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 He is one of the new breed of Trance producers coming through on the scene and one of Holands brightest talents. He's from a country that has produced some very world renowed DJ's and the early signs are good that he's one to keep an eye on this year. i:Vibes caught up with him for a chat...
Steven Baan, in the music scene better known as Estiva, was born in 1987 in a small town called Reeuwijk located in the Netherlands. At a very young age Steven fell in love with melodic trancemusic inspired by the summer. Hearing music from compilations as “In Search Of Sunrise” by Tiesto, made him want to create this kind of music also. His producing skills were improving and early 2006 the wish to get his own music out in the world became reality. His dream debut came with the release of his Stella EP. This record, released by Enhanced Recordings, was picked up by the biggest DJ’s in the world such as Armin van Buuren. This encouraged Steven to keep on doing his thing in music. From that day on he was determined to show the world his creativeness in music. It was early 2008 when Tiesto got his hands on Estiva's collaboration with his friend Marninx 'Casa Grande'. A dream came true when Tiesto decided to put this track on "In Search of Sunrise 7". With his latest Strawberry Fields EP getting the likes of Tiesto and number one dj Armin van Buuren to play his music. i:Vibes had the chance to speak with the young Dutch lad.
i:Vibes: Hi Steven, thank you for taking some time to speak to ivibes.nu. How are you? I guess summer is your favourite time of year since that was when you fell in love with trance music. What do you like most about the summer?
Estiva: Hi there, I’m fine. Thanks for having this interview with me. The summer is definitely my favourite season. It gives me the greatest feeling when the sun is shining bright. I’d love to sit down outside in the sun and relax drinking some beer together with my friends. What do I really like the most? Hmm, that must be the girls wearing their miniskirts..
i:Vibes: Is it harder for you to enjoy trance in winter? Lol. Do you just imagine it is summer all year long?
Estiva: I don’t think you can put it that way. Everything seems to be better with a hot shiny sun in the sky. But I think the way I experience trance during summertime is more intense than hearing trance, or just music in general, while it’s cold and rainy.
i:Vibes: Is it easier for you to produce music in the summer?
Estiva: I wouldn’t say it’s easier although I do have a lot more inspiration. But working on a million idea’s at once is quite chaotic.
i:Vibes: You are from Reeuwijk. Where is that exactly and what was your childhood like?
Estiva: Reeuwijk is a peaceful place in Holland, next to the city of Gouda which you might know from the famous ‘Gouda Cheese’. Reeuwijk has a rich nature and it’s truly a pleasure to live nearby the Reeuwijk Lakes, especially during summer. I definitely had a great childhood with great parents, a great family and a lot of friends. I could just do what I wanted to do. Reeuwijk is likely to be a good town to grow up.
i:Vibes: What summer track made you fall in love with trance music? Why was this track so inspiring for you?
Estiva: If I have to name just one I would pick Way Out West – Mindcircus (Gabriel & Dresden Remix). The atmosphere in this song is just perfect. The feeling I get when I hear Mindcircus is fantastic. I can listen to it over and over again. My goal is to give people that same specific feeling when they hear my music.
i:Vibes: Who were your early musical inspirations as you were growing up and why did they influence you?
Estiva: Tiesto is someone I look up to as no other. What he has accomplished is just unimaginable. Besides Tiesto, the duo Gabriel & Dresden were and still are one of my biggest musical inspirations. The sound of their music is very appealing to me. The techniques, the sounds, it’s just right.
i:Vibes: What was your first trance record that you purchased?
Estiva: Wow, that’s very hard to remember. That would be one of the In Search of Sunrise CD’s by Tiesto I think.
i:Vibes: Did you have the usual entrance into the trance scene by sending demos to record labels or did you enter another way? Did you have a special experience that helped you?
Estiva: My entrance into the scene was indeed probably quite usual. But I had some contacts in the scene that helped me out to send my tracks to the right people.
i:Vibes: Was there a person that really helped you or stood by your side as you were starting in the music scene? I guess Will Holland was a guy that stood by your side.
Estiva: Well, I seemed to be the only one of my friends that was into trance music but when I met Peter Smit (Monogato/Marninx/Oryon) and Wardt van der Harst (Re-Ward) through the internet I finally found the friends I needed. Finally I could talk about trance music without having to explain everything. We spoke a lot about music and we let each other hear the music we created.
The first Estiva EP was released by Will Holland’s Enhanced Recordings. The EP was called ‘Stella’ and had major support from Armin van Buuren. Since then I released all my tracks on Enhanced. Will Holland gives me the feeling that I’m doing the right thing in music. He’s giving me a lot of opportunities as well. Without him I wasn’t playing at the same gig as number one DJ Armin van Buuren the 23th of May in Leeds. And I get the chance to mix the newest Enhanced Sessions compilation together with Temple One. I must say Will Holland is very important to me.
i:Vibes: How would you describe the Estiva sound in 2009?
Estiva: Since I started DJ’ing this year you’ll probably hear some more club orientated tracks from my hand. Of course the original Estiva sound will be there, hopefully more mature and sophisticated.
i:Vibes: When looking back to your first EP Stella, how would you say your sound has developed from then until now?
Estiva: A little more grown-up I guess. I think the core-sound is still pretty much the same.
i:Vibes: Strawberry Fields is a wonderful track. What was your inspiration behind making this track and calling it Strawberry fields?
Estiva: Thank you! Well, obviously the summer was my biggest inspiration since I composed it early summer/late spring. I called it Strawberry Fields because I was eating some Strawberries at the time I was finishing the track. Yes, I really was..
i:Vibes: Your first major hit was “Casa Grande” which was on Tiestos In Search of Sunrise 7. Do you remember what you were doing when you heard the news that your track had been picked up for the compilation?
Estiva: I saw the big news on a forum on which the tracklist was revealed. First I thought it was just a fake tracklist. But after Marninx called me and a lot of people congratulated me with the news I was starting to realize it was true. I was litterly shaking, it must have been one of the happiest moments in my life.
i:Vibes: What was it like making the track with Marninx?
Estiva: I’m a perfectionist and I’m never satisfied but after Marninx getting his hands on the track, it turned out to be a favourite to Tiesto. We’re planning to do some more collaboration in the near future.
i:Vibes: What was the most difficult part in getting “Casa Grande” perfect sound wise?
Estiva: That’s an interesting question. I don’t think it’s something like getting the right sound for the main lead. In general it’s just to create the right atmosphere, it’s the whole process.
i:Vibes: The Les Fleurs EP is out. How happy have you been with the result and feedback?
Estiva: I think the EP is very diverse and I’m quite satisfied with the sounds of it. With the support I’m extremely happy since Armin van Buuren dropped it in his A State Of Trance radioshow. It’s great to see Markus Schulz supporting it heavily as well. Fading Freedom was his last month’s favourite
i:Vibes: The title track Les Fleurs is very beautiful. It is definitely a song that you could listen to intensively while looking for flowers in a big field in Holland. What was your inspiration in making this track?
Estiva: This track was a big struggle actually. I had the beat and the percussion for a long time, but I couldn’t come up with the right melody to fit the track. I just saved the file and forgot about it. A month or two later the melody just popped up when opening the file again accidentally. I can’t really remember what my biggest inspiration was. Sometimes inspiration comes from the smallest things, I think.
i:Vibes: The sound sin Les Fleurs are very dreamy. The atmosphere is also very appealing. How important is getting that perfect atmosphere in a track for you? What were your thoughts when you were getting the Les Fleurs atmosphere?
Estiva: Creating the right atmosphere in a song is the most important thing. Even the tiniest imperfection could destroy the whole track in my opinion. I wanted Les Fleurs to give people the same feeling as Strawberry Fields did. When I finished Les Fleurs I knew it would be the perfect follow up to Strawberry Fields
i:Vibes: “Fading Freedom” is a very sophisticated track. What was the production time on this track? Did you bang this out quickly or did it take longer
Estiva: The ‘Estiva Tech Mix’ was the original mix from origin. I took me some days to finish it. The rework, know as Original Mix, was created in one day.
i:Vibes: Do you have a certain way how you work in the studio or does it change from track to track? Some produces search for the bassline, melody or an atmosphere. How do you do it?
Estiva: I tend to start with the beat, percussion and bass. With these elements I try to make the right atmosphere. After doing this I usually work on some melodies. When I’m satisfied I’m going to work out the structure. That’s basically the usual way I produce. Sometimes I start with creating melodies first.
i:Vibes: You also are a remixer. How do you create a perfect remix?
Estiva: The remix has to have some recognisable elements taken from the original track. But I like it when a remix gives a different feeling to the song.
i:Vibes: What releases can we expect from you in the next months?
Estiva: You might have heard in the Enhanced Radioshow I did a collaboration with Temple One. The release is set for this summer somewhere around the release of Enhanced Sessions Vol. 1 that I’m mixing. I’ve got nothing more scheduled at the moment but I’m sure the summer will bring a lot more Estiva releases.
i:Vibes: With what producer would you like to be locked away with in the studio for 24 hours and why?
Estiva: That would be Leon Bolier. His sound is massive and his tracks are masterpieces. I think Leon Bolier is a renewing producer and being locked up in the studio with him should be very instructive.
i:Vibes: The German hard trance duo Cosmic gate is one of your top friends at myspace. They seem to make another style of music then you sound wise. Why are they so appealing to you?
Estiva: Their fresh sound is very appealing to me. They seem to come up with huge idea’s and their productions are always very delicate.
i:Vibes: What German Trance artists do you respect and why?
Estiva: Paul van Dyk and Cosmic Gate are both very important to me. Paul van Dyk is one of the producers that got me hooked to trance. Cosmic Gate are fantastic produces and their music inspires me.
i:Vibes: How is your DJ career coming along? Does a DJ really need a hit in order to get more gigs or can one get gigs without having a name?
Estiva: In March this year I had my first gig. The responses were fantastic and I’m really happy I made this step forward. On the 23th of May I’m playing in Leeds at Gatecrasher Seven. Armin van Buuren and Rank 1 are playing at the event as well so that’s going to be huge. I think having a name and a specific image because of your productions can really help you to get the attention that’s needed. But if you play some good sets over and over again you’ll get the people’s interest as well.
i:Vibes: What can one expect from a Estiva three hour set?
Estiva: I’d love to start minimalistic but melodic. You’ll hear some techy beats but mainly I’ll serve you the most beautiful melodic trance. I like to put some real classics in the set as well. And you can expect that I need to go to the bathroom really bad after those three hours...
i:Vibes: What are your five current favourite tracks?
Estiva: In no particular order:
Re-Ward – Black Jack
Tritonal Feat. Soto – Piercing Quiet (Treadstone Dub)
Invisible Sounds – Everywhere Outside
Breakfast – Remember
Richard Durand – Always The Sun (Dub Mix)
i:Vibes: What are your five alltime favourite tracks?
Estiva: There are a lot more than five so it’s hard to choose. Again, in no particular order:
Way Out West – Mindcircus (Gabriel & Dresden Remix)
Holden & Thompson – Nothing (93 Returning Mix)
Paul Oakenfold – Southern Sun (Tiesto Remix)
Gabriel & Dresden – As The Rush Comes
8 Wonders – The Morning After (Thrillseekers Remix)
i:Vibes: What goals as an artist do you have?
Estiva: The more people that love my music the more happy I am. I hope I can give people a good feeling with my music. To be more specific, I hope I can create music as long as I want to. DJ wise I like to perform at the biggest events such as Trance Energy, Dancevalley, Mysteryland etcetera. I’d really like to do this all for a living.
i:Vibes: What are your hobbies?
Estiva: I’m very in to soccer. Playing it, watching it and just talking about it to spread my opinion about who’s the best striker in Ajax Amsterdam are things that I like aside music. Actually I’m a big fan of sports in general. Enjoying life with my friends is very important to me as well.
i:Vibes: Thanks Steven for the chat. Good luck in the future!!
Estiva: Thank you!
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