Possibly Denmark's biggest export ever to the dance music industry are Miro, the duo who moved from Denmark to London over a decade ago and has produced some of the finest in house and trance. Here they talk to i:Vibes...

Miro are Mads and Steen, two down to earth Danish producers who have lived in the UK for much of the past 10 years, putting forward their sound and getting internationally recognized for their talent. DJs such as Dave Seaman, Sasha, Nigel Dawson and Jimmy van M, and Paul Oakenfold are amongst the many who have featured Miro productions on their compilations or DJ sets, which shows the calibire which is reached. Here they tell you about where they're from and what music is about to them!

The Miro Interview

Hey there Mads and Steen! Thanks for doing this interview with i:Vibes and hope the readers enjoy it as much as i did!

Hope all is cool with you guys, and thanks much for doing this interview with i:VIbes.

- Having remained pretty anonymous for much of the past years, how about you give us a bit of an insight as to both your backgrounds?

Miro: Both of us are from Denmark and we moved to London in 1991 to make a music career after we had released one single, Energy/Mystery on Danish underground label “ Coma Records”.
Reviews and sales of that single were a lot better abroad, so we thought why not…..let’s move abroad and see what comes out of it. We signed a record deal with Effective Records, the guys behind (Gat Décors - Passion), where our first release was a double a-side called “ Pure Silk/El Salvador”. Pure Silk was tune of the week on Pete Tong’s essential selection, and appeared on more than 15 compilations. Celebrate, Cocoon, Spaceman, Orient Express & Metropolis followed.
The release of Celebrate led to a live pa at the Ministry of Sound Friday club ‘Open all hours’.
After Effective went bust R.I.P, we managed our own record releases such as the track “Emotions of Paradise” which appears on a number of chill out compilations, Café del Mar 3 included. 2 tracks came out on dutch label, Dance Opera.
We then started to listen to the releases on Hooj Choons and we loved every one they put out. We made the track “Paradise” in the hope that they would pick it up and sign it. We had a meeting with Red Jerry who loved the tune and half an hour later, Miro was signed to Hooj Choons. Here we have so far released “Paradise, By your side and remix projects such as Three Drives / Greece 2000 which went NO 12 on the UK Top 40.

Miro: Lately we’ve done tracks in a different style different from that which suits the Hooj Choons profile, such as “The Guitar Track” under the name Colours signed Skyline Records and “Remember me” under the name Orange signed to Brother Brown records.
A new Colours single is coming out shortly on Skyline called “Another one” .

- With numerous releases over the past decade, you 2 have been truly diverse in the sound you produce, but if you had to describe your sound, what would it be?

Miro: We aim to achieve a very melodic sound. Ranging from chill-out, to progressive house and some times a bit melancholic. This way it becomes less cheesy, more touching and powerful and if it makes people think of the Balearic islands that way, then we are very happy.
We have always liked vocal tracks, and the challenge of creating them. It is a completely different approach to create a vocal track. You have to build around the vocals, and are restricted by the harmonies etc but when you succeed, like the Paradise track, you feel you really have achieved something special and unique.

- Your tracks such as Spaceman and Paradise have been denounced as being amongst the top tracks ever produced having been featured on almost all major compilations in existence, what have been your favourite own productions ever? and what about other favourites?

Miro: There have been a lot of great moments. “ Pure silk” becoming tune of the week in Pete Tongs radio show was our first taste of the UK dance scene. “ Emotions of Paradise” because it was the first chill-out tune we did and it became very successful although we were not signed to a label at the time.
And lately the ‘Guitar track’ and it’s success. It was released on 3 labels around Europe, Skyline in the UK, Blanco Y Negro in Spain, and Milk & Sugar in Germany, and has appeared on more than 25 compilations and still rising.

Steen: All time favourite track for Steen “ The Age of Love”
Mads: All time favourite track for Mads “ KLF – What time is love”

- What will the style of Miro be in the coming year after your release under the more housey guise of "Orange"? Will there be any move towards back to a trancey style? or whatnot?

Miro: We are very much into the house scene at the moment from percussion to the more heavy progressive style. We would like to do the next Miro single very progressive and driving, but until then we will have a new chillout track on the forthcoming Café del Mar 9 called “The Cure” . Don’t expect any big riff trance tune in the near future from us, we are a bit fed up with those, there’s been too many for too long. But nice harmonies can be made in different ways that in big riffs, we believe.

- By Your Side has also been a big flagship release on Lost Language, which is seemingly what Miro has been known for in the past. What productions will come from you 2 in 2002? and beyond? Any plans for an album?

Miro: We will start up doing an album soon we think. Stretching from chill-out to trance/Progressive with previous singles and new material as well. We are not sure when this project will be finished – whenever we feel it is ready, maybe spring next year.
We are also working on a chill-out project with Roger Eno. 5 songs have been finished so far, and we are working towards an album. So the future is bright, the future is Orange…..

- What do you guys see as being the sound of the global dance music industry at present? the big dutch trance sound? the German harder edge? US House? or what?

Miro: At present for us it’s definitely the US and the French house, depending on being for clubs or lounge. Often it becomes a bit too monotone in the clubs at the moment, therefore we would like a little combination, the top synths from trance and the beats, tempo’s and basslines from the progressive scene.
Naked music does some nice stuff at the moment (maybe we are getting older?)

- Any plans for live sets from Miro in the future? or DJ sets? as we haven't seen many of those in the past? And what are your views on diversifying to the USA or Asia?

Miro: We love sitting in the studio doing tracks and then going out being on the fun side of the DJ booth (Dancefloor), so we can’t see ourselves doing live gigs at the moment. If the demand is there, then off course we would have to consider it, but for now life is too good, so we will stick around in the studio. We don’t DJ anymore so I guess we have to leave that to the past.

- Well thanks a lot for your time guys and best of luck in the future!

Miro: Greetings to all the readers out there and thanks for reading!