The superstar of trance returns to the studio after a busy summer of touring with new track ‘Stand In My Way’ out now on Armada. We grab some time with the main man to see what’s up in his world…
Interview by Dan Prince
Ruben a huge welcome to DMCWORLD…where on this crazy planet are you at the moment?
Thank you! I am in Belfast right now, doing a short tour in the UK this week!
Coolest piece of new music you have heard today?
The coolest piece of music is a bootleg I just created while being bored on the hotel room haha! If it is music from someone else but myself, I would say it’s a tune called Grommen by Estiva. Gnarly groovy stuff!
As we edge towards the new year you keep 2017 rocking thanks to your new dancefloor smash ‘Stand In My Way’. It’s a fine collaboration with Donata Kramarz, please talk us through the history of the release and the music created…
It might sound crazy, but this tune actually took me almost 2 years to finish. The origin of the melody I wrote 3 years ago. One year later I went into the studio with Donata and Matias Lehtola at a writers camp of my publisher Cloud9. We had 4 hours to work on music with the three of us, and somehow we managed to create two demo’s. The first one was release earlier this year as part of my ‘My Story’ album, ‘Open Wide’, and the second one is ‘Stand In My Way’. Donata is one of the most talented writers and singers that I know, and if you haven’t already make sure to check her main project: NOSOYO. Beautiful pop music! I’m still not sure why it took me so long to finish it, but I never thought any of the previous versions were good enough!
What is coming out next from you studio wise?
I am working on so much stuff at the moment, that I think everything that is being made now will be molded in a new album. I have several tunes together with the singer Cari, a new vocal tune with Louise Rademakers, a remix for Giuseppe Ottaviani and collabs coming up with Protoculture, Estiva, Rodg, Alexander Popov and Yoel Lewis. So much stuff!
What are the 3 big tunes in your box this weekend…
This weekend I will be playing the massive ASOT/Creamfields in Liverpool, so I have been trying to work on new music for that. The opening track that I made is together with Cari, I can’t wait to test that on a crowd of over 15.000 people over there! That one doesn’t have a title yet. The second one would be the FEEL remix of my new single with Donata, ‘Stand In My Way’. I played that one for the first time at the FSOE500 event at the Pyramids in Egypt. Picture a sunset with that tune while you have the mighty pyramids in the background…Goosebumps! Last not but not least is a mashup I just made of ‘Little Drummer’, which I made with my dear friend Rodg. I managed to put together that one with Above & Beyond’s ‘Northern Soul’.
The world adores you thanks to your music and of course starring role with Armin Van Buuren on the State of Trance events. Let’s rewind for a moment though, how old where you when trance first entered your ear space…and what did you think?
Haha, adore? Thank you for that! I hope so! I was about 15 when I got introduced to the sounds of trance. Back then it was guys like Tiesto, Johan Gielen and Armin that inspired me. Being able to work closely together with one of my heroes of the past is a true pleasure! I feel we are blessed that we can bring a 2 hour break of reality every week with A State of Trance for a lot of people.
When did the idea of a career in music first start to develop in your mind? What did your family think of this decision?
I rolled in it bit by bit. At first I was only working for my own label Statement!, handing out promos at festivals and DJ’ing at local events. Slowly but surely that hobby turned into a profession. I still can’t believe I can do all of this full time. My family is mega supportive in everything that I do luckily!
What was your first break into the industry?
With my productions it has to be the remix I did of ‘Mr. White’ by Marcus Schossow in 2007. That was the first tune I made that got supported by a big amount of DJ’s. After that I signed my deal with Armada and things really kicked off!
ADE was mental once again. What were your highlights this year?
The highlight was meeting so many promoters from around the world. Many of them became close friends throughout the years. It is funny to have them as a guest in your country instead of the other way around! Another highlight had to be the 15 hour radio marathon I did with Armin on Thursday! That was something else!
You starred at Armin’s Hi Ibiza residency this summer in Ibiza, the venue that now sits on the old Space sight. What were your thoughts on the new superclub, and how was Ibiza 2017?
My mind was blown after playing the first gig. Hi is by far the best club on the island, everything is just picture perfect. The sound system, the vibe, the stage, the crew are all fab. I got to play 4 sets this summer, and since it is the opening slot I played mega deep sets. The crowd in Ibiza is well up for that!
However much criticism Ibiza gets, it still remains the centre of the dance music world in the summer. How far back does your love affair with the island go and where are some of the places you like checking when you are not spinning?
In all honesty I have never spent more than 2 nights in a row on the island, so I am far from an expert. This year I stayed an extra day in between gigs, and that was the first time I had the chance to walk around the old town. I think it is a beautiful place, but there are more spectacular and nice places around the world where I enjoy to spend my time!
What are your aims/plans for 2018?
My aim is to bring another album. The release of ‘My Story’ and ‘TogetheRR’ (with Rodg) has really broadend my horizons. I enjoy making several styles in music, and an album truly allows that. You don’t need to deliver a dancefloor bomb single, 1 after the other, but you can also feature downtempo or techno tracks on there! Another aim is to expand and grow my streams. I video stream my studio work on twitch.tv/rubenderonde where I give the viewer an insight of what I am doing. I’m lucky to already have a steady amount of people that join me on those broadcast and together we form a nice community!
And finally…Christmas is around the corner. What do you hope Santa has in his sack for you this year…?
All I wish for is good health for everyone around me and that we can have another year like 2017!!
