Hello Steve! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview for TrancePodium!

How are things right now, and what have you been up to recently?

Things are just brilliant right now, thanks. The past 6 months or so have been spent preparing for Night Music Volume 2, the new single 'Waiting Here For You' and everything that accompanies these projects, from the tour, artwork, website and promotion. I'm very much 'hands on' in all aspects of the production, so things have been pretty hectic round here.


The follow up to your debut compilation "Night Music" will see its release on June 25th. Could you tell us what can we expect from it?

Sure. The concept of Night Music is to showcase the music I play out as a DJ. Disc 1 is really the very latest, upfront music that I've been able to get my hands on. It starts off with the new single, which is quite laid back by my usual standards, and progresses through pretty much every sub genre of trance imaginable before reaching the killer peaktime anthems that have had such devastating effect in my sets of late.

Disc 2 looks back over the past 12 months and contains some of the biggest tracks that have dominated my sets. I started out with a list of 30 records that I wanted to include here, but half had to be dropped in order to create a cohesive mix that evolves and demonstrates the different styles I play. If you're looking for 1 sound-alike track after another, then Night Music isn't for you. Instead, I approached the track selection in such a way that the flow of the album is more akin to an artist album. There are twists and turns on the way, and each track will put you in a different place mentally and emotionally.


How long have you been working on the compilation?

The project has been ongoing for around 6 months, but the final track selections came together in the last 3 weeks.


You are also starting a "Night Music 2" world tour. Tell us something more about it.

Here's where I get to take my sound on the road and play to the people that really matter - the fans. The tour started off in fine style last weekend, with dates in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Tim Stark (who helps run Adjusted) came out for the weekend, as did Aruna who's featured on the new single. If you want to read more about what we got up to, head over to www.myspace.com/arunabeats where Aruna has blogged the weekend's shenanigans!


What are the places you are most looking forward to visiting?

To be honest, I think I'm addicted to the rush that I get when I play out, so I'm looking forward to every 'hit'! There are some new places that I haven't visited on the tour - Guatemala and Argentina, for example - which I'm really excited about.


Are you planning to release more Night Music compilations in the future?

Oh totally. The concept is set, but the music is always changing. So long as I keep the passion for the music, there'll always be another volume lurking round the corner.


What kind of equipment and software do you use to produce music?

I come from a production background, so I have a fully kitted out studio with a bunch of synthesizers (real and virtual), some juicy outboard compressors and stuff like that. I use Cubase as my core software, which
I've been using since its inception some 18 years ago. Thing have progressed at such a pace I can barely keep up, but that just makes the ride even more exciting. For those that are more interested in production side of things, I have a production forum on my website where I talk more about my gear and techniques. You can find it at www.thethrillseekers.co.uk


Looking back on your long career, what were the highlights for you?

There are so many I hardly know where to begin. Playing for Paul Van Dyk at the Casino ranks pretty high, not to mention having a Paul Van Dyk remix of my track, Synaesthesia. Prior to Synaesthesia I worked alongside Trevor Horn in Sarm West Studios in London where I was fortunate enough to play on the piano that Bohemian Rhapsody was record on. That was off the chart. More recently I've played 4 hour sets across the globe to 10s of thousands of people. Every moment is so special to me.


How do you think things have changed since you first got involved in dance music? Do you think it is easier or harder to break into the music scene now?

It's never been easy to break into the scene, though I do believe it's harder these days simply because there's less money around. Labels can't afford to pay big bucks for remixes anymore, so it's harder for new producers to dedicate the time needed to production as they're having to hold down 9 to 5 jobs at the same time. However, I'm a firm believer that the cream will always rise to the top, so those with the talent and dedication will always succeed.


What do you think about the actual trance music scene and the future of it?

If you'd have asked me this question 2 years ago my answer would be pretty negative. The scene became stale and very little new, interesting music was coming through. Right now, however, I'm really excited about the future of trance as we've almost come full circle since the 99 trance boom. There's so much good music around right now I hardly know where to begin when I start one of my DJ sets. So, I'd say the future is very rosy indeed.


Your new single "Waiting Here For You" will be released in July. Can we expect an artist album from The Thrillseekers in the near future?

Absolutely. I've been writing tracks for my album over the past twelve months and have some great collaboration in the pipeline. I'm really looking forward to getting back in the studio to move things forward. In fact, I've never been so excited.


Thank you for doing the interview, and good luck!

It's been my pleasure. Thanks to you and all your readers.