Having recently compiled "Instinct - Your Sixth Sense to Trance" and DJed at many of the major dance festivals across Europe, DJ Perales is an up and coming star, see what he has to say..

i:Vibes: DJ Perales, you've been DJing for much of the past 10 years starting in Holland, how did you get into the DJing aspect of it all?

DJ Perales :I have always loved playing music and took various lessons, piano for instance.
But the DJing all began when a friend of mine who lived next door started DJing. He bought himself the necessary equipment and started playing his favourite music. Every day I heard the beats go through the walls and I thought “Hmmm, I wonder what he’s up to”. So one day I went up to his room and checked it out. He tried to explain me about how it all worked, and I took the headphones and started mixing the vinyls myself. I liked it SO much that I decided to buy my own equipment and from that day I was addicted to mixing.

i:Vibes: Since then you've DJed at most of the major parties in Europe, including Extrema Dance Festival, and guest on radio shows such as ID&T, Slam FM and also Planet-E to name a few. What has been the most memorable night for you ever?

DJ Perales :The most memorable night for me was a solo night in the number 1 venue in Holland called “Now&Wow”. I played from 23.00 – 06.00 (if I can recall correctly), and the room was completely packed. I played various styles of music (not only trance) and the people just went absolutely MAD. I was very concentrated with a mix when suddenly all the lights went on, the big climax of a track came up and I looked in front of the room and I noticed over 2000 people with their hands in the air, screaming, shouting and dancing their asses off! It gave me goose bumps and that’s what DJing is all about for me.

i:Vibes: How would you describe the genre / sound which you fit into?

DJ Perales :That’s difficult. I don’t like to use specific names for different styles when everything can be called “Housemusic”. But for the people it is easier to know what kind of music a DJ spins if it can be described with 1 word. It all depends on what time I have to play. But when I play a solo night genres like Progressive, Tribal house, Trance and Techno will blast out of the speakers. In my opinion a DJ should be able to play very diverse. Everybody has their own musical preference and I don’t like to hear banging techno for 6 straight hours as well, so I try to put as much variety in my solo sets as possible.

i:Vibes: How about with regards to influences? Any DJs / producers who have stood out above the rest for you in the past?

DJ Perales :I have heard a lot of DJs spin and heard a lot of tracks from different producers, but I can’t name just a few guys that have inspired me. There are so many different musicians that present something special and still inspire me: Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Tiësto, Danny Tenaglia, Sven Vath, M.I.K.E, L-Vee, Josh Gabriel…and on and on and on….

i:Vibes: You recently released your compilation album "Instinct, Your Sixth Sense For Trance", a double CD featuring some of the finer parts of European trance. How was it like to compile that CD and are there plans for further compilations from you?

DJ Perales :Compiling and mixing the Instinct compilation was a lot of fun and hard work as well. I wanted to place my favourite tracks from that period on a double CD and tried to make it as interesting for the crowd as possible. There are plans for future new releases but no release dates have been scheduled yet, just wait and see what happens ;-P

i:Vibes: On the production front, you've started up producing for the first time. What took you so long to start producing since getting into music, and what details can you give us for the upcoming singles?

DJ Perales :Well some begin their musical career with DJing like me and others begin with producing, for example Ferry Corsten. I didn’t start producing earlier because of my biggest problem: lack of time. It still is difficult. At the moment I am fully concentrating on making tunes that I support 100%. Together with my friend Sied van Riel, I try to make quality tracks. It’s not to difficult to look at the current charts and use the hit dance tracks as blue prints and only change a riff or a bassline or something. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t say all the hit dancetracks in the charts are produced very easily, no way! It’s always hard to find the right combinations, but copying a hit track is something else! Furthermore I’d like to say I hate most of the covers that appear in the charts all over Europe at the moment. Some tracks have good productions but I think it’s a lack of creativity and originality and I really hope the cover hype will get to an end real soon.

i:Vibes: Are you working on the productions using software, hardware or a combination of both? How has it been like?

DJ Perales :When we’re producing we use a combination of software and hardware. I think the future brings new producers who use software only. I know a very talented young Dutch producer at this moment creating his music with the software program “Reason” only. And it doesn’t sound too different from the stuff that has been made primarily with hardware. I also don’t think you need to have the biggest and most expensive studio with the best hardware and software to create great music. It’s the cook who’s doing the work, not the kitchen.

i:Vibes: Top tracks in your box at the moment?

DJ Perales :Well, that’s another thing I have my own opinion about. I hear and see a lot of colleague DJs who only play the newest tracks available, preferably even from CDR so nobody has them yet. I can understand it but I don’t understand why some DJs stop playing great tracks that they have been carrying around for a couple of weeks/months. Sometimes I literally have to throw some vinyls out of my bag otherwise they don’t fit anymore ;-P. Anyway, but these are 6 tunes in RANDOM order I REALLY enjoy spinning at the moment.

1. Mona Lisa Overdrive – Born To Synthesize ( Neo & Farina Remix – Platipus );
2. Frank Biazzi – Turbulance ( Lupp Records );
3. Spytraxx – Touch You ( Reloop Remix – Kombinat Records );
4. Cosmic Gate – Raging ( Nebula );
5. Trilithon – Dagio ( F-active Music );
6. Chicane – Love on the run ( Captivating Sounds ).

i:Vibes: Would you say that trance is still up there as one of the top dance genres? or has it declined somewhat over the years?

DJ Perales :No doubt Trance still is one of the top dance genres in the world. If it has declined over the past few years… perhaps, couldn’t say. In Holland a new scene “Hardstyle” is developing really fast and some people say it’s even bigger than Trance at the moment in Holland. But almost every club that presents a world famous Trance DJ ( Tiësto, Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold ) sells out and I’m positive trance music will be around for a very long time.

i:Vibes: Last words to our readers?

DJ Perales :If the letters get blurry… you might wanna think of getting glasses! ;-P
No seriously, just have fun, and maybe we’ll see each other somewhere in a venue!


Thanks DJ Perales!

My pleasure…

Tracklist - Instinct - Your Sixth Sense to Trance

DISC 1
1. Blackout - 40 Below (S&L Remix)
2. Castor & Pollux - Serenity (JF Sebastian Remix)
3. Veit - Sky (Magik Muzik Remix)
5. The Thrillseekers - Dreaming Of You
4. Capetown - Galaxies
6. Alpha Breed - Alien Arrival
7. Mesh - Persuasion
8. Dreamcatcher - I Don't Wanna Lose My Way (Magik Muzik Remix)
9. Art Of Trance - Love Washes Over (Airwave Remix)
10. Plastic Boy - Silver Bath
11. Exposure - Magic Impuls
12. Seraque - My Dreams
13. Lange ft. Skye - Drifting Away (Lange Sunset Dub Mix)
14. Shane 54 - Equinoxe 4

DISC 2

1. Sleeper - Reach
2. DJ Salez vs Cor Fijneman - Lattitude
3. Perpetuous Dreamer - Sound Of Goodbye (Robbie's Fierce Vocal Mix)
4. P.A. - Entangled (Trancesetters Remix)
5. Sinéad O' Connor - Troy - the phoenix from the flame (Push Remix)
6. Spectrosonic - Moonshine (Jerry Sylvano Remix)
7. Freejack - Angularity
8. Puccini - Arriva
9. Rob Aker - Astroglider
10. Mauro Picotto - Back To Cali (Push Remix)
11. Jones & Stephenson - The First Rebirth (Airwave Remix)
12. The Green Martian - End Of The Earth (2002 Remake)
13. Dariush - IRA
14. Mauro Picotto - Hong Kong

DJ Perales Website