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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Darren Tate's Perfect World
Reported by mostwantedkat
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Submitted 30-07-07 11:05
Darren Tate is one of the most familiar names in dance music. As DT8 Project, Jurgen Vries and Angelic he’s been a regular fixture in the UK charts, no mean feat for a dance artist particularly in today’s rock-heavy climate. Most famously (or possibly infamously depending on which way you look at it) he worked with Charlotte Church on the Opera Song, a track that was everywhere and anywhere, busting the Welsh wonder’s previously pure image and launching her as a pop-babe to be reckoned with.
Now he’s back, and not with a mere single this time. Making a serious bid for the producer big time, Darren has a whole album on his hands and if reports are to be believed, it could propel him into superstar status. With 13 tracks on the album, as well as a club-mixed remix CD to boot, he’s already had DJs falling at his feet over the production work, with Judge Jules calling Hold Me Till The End “the tune of the year, if not the decade”. Praise indeed party people.
As the buzz and hype around the album starts to reach fever pitch, Pure Sessions Presents Knowwhere have scooped him for an exclusive set at Heaven on Friday August 3rd. Playing alongside Mark Pledger , who’s hot to trot after a wicked Anjunabeats album with Super8 and DJ Tab, plus Ian Betts, Anthony Dean and Alan Banks, it looks set to be a storming night to remember.
To get you in the mood, we caught up with Mr Tate and pumped him for more information on what is looking like the hottest album of the year so far.
Hi Darren, how are you doing today?
Very well thanks
You’re headlining at Heaven on August 3rd for Knowwhere – have you ever played at Heaven before?
I haven’t – though I have attended many an event there. It’s a great club – great sound and atmosphere which is all you could want really. We’re all hoping for a great turn out (naturally)!
Your new album, Perfect World, is coming out this year. How long has it taken you to get to the end product?
It’s taken years, thought thankfully not all in one sitting.
What’s the overall sound of the album like? Was it what you were initially aiming for or did it take on a life of its own throughout the recording process?
The album was always about great songs even from the off and with so many great writers and artists on board I really believe we’ve achieved that. However, in regards to the productions themselves things really evolved as I worked on the album and I often found myself going back and working on tracks we had already thought we’d finished so that everything would blend together. I think it’s now got a fantastic flowing energy where all the elements really come together.
What kind of journey has it been for you personally and professionally?
Personally everyone hates me as I spent so much time in the studio working on it. Not really, they only just dislike me! It’s been great on all levels as it’s given me the opportunity to finally present all this material and ideas though it’s not always been easy coming.
Have you learnt anything as a producer?
Yes I have I am always learning as a producer. To stay ahead you have to experiment and that often involves a degree of self-education.
Who comprises the DT8 Project?
Fundamentally it’s myself with two newcomer lead artists (Alexta and Maria) but we do also feature a lot of great artists.
You’ve worked with an impressive range of people across the album, including Gavin Rossdale from Bush, aka Mr Gwen Stefani. What was he like to work with, how did that come about and did you ever get to meet Gwen?
Actually Gavin wrote the male portion of the vocal for me years ago and only later did I decide to use it in the album. To be honest we only really speak by email and when he records we arrange a studio in Los Angeles.
Which song did you work on with him and what do you feel he bought to the overall sensibility of the track?
The track is called Falling. Gavin was excited by some of the original material for the album (which was played to him by a friend) hence his reason for becoming involved. I later took the vocal, wrote a female section and created a fusion of rock, electro, house and trance, which worked a treat.
Gavin’s not the only high profile name on the album. You’ve also got Mory Kante and Andrea Britton. Andrea’s recently featured on the massive Positiva hit Counting Down The Days – do you think you’ve got the same kind of hit on your hands from your tune with her?
Actually I first recorded with Andrea when she featured on a Dido cover we did (Take My Hand) under my Jurgen Vries guise. I wanted to use her for Winter which later went on to being signed by Ministry Of Sound. I love the record and the enthusiasm for it on MySpace is overwhelming. I’ve actually specially re-mastered / engineered the record for the album and it sounds better than ever.
Did you have a wish list of people that you wanted to work on the album with?
Not really, it was really the culmination of artists that I had worked with and the challenge was making it all come together.
In a perfect world (sorry!) which one artist would you love to work with and why? Which tune out of the album would you have given them and what do you think they would have bought to it?
Not that I don’t love Nicolai Prowse’ performance but if you twist my arm I’ll try out Rollo from U2 on Lose Yourself. Got to give the kid a shot.
Is there anyone that you wouldn’t in a million years work with and why?
Anyone who’s been on Big Brother. My stomach can’t take it.
The second CD on the album is a club-mixed bonus which seems to be a staple of every album these days. Do you think clubbers expect that as standard these days and how much pressure does it put on you as a producer? Were you as confident in the bonus CD as you were of the actual album?
I don’t really think having a bonus CD with every track on the album remixed is standard, certainly not in this case where we have so many fantastic high profile remixers involved. The bonus CD not only features great mixes it embodies all the songs of CD1 but creates a more peak-time club flow energy. It’s also carefully mixed together and I think creates a really different but none the less enjoyable listening experience.
Who’s done the best remix on the second CD in your opinion?
It’s too hard to pick just one, but with artists like Above & Beyond, Gareth Emery, Max Graham and Lange you can’t really go wrong.
Did you do the mix yourself?
Yes I did.
What do you hope to achieve both professionally and personally from the album?
Tonnes of cash, enough to bathe in. In fact a tanker full. No not really, I do work in the music business after all. I just hope people genuinely enjoy it as that’s really what it’s all about.
Do you think the fact that you’ll be able to sell the album digitally instead of having to deal with actual physical distribution mean that you’ll be able to shift a lot more units?
Well we’ll be doing both, but one has to accept that there is a need for both in this day and age.
Realistically speaking, do you think you can break into the top 40?
It definitely deserves to, but it’s often a question of how much marketing money is spent rather than quality these days.
Finally, where can people get their hands on the album?
Well it should be available from all good record stores and via our own Mondo Records website www.mondorecords.com.
Cheers Darren, see you at Knowwhere 
All photos courtesy of Darren Tate and Knowwhere, not to be reproduced without permission
Pure Sessions presents: Knowwhere
 
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On:
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Friday 3rd August 2007
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At:
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Heaven [map]
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From:
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22.00- 0600
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Cost:
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Tickets £10 members, £12 in advance plus booking fee,
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Website:
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www.heaven-london.com
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Ticket Info:
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Tickets £10 members, £12 in advance plus booking fee, MOTD
Tickets available from www.ticketweb.co.uk / www.heaven-london.com / 08707 600 100
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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PURE SESSIONS PRESENTS: KNOWWHERE, FRIDAY AUGUST 3rd, HEAVEN LONDON
Dig out your glowsticks (oh you know you want to!), don your cyber gear and throw your arms up in the air. Knowwhere return to Heaven London for a celebration of all that is true and good in trance and hard dance on Friday August 3rd.
Taking hold of the main stage this time around is producer legend Darren Tate. He of Angelic fame and all round DJ superstar will be heading a line-up that’s specifically designed to make your mouth water! Mark Pledger, Ian Betts, resident Anthony Dean and Alan Banks have been locked in their rooms by the Knowwhere promoters until they come up with a stunning selection of tracks that will have you on your knees and begging for more.
We tried to lock Charlotte Birch up in a similar fashion but the Midlands’ hard house queen was having none of it, dammit. She’ll be tearing strips off the decks with fellow Sundissential cohorts Nick Rafferty, Ed Real, JK and Andy McCall as Birmingham’s finest descend in a flurry of red and yellow to show us how they do it up north.
Simon The Fireman, Lizzie Curious and Chris Cee have been drafted in to give the proceedings a big phat helping of funk, while new room ‘Somewhere’ launches to give unknown DJs a helping hand and introducing you lot to a whole load of fresh talent!
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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