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 The summer was made for producers like Roger Shah with his Balearic style perfect for those sunshine drenched days. His new artist album 'Openminded' stretches his musical style even further and we went to get his thoughts on it...
Roger Shah dropped the DJ tag of his name and since then his career has taken off. The DJ tag had really outstayed its welcome as Roger is so much more than just a DJ. He’s a composer, song writer and one hell of a producer. You don’t need any convincing of that just check out his Sunlounger albums or the many Roger Shah productions he’s pumped out over the years. He’s constantly moving the goalpost though and expanding with his style with no better example than his new artist album ‘Openminded?’. It delivers a more diverse range of electronic sounds from within the musical mind of Roger. No better man than Roger himself to get his thoughts on his new creation with our exclusive interview which is a cracking read. Enjoy.
i:Vibes: There hasn’t been much of a summer in Germany in 2011. But you are always on the move seeing different parts of the world. What has been your most memorable summer experience in 2011?
Roger: Hard to say, since the summer has been just started for me. I have a busy schedule ahead including my first Ibiza residency for Gatecrasher. I had a huge openminded!? album kickoff in Australia, even there is winter right now. I had a great experience in Russia recently where I played at GES fest in Togliatti, a 7 stages open air festival which last for 3 days and nights.
i:Vibes: Music is your life and you produce under so many different aliases. You produce so much and keep releasing very good material. What was your goal with Openminded recording your debut album as Roger Shah?
Roger: First of all I'm a music lover, I enjoy to listen to a wide range of music and also enjoy to try to work on different things, I think this is the main thing which keeps me producing as you mentioned. I don't do all my aliases anymore, mainly focusing now on my solo name but given my solo stuff a wider range of sound.
i:Vibes: Openminded is something of a departure from the 'endless summer' style of Balearic trance that you been renowned for to-date. 'Openminded!? Consciously widens his electronic dance focus, forging down several new stylistic avenues. How much of a challenge was getting these 29 tracks Roger Shah perfect?
Roger: Has not been a challenge at all. I got this idea in my head to create an album, representing all the music styles I love to listen to for myself. From classical orchestra movie score type of music, to rock influences as well some break beats and world music influences. while the album versions on CD 2 showing all those different genres, CD 1 also shows my development and the way I sound like during my life shows which is also a wide range of sound, from progressive house, to my old balearic trademark sound of to vocal and uplifting trance. I just don't want to stick into one genre anymore. When I look back to my first shows of the Openminded!? world tour, I'm happy to see that my fans really appreciate it.
i:Vibes: What was the production time of the album and what is your favourite track?
Roger: I worked on this album for the past 2 years. Hard to choose a favourite, because I love them all, but I'm proud that I got the chance to work with some of my all time favourite singers
i:Vibes: You worked with an all-star cast of vocalists including Moya Brennan, Kosheen, Inger Hansen and Adrina Thorpe to name just a few. With your experience with vocalist in the last years is it working with them as easy as spreading your morning toast with jam?
Roger: When I work with vocalists I always try to see the voice of each individual singer as an instrument, then I think for which kind of genre and in what chord range this instrument would fit the best, maybe this is a reason why singers enjoy working with me or even a superstar like Sian Kosheen came back to me after our first work asking for more. Have to say that it has been a lifetime experience to work with these kinds of artists and I'm kind of proud that they were all up to do a collaboration with me.
i:Vibes: How openminded are trance listeners to music in 2011?
Roger: Unfortunately I have to say that real trance music lovers are not too open minded and prefer always to listen to the typical kind of trance music, just remembering how they blamed Tiesto for the fact that he went into another direction, even he's still playing with melodic elements and did so much for trance music the past decades. The good progress this year is that so many music styles are blending together and the fusion of house and trance is the sound of the moment. I always had house percussion elements in my music and have been always a bit slower in bpm, so this progress is going more into my direction and I played around with this new sound, too.
i:Vibes: You shy very much away from instrumental tracks on Openminded adding only a few. Is it making vocal tracks more of a challenge for Roger Shah?
Roger: No, I just love to write songs with my singers, maybe it's the feel I just love when I play somewhere and people sing a long to my songs, the feel of doing a concert. I still like to do the instrumental songs but for some reason this album just came out like this to focus more on the vocal side. Maybe I will have much more instrumentals when I will do a new Sunlounger album anytime in the future.
i:Vibes: The title track openminded has that classic feeling. What inspired you to make this track?
Roger: I love to work with Orchestra and I enjoy classic movie scores, this is something I plan to do in the future, too. Just had my first meetings with some music supervisors in Hollywood and will sign in into some representation, soon. I tried a little bit to work on CD 2 like working on a soundtrack.
i:Vibes: Morning Star is a very beautiful and moving piece of music with Moya Brennan on vocals. How often was the name Enya brought into your conversations?
Roger: Not even Once! Enya is Enya and Moya is Moya, what proud parents they must have?
Enya is more known for being played in radio and the crossover market while Moya had her huge Irish Glannad band and is still doing classical celtic concerts or doing huge stuff for Hollywood, working with Ikons like Hans Zimmer. This is big time stuff, I couldn't believe when we got a response that she would love to work with me.
i:Vibes: What was the most difficult thing that you had to get perfect with music/vocals on Morning Star to get the track exactly how you wanted it?
Roger: The final mix down of about 100 orchestra instrument tracks, sound fx, some electronic music elements and finally all her vocal layers. I worked about 3 months just on this track. But it was worth it, especially when I got the response from her that she really loves it. That meant a lot to me.
i:Vibes: Catch will remain a classic track Kosheen. You had the chance to work together with Sian Kosheen on tracks Hide U, Shine and Light. What impressed you the most with her work ethic and how the track work evolved between you two?
Roger: I was a bit nervous when I picked her up at the airport, hello? Superstar Kosheen is coming to my city, my house, my studio, were I dreaming? Just think about the situation in the studio when I levelled in her voice for the recording and then is the woman behind you warming up her voice singing songs like Catch, Hide U or Hungry. Goosebumps all over I can say. Her skills of song writing and especially singing is unbelievable, no need to rework any phrase. First we recorded "In the light" and we came along very well, after a couple of weeks she called me asking what about doing a 2nd track together. So we worked on the track "shine" and after we discussed doing some live shows together I came up with the idea of doing a new version of hide u which was planned to use for the live shows but everybody loved it and after clearing the rights situation we decided to have it as official single. We just filmed a music video for it in Ibiza.
i:Vibes: You also have 2 tracks with Chris Jones with Obsession and Summer Days who you worked together with Armin Van Buuren on Going Wrong. How has he developed as a singer since the top 5 smash hit Gong Wrong?
Roger: He's like a brother for me, we became close friends and did so many shows together since "going wrong" and everything went always right, since he is a f…rockstar on stage. What I like about him is that he is not selling out himself and just doing a couple of collaborations. He is a loyal and funny guy and we always have so much fun when touring together.
i:Vibes: You met Carla Werner in the States and produced One Love. Werner gave the magical voice to the 2002 track of the year for many Southern Sun from Paul Oakenfold. What makes the voice of Werner so unforgettable for you?
Roger: "Southern Sun" is my all time favourite dance record and I still play it sometimes. She is such a lovely person with a strong overwhelming personality and when she sings it's so touching. I hope that I can work on some more songs with her in the future, too.
i:Vibes: One Love is a very strong track with a nice atmosphere. Was this a track where you quickly found the right music or did establishing the sound take longer than usual?
Roger: I wrote the music of the album version first and she added some guitars, too. We worked first on the album version which is such a touching love song focused on her great voice and vocal performance. Then I just worked on the track as I would do a remix to make it fit into my club shows.
i:Vibes: You produced your first Spanish language track Porque and, its vocalled by Salma Ros, the winner of the Armada' Music's 2010 Search for a Singer contest. The beat has that Spanish touch. Did you have to prepare differently giving this track that certain special Spanish flair?
Roger: No, for me this is one of my typical tribal influenced balearic tracks as I did under my "high noon at salinas" alias or some other balearic aliases. The main difference was the use of instruments like the harmonicas and trumpets. When I picked Salma as my winner I had no idea about that her origin is from Spain, after I found this out I was sure that i wanted to do a Spanish song with her, especially since I have so many followers in central and South America. I wanted to give them a song in their native language.
i:Vibes: Guess is one of the few album tracks on openminded that you made with Nuera. Are we supposed to guess what your inspiration was behind one of the few instrumental tracks on your album?
Roger: I signed Nuera 2 years ago to my magic island label and played all his productions also during my live shows. That's why I invited him to do a collaboration, because i wanted to have a track in his typical unique style on my album.
i:Vibes: The other instrumental track is Symbiosis with Kim Svard. The break is breathtaking. How tough was it staying away from the vocals and just cocentrating on the music?
Roger: This has not been tough at all. Same as for Nuera stands for Kim, too. I played all his previous tracks in every single show, so I invited him to do a track together, too. After a show in Sweden I went to his studio and we composed the track together, I just did the final mix back in my studio. It's such a strong and touching melody, so there was no need for a vocal, just pure trance feeling.
i:Vibes: You produced Dance with me with vocalist Inger Hansen. What things do you always have to keep in mind when you are working with a male vocalist as compared to a female vocalist?
Roger: Nothing special to keep in mind, besides that the trance crowd complains more about a male vocal than a female while radio station play more male vocal dance track for some reason. About Inger I also have to say that he is an amazing guitarists and I use him also for some of my bigger live shows to perform tracks like white sand besides our common vocal tracks.
i:Vibes: Adrina Thorpe who you have worked with in the past gave her voice to island. Island is more a moody track. What was your inspiration behind this track? You couldn’t have had a baleric island in mind since life is more upbeat there.
Roger: I composed the piano version first which inspired her to do write those kind of vocals, but the club version is very uplifting and whenever I play it people jump on it. She's a sweetheart and it's always great to work with her.
i:Vibes: When the world asleep is a upbeat dance vocal production with Lorilee. What was it like working together with Lorilee and will you work together with her in the future?
Roger: What a question? Lorilee is so easy to work with and I think she's the singer I used the most for my different projects as for Sunlounger, my 3 collaborations with Tenishia or now for my Roger Shah album, so of course I will work with her again. The track "Life" from the latest Sunlounger album went to a top #3 position in the audience charts of the biggest German dance radio station. So people like her voice as I do, too.
i:Vibes: Ira Losco gave her voice for Save it all today. What was approximately the production time on this track and what does Save it all today mean for you with this track?
Roger: She is a huge superstar in her country of Malta, I saw her at the Eurovision song contest which is a huge thing in Europe and in TV across Europe. I got in touch with her when I was asked to do a remix for her, so I re asked her of doing an original song together. I think this song is very powerful with a positive vibe, one of those sing along tunes.
i:Vibes: What do you want the listeners to remember most from openminded?
Roger: I just want that they enjoy to listen to the diversity of music and listen to the music the way I would enjoy it to listen to an album and of course that the put it on their rotation in their homes again and again.
i:Vibes: What do you like so much about the album Only by the night from Kings of Leon?
Roger: Everything, the unique voice of the singer, the song writing and the interesting sound of rock music but also with some little sound elements coming from the electronic genre.
i:Vibes: You have a very sensitive stomach. What do you eat when you visit countries with spicy food?
Roger: Nothing or just a club sandwich in the hotel.
i:Vibes: Your brother Pedro will be djing in August at the summer party of the Technoclub of Talla 2XLC. When will we see you in the Technoclub again and when is a Talla 2XLC/Roger Shah production be made?
Roger: Talla also invited me to play for his great party, but unfortunately my it doesn't fit to my schedule, because of my Ibiza residency but also the fact that at this date i headline another Gatecrasher show in Ukraine. At the moment I don't know when I will play in Germany again, but I really hope that i can do at least one exclusive date somewhere in Germany for my Openminded!? world tour which will last at least about one year.
About production with Talla, I kept on asking him to do something again and again years ago, nowadays I'm too busy with my own things and besides all the weekly travel I always need to find the time to record my weekly radio shows and then I have to start to work on a new album again.
:: Roger Shah's 'Openminded?' is out right now!
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