The 1st December will mark 28 years of the legendary Technoclub in Frankfurt run by the trance icon Talla 2XLC. To make sure the party goes down well he's invited a fellow trance icon Solarstone to hit the decks with him. We caught up for Solarstone for a chat...

 If you could pick a perfect scenario behind the first door of your advent calendar a Technoclub night would be an excellent choice. This Saturday coming up sea’s the return of the Technoclub to its homeland of Frankfurt, Germany for another night of trance mayhem. The club celebrates its 28th year on the 1st December with Talla 2XLC enlisting some big guns to fire the night up. He has alongside himself the Dutch trance man Jorn Van Deyhoven and one of his fellow legends on the scene, Solarstone. Rich ‘Solarstone’ Mowatt is riding a high this year so far with the release of his new artist album ‘Pure’ and last week the release of his new compilation concept ‘Pure Trance’, mixed together with Orkidea. Ahead of his night behind the decks with Tall we caught up with Solarstone for a quick word.

i:Vibes: You have released a new mix compilation called ‘Pure Trance’ with Orkidea. You stated: ‘It’s about stripping away the music’s unwarranted add-ons; restoring trance’s most vibrant and essential elements and making the genre we love timeless’. What exactly is your definition of pure trance?

Solarstone: Trance has undergone many changes and mutations over the years, but in recent times (in my opinion) the spirit and essence of the music has been largely lost – and replaced by a harsh and aggressive sound creating what I believe is a version of ‘Trance’ markedly different from where the sound originated. People go to clubs to hear ‘Trance’ and come away disappointed – because they have heard something else entirely. ‘Pure’ Trance should make you close your eyes and lose yourself in the music. Many producers are so obsessed with contemporary production techniques that the soul in the music has disappeared, replaced by a loudness war & finicky over-complicated production. Pure Trance is my mission to restore the genre to its core essence with melody & emotion that moves the soul. Of course, there is room within the scene for all kinds of trance music, but I felt that the Pure side of Trance was at risk of being lost, and there are millions of people worldwide for whom the sound of ‘2.0’ trance simply doesn’t push their buttons. The spirit of Trance music is a way of life for many people, and the support I’ve received since beginning the project 100% confirms it

i:Vibes: How was it that you came to choose the brilliant Finish producer Orkidea?

Solarstone: Tapio and I are good friends; we always record something together each time I play in Helsinki (Orkidea’s home town). Tapio totally shares my love of the pure side of Trance, and his disc on the new Pure Trance compilation demonstrates this beautifully.

i:Vibes: You produced the uplifting Falcons with Giuseppe Ottaviani. What was it like working with the Italian in the studio? How were the duties broken up in making the music?

Solarstone: We actually produced the track together over the Internet – not an ideal way of producing if I am honest, but it worked out well. Essentially, I sent Giuseppe a rough demo of an idea, he added his signature sound to it & came up with new parts and developed the chord progression further – then I finished it off. Next time we work together I hope it will be in his studio in Rome... as he has a beautiful new baby grand piano, which I want to get my hands on

i:Vibes: I really like Voyager. It is a very emotional song. What was the most difficult thing that you had to do to get this track perfect in the Solarstone manner?

Solarstone: There was nothing difficult about ‘Voyager’ – it came together incredibly easily actually – one of the easiest ones on the album come to think of it. The vocal in the track was ‘borrowed’ from a track on my ‘Rain Stars Eternal’ album ‘Filoselle Skies’, it worked perfectly in this totally different environment, so I used it. Voyager works well in the clubs too, it draws you in and then takes the roof off – it’s a real Pure Trance track. The spoken word sample came from a 1970’s documentary about early Nasa endeavors into space.

i:Vibes: You remixed Delirium Days turn into nights which is on the Pure trance CD. Has your attitude about how you go about doing remixes and style changed over time?

Solarstone: Not really, although in the early says I would remix everything that I got offered – often because the money was so tempting then. These days there is far less on the table in terms of financial incentives, so I really do pick & choose what I do very carefully. For me, there has to be a great song or an interesting melody. I like to remix things which are very far from being ‘Trance’ as it gives me more scope for experimentation. ‘Days Turn Into Nights’ is originally a down tempo track, but I love the Sting-esque vocal in it. I usually try to adhere closely to the Original chord progressions and melodies as much as possible; it seems pointless to change what somebody else has already spent painstaking hours over getting perfect. When other artists remix my tracks I like them to take the same approach.

i:Vibes: What productions can we await from you in the future?

Solarstone: I’m always working on new material, but I do like to keep my cards quite close to my chest actually! At the moment everything is focused on the Pure Trance project, but I can tell you that I’m working on a Pure mix of another track with Clare Stagg from my ‘Pure’ album, and also new Federation material.

i:Vibes: One of my favourite songs from you is Late Summer fields. Are you a producer that will listen to their old songs or are you a guy that never goes back to the past to listen to their old stuff at home?

Solarstone: I don’t listen to my own stuff at home, but if I’m out & about and hear something of mine I will listen to it. It’s bizarre, sometimes I hear them and cannot remember the production process at all. But I never listen to old tracks and wish I’d done them differently, nothing leaves my studio unless I am 100% happy with it. There’s enough sub standard music in the world already, I’ve got no intention of adding to it. I do love Late Summer Fields though; it’s one of my personal favourites.

i:Vibes: What is the coolest compliment that you have gotten in the last 10 years about your legendary song Seven Cities?

Solarstone: Gosh.. Well a few people have had the ambient version played at their wedding, which is very flattering, there have been some sad stories too though, and I know the track has been played at some funerals over the years too. Interesting how one piece of music can evoke so many different emotions in people. I still love the track, although sometimes I do feel that I wear it as a big shiny heavy medal – nice to have but slightly arduous at times!

i:Vibes: You recently worked together with Giuseppe Ottaviani. Which artist is still missing in your discography that you would like to work with?

Solarstone: I’d love to work with Will Young – I love his vocals, his last album was very Pet Shop Boys who are another of my favourite bands. But I don’t hanker over working with anybody in particular; I get more excited about discovering new talent. When you find someone who is easy to work with – like Ben Lost for example, you tend to want to stick to who is reliable. I’ve had a few nightmares with vocalists over the years.

i:Vibes: One of your favourite tracks in October was the classic Paul Oakenfold track Southern Sun in the Orkidea remix. What makes this track so special in your eyes?

Solarstone: I fell in love with this record back in 2000 when I did my Afterhours remix – Tapio’s remix is the first remix I’ve heard that managed to capture the magic of the Original version. It’s such a beautiful vocal, very dark – most remixes I’ve heard have been simply too ‘up’ – Tapio’s keeps the mystery of the Original, which makes it perfect in my book.

i:Vibes: Christmas is just around the corner. Any special Xmas wishes this year?

Solarstone: Just to make it to Xmas 2013 would be nice without going completely insane, oh and that my son gets his Xmas list from Santa.

SOLARSTONE'S RECENT ARTIST ALBUM - 'PURE'

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