German Hi-energy producers Arne Reichelt and Alex Zwarg are the guys behind one of the latest trends in dance music.. Alphazone, and he is just a few words of what they have to say.

The Alphazone interview

i:Vibes got in touch with the guys of the moment, Alphazone, to have a brief word on what they are all about. Alphazone are 2 German based producers who have been pushing out the hi-energy trance/techno sound for much of the past year, gaining recognition for their unique blend of sounds and melodics. Recently, they have released their latest single Rockin’ and here is what they have to say:

i:Vibes: Hi guys, we appreciate you taking some time out to talk to us. So why not tell us a bit about yourselves and where you guys come from in terms of individually, and in terms of musically.

Alphazone: Yeah! No problem. Alex, who is one half of Alphazone, and then there is the other part, me (Arne). We both went to the same school and one day Alex played a homemade track to me and my friends, with wicked samples of one of our teachers. The track was crap, because Alex was a big fan of Heavy Metal music at this time with not much idea of electronic music, but the idea was really great. I asked him to do something together and three weeks later our first dancefloor track was born. Alex, who played guitar before, got more and more into electronic music and I brought him new CDs and vinyl whenever we met. I had learned to play the organ and a bit of the piano when I was young, so I was really keen on making music. We continued to work together and it has been 7 years since we started and our producing skills have hopefully improved with every track we’ve made! It was always our goal to find our own unique style and with that in mind, came the birth of “Alphazone” in 2001; I think, we have already found it now…

i:Vibes: The past year has seen the Alphazone name take off to proportions almost unheard of in the past and some of your have been highly popular in clubs and amongst dance fans alike. What do you 2 attribute to being the factors which have led to this and how would you describe the music you guys are into producing?

Alphazone: The main factor, in our opinion, has been our relatively unique sound. With our first remix under the Alphazone guise of DJ Kim’s “Jetlag”, we tried to combine hard techno-ish percussions, drums and acid lines with uplifting, trancelike melodies, together with these big, euphoric breakdowns and build-ups. We had a clear vision of how trance has to sound in our ears; it has to be powerful and energetic.

Now talking about our sound; The best thing is to describe the Alphazone sound as a cross-over between trance and hard trance, with a bit of techno and hardhouse elements. We always want to create banging tracks, you have to feel pure power in every single production…

i:Vibes: On the same topic as music, you 2 have recently been compared to Italian hard trancers “Nu NRG”, with your fluid high-energy productions which has been aimed at the peak time dancefloors. Are you familiar with Nu NRG? And how do you think the hi-energy trance sound is supported in Europe? How about on a global level?

Alphazone: Sure we know Nu NRG, but there are other acts and producers who have been more influential to our work, speaking of Dumonde for example, Flutlicht, SHOKK and others. I think the hi-energy sound is a trend at the moment, and support in Europe has been steadily growing. Through our website we receive tremendous feedback and, we think there is a growing community worldwide, which likes all these new hi-energy trance productions

i:Vibes: The track which more or less did it for you guys was the remix for Ian van Dahl’s “Try”, which led on to the recent productions such as Kira “I’ll be your Angel”, BK “Revolution”, Euphonic “Far and Away”, and several others, as well as your first Alphazone single titled “Stay”. What more is to come from you guys for 2003, and will you continue to produce this style of music for the masses? and eventually an Alphazone artist album perhaps?

Alphazone: “We released “The Legacy” under the Saltwater alias on our own newly founded label called Zenith Recordings in January this year and the next track on Zenith is already due for release. The new DJ Kim production “Time and Space” is finally finished and will be released on Waterworld Records at the end of June. There are a couple of remixes to come in the next months and don’t forget, our new Alphazone follow-up single, called “Rockin” has just come out now…

i:Vibes: Let’s talk about your new single, “Rockin”, how would you describe it and did you already get feedback on it?

Alphazone: Rockin’ is a very powerful tune, definitely peak time material. It has been released on Waterworld Records, distributed by Discomania in Germany, and is available all across Europe. The 12” contains two different mixes: Our own “Original Club Mix” and a remix of one of UK’s hottest producing outlets of late: Mat Silver and Tony Burt from Above the Sky. They’re remix is absolutely stunning, euphoric to the max. They have done a brilliant job on this track. The feedback is simply amazing: Every big European hard trance DJ had it in his case and it’s played from biggies like Dave Pearce, Graham Gold, SHOKK and others. “Rockin already tops “Stay” in every single aspect…”

i:Vibes: Would you say that there are any producers of DJs in the world who have been major influences on your music in recent years? And in particular, the influence of the Alphazone team?

Alphazone: Other than the already mentioned Dumonde, SHOKK / Flutlicht and some others, there are just a small bunch of producers, which produce these powerful tunes, which we started to like. Speaking about our own influence on the scene: It is naturally much stronger than a year before: We have defined our own sound and, as the genre is concerned, many people say we are (together with others) at the forefront of high-energy trance.

i:Vibes: Nicely done on the production side, but how about the DJ side? I am sure that many people would jump at the chance to see an Alphazone live PA or Alphazone DJ set around the world. What are the opportunities for that?

Alphazone: The opportunities are very, very good at the moment. The last three years we have focused completely on the producing side of things, but in 2003 Alphazone will definitely return behind the decks. We have already a couple of booking requests for summer and autumn and there are also plans for an Alphazone live PA. Let’s see how it develops…

i:Vibes: What do you think about the currently increasing flow of mp3s around the world and do you think it has positive or negative impacts for the industry as a whole?

Alphazone: Alex and I do believe in the internet. The main problem in our opinion is that in the past, the major record companies have not been flexible enough to cultivate the download against payment in a proper way and now they are in a crisis which they cannot solve… On the other hand, we sure, that the industry will find a way out of it!

i:Vibes: Last words to the readers?

Alphazone: Let’s continue to grow the spirit of Trance, and to all Alphazone fans out there: Big thanks for your overwhelming support. Keep on!!! Thanks for interview.


For more information and news about Alphazone check: Alphazone

Latest single: Alphazone “Rockin” [Waterworld Records Germany, distributed by Discomania, catalogue no.: DMDWWR13]