DJ Interviews

Welcome to the interview section.This part of the forum is dedicated to interviewing dj`s and producers from around the world,personalities of the past/present/future trance scene,persons who made a difference or who managed to keep in touch with the origins of trance music even in hard times.
As a disclaimer,this sub-forum`s sole purpose is to bring fans closer to their favourite dj`s,offer them different sides of those who make the music they love and maybe give something in return as a sign of thanksgiving.The forum board has no financial or any other interest type in participating in such an action.All we do here is strictly for the fans and maybe a popularity booster for those who participate here.Enjoy

Jezper was born the 27th of august 1980 as Jezper Joakim Söderlund., son of a swedish father and finnish mother.In 1994 while visiting his relatives in Finland, a cousin introduced him to a music production software called Screamtracker. Jezper was so intrigued with this piece of software that he convinced his cousin to make a floppy disk copy of the software to bring with him home.This was the start point for the one we would get to know as Rah,Ozone,Inner State and many others but the most powerful impact he will have upon trance fans will by under the alias of Airbase.
His persistent epic sound which can be found in every track he produces or remixes never dissapeares thus continuing to bring us,the listeners,quality music at the cost of his own effort and satisfaction.Songs like Medusa,Genie,Tangerine or powerful remixes of songs like Jamaster A - Bells of Tiananmen,Leon Bolier - YE rocked both the radio waves and the dance floors giving it`s listeners a constant infusion of adrenaline.

On the following i will post an interview taken from Airbase,interview which contains a small set of 10 questions which he choose to answer and in the ending a couple of words for our board-leaders and forum-leaders.

Exhale: How has 2009 been for you so far?
Airbase: Hey man. 2009 has been both busy and calm. DJ wise, I haven't done a single gig yet. Since my decision last year to quit my job the first of june 2009, I've really spent a lot of time producing new music so I have something to show for once I'm there. So that's keeping me very busy.
Exhale: What is your impression concerning this year`s Trance Energy event(line-up,performance etc)?
Airbase: I don't know, I didn't go to this years Trance Energy. I was there last year, and it was mighty awesome!
Exhale: Do you agree with this year`s top 3 dj`s considering that they actually suffered some changes in their style?
Airbase:I don't know. Change is mostly good. Every producer aspires to evolve their sound and sometimes fans can be a little to happy about the past. But mostly, I think the real fans will hear that unique stuff they originally loved with their favorite artists also in their new material. Change takes some time.
Exhale: Do you think that people are forgeting the true nature and sound of trance and that actually many of them are confusing certain genres with trance?
Airbase:Genres has always been confusing. Especially with all the different labels there is by dance music and even more these days, when a lot of stuff are cross-genre. People haven't forgotten, but like with other producers I believe dance music also has to evolve. It's just natural.
Exhale:What was the best performance so far(crowd,atmosphere,songs played..etc)?
Airbase:I had amazing performances last year, so one of them. I'd probably say Royal Highland Centre in Scotland, when I played after Tiesto. That crowd was absolutely mental. I've never seen such an excited audience. The place was cool, the rig was awesome and the atmosphere was just great. But I also need to mention the gigs at Privilegie at Ibiza and Mysteryland in Holland. Completely bonkers, loved it all!
Exhale:Whats that one place where you want the most to perform and why?
Airbase:I've never been to Love Parade. I hopefully get to play there one day.
Exhale:What is your all-time favourite song/remix and how did it influence you in your career?
Airbase:My all time favorite trance track is Gouryella - Tenshi, but the song that brought my attention to this form of dance music was when the old track RMB - Matisse. It's not really trance, but the album RMB - This World Is Yours, that I somehow found in a Swedish record store in 1994 was what really got me in to this game.
Exhale:With who would you like to perform a back-to-back and why?
Airbase:Tiesto's a great guy with great energy. His knowledge of trance music is immense, I'd love to do a back-to-back with him!
Exhale:Have you any new productions in store for us?
Airbase:As mentioned earlier, I've spent a lot of time producing lately so there's stuff going on. First out (very soon) is Airbase feat. Floria Ambra - Interfere, with remixes from Menno De Jong, Kimito Lopez and Orjan Nilsen. Then there's a new track called Airbase - Back, coming out on Blackhole this spring. It will come with a great remix. By who is still a secret. And third, I'm currently working on a new Airbase feat. Floria Ambra track that will be finished any day now. Don't know where or when it will be released yet though, it's still too early to tell.
Exhale:While mixing and/or producing music,do you have a certain goal meaning that you hope for that song/remix to go somewhere or you just let your passion do the work?
Airbase:I just begin from scratch, trying to make a rock solid trance beat, then I build it up with melodies and sounds I like. I always try to keep "will it work on a dance floor" in my head as well. I never know how things are gonna sound until I'm finished :)
Exhale:The song entitled Rest in Peace is dedicated to someone you knew or that`s just a name you thought up?
Airbase:I always wanted to name a track Rest In Pieces, a quite sinister title. I had that name in mind when making this track, but as it didn't turn out very sinister, I thought I'd just adjust the name to something more sad and peaceful. So no, no one died.

And to all the board members, thanks for your support. See you around the globe this year and be sure to check out my new material coming out soon. I'm sure you wont be disappointed! Take care!



End of interview

The bio was taken from Jezper`s homepage: airbasemusic.com. For more info do not hesitate to visit the url specified above.I wish to thank Jezper S___246;derlund for his time and for answering our questions.In behalf of all our team we wish you good-luck in your career and may the passion never end.

Trance Community Staff

[CHRIS]

excellent stuff exhale. huge thanks to yourself and Airbase. :)

[SiGnum]

`hope he never rest :D :p
good job. :D

[vincy]

great job exhale mate :D brill stuff, big thanks too you and airbase cheers lads :D

Thanks mate:).It`s been my pleasure

[carebox]

great stuff! Just think that spaces between the questions and answers would be nice, hard to read from time to time :) Good work! PUT IT ON FRONT PAGE!

I thought that if i`ll use spaces than i won`t fit the interview in one layer.Wanted to avoid posting 2 times for the interview:)..i`ll keep that in mind though for further ones.Cheers

[djdoubled2008]

good work man well done,cant wait for the gibbons interview on friday

[dj_jaja]

good stuff mate! can't wait if motionmigs gets to interview andy moor!

man, i totally want to see a Above & Beyond interview now... haha

[Ghost]

wow ! good work my man !

[freeman]

Amazing stuff!

[djdoubled2008]

Following his inauspicious beginnings DJ'ing at school discos and 21st birthday parties, John Gibbons' rise has been meteoric - fast-tracking his way into the public consciousness with his distinctive stage-presence and high-energy performances, and making a name as arguably Ireland's hottest young property on the international dance scene. Currently tagged as "Irelands hardest-working DJ"*, Club Educate head-honcho John has headlined the vast majority of Irish clubs including PoD, Red Box, Temple Theatre, Radisson, Enigma, Rapture, Foundry, Tripod, runs the hugely successful Vivid Vinyl tour nationwide, plays regularly in Europe, the US, Asia and South America and has made numerous TV appearances for stations such as MTV, VIVA TV Europe and 4FUN TV Poland. Gibbons currently holds down residencies for Godskitchen Ireland, AI @ Lamouche (France), Flesh For Fantasy @ Ruder (Berlin), Letrik Ireland, Paradise (London), Fuse (Madrid) and the Pornoground World Tour among others.

International press credits to date include DJ magazine, I-DJ magazine, M8 magazine, Mixmag, BBM, Bassline, USDJmag, Remix and full national exposure.

John Gibbons dates:

Blog

[djdoubled2008]

Interview:

Dan Daly:
How has 2009 been for you so far?

John Gibbons:
It's been a great year so far. In terms of gigs my diary is packed right up until October already and productions have been going really well with international support from all the A-List DJ's.

Dan Daly:
Sounds great, do you feel that the recession is affecting the dance scene at the moment?

John Gibbons:
I think it's led to a tightening of certain people's belts but it hasn't had a s dramatic effect as on the regular bar-scene or commercial nightclub scene. I think this is because dance-music caters for a specific niche market as opposed to more casual party-goers and promoters tend to run their nights as 'events' in order to create more hype. As a result clubbers tend to make more of an effort and after all, it's not every night people get a chance to hear dance music in a club environment so I think the industry, while not recession-proof, is better equipped to weather the storm than other forms of club-based entertainment.

Dan Daly:
And how do you think the Irish dance scene is going at the moment?

John Gibbons:
I think it's in a good state. There's currently an abundance of nights all over the country catering for many different styles. One worry I had was that in the current economic climate, smaller nights might start to fall by the wayside but that doesn't seem to be the case at all. Smaller nights are flourishing nationwide and this is great because while the big brands and large-scale events are extremely important as a show-case for Irish clubbing, the smaller nights are the life-blood of the scene. I'm delighted that people are continuing to support them.

Dan Daly:
Who were your inspirations growing up as a young budding dj?

John Gibbons:
My first hero was Mark Kavanagh. I remember listening to old tapes of his live-sets when I was really young and I just couldn't get enough! I became a huge fan of Tony de Vit too as well as a lot of the Global Underground DJ's such as Sasha, Digweed and Nick Warren. I also looked up to Corvin Dalek hugely and was a massive admirer of his 'think outside the box' attitude and determination to push new boundaries in dance music. Mark was definitely the first major influence on me though and he continues to be - he's been a massive support to my career and I've a huge amount to be thankful to him for.

Dan Daly:
When do you feel you first hit it big as both a dj and producer?

John Gibbons:
It's very hard to put a finger on a specific time because it's been a very gradual process for me as a DJ and I still feel I have a distance to travel. I'm very ambitious and as a result am always looking to move things to the next stage in my career so it's difficult for me to see myself in those terms. I think a big break for me was teaming up with Corvin Dalek for his Pornoground World Tour a few years back. It was my first experience of international DJing and allowed me a foot in the door of a lot of regions - particularly Eastern Europe and South America. He also introduced me to Mark Reeder who signed me to MFS in Germany and Mark has been a massive influence on shaping my career also. In terms of production, I think the release of Beautiful Filth was the breakthrough moment where a lot of people started to sit up and take notice. The best is still to come though!

Dan Daly:
We look forward to seeing that happen, If you cold pick the number one dj in the world who would it be? Who would get the top spot?

John Gibbons:
That's a really tough question. I think in terms of pure turntable ability on stage James Zabiela would be my number one. Marco V is currently my favorite though!

Dan Daly:
Is there anywhere in the world (Club wise) you'd like to play that you haven’t played yet?

John Gibbons:
Oh plenty of places! I'd love to play in Japan - it looks like an amazing country and I've heard brilliant things about some of the clubs over there. Russia is another place I'd love to play. I've had a couple of booking there that was cancelled in the past so I'm itching to put that right!

Dan Daly:
So John have you any production in store for all your fans around the world?

John Gibbons:
There's loads of stuff in the pipeline. Maktub is coming out next month on myself and Scimon Tist’s new Club Educate label and that will be followed by Yesterday's Children on Bonzai. Then Tactics is penciled in for a June release. We're working on a lot of remixes for various artists at the moment too so it's gonna be a very busy time with releases!

Dan Daly:
How do you feel when your tracks do so well?

John Gibbons:
It's an amazing feeling. My dream has always been to make music that other people would enjoy and to actually see that come to fruition is very special. There is no feeling in the world like standing in front of a crowd and watching them appreciate my music. It makes all the hard work worthwhile!

Dan Daly:
And finally John what would be your last three tunes to finish off a big set?

John Gibbons:
At the moment I'd go with John O'Callaghan ft. Jaren - Surreal (massive tune which will dominate trance this year), Sam Sharp - Roundabout (Sander is on fire at the moment) and Beautiful Filth (for obvious reasons!).
In fact I finished my gig in GPO on Tuesday with those three and the place went off big time!!

Dan Daly:
Sounds like everybody went home ecstatic; John thanks a million for the interview, good luck with Club Educate and with your future gigs.

John Gibbons:
Thanks a million Dan - really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you!

[djdoubled2008]

I would like to thank John for taking time out to participate in the interview. Bio was taken from Johns MySpace page. For more info regarding Johns gigs,radio shows and future releases please visit John Gibbons on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads
I on behalf of the TranceCommunity i would like to wish John the best of luck in the future and to keep the bass pumping!

Trance Community Staff

[CHRIS]

Much appreciated John and Dan. Keep Ireland pumping :)

[djdoubled2008]

Thanks alot Chris,enjoyed the interview very much,thanks for making the interview section.

One big hit from our elite Dan and the one and only John Gibbons.Bringing forth Ireland in the EDM/Trance scene is a good thing,showing that you don`t have to be dutch to create/mix quality music.Thanks for the interview to you both.Cheers mate