He was recently involved in a remix of Ayumi Hamasaki's 'Naturally' under the Skipraiders guise, previously put out a superb chilled remix Evoke's 'Arms of Loren' under Tranquilo, and has also produced under Aquilia, Numatik, Funk Foundation and others. Here he talks to i:Vibes.

The latest offering from Japan was Ayumi Hamasaki's Ayu-Mix-4, which included a superb Skipraiders Remix of "Naturally", and 1/2 the team behind that is Steve Andrews, the man also behind numerous other guises including Aquilia (which put out the massive "Ancience" which had superb plays a couple years ago, Numatik, the more funkier US guise, as well as numerous others. Here, he gives us a little insight into his works and his views.

i:Vibes: Hi there Steve, For those readers who haven't heard of who you are, how about give them a little insight as to where you're from, and how you came into producing?

Steve Andrews: I’m from the South East of England and have been producing dance tracks for many years now. I started in the early Rave Scene as a DJ playing at many local all night events alongside the likes of many big names in today’s dance scene including Sasha / John Digweed (who was then, known as JD) and Carl Cox, Grooverider etc. I am still DJ’ing today but my main focus is on dance music production.

i:Vibes: Skipraiders was a production alias for Tim Ericson and production partner Sandy with their release of "Just Another Day" which made it onto Perfecto with Oakenfold smashing it to bits. What is the story of your involvement and how did you come to be part of Skipraiders?

Steve Andrews: I am a good friend of Tim’s and have written several funkier house tracks with him and he decided that he wanted me involved in a Skipraiders remix for Japan’s biggest selling artist “Ayu” which was released through Avex Records in Japan. We were asked to deliver a trance mix with crossover appeal which was a challenge for us as the vocals were all in Japanese. We also wanted to take the mix on a more progressive trance level but unfortunately they wanted something more commercial. I’m sure Tim will include me in more Skipraider projects in the near future but in the meantime I have many projects which need completing which is taking up much of my time.

i:Vibes: Your production background has been superbly diverse, under the various guises of Tranquilo, Skipraiders, and Funk Foundation. What does each guise represent and how would you describe each of the guises (Skipraiders, Funk Foundation, and Tranquilo) in terms of the sound and style? And are there more different guises to come in the near future?

Steve Andrews: Ha Ha..... you have missed out many more guises. I will list them and pin point the styles. Tranquilo is my chill out project / Funk Foundation is the funkier house style / Aquilia is my progressive house guise / Numatik is the more US house / Numatik Soul is West Coast (deeper house) / Lost Vegas is the tougher progressive sound with Matt Maurice / Holloway & Co is a joint project with DJ legend Nicky Holloway and Manumission Ibiza DJ Lucci. That is more towards the funky house edge again. Each project is developing in many ways and it is in my position to continue to develop them as they all fall under my music production company En Masse Productions.

i:Vibes: Whoops! I guess I missed a couple out! Anyway, you turned Evoke's "Arms of Loren" and Push's "Strange World" into truly different tracks. How was it like to remix some of the biggest tracks of the past year? and what remixes are to come??

Steve Andrews: I love the chill out sound as I was inspired by many fantastic sunsets in Ibiza over the last few years as my friend DJ Lucci used to play the sunset slot at Bar M (Manumission). It was great to remix both tracks into that style as they were both full on trance tracks and was a challenge to deliver a laid back remix of each. I am very happy with the end results but at the time I had limited equipment at home so I was struggling slightly with polished production tricks. Since then I have invested in a few more gadgets for my studio which will help me enormously. I have some more Tranquilo mixes on the way this summer and one of them is highly Top secret at the moment but all will be revealed this year.

i:Vibes: Skipraiders have only seen one retail release of the track Just Another Day, but yourself and Tim have been in the studio over the past couple of years writing new tracks and having a few run onto acetate. Can you say anything more about that and if anything will see an eventual release?


Steve Andrews: Well, as I mentioned earlier the whole Skipraiders project is really down to Tim & Sandy. I’m sure I will be involved with another production very soon when I have more time available. I understand that the guy’s are producing original material ready for release but Tim is now living in Australia and his DJ career is taking off over there so he is tied up with that at the moment. He has been producing many tracks under different guises (following in my footsteps) and I think they are planning on finishing the next Skipraiders single this summer.

i:Vibes: How has the DJing experience been like for you and how does it compare to that of your productions?

Steve Andrews: I love DJ’ing and the whole experience gives me a buzz. When the club is buzzing and you feel the excitement and energy from the crowd, there is nothing like it. I do believe that the whole DJ profession is now seeing a slump in the UK. It’s very competitive and there has been more DJ’s springing up from bedrooms all over the UK over the last 7 years. You need to have a name now or something else to offer than just mixing records. I play from funkier house to deep and progressive styles so I can be more diverse than just one style. It’s more of a fun thing for me now and a way of getting out there to play what I am really feeling music wise. DJ’ing is also a great way of testing the water with various productions of mine so it is handy to receive bookings in many parts of the world.

i:Vibes: What have been your biggest tracks of the past few months / weeks?

Steve Andrews: There are so many tracks that I am into recently especially the whole San Francisco vibe with Johnny Fiasco and Miguel Migs. On the more proggier vibe I am into D Ramirez productions and quite getting into the progressive breaks stuff that is circulating in the UK recently.

i:Vibes: Producers and DJs who have delivered each and every time?

Steve Andrews: There are many to mention but I have to say for the DJ scene it’s the obvious: Paul Oakenfold / Danny Tenaglia / Sasha / Digweed / Danny Rampling and Carl Cox are still some of the major players in the Club Circuit world wide.
With producers I would say that Full Intention have been going strong for years now with their funky house productions and also Eric Morillo & Roger Sanchez. For other styles I would say Oakenfold with his many guises / DJ Tiesto and Ferry Corsten seem to continue with their production successes.

i:Vibes: How about your views on the online music industry and the mp3s which have been growing at a phenomenal rate and doesn't seem to stop.

Steve Andrews: There are advantages and disadvantages with online music and MP3’s. The advantages are that the average music lover has access to thousands of tracks at their finger tip’s on many sites world wide and it is also handy to find samples for producers like myself. These sites can also help to promote many artists on a global scale which can build a fan base for the artist then encouraging the punter to buy the single / album for the true collectors out there. The disadvantages are that there is so much revenue lost within the music industry due to record sales and publishing being affected by free online music. The artist is really suffering due to this and it is their living which is being affected. I think that all industry organizations including the labels should find a way to make this work on a positive basis because there would be huge benefits if there was a legal way of making this situation work.

i:Vibes: Finally, what words of wisdom do you have for the readers and else would you like to add to this interview?

Steve Andrews: I would just say that if there are any budding producers who would like some advice on music production there is a wealth of information on the net (which I still find out tips from) and if you are struggling for any success in the industry be very patient and prepare yourself for a long haul. If you get any knock backs from labels just turn the situation from negative to positive and see it as the time was not right for you. There is always success around the corner you just have to continue with your passion for making music. The money may come later.
And last of all the most important thing is to enjoy it!

Thanks Steve,