12/05/2019
Recently, we interviewed the trance legend Above&Beyond in China,talk about their lives of music and their inspirations.
1.This year is the 8th anniversary of Sun & Moon. It’s one of the must play tracks in your sets and it always has such an affect on the crowd. Did you think about this effect before you made the song? And why do you choose this song for Push the Botton? Please tell us more about this song.
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When writing music we tend to try and get absorbed in a creative world rather than thinking too much about the outcome.
Sun & Moon was written as a ballad, and then later the dance version came, though not all of our songs come about that way - some are straight dance tracks.
While we always believed in the original song, I think it was once we had made the dance version that we knew we had something special on our hands. During the production the aim was to mix elements of trance, house and techno to make something unique and hopefully reasonably timeless.
“Push the button” became a thing when in San Diego (I think) Tony spontaneously asked someone to trigger the big riff moment during the set. It later became a regular part of our shows.
We use this and certain other songs for push the button, as the structure of the song allows for it, and it’s one of the peaks of our set.
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2.What role does your culture background play in your production?
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For me, I think living in London has a big impact as I feel as though I’m always surrounded by interesting culture and art. London is a real melting pot, and personally I aim to have quite a diverse range of influences and ideas in our music, rather than drawing from one influence or style only.
There is an interesting mix of “rough and ready” and perfectionism present in the British and specifically London culture that feeds into my music.
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3. As we can all see, you always work with certain vocalists like Zoe Johnston, Alex Vargas and Marty Lonstaff. How do you choose the right vocal sound and what's the reason you choose these vocalists?
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We try and choose vocalists who have some kind of unique identity, and are perhaps less interested in working with those who have worked with too many artists. There is no set method in choosing vocalists, and we are always open to hear new and exciting talent.
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4. Is there any Chinese element you would like to put in your production?
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I particularly like some of the percussion from China, so that could be interesting, I think!
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5. What’s your opinion on the concept of “trance 3.0”? What do you think the future of trance looks like?
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I’m not sure if there is a concept of trance 3.0. These labels are more for end users to make some kind of sense of things than for the creators. When I have mentioned Trance 3.0 I have said it in jest!
I think the mistake many make is seeing shifts as sudden changes, when in reality there is a constant evolution or change in music rather than some kind of conscious decision or grand design, per say. That said, every now and then a record comes along that changes the game and makes a bit of a statement somehow, and people tend to listen up!
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6.Do you have plans for another acoustic show? We all liked it a lot and want to see it again!
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Good to hear you liked it a lot, and it’s definitely something we’d love to do again, and while I cannot say for sure about future shows, we are enjoying making some new acoustic material, at least.
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7. If there is any disagreements between the three of you, how do you resolve it?
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That’s a good question, and the answer is yes, of course! It’s not always easy to resolve differences, yet perhaps it’s these very differences that make a band.
I think the main thing is that if one member has a particularly strong vision for a song or production route, then that needs to be seen through to completion rather than compromised too much along the way or diluted.
That’s probably how we generally resolve disagreements. No method is perfect, but there’s always the next song to work on in a different way.
There also has to be a degree of acceptance that when you’re in a group, you may not love every single thing you release as well. Letting go is a big part of resolving these common problems or it could become dysfunctional.
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8.Do you have any stories about the production of “Show me Love” with Armin van Buuren?
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Armin & I discussed that it was a bit mad that we’d never collaborated, so we made it happen! It was great working with Armin - he’s an extremely driven guy, and was a brilliant collaborator with strong work ethic and good spirit!
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9.Please reveal a bit to us about ABGT 350.
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The date and location has been announced as 11th October in Prague, and the show is already fully sold out, so I guess we’ll have to start thinking about ABGT 400!
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Thank you for watching. Welcome to share with us.❤️🧡💛💚💙💜