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1. Now that Tri-State has been released worldwide, when will be seeing the much anticipated Oceanlab album?
The Oceanlab album, we’re just starting work on that at the moment. I mean we got really nice instrumental tracks that we’re gonna work on with Justine in the next few months. She’s really excited about them too. We’ve also got Sirens of the Sea off the album which you may have heard? Yeah, I mean that’s just taken absolutely ages to get out. For various reasons, problems of labels, internationally and all sorts. And us spending too long on the track as we sometimes do! That’s another track that was written, God it’s got to be at least three years ago. We came up this sort of backing track for that. We gave it to Justine and she wrote a vocal with us on it. I mean I think it’s a really beautiful vocal on that record. But the album is gonna be out early next year, hopefully. I think we’ll manage to meet that deadline because we’ve already got some really good stuff in the works for that. But you won’t be hearing any of that just yet, but if you’re lucky, you just might hear Sirens of the Sea.
2. Is it safe to assume that Justine Suissa will be the only vocalist on the Oceanlab album?
Oh yeah, absolutely. Oceanlab is a project with Above & Beyond and Justine, that’s the way to look it. Justine is more of the focus on Oceanlab and we’re kind of taking a more back seat producer role.
3. Do you plan on producing more down tempo/chilled/progressive tracks for the Oceanlab album along the same lines as Tri-State?
I’m not 100% sure to be perfectly honest yet. We haven’t taken the proper direction yet. We’ve got a lot of demos that we’re working on, but nothing really “progressivey” yet. One of the tracks is slight more chilled out but it’s still very melodic trance. It’ll probably be a little more pumping than the Tri-State album in places. But I’m sure we’ll do a couple of chill out tracks with Justine because her voice lends itself to that kind of sound you see. Yeah, it would be perfect. We should get on and do it!
4. Will you be creating a pod cast for the release of the Oceanlab album?
I didn’t think we would do that but, that’s actually damn good idea! We probably will now yeah!
Production questions
5. Do you still have the web page with the motivational trainer on it from which you derived the name, Above & Beyond??
That’s an interesting one! When I was at university, I typed my name into a search engine years ago and there was a motivational speaker in America. I can’t remember his name, no wait! His name was Jono Grant of course! Yeah, that’s how I found him! And the top of this page, on the internet, the title said “Above & Beyond”. And I printed this out, as you do when you’re at university, you print out funny things and stick them on the wall. I had it on my wall and we were in the studio with Tony working on this Above & Beyond club mix of Chakra’s - Home. And we needed a name for the remix. So Tony looked at the wall and said, “Above & Beyond!” because that was what was on the wall! It’s as simple as that! And it really suited what we were doing especially with Tony at the time who was working at Warner Records. So he was kind of working in the day at Warner Records and doing remixes and productions with us in the evenings. So he was kind of working above and beyond all expectations. He was going above and beyond the call of duty you see. So yeah, it really suited what we were doing and the sound of our record was quite big and expansive. It just seemed to fit really.
That’s really nice that you say that because with the Anjunabeats label that’s the way we try and run it. We try and see it as you know we’re trying to make a product so that people will buy without hearing it first. It sounds strange because it’s music. Obviously, in the internet age, that’s not so necessary to do that because people can preview the record. When we started doing this, it was 12” records in record shops. Just people to be able to buy a record without hearing it would obviously be a good thing for a company…things have changed now anyway!
6. For those that may not know, who do we have to thank, for what parts, that create the Above & Beyond sound?
Tony is an amazing lyric writer and songwriter in general. Me and Paavo concentrate more on the music and the production side of things so that’s kind of how the team works. And I think that’s why it works because we all contribute something slightly different “into the mix” so to speak. It’s kind of a melting pot of three talented people, if I can count myself in there! The other two guys are very talented of course!
The first time I heard your music was surprisingly from your Blu Remix of Victoria Newton’s – Martha’s Harbour from 1999.
You know absolutely everything don’t you! I mean that was seven years ago!
7. Do you plan on using Victoria Newton’s vocals on any upcoming Above & Beyond material or another guise perhaps?
To be honest, I’m not in contact with her anymore. I think she’s got a great voice! We did do a couple of tracks, I did a track for her album, but unfortunately the record company went bust! So we were unable to use it in the end. Which was a shame because it was kind of a nice track, but it wasn’t trance.
8. I was shocked when I first discovered that it was Tony McGuiness who was behind the first brief of Ferry Corsten’s now classic remix of Barber’s Adagio. Are there are any other tracks out there that you, Tony or Paavo have been partly responsible for?
Tony actually A & R’d that. I think you know it all! They all should be on discogs.
9. What do you different when you record as Dirt Devils vs Above & Beyond?
We’re not doing any records as the Dirt Devils at the moment. But Dirt Devils was something that started fun. It wasn’t intended to be a big commercial project. But the record ended up going in at Number 16 in the UK charts. Which was great! It’s always great when that happens. I met up with Paavo on a Sunday and we’d be in the clubs the night before, we just came up with The Drill. It was just literally fun. Then we thought, “We’ll release this record!” this kind of music is big at the moment. We released it then Radio 1 picked up on it and the rest is history! It was just a fun project, but the approach for that is slightly different in that it’s slightly harder, more quirky music. Above & Beyond is a bit more serious, a bit more, obviously emotional. Then there’s Oceanlab with Justine Suissa. So they all got a slightly different sort of set of values in the running.
10. What are your thoughts and feelings toward the comments recently made by Tony regarding Tiesto?
I didn’t know he said that! If you’re really busy working around the world you need to produce with other people. That’s the benefit of having three people in Above & Beyond is that while two of us are DJing, another one can be working in the studio. We don’t tend to work in the studio on the weekends so much. We tend to DJ on the weekends. Having a weekend on and a weekend off, there is certainly a benefit to having three people. And I suppose if you’re Tiesto you’ve got to work with other people sometimes. I don’t know if he does or not. I don’t know if Tony knows something that I don’t! As far as the lyrical content, I think we have a slight advantage obviously with English being our native language. Because if you’re Dutch, it’s harder to write a really meaningful song in the language which isn’t your native language. I think we do have an instant advantage over Dutch producers, when it comes to vocal records. Not instrumental records, but with vocals, being English, it helps. Don’t know if there’s anything more to comment on Tony’s controversial comments there!
11. What was it about your Japan trip in 2003 that made you “rethink everything?”
Because of the culture. The culture is so different. It makes you rethink about all your values as a person. You realize that the Western way of thinking isn’t necessarily the only way. Just down to little strange customs like you’re not supposed to place a business card in your pocket with your wallet after you’ve had a conversation with someone because that means the card is going in with all your other rubbish as they see it. You’re supposed to place the business card in the top pocket of your shirt if you have one. Or alternatively, leave it out on the table while you’re having dinner or a drink and wait til the end of the meeting, then put it away. Little customs like that make you rethink the way you’ve been brought up and what your values are. What you understand is right and wrong. What you understand is normal. For example, you’ll be taken for dinner. They’ll say, “We’re going to take you out to dinner. We’re going to discuss remixing a particular artist.” And then, they won’t talk about it the whole dinner. You’ll think, “Well, why aren’t they talking about this?” And then, what will happen is that you’ll go to a bar. Then, they’ll start talking business. So it’s just strange ways of doing things over there. It’s just kind of a culture shock really!
12. Is there a place that you would like to perform that you have not yet gotten the opportunity to do so as of yet? Why would you like to play there?
I’d like to do more gigs on the beach actually. Just somewhere reasonably warm doesn’t have to be extremely hot. I’d like to do more gigs outdoors. I’d like to play in India because the name Anjunabeats came from Anjuna Beach in Goa. So I guess at some point, it would be great to gig out there. I don’t know how much of a scene there is at the moment out there. But it would be an amazing place to go seeing as that’s where the inspiration for the name of the label came from.
13. Who would like to work with that you have yet to have the opportunity to do so?
That’s a difficult question actually. Interest wise, I would have to say New Order, the Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode; those sorts of acts. It would be nice to remix them. I don’t think a remix of the Pet Shop Boys would be right for us. Just because the vocal would do to our music, but influences wise it was a big influence. Maybe a remix of Depeche Mode, that would be a nice thing to do. Generally, we’re not really interested in remixing other dance artists so much these days. We’d rather remix a band, you know, like to remix Coldplay someone like that would be good. But then, I wouldn’t say Coldplay purely because there has been so many Coldplay bootlegs. I think that whole thing is a bit tired now. Radiohead would have been a great band to do for example.
14. That was my next question! What Radiohead track would you like to remix if given the opportunity?
All the good ones have been done to be honest! I don’t know! I can’t answer that one!
Part 3 coming Monday.
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ABOVE & BEYOND interview...this is good stuff!
