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 He is one of Trance music's undiscovered gems until now and if you have not heard his records yet you must have been listening to house for the past six months. He has very kindly answered a few questions from the crew and is one talent you should be keeping an eye on. Read on for an insight into the world of Tom Colontonio..
It's very safe to say that Trance music is as healthy as its ever been and is a format that is firmly here to stay. Those who thought it would die out back five or six years ago can consider their views very much a load of bollocks. Over the past few years we have seen many new talents appear on the scene bringing fresh new trance and very upfront music to the scene.
Tom Colontonio has been popping up all over the place in recent months. He's had his remixes and productions played on every major radio show you can think of and hasrecently had releases on John Askew's Discover Digital label. You know its not any old crap if John Askew signs it to a label renowned for quality dance music. I have to say at the start of this year I did not know much about Tom or indeed heard any or his productions. I thought it was about time I found out as I'm sure you will want to know where he came from as to many he's popped up from nowhere.
Tom has very kindly given us a bit of his time for a good old fashioned Question and Answer session so if you did not know anything about him consider yourself very much informed. Read on and enjoy.
Q: Tell us about yourself?
A: I was born in New Jersey in the USA and grew up there. I still live there. I’m a big fan of the Ocean and beach although I rarely get to go there
:(. I'm also a big fan of Classical music and some rock. Obviously I’m a big fan of trance as well.
Q: What got you first started with Dance Music?
A: I remember listening to some techno cd’s my friend brought back while doing some travelling and really loved what I was hearing. I think that was around 1994. I believe "Rave till dawn" had just come out as well so that was definately being hammered at the parties we would go to. It was so different for me as I was a guitar player in a few rock bands and also doing studio musician work at a young age. I was instantly hooked!
Q: How did you first get into DJ'in?
A: In 1997 I was always around the club scene and frequenting parties in Philadelphia. I remember watching a local favourite DJ’ing and was totally enthralled by it. I went out a few days later and bought myself some cheap turntables and a not so great mixer which I eventually traded in for Technics 1200's and a better setup altogether.
Q: As a DJ what’s the best event you can remember spinning at?
A: New Years Eve 2006/2007 closing party at a place called Club Tru in Atlantic City, NJ. I just remember the crowd being so energized and into it. The vibe was unreal and it seemed to go on forever. I had some great times in that place till it closed recently. I'm finally travelling more now so I hoping to get to play some amazing stuff in the future!
Q: Nobody can pick out their all time favourites but what tracks out of your collection do you consider your favourites you can think of right now?
A: Some favs of mine now would have to be Sean Tyas - Drop / John O'Callaghan - Big Sky (A & N Rmx) / Sophie Sugar - Day 7 / Simon Patterson - Bulldozer / Im also a big fan of Activa and O'birs stuff. "Louder" is still finding its way into my sets at times!
Q: How did you get into Trance?
A: In mid 1998 I started frequenting a spot that played hard house and trance. I was a house DJ at the time and playing some progressive type stuff as well as house. It became my new spot and I was there every weekend for a long time. There was a song that the DJ used to hammer called "Where are you know". It turned out to be Ferry’s (Moonman) remix and that was it for me....I used to go every weekend and annoy the hell outta the DJ to play it..lol. It was magical for me. It felt like a roller coaster ride when I heard it with the build-ups and drops. Its one of my top 5 all time favourites.
Q: When did you first start producing records?
A: I started late in 2003. I went out and maxed a credit card. When I came home I had a Apple computer, Monitors , Midi controller and Logic. I remember thinking "Ok, I’m gonna make some killer trance" I couldn't fig out anything for weeks.
Q: What was your first ever production?
A: Ohh, dear god! It was a real horror. I had no clue what I was doing at the time and I would do these crazy arped out tracks and torture my wife with
them..lol
Q: Your productions seem to be popping up all over the place in the last few months, how did all the tracks released and coming out get signed?
A: Well I reached a point where I could get some material signed after quite a while of sending stuff out with no responses. I would sign one and move on to the next. I signed quite a few tracks under DjTommyboy before deciding to switch to Tom Colontonio (My real name). My production has definitely evolved drastically over the last year and I'm focusing on making more quality than quantity. I def find it a bit easier now to sign tracks than when I started sending them out. Looking back on some of the material I sent out I cringe.
Q: Has it been hard trying to promote your productions and getting them spread around?
A: Yes, that can be a difficult thing to do. I definitely don't want to be a guy who harasses the hell out of people with spamming etc. I get allot of requests for Promos now and I'm just extremely careful about how I handle that. With the digital age and file sharing putting a pre release in the wrong hands can prove disastrous if it gets leaked. Being involved with good legit labels is very important for getting your music out there and in the proper manner. I’ve also gotten major support from artists such as Paul van Dyk, Armin, Halliwell , Tyas, John O’Callaghan and Tiesto on radio shows which has def helped me allot in the past few months too.
Q: Who would you say out of the people within the industry you have met have been a big help with your career so far?
A: I’d have to say Sean Tyas and John O'Callaghan have been 2 of the kindest people I have ever met and I owe them both a great deal. I would always reach out to Sean for advice on "how too" and he was always willing to help me with my questions. We were introduced by his brother Ryan who is also an excellent dj from New York. John O'Callaghan has always been blunt with me on what I'm doing wrong and pushed me to better myself. I used to send him tracks and he would always respond to me and give me encouragement and advice. I used to joke with Tyas (and still do) calling him "Tyas tech support"..hahahah. Activa has also been a great help to me and Askew as well. Both of them are great people. Being part of the discover and conspiracy has taught me allot overall. They welcomed me with open arms.
Q: Your latest release just got put out on John Askew's Discover Digital label, how did he come to hear about your music?
A: I was sending stuff to John O'Callaghan about a year ago on a consistent basis. One of the tracks (Maximizer) caught his and Askew's eye and he wanted it for the label. Illuminate came after that and so on. I now have 6 tracks signed to Discover, Discover digital and Discover Dark which are all set to be released in the near
future. I was a huge fan of Discover's releases for years and they were always getting played in my sets too. To be an artist for them is a dream come true for me.
Q: Any collaborations in the pipeline
A: I've been talking to Tyas about a vocal collab that were planning to start in the Fall if all goes as planned, more to come on that though.
Q: If you could spend one day in the studio with any producer, who would it be?
A: I have spent time in the studio with the likes of Andy Moor, Tyas, John O'Callaghan and several others....so Id have to say Armin. I've always been a huge fan of his music too.
Q: What style would you like your music to be most known for?
A: I guess energetic trance if you could call it that. I definately pride myself on trying to create a clean sound and powerful production. The kick and the bass drive the overall sound!
Q: Many producers change and fine tune their sound as time goes by, do you think you will ever experiment with other styles of dance music when producing?
A:Well I actually do a bit of that as well. I partner up with a good friend DJ Manolo under the alias "DoubleAgents". It’s slower trance with more floaty
, Pingy elements. We have just finished a Tiff Lacey track and have done allot with Jan Johnston including her Artist album which will eventually be released in the future. I also run a digital label together with Manolo called Metallic Recordings.
Q: If you were to describe your music to someone who had not heard it before, how would you describe it?
A: Fast driving music with booming kicks and rippin melodies?
Q: Other than dance music, what other records do you like listening to?
A: I am actually a bit of a Rock/Metal music lover... I love Killswitch Engage and Bullet for my valentine (which Askew turned me onto). I also enjoy classical and anything with a nylon string guitar in it as I’ve been a guitar player since I was 12 yrs old.
Q: Finally, to our readers here, what can we expect from Tom Colontonio in the future?
A: Right now I’m working on some remixes for several labels. I’m very excited about my new tracks on Discover "Suspect" and "Paradigm Shift" which will be out soon. I’m also doing a new EP on Conspiracy which will include O'bir and Activa remixes under a new alias (Haven't decided what yet). I’m starting to set up some travelling dates both inside and out of the US so I'm def looking forward to that as well. I keep my website and MySpace updated allot so that’s best way to see what’s forthcoming.
I would also like to thank everyone who supports my music!
I would like to thank Tom for taking the time to answer and few question for us. You can purchase his latest release on Discover Digital from AudioJelly. You can also buy tracks from Tom's back catelogoue at the I:Vibes online store. Keep up the good productions Tom.
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