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 Talla 2XLC's legendary Technolclub is hosting a very special classics party for his birthday on the 17th March in its hometown of Frankfurt, Germany and joining him is one of trance music's most iconic artists, Johan Gielen. We caught a word...
If there is one artist who knows how to master the detailed finesse of his performances and his interaction with the audience, then it’s most certainly Johan Gielen. As one of the pioneers of trance music he has a unique feel for his audience which reflects in his record-choice and mixing skills. Few DJ’s may call themselves ‘Superstar’; Johan Gielen belongs to this elite.
Johan Gielen started his rise to fame at the age of seventeen playing at a local Dutch club, which eventually landed him his first residency at Club Velfarre in Tokyo. When he decided to come back to Holland his reputation preceded him; his career skyrocketed and booking-requests came from all over the world. In no time he was rocking decks at Dance Valley, Sensation, Godskitchen and many more. Up to this day Johan Gielen remains the only artist with 15 consecutive sets at Trance Energy under his belt. Johan has made it perfectly clear that he’s not ‘just the guy who plays the records’ but an all out performer who get the crowds going.
As for the productions? Any dance-music fan can name a few of Johan’s hit records. For a while Johan teamed up with Svenson and produced monsterjams like ‘The Beauty of Silence’ and ‘Twisted’. When he was just by himself Johan created hits like the Airscape remix of ‘Delirium – Silence’ and of course no one can forget his hands-up partytrack ‘Played-A-Live’. In 2006 Johan released his debut album ‘Revelations’ mixing things up a bit. Get some trance, add a little progressive, a dash of techno and we have a winner. Mixing different styles was the way to go for Johan which he proved with tracks like ‘My Love’, the chart-topping ‘U Got To Know’ which he made as ‘The Dubguru’ and his remake of Hollis P. Monroe’s ‘I’m Lonely 2011’.
To this day Johan remains a busy man. He’s working on his second artist album and a new ‘Global Sessions’ mixcompilation featuring collaborations with artists he’s befriended over the years, producing tracks in a variety of genres. When he’s not doing that you’ll probably find him working on his radioshow called ‘Global Sessions’. This show is broadcast by various stations all over the world and it’s exactly this global character that defines Johan’s career.
i:Vibes: Johan, thanks for taking some time to talk to i:Vbes.nu. 2012 is now some months old. Has your perspective on a new year and your goals changed with each year of getting older?
Johan: It’s a pleasure to do this interview , No my perspective has nothing to do with getting older , when music is in your heart it’s timeless .
i:Vibes: If you look back on 2011, what was your highlight of the year in the studio and in the club?
Johan: Studio wise I have done only a few things in 2011 one of the highlights was the song I have done with Jan Vervloet called “Music For Free”on High Contrast records .
Gigs wise I had allot of highlights in 2011 a few ones to remember are New years eve in Istanbul , all the festivals in the summer like : Sunrise , Kuala Lumpur , Singapore , Norway , In Love We Trust (Sofia) , Trance Nation enc ……..
i:Vibes: You will be returning back to the Technoclub where you gave your debut in 2008. What are your fondest memories playing this legnedary club with Talla 2XLC?
Johan: The atmosphere and the people at that night is just insane , I feel that everybody who comes out to Technoclub has passion and that’s what we need for a big night !
i:Vibes: You also mixed the legendary Technoclub CD with Talla 2XLC. What memories do you still have from making this CD?
Johan: I remember that we have send a lot of emails up and down to make this happen and it was a very nice thing to do !
i:Vibes: Nobody really knows how old Talla 2XLC is, but if you could give him the perfect birthday present from Holland what would it be?
Johan: I would give him a box full of candy …… you know what we love here in Holland ;-)
i:Vibes: Has your sound changed much from your last visit in 2008? What can we expect from your DJ set?
Johan: Not really although I’m always playing music for the people so it’s hard to say what you can expect I think we’re going to Party hard!
i:Vibes: When was the first time that you heard the name Talla 2XLC back in the day?
Johan: In the middle of the 90s when trance was getting bigger and bigger .
i:Vibes: How respected is Talla 2XLC in Holland?
Johan: I think on a very positive way as he is one of the legends in trance music!
i:Vibes: If you and Talla 2XLC were to make a new single in 2012, what would it sound like?
Johan: I think a combination of the old sounds with the new touch 128 BPM but full of energy!
i:Vibes: If you could reproduce Okinawa Sunset 2012, what kind of sound would you give it?
Johan: Keeping the main melody in the original state but beats and bassline I would change into the style of today .
i:Vibes: You made a remake of I’m Lonely in 2011. How was the feedback of this track and what were you most proud with this track?
Johan: The feedback was all positive and what I like to most was that the original goes back in the days that I was an upcoming DJ so allot of good memories on this one .
i:Vibes: What new releases can we await from you in 2012 in the next months?
Johan: There’s a few new things on the table right now for sure a follow up for Music For Free with Jan Vervloet , also I have some tunes in the pipeline together with Cor Fijneman. Besides this I also have a scoop for you named that Airscape is coming back in 2012 !
i:Vibes: What can we expect from your second album sound wise?
Johan: Oh that’s a hard one to ask I think just where the people know Johan Gielen from and that’s Party , Energy , Emotions , just an album for everyone!
i:Vibes: You were known for producing some of the biggest trances tunes end of the 90s and start of millennium. Do you miss this time in the trance music?
Johan: Sometimes yes and no because I have a feeling that what we did back in the days is happening all over again . However it’s in a different way .
i:Vibes: Do you like how trance music has developed in the last 10 years or do you sometimes look back and miss that time?
Johan: I like when something new comes up but remember the beginning of trance will always be special to me .
i:Vibes: Do you still asked about Svensson & Gielen daily? What was your favourite track from this project?
Johan: Well yes I have many people asking me to do some remixes on the S&G stuff and maybe I will do so in 2012 . The biggest tune from Svenson & Gielen is Twisted for sure.
i:Vibes: Airscape was another project of yours. How timeless is the track L Esperanza? New mixes were made in 2009. Do you think that this is a track that can continue to be redone again?
Johan: Airscape is like a child for me , Lésperanza is a unique piece of music and for sure it’s timeless to remix , I’m wondering how it will sound if some of the big names from this moment (Afrojack , Avicii , Nicky Romero) would lay there hands on it .
i:Vibes: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Johan: Really don’t know as I’m not looking to far into the future . But for sure I will be around in the music!
i:Vibes: What are your current five favourite tracks?
Johan: Nafia - My Way To You
Mat Zo – Bipolar
Johan Gielen vs Jan Vervloet – Music For Free
Pedro Del Mar & Ingsha - Midnight Sun
Rebels Without A Cause & York - Red Violin
i:Vibes: Who will be the up and coming artist in 2012 in trance?
Johan: Orjan Nilsen and Marc Simz
i:Vibes: If you and Arty were stuck on an island for a day what would you two guys do?
Johan: Hmmm ……. Fishing (lol) or making a Balearic summer tune together
i:Vibes: Thanks Johan for chat and we are looking forward o your return in the Technoclub.
Johan: Thank you all as well and I’m looking forward to be part of the Talla birthday party it’s going be one to remember. Promise!
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