the last 5-6 years. But that's
just taking influence from other genres and to be honest with you it
would be very boring if we just kept on doing the same old 138 bpm
kind of tracks. Trance is healthy and I even think the EDM explosion
in America is really a positive thing even though there is obviously
a big commercial kind of tip to it. I think it's a good thing as it
kind of brings people in and if they delved deeper and find some of
the smaller genres underneath.
What do you think of the new trend of blending more big room
sounds into trance?
I've got no issue with bringing in some of the more big
room stuff in but if you play one track after another with sirens and
big snares it just starts to get a bit boring. There is a lot of
extra power being added with a big room edge and I do love that but
every now and again I think you should kind of shift away from that a
little bit. There is nothing wrong with it but I think the main issue
I have with any kind of fashion like this is that everybody jumps on
it and you do have a promo box full of generic copies and that's when
it gets irritating. But I'm open to anything just as long as it's
good quality.
In a recent interview Armin Van Buuren defined trance as
“everything from 122 to 138 bpm” - Do you share the same opinion?
Totally. What the hell, let's define it all the way up to
140. I play stuff regularly in my sets that are from 126 bpm to 138
in the same 2-3 hour set. It keeps it exciting. I've never varied bpm
as much in my sets as I do these days. And you know, why not?
How do you plan your live sets? Do you come in with an idea of
ramping up the bpm's to a 136-138 level like Armin Van Buuren has so
famously done in recent live sets?
I don't religiously do it that way. Sometimes I will come
in a bit faster or a bit harder as it depends what gig it is or who
was playing before. I do preparation before I go to the event
obviously, I fill the USB drive with stuff and put it in a rough
order that's going to allow me to work through it. But that normally
goes out the window when I do actually start. Tempo often varies
throughout; I speed up, then I go back down again, and speed up again
towards the end, there's usually that little bump as I don't usually
go in a straight line.
"Personally I feel if a record can rock at 132 bpm then all the
better. Get's a bit more groove in there!"
What are your thoughts on the “Who's Afraid of 138?” movement
in trance music?
There are people very passionate about the 138 thing.
Personally I feel if a record can rock at 132 bpm then all the
better. Get's a bit more groove in there! Nothing against 138 either
though as I've made a load of 138 in my time and I got close recently
with a record at 136 bpm. I wouldn't want to play a whole set at 138
as I like to mix it up and go down to have that groovier stuff. I
have nothing against these individual sub genres of trance but I
personally like to cross the board and keep it interesting.
You are set to perform at Tomorrowland with a back-to-back set
with Andy Moor, are you excited?
Very. I've played Tomorrowland before for the Trance Addict
stage and it was brilliant. The buzz this year is just insane. I
think it was those videos that went worldwide from last year; it
looked amazing. Everywhere I go everybody is talking about
Tomorrowland. Really excited about that.
Have you performed a lot of B2B sets with Andy Moor in the past
and do you have any plans in terms of future sets with Andy this
year?
We've got several this year. We've been doing it since New
Years Eve in San Francisco at the Oracle Arena where we had around
14,000 to 15,000 people there. We had an amazing time. We've done
around 3 shows now. We have other shows planned, we've got
Tomorrowland, and Global Gathering in the same weekend. We're also
playing at SW4 in the UK. We're mainly doing festival stuff which is
obviously a great time to have a bit of fun doing back to back sets.
Have you ever thought of making the duo official like Markus
Schulz and Ferry Corsten have done with New World Punx?
No, we haven't really thought that we need to go down that
road with it. It's been a lot of fun, but we probably won't do it for
an extended period, something like 6-12 months.
What are 3 up and coming producers in the trance world that we
should be looking out for this year?
Alex Larichev from Russia, Noah Neiman, who is also from my
label. I would probably go for someone like Tomas Heredia who is
really making a name for himself at the moment.
Besides the new album and the compilation for the Ministry of
Sound, what else can we expect from Lange for the rest of 2013?
We'll be doing something special for Intercity 150 to
celebrate as the radio show will be 5 years old. Plans are being
made, but I haven't had a massive amount of time to put into that at
the moment because I've been so busy.
