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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Steve Allen Goes Beyond
Reported by Dean Zone
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Submitted 22-04-09 03:00
Steve Allen is a name that is fast becoming a cornerstone of the UK trance scene. With a hefty string of productions over the last few years on various labels, he’s been gathering support from just about every top trance jock you can think of. Dean Zone went in search of what the Excessive Pressure and Beyond label manager, producer and DJ had to say about Tiesto, Cascada and his love affair with Fruity Loops.
So Steve, how long have you been producing for and where did it all start? Did you have any music teachings from an early age at all, or was it all self taught?
I never liked music when growing up and I hated the subject at school, it just bored me! Then after listening to Judge Jules around 1999 on his weekend warm up shows I became hooked. From then I bought decks and started to DJ and it all began to happen as I started producing to play tracks in my sets that suited my own style. I have never been taught anything, everything I have learnt is self taught and that’s the way I like it!
I first began to notice your tracks when you were running Diverted records. How did it start for you before then and why did you leave?
It actually started when I sent my tracks to a little Italian label called Enoise. They really supported me when lots of other labels wouldn’t and they approached me to start my own label. I hooked up with Daniel Vale and launched Diverted under Enoise and things went from there. When I left Diverted, it was to focus on my own personal sound, which you can now mostly find out my own label, Excessive Pressure or occasionally on a label I manage for a friend of mine Beyond.
Have you ever been tempted to take any of your labels down the vinyl route at all?
No. I have never really been a vinyl junkie; I love the digital format and CDR’s. They are so much lighter than wax!
A lot of new talent have cut their teeth across your various labels. Who else can you see doing good things in the future, both on your labels and on others?
There are so many new talented producers out there, the one I tip for the top is defiantly Indecent Noise. He is an unbelievably good DJ and Producer and has a real future in the scene.
Pretty much every trance DJ I can name has backed your tunes at one point. What does it mean to you when Tiesto or Armin tells you that they’re supporting your tracks and do they do it themselves or do they get one of their flunkies to do it?
I have been quite lucky really, the support from these DJ’ is just unbelievable. Due to their busy schedules and time zones its often hard to deal direct, but the people who work for them are great people and deserve as much credit as the big boys.
With a back catalogue the size of yours, and considering the rate at which you produce tracks, have you ever considered an artists album, or is this something that you’re willing to wait on?
Not really, a lot of people don’t know that I actually engineer lots of tracks for other people. This is something I really enjoy, and these tracks have gone onto get massive support. Perhaps when I decide to stop engineering I might produce an artist album, but for now I just enjoy expanding the ideas of the people who come into my studio.
From first inspiration to final mastering, how long does it take you make an original tune on average?
Sometimes it can take a day to make a track, sometimes it can take four to six months. It all depends on the track and if it works.
What do you produce on, what hardware/software do you use and which one bit of kit do you swear by in the studio?
I’ve just moved into a new studio which is more software based. I personally use Fruity Loops, with a few virtual instruments thrown in for good measure. I don’t really have a favourite instrument, but I would say the V-Station is one of ones that feature most in my tracks.
More recently I have been hearing some very tech influenced tracks come out of your studio. Are your tastes changing or are you just experimenting?
Tech is something that has slowly crept into my sound since I decided to become a solo artist, and was one of the reasons behind my decision. I’ve always loved the techier aspects of trance, but I would never leave trance behind full stop. My tracks have to have trancier elements to keep me interested in them.
Your recent remix of Ralph Fridge – Angel was so bang on the money it was unreal. As a producer myself, and as I know there will be a lot of people also wanting to know, how exactly did you recreate the lead sound from the original, considering it’s about 10 years old now?
To be honest not many people have heard the remix. It’s a remix that I will only really be dropping in my live sets, but the people who have heard it have gone mad for it. As for recreating the lead, that’s a trade secret!
If you were offered a remix of something cheesy and commercial, say Cascada or Scooter, would you take it, or would you tell them where to stick it?
Well, if I was in a position to be approached to remix a commercial track, its not something I would frown upon. If I could do the track justice by remixing it in my own style, and have the freedom to do so, then it’s something I would consider.
London DJ sets for you seem to be quite rare. Is there a reason for this or is it because there just aren’t that many trance promotions in London anymore?
I’ve never really concentrated on my DJing career which is probably one reason why my sets in London may have been sparse, but this is something that will be changing this year.
The 414 is one of the most revered clubs in Brixton and indeed London. Have you ever been before, and what are you expecting?
No I have never been before but have heard great things about the venue and the best thing about being a DJ is experiencing new venues and crowds.
You’ll be making your debut at Magnetix on Friday 29th May at Club 414. What can our clubbers expect from you on the night and what is your party trick?
You can expect the typical “Steve Allen Sound” a lot of drive, with the usual mixture of tech and trance! As for my party trick, you’ve already mentioned it, my remix of Ralph Fridge – Angel!
Dean: Steve, thanks for you time, I’ll see you at Magnetix!
Photos courtesy of Steve Allen and Magnetix. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Magnetix
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On:
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Friday 29th May 2009
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At:
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CLUB 414 [map]
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From:
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22:00 - 06:00
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Cost:
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Tickets in Advance: £6
Guest list: £8 b4 12, £10 after
On the door: £10 b4 12, £12 after
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Website:
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www.magnetixuk.com
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Ticket Info:
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Tickets can be purchased through www.moreonthedoor.com or through www.dontstayin.com.
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More:
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As the days start getting longer, the mercury rises out of the minus degrees for seemingly the first time in ages and the fact that it doesn’t seem to be raining 24/7 can mean only one thing. It’s Spring, and nearly time for another fantastic Magnetix party!
With the events of our fantastic January party still fresh in our minds, we’d like to thank everyone who contributed and partied with us! And in case you missed it, as usual we took the liberty of recording the entire event, which can be exclusively downloaded or streamed from our brand spanking new website – www.magnetitux.com.
But enough of the past and on to the future, and we’re very proud to bring you all the info for our next event:
Magnetix @ Club 414 – Fri 29th May 09
One name that is sure to stir up excitement amongst psytrance lovers, producers, and DJ’s alike; all of whom eagerly anticipate his every release or live performance, is SINEWAVE. Currently riding high in the psychedelic scene here and abroad, his live act signed to Mutagen Records and releases on high profile labels such as Geomagnetic and Neurobiotic, he has been carving a reputation as one of the scenes most promising talents; whipping up a frenzy at The Waveform Festival, Wonky Disco and a host of big parties. SINEWAVE will be sure to bring his unique blend of heart throbbing basslines fused with hypnotic psychedelia, and leave Magnetix in a state of furore.
Not content with bringing the live talents of Sinewave down, we’ve also enlisted the help of Beyond/Excessive Pressure head honcho and all round rising Trance star Steve Allen, who will also be making his Magnetix debut. If being involved in the creation of 4 labels so far in his relatively short career is not enough, this mans productions have the backing of just about every superstar DJ there is in Trance. And when his tunes aren’t getting rinsed by the likes of Tiesto and Armin, he’s busy playing on the same bill as the Paul van Dyk’s too! But don’t take our word for it, check them out here: http://www.trackitdown.net/search/keyword?q=Steve+Allen&searchButton.x=0&searchButton.y=0
We’re also proud to present one of the recent winners from the Hard Dance Awards: Nick the Kid. After rightfully home the Regional Hero award, Nick has continued his relentless charge on the scene, with recent single “Enigma” charting in just about every download store worth mentioning as well as Radio 1 airplay, this is certainly one Kid to look out for in the future, and another making his 414 and Magnetix debut!
Finally we have Kito, our last guest for the evening. Kito has been rocking the underground scene with a multitude of parties such as Carnage, Oneness and Tribal Dance at the Medussa club for a while now. Kito is also no stranger to the 414, holding a residency at Spin as well as Fridge based Colours. A very versatile DJ who could easily fill any timeslot and still fit in with our strict music policy meant he was always going to feature for us at some point, the only question was when!
Backing up our strongest line up to date is the ever ready Magnetix residents, Phil Lankester aka Libra 9, Dean Zone and Andy Forse.
As per usual we’ll have 50 copies of the latest Magnetix Promo CD, with Vol. 6 this time being mixed by our very own Andy Forse. And remember, if you missed out on any of Volumes 1 – 5 then you can download them all, along with lots of live sets from the previous Magnetix events from our website, www.magnetixuk.com!
And for those of you who don’t want to go home come 06:00, the FREE Magnetix After Party will be running till very late, with Macloud, Kevster, Timmy Whiz and Lorenzo Barrero!
The Magnetix Promise:
Please note, we here at Magnetix are not content with just turning up, putting up set times, switching on the decks and playing some music. Oh no. It is our mission to give you, the clubber, a much more personal clubbing experience.
On the night we will be decking out Club 414 to the max.
Expect psychedelic décor, vinyl give aways, free mix cd’s courtesy of our special residents for the first 50 people through the door, a UV stall, free tickets to other events and lots more.
Couple that with the best chill out room of any club in London, dedicated club Photographers, a roof terrace for the smokers and of course, the legendary 414 café (what other club in London can you get a Cheese Toasty from?) and you’d be mad to miss out! We are also doing our best to support new talent and push new DJs. With a strictly any type of Trance music policy, we are always open to receiving demos. Just hand your demo in at the door when you arrive. All demos will be listened to by a member of the team and you will receive feedback.
Magnetix
Friday 29th May 2009
Sinewave (LIVE!)
Steve Allen
Nick the Kid
Kito
Phil Lankester aka Libra 9
Dean Zone
Andy Forse
Club 414
Coldharbour Lane
Brixton
London
SW9 8LF
MoreOnTheDoor: http://www.moreonthedoor.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=95&products_id=256
Paying Guest List: £8 before midnight, £10 after
OTD: £10 before midnight, £12 after
For guest list Email names to info@magnetixuk.com
RELATED WEBSITES:
www.magnetixuk.com Magnetix Home Site
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=17749549800&ref=ts Magnetix Facebook Group
http://www.myspace.com/djsinewave Sinewave MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/mutagenrecords Mutagen Records MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/steveallenofficial Steve Allen MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/djnickthekid Nick the Kid MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/_djkito_ Kito MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/djphillankester Phil Lankester aka Libra9 MySpace
www.libra9.com Phil Lankester aka Libra 9 Website
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=90718794 Dean Zone MySpace
TRANSPORT:
Tube = Brixton (Victoria Line)
Rail = Brixton mainline station
Buses = 2,3,35,37,45,59,109,118,133,159,196,250,322,333,345,355,415,432,P4,P5
Night buses = N2,N3,N35,37,N133,N159,250,689,690
londonbusroutes.net
www.magnetixuk.com
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Flyer:
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Other Features By Dean Zone:
Do You See Dead People? Dutch DJ/Producer The Sixth Sense gives an EXCLUSIVE interview ahead of his UK debut!
Are Chris & Matt Kidding?
Awards, Midget Waiters and Bin Raiding with Nick the Kid
Double Dutch - It's Showtek
Badgers, Monkeys, Mr. Bean and the UK's favourite Interracial back to back act?
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: Matt Strawberries on 22nd Apr 2009 17:07.49
Nice article Dean, looking forward to hearing Steve play out.
From: Dean Zone on 22nd Apr 2009 19:32.46
This guy is such a legend!
From: DJ Vale on 27th Apr 2009 19:11.33
You'll see me there...as well ;-)
From: Magnetix on 28th Apr 2009 12:37.09
Cant wait to have you down Steve!
From: Darz on 7th May 2009 18:51.07
Cool interview, he seems like a nice bloke.
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