Want to fill your club? Here’s the answer…
Tony Mc Guinness, thank you for speaking to the DMC world. You are part of a huge trance resurgence as part of Above & Beyond with Jonathan Grant and Paavo Siljamaki which after the hard house years preceded the early Trance movement – which has now returned full force. The likes of Tiesto, Armin, Van Dyk, Ferry and yourselves have now established your style of music as the major runner in dance music. Who did you look up to in the music world growing up, what made you want to get into the Trance world?
“Hi Dan. I think when we started we admired the musicality of Chicane, the production finesse of Matt Darey and the epic clubbiness of Ferry Corsten. The early Above & Beyond sound was an amalgam of those three stems, with our own unique spin on top.”
It must be frustrating playing alongside such amazing DJs and artists and then having to zoom off to another gig and not witnessing other people’s talents?
“To be honest, you get such little time at festivals and clubs to listen to other people. The only people we get to hear are maybe the stage manager shouting “five minutes left!!!!”
What are the big 10 Tunes in your box at the moment?
Our new remix of ‘Tonight’ by Dirty Vegas
Josh Gabriel presents Winter Kills ‘Deep Down’
Carl B & Static Blue ‘Sunstruck” (JPL Remix)
Matan Zohar ‘First Glance’
Super8 & Tab ‘Irufushi’
Mat Zo ’24 Hours
Lange & Andy Moor ‘Stadium Four’
Cold Blue ‘Fever’
Ilya Soloviev ‘Universal Universe’
Ronski Speed ‘Are You? (Dub Mix).
Why do you think the Trance movement has remained at the forefront of dance music for the past 20 years – hard house for instance had a barren period, drum n’ bass came and went and has now come back as proper Jungle, Techno had it’s wilderness period – house was unpopular for a while but is now as popular as ever – hip hop has been as strong as ever always with R&B – Tiesto struck gold at the Olympics, two questions…why is Trance such a universal sound, and what DID you think about Tiesto playing at the Olympics?
“Trance is always really popular because it is so musical and emotional. You can’t expect people to remain interested in just a groove for very long, they need the full width of the musical experience to keep them interested and excited. That’s why there aren’t any bands in the charts who just play drums. It contains the whole spectrum of musical weapons, melody, harmony, dynamics, lyrics, narrative. It’s a bit unfair, really, as most other genres are made from leaving out one or more of these things. Tiesto playing at the Olympics was another example of what he’s been doing for the last few years, raising the bar for everyone else.”
When you get in the car after a gig at Gatecrasher, would you prefer to stick a Paul Van Dyk CD in your car CD player, or a bit Barry White?
“Neither actually! We used to listen to recorded podcasts of Russell Brand’s Radio 2 show or whoever’s on the radio at the time.”
Why did you call yourself Above and Beyond?
“It was the slogan of an American motivational trainer called Jono Grant – our own Jono Grant had his web page stuck to his bedroom wall and when we had to come up with a name for our first ever remix, that phrase jumped out at us. It kind of sums up what we are trying to do.”
What is the best trance tune ever made?
“Disco Citizens ‘Footprint’.
Who is the best DJ ever?
“I guess Jimmy Saville, as he invented the job in the first place.”
What is the best piece of production that has come out of the Above & Beyond studio?
“Maybe ‘Alone Tonight’. That’s certainly our biggest hit.”
Best club and best city you have played at?
“Amnesia in Ibiza – always a pleasure, city? Buenos Aires – amazing.”
What is your most embarrassing record you own?
“‘Want Love’ by Hysteric Ego. A long story.”
What is next from Above & Beyond?
“We’re currently in rehearsal for a live gig we’re doing in Beirut in July, we’ve just mixed a brand new ‘Trance Nation’ double CD for Ministry of Sound, ‘Anjunabeats’ Volume Seven is out in the Autumn and a new Above & Beyond album is in the works as well.”
