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 This month saw the return of Darren Tate with his superb second artist album 'Horizons 02'. We managed to catch up with Darren and get his thoughts on the album and how his year's been so far...
Darren Tate is much more than just a dance music producer. He's an educated, qualified, talented, gifted and orchestral skilled music genius and has provided some of the finest music ever released over the past ten years. He's been around on the Dance scene for quite a while and has his very own label in the form of Mondo Records which he runs with fellow producer Dale Corderoy. He has also produced under other well know aliases like 'Jurgen Vires' and 'DT8 Project' with very successfully tracks like 'The Theme' and 'Destination'. His very own Darren Tate project is one many would class as his finest and looking back at the tracks he's released under it its easy to see why. The very first Horizons album was a landmark release that will be marked down in history as one of the finest dance albums ever made. He has juts released the second edition of his artist album series, which is just as good as the first and that’s why we thought it was the perfect time to get a few words form Darren himself. Not just about the new album but a little bit on just how he managed to craft together such beautiful music.
i:Vibes: Darren, thanks for talking to Ivibes.nu. How was your summer? What will remain unforgettable from the last months?
Darren: My summer has been pretty chaotic. I particularly enjoyed Ibiza in August; it’s not just about the Djing there it’s about the whole experience. The clubs are always fantastic and though it may not have been as busy as previous years I enjoyed it immensely. Outside of that I’ve been caning it in the studio working on everything from progressive house (under various new secretive pseudonyms) to classical.
i:Vibes: What was your childhood like?
Darren: The earliest years were fine. My father buggered off when I was four but the rest of the family pulled their weight. Things went downhill a bit at the age of 9 when I was sent to boarding school for 10 years, something I don’t unfortunately think of fondly.
i:Vibes: Who were your early musical inspirations?
Darren: I’ve been influenced by so many artists over the years. I’ve often cited Jean Michelle Jarre, Stevie Wonder, Brian Eno, Kernkraft, John Williams, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Geroge Gershwin and many others as influences.
i:Vibes: What was the first record that you bought?
Darren: I can barely remember but I believe it featured the Sesame Street puppets. It was a long, long time ago.
i:Vibes: What was the deciding moment where you knew that you wanted to make music? When did you start to produce?
Darren: I started learning the piano at the age of four. It took me a while to actually get into music making; it was a gradual process over the years. By the time I was 18 writing was all I was doing and I started home productions not long after that. I only turned full time professional however ten years ago.
i:Vibes: Who could forget Angelic “Its your turn”. This masterpiece is almost ten years old. What do you remember most from this time when you made this record?
Darren: Unfortunately what should have been a very exciting first hit record was a legal nightmare. I was given a choice of records to do an on spec mix of by my then manager (“Sherlock”). One of them was called “Change” by an act called Sunscreem. I took the vocal, scrapped the rest of the track and wrote a completely new track (different chords, arrangement, everything). At the time I had limited mixing capabilities in regards to studio facilities so the band (who obviously jumped at the mix) said I could use their studio. I went down to the studio and to cut a long story short they tried to cut me out of the process of mixing the record and started changing things without me. Then they tried to give me the credit “additional keyboards” and that was it. Then they kept working on the record when I wasn’t even there! It was terrible.. So we told them to bugger off, took the instrumental and gave it to Serious (as they’d heard it prior and loved it without the vocals). Then Jules wanted to write a vocal and they asked how I felt about Amanda singing it and it seemed to make a lot of sense so that’s how the final record came about. Needless to say I had to give away a fair amount of my royalties and publishing on that record, but it was still worth it in the end.
i:Vibes: “The Theme” may remain your biggest hit, but often it is the other tracks that you are remembered for. Is this something that you feel too or is it just something that I feel?
Darren: My biggest hit to date actually is “The Opera Song” with Charlotte Church as it went top 3 in the UK. However “The Theme” probably generated more revenue as it was compiled to death and licensed to more territories. I think that people on the street will most likely know these records because of their chart status and associations. However at a clubbing level the Jurgen Vries project was by far my most commercial and clubbers will know be better for the underground singles (of which there’s been many more over the years).
i:Vibes: I personally love your mix for Gladiator. I don’t know if it was ever released but Pedro Del Mar played it in 2004 on his show Mellomania. Were you a Gladiator film lover or how did you come up with such a beautiful piece of music?
Darren: I do very much like the score of the film and the song “Now We Are Free” written by Lisa Gerrard. There was a version running around that didn’t utilise the verse (which is my favourite part) so I wanted to do a mix that incorporated this. Interestingly most people think I’ve lifted the vocal from the film, when in actual fact I used the multi-talented Shena McSwee to re-record it.
i:Vibes: I had the pleasure of meeting you back in the summer of 2003 at afestival in Holand where djs like Armin Van Buuren and Marco V also played. At that time it had been already a few years since your Angelic success of its your turn and since I met you it has been another 6 years. How have you musically grown in the last six years?
Darren: My music has grown immensely in this time, both from a writing and producing perspective. The sound I’m getting out of the studio right now is absolutely immense and the house stuff is bang on the money. But most excitingly has been the classical works. I’ve spent three years advancing my knowledge of orchestration with a world class composer and it’s starting to pay off. In fact I just received an award from the IBLA Foundation for my work Dark Skies with the CNSO!
i:Vibes: Are there any musical differences between Darren Tate the artist and your project DT8 project?
Darren: DT8 Project generally involves other artists and is more song based than the records I do as Darren Tate (though there have been exceptions). I generally do Darren Tate records purely for the clubbers.
i:Vibes: Let us talk about your ne album Horizons 2. How difficult was it making a follow up to the hugely successful Horizons 1? What was your goal with the new album?
Darren: Many people create dance albums these days with almost an obsession about putting the latest unheard of singles on there. The Horizon albums for me are about the best of the work I’ve done, while still offering people a fare share of first rate exclusive material. They are very much clubbers albums, which is why we’ve tried to make them mix friendly so budding DJ’s can still have access to almost the full works. With 02 I’m particularly pleased I got to include Dark Skies as it shows some pure classical writing and recording and the symbiosis it shares with trance music, and as an overall album I think it flows really well between the more progressive side of trance and the classic anthems that have been so well received over the last few years.
i:Vibes: You are really a master of beautiful melodies. Is the knowledge of knowing how to make people get goose bumps something that is in your blood?
Darren: Books have been written on why certain musical frequencies when combined in a pattern does just that, but the joy of the process is finding new melodies and exploring them to create that “goosebump” effect. I’m quite lucky as I can do this is in my head – I’ll sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with a track idea and write it down.
i:Vibes: The opening track Chori Chori is a real stunner. The melody is beautiful. What was your inspiration behind this track?
Darren: Many people have noticed that I have a tendency to include eastern music (and chanting) in my records. In essence as trance is derived from spiritual music it really is a match made in heaven. Chori Chori is a good example, though for this particular record I wanted a more laid back house approach but with the uplifting elements still in place.
i:Vibes: Track 2 “Ride the wave” has the perfect title, the only thing missing is a beach ball. The track reminds a bit of the classic beach ball in a bit more up tempo, but with a interesting groove. What was your mood like when you made this?
Darren: This record was originally due to be released under my secret progressive pseudonym, but in the end I felt it was too trancey and “Darren Tate’ish” (if there is such a word; hopefully not)! It was all about lying on the beach from the start, and I think it really fits the bill in that regard. To the avid listener please take it on holiday, lie on a beach listening to it and let me know if its working for you.
i:Vibes: When I fall in love” is not down beat what one could suspect from the title, but away from your usual melodic style. There are traces of a melody as the muffled voice appears. This tracks sounds complicated in the making. Was it?
Darren: It was meant to be in the vein of acts like The Chemical Brothers, so quite eccentric. I think I’m providing the vocals as well rather scarily. The track however was not complicated to produce, and in actual fact (and rather ironically) trance is often the most difficult style of dance music to mix as it’s so busy.
i:Vibes: “Sun Electra” isn’t just electric, but a beautiful trance number. The title doesn´t really fit the music at the start. This is a very up beat track that has electro elements coming in so often. How difficult is it for you getting in so many different style and sounds into one track?
Darren: Making tracks is often about experimentation, and as we tend to mix as we build tracks these days you often know what works from early on. I had the idea of the electro bass line early on with Sun Electra, and that formed the foundation for the rest of the track. We’ll certainly be releasing this as a single at some point in the near future.
i:Vibes: Ever since the “The Theme”, you have really understood how to make anthem type of tracks. “On the seventh day”, one gets this anthem feeling. What is this seventh day for you in this track mean?
Darren: Of course there’s an obviously biblical reference here. “On The 7th Day God created man”. And so we were created with all our passion, our love, and joy of life, and this record is a celebration of that. Of the good things.
i:Vibes: I would die for you was a track from Prince in the 80s and you have created a new trance track with this name. The sounds as the vocal comes in is very nice, reminds one a bit of that Rank 1 sound. This is really a strong track. What was the most difficult thing that you had to do in getting this track sound wise perfect?
Darren: The most difficult thing was the vocal – I have various other singers (who I won’t mention) that were passed by before I had the right voice for the record. Pippa was actually one of those reality pop star contestants (one of the successful ones I believe) and normally I wouldn’t have considered it but her voice really suited the record.
i:Vibes: Male vocal voices are not as common in trance. With “One true love”, you used a male voice. Why aren´t male voices used more in trance tracks?
Darren: Women’s voices are often considered more sexy, seductive and alluring which I believe suits this style of music more. Whereas house music is often very expressive in which case either can work. However that’s not to say men’s voices can’t still be sensitive, and I think One True Love is a good example of that.
i:Vibes: “When the morning comes” is breathtaking with a very nice atmosphere and break coming in. The track is very powerful after the “when the morning comes part is said. Did you name this track after the recording session was done and night was over and morning was comes?
Darren: I finished the track before the vocal was down, and the title popped into my head. It is an expression of a state of time and being that much like poetry can be interpreted in many ways, but most fundamentally would be the transcription When The Morning Comes “I want to be by your side”.
i:Vibes: “Echoes” is a pretty Darren Tate masterpiece that makes you feel like you are being lifted to the heavins by angels. What was your inspiration behind this track?
Darren: It’s a funny thing because I wrote the chords for the record years ago, and really want to use them in a powerful trance anthem. Someone mentioned a Moby single that sounded similar; I checked it out after and low and behold there is a similarity, however I’d never heard it before! When you’re dealing with only a handful of chords this is what happens sometimes..
i:Vibes: “Reverse the silence” is a monstorous track perfect for peak time audiences. How happy were you with the outcome of this track? It seems like every track could be a release on this album. Does that give you the satisfaction that you did a good job when you hear positive feedback or are you only happy when you are happy with your self and your work?
Darren: I wrote Reverse The Silence with the idea of putting it as a double-A with When The Morning Comes as a single release. It is designed to be a rocket fuelled club monster and it most certainly does that when it gets played out. As for feedback, I love good feedback, and I equally enjoy knowing when I’ve cracked a record which I’m happy with.
i:Vibes: How was it making the mix for Kireli for the motion picture Royal Kill? Did you have 100% freedom in making the mix and what was your focus in making this specific mix for the movie?
Darren: I was approached by the films composer Ken Lampl (and awesomely talented and nice guy that’s been a friend since). He wanted me to remix the title theme and you’ll hear the results on the end credit of the movie. Considering the man studied with the likes of John Williams I was absolutely flattered that he was a fan of mine!
i:Vibes: You produced “Dark Skies” with the Czech national symphony orchestra. Why did you choose this orchestra and how difficult is it making a track that has a huge orchestra?
Darren: I actually recorded various tracks down with the CNSO, including another work of mine “Somewhere In Time” plus some orchestration I had done for the band Headway. I actually contacted various orchestras and chose one that had a good reputation. I was also consulting with a long time conductor friend of mine Michael Etherton who thought they would be a good choice. I actually orchestrated Dark Skies in two weeks (I’ve sped up a bit since a few years ago)! It was great to see it come alive with all the musicians, and I’m hoping to do more in the future. In fact I’m working on major piano concerto right now which I think may surprise a few people.
i:Vibes: It seems like ages since you worked together with Jono Grant on “let the light shine in”. How was it working with Jono and how has he matured as a producer since 2003 when you made that track?
Darren: It has indeed been a while. Jono obviously is extremely busy with Above & Beyond and Anjuna and I’m beyond busy and though we discussed doing another single finding the time is nigh impossible. I think that their productions as Above & Beyond and Oceanlab are always excellent and I’m really happy to see him doing so well.
i:Vibes: The DJ Mag Top 100 results are around the corner. Who will take the crown this year? Will it be Armin again, or will PVd or Tiesto regain the crown or will Above & Beyond win it for first time? Many think David Guetta could make a jump.
Darren: I have a feeling Tiesto might go up again just because of the exposure of some of these huge gigs he’s been doing recently, but then you never know. Guetta will certain jump up; his “F*ck me I’m famous” nights are one of the most heavily marketed events I think I’ve ever seen in dance.
i:Vibes: I am sure you have heard of the legendary Techno Club in Frankfurt Germany that is run by Talla 2XLC. When will you play there?
Darren: I’ll get on the case with that straight away!
Thanks Darren for chat! Good luck with album. You can read our review of 'Horizons 02' right here and enter our competition to win a signed copy here!
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