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 One of the only female Trance DJ's to establish herself as one of the genre's current leading stars is Sophie Sugar. She's been touring all over the world during last year with some sizzling big name gigs and has more in store for the rest of this year. i:Vibes went to catch up with her...
The First Lady of Trance' - Armin Van Buuren, 2009
'The UK's Foremost Female Trance Producer' - DJ Mag 2009
Sophie Sugar is one of the rising stars of the global trance scene. An established international DJ in her own right and now making waves around the world as a talented and exciting producer, it is easy to see where this young lady is heading.
Sophie was always a music lover - playing the piano for 8 years and collecting records from the tender age of 6! In her teens, she became involved in the club scene, fell in love with trance music and began DJing.
In 2004 she was delighted to win the prestigious Gallery/DJ Magazine DJ competition.
In 2005 and 2006, Sophie released the hugely successful tracks 'Call of Tomorrow' and 'Isis', on respected labels Galactive and ATCR, both of which received support from many of the world's top DJs including Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren.
Her career went from strength to strength as she played to a growing worldwide fan base in areas such as Canada, Morocco, Abu Dhabi, China, Europe and at leading UK nights such as The Gallery, Serious and Passion.
In 2007, 'Fallen Too Far' became an instant smash hit after being signed to Armin Van Buuren's world-renowned label Armada. The track received heavy support from the world's A list trance DJs and was featured in top 10 download charts on numerous dance music download websites.
This was followed with 'Day Seven', which Armin chose to feature on 'A State of Trance 2007', 'Sense of Connection' and Sophie's very own interpretation of the Art of Trance anthem 'Madagascar'. All tracks were hugely successful, further enhancing Sophie's reputation as an exciting new producer with djs and fans worldwide and leading her to new areas across the world including a 10 date tour of Indonesia. She received continued support from the dance music press throughout the year including being featured as 'One To Watch' by Mixmag.
In 2008, Sophie's name exploded with events around the world including Germany, The Czech Republic, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, the release of her incredible track 'Redemption' and the hugely successful Australian compilation 'Mixology 11'. She finished off the year in style playing to a 5,000 strong crowd in Johannesburg.
2009 has already seen the release of Sophie's incredible new vocal track 'Beside You' featuring the stunning vocals of Rebecca Emely as well as events across the globe including the legendary ASOT 400 at Air in Birmingham. The rest of the year will see further events around the world from the UK to Buenos Aires, Germany, Indonesia, Sweden, Vietnam and more! On the production front, Sugar fans can look forward to more from Sophie featuring Rebecca Emely as well as the follow up to Redemption 'Together' and a very exciting collaboration - more on that one soon!
On another exiciting note, Sophie will be launching her brand new 'Symphony' radio show on di.fm in August. Just like Sophie's productions and DJ sets, the monthly show will be all about the very best in emotional, uplifting music from The First Lady of Trance.
With her own distinct brand of driving, uplifting trance - both in her productions and DJ sets - Sophie Sugar plays a very exciting part in the global trance scene.
i:Vibes: Sophie thanks for taking some time to talk to www.ivibes.nu. It has been a year and a half since we last chatted. Your life and music career has risen since this time. What have been the biggest changes in your life in this time?
Sophie: My pleasure! Wow, seems like much longer than a year and a half actually! So much has happened – it’s been a really exciting time actually - i’ve been to lots of new areas - Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Vietnam - made and released my first vocal track and generally spent countless hours in my studio!
i:Vibes: You gave a thrilling performance back in 2008 in the famous Technoclub in Germany. Do you still have contact to the techno pope Talla 2XLC? And when will you visit us again?
Sophie: Thank you! I really loved the Technoclub crowd and just the whole vibe of the club. I am definitely still in touch with the technolord himself – ha ha!! And there is definitely a return on the cards in the not too distant future – watch this space!
i:Vibes: In 2008, you expanded seeing new countries on tour. You preformed in front of 5000 people in Johnaesburg, South Africa. What kind of experience was that for you?
Sophie: Yes, it was New Year’s Eve actually – a massive outdoor festival – and everything was brilliant up until 5 minutes before the end of my set when it started raining! I managed to play my last track but within 5 minutes of the next DJ’s set, the heavens literally opened and it poured solidly for the next 3 hours – i mean rain like I have never seen before in my life! 5,000 people just had to run for their cars and go home. I felt so bad for the promoters because the production of the event was incredible, SO much effort had gone in and we hadn’t even made it until midnight. The event has been going for 10 years and they had never had rain until that night so kind of felt like i’d brought it with me! But there was nothing that could be done so we just got on with enjoying what was left of NYE!
i:Vibes: When you play in front of 5000 people, how much of the interaction of the fans can you actually enjoy without being distracted from your mixing?
Sophie: Well, when you’re playing trance you generally have a good few minutes between mixes to do your ‘thing’ and interact with the crowd anyway so it’s not too much of an issue!! I think it’s so important for the crowd to see you having a great time behind the decks – I remember this from being a clubber myself! Obviously the level of interaction depends on how far away the stage / DJ booth is – you might not be close enough read mobile phone messages etc but if that’s the case, I’ll always go and talk to people afterwards!
i:Vibes: You continue to stick to your successful ritual of producing less but with exceptional quality as little has been released in the last year and a half. Does this work ethic give you a special energy in the studio which gives you the power to create such masterpieces?
Sophie: Not as such - i didn’t set out for this to become my ritual - i’m just too much of a perfectionist and I’ve realised that I spend way too long on things that are actually very simple!
Writing the main melody is the easy part – I wrote the Redemption riff within 2 hours – it’s just everything else!! But I am getting a lot faster and actually have a few tracks finished already! My next release is called ‘Together’ and the next vocal track is well underway!
i:Vibes: You are called the first lady of trance, but I feel that an adjective is missing. You should be called not the lady of only uplifting trance, but the first lady of atmospheric trance. You seem to have a beautiful feeling for melodies and atmospheres. Where do you think that this ability has come from?
Sophie: Thank you Miles!! I think I have just always had a natural instinct for emotional music and melodies. Even as a very young child, I was drawn towards film soundtracks such as ET, some classical music, and love songs (I know!) – and this has carried on through my life, now I love composers like Thomas Newman and Blake Neely, bands like Evanescence and Sigur Ros– as long as the music ‘gets’ me – and makes me feel really sad/reflective/uplifted – some kind of extreme emotion. I’ve never been into music styles that lack emotion – genres like R&B or hip hop do nothing for me whatsoever!
i:Vibes: Lets talk about your new release “Beside You”? Another track that I fell in love with after my first listen. What makes this track so special in your ears?
Sophie: Thanks so much! I‘ve always felt that there is a fine line between ‘happy’ and ‘uplifting’ when it comes to vocal trance and i definitely wanted to steer away from being too ‘happy’. I wanted it to be ‘uplifting’ while retaining an atmopsheric, emotive, slightly celtic feel. Regarding the lyrics themselves, i believe that we all have people ‘beside’us, looking out for us in life, guiding us and watching over us and that is what the track is all about!
i:Vibes: You collaborate with the vocalist Rebecca Emely. How did this working relationship come about?
Sophie: Well…. I really wanted to find a vocalist with a slightly celtic edge to her voice and spent ages contacting people on myspace, facebook etc. Lots of girls had great voices but not exactly what I was looking for. Then one day I was on Youtube browsing through music, not actually looking for a vocalist and somehow ended up on one of Rebecca’s covers (she has lots posted on youtube). I just thought ‘Wow, she’s good!’, emailed her and she came straight back and said she’d love to be involved. We both had very similar tastes and styles and hit it off straight away!
i:Vibes: How is it working with another woman as compared to a male? I can imagine that there are many positives.
Sophie: It was great – we have a very similar taste in music so everything just ‘flowed’!
i:Vibes: What was the production time on “Beside you” and how difficult was it producing this gem of a trance track?
Sophie: Erm… a lot longer than I originally planned! Before I was in contact with Rebecca, I had already been working on the backing track for a few months and kept making changes etc.And then it took another good few months of going backwards and forwards after we met, so yes, way longer than it should have done!! But, it was a massive learning curve and I have learned SO much about vocal production so next time should be a lot quicker!!
i:Vibes: How has the feedback been on “Beside you”? What ahs been the nicest compliment that you have received in the last months?
Sophie: It’s been amazing actually – i have had way more emails and messages about this track than any other track I’ve made which has come as a complete surprise. When you’ve been working on something for so long, it’s really difficult to know what the reaction is going to be because you know the track inside out and your perception of it it completely different to people hearing it for the first time. Obviously i knew that the label really believed in it which was great but other than that really didn’t know what people would think!! I guess the nicest compliment has been people emailing me to say that the track has really moved them which was the whole point - so mission accomplished!!
i:Vibes: What can we await from you in the latter half of 2009? You have much material for an album. Will that ever happen?
Sophie: My next release is called ‘Together’and is very much along ‘Redemption’ type lines, and the next vocal track is well underway!
Regarding an album - good question! No, in all seriousness, it will definitely happen – it’s something I really want to achieve as an artist and I’m going to put aside a few months to concentrate on next year. So, end of 2010 I hope…
i:Vibes: In August 2009, you will be starting your own radio show called Symphony. The title sounds very interesting and a different kind of title. What can we expect from your new show and how will it be different from the usual standard trance radio format that we are used to?
Sophie: The show will be all about uplifting, emotional music and beautiful melodies. Mostly trance but if i hear a really moving track from a band (things like Sigur Ros for example) or a film soundtrack, or an amazing piece of classical music i'll feature this as well.
i:Vibes: What exciting countries will you be visiting in the next months and what country are you looking forward to visiting?
Sophie: Coming up I have Indonesia, Malta, Vietnam, Brazil and Argentina! I’m really looking forward to Argentina as I know lots of other DJs that have played there recently and I know the crowds really love their trance music. The event is the South American Music Conference which should be great.
i:Vibes: Which artist do you see as making a breakthrough in 2009 and which female DJs are up and coming at the moment?
Sophie: There are just so many talented producers out there right now. I would say Arnej, Daniel Kandi and Sebastian Brandt are all rocking it this year– all really talented guys. There are also some great female trance artists coming through at the moment – people like Claudia Cazacu and Jennifer Rene.
i:Vibes: In my last interview, you said you could imagine playing Chicanes “No ordinary morning” as your last track in your last DJ set whenever that happens. What is your opinion about the rumours o a new Chicane album? How much did they influence you in the last ten years?
Sophie: I’ll definitely be one of the first in line to buy it. Chicane has been a massive influence on me – tracks like Offshore and Saltwater were some of the first trance tracks I ever bought and are all time classics – real trance music – the way it should be.
i:Vibes: You are fascinated by anything that has to do with psychic powers. Have you ever gone to a psychic to ask about your future?
Sophie: Not as yet – I went to see a very famous medium called Gordon Smith at one of his shows which was pretty amazing but I have always steered away from actually having a one on one reading until now - I am planning on going to see one with a friend next month – it’s been a time of change on a personal level recently so it feels like the right time to do it at the moment –we’ll see what they say!
i:Vibes: Where were you and what were you doing when you found out that Michael Jackson had passed away?
Sophie: I woke up and had 10 missed calls from my sister and thought ‘Oh no, what’s happened’ – I called her straight away and she told me. I was completely devastated. I was a huge, huge fan and had tickets for his London shows. I really do think he was a good person and I think it’s so sad that his reputation was marred by all the rumours– he gave so much money to charity and helped so many children. And music-wise, I don’t think I need to say anything really – just completely magical/inspirational/incredible. I grew up listening to Man in The Mirror, Smooth Criminal and Dirty Diana on repeat. He was just unbelievable.
i:Vibes: If you could visit a place for 24 hours and just relax where would you go?
Sophie: Anywhere hot, with a nice beach and a large glass of vino would suit me!
i:Vibes: Thanks Sophie for the chat! Good luck in the future and hope to see you in Germany again soon!
Sophie: Thank you Miles – see you soon.
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