INTERVIEW: An Interview with Solarstone about Electronic Architecture vo.2

Interview with Solarstone about Electronic Architecture vol.2 and more. 

 It’s such a great pleasure to have the chance to interview for the 3rd time the multitalented musician, DJ and label owner Rich Mowatt who is widely known under the name of his most successful and influential trance project ‘Solarstone’. After his fantastic album “Touchstone”, Rich released this spring, which sounds the most appropriate season which signals the rebirth of nature, his brilliant double CD compilation Electronic Architecture vol.2. The first part was nominated for an International Dance Music Award, and prompted ‘Tilllate’ to say that it was: “magical blend of music, art and design” that “recalled the understated magic of Sasha and Digweed’s first Renaissance albums”. Therefore, it took him more than a year to complete the second part, in order to retain the high quality levels of the first one, and I guess to push it one-step further than the first critically acclaimed volume.

Currently, he is very active on the remix front, and three of his remixes received fantastic support and positive comments on various social networks of artists such as Allure feat Jes, Aly and Fila and the re-release of the all-time club classic, Yeke Yeke by Mory Kante vs Loverush UK!. What is more, he started a brand new project called ‘Federation’ with his good friend Ben Lost, (Young Parisians, Ashtrax, The Remote). Both have a plethora of individual successes to their respective names, and come together here to create a fresh sound and style – fusing cutting edge electronic music with the inspiration drawn from key influences - including The Cocteau Twins, The Cure and The Sisters of Mercy. Their debut single “Synchronized” released on Perfecto Fluoro, part of Armada Music in Holland, sets the tone for what is to come. Balancing impeccable melodies, hypnotic grooves, and provocative vocals, which all come together to seduce the listener in.

In addition, he is the owner of the labels Solaris, Crashing Waves, Solarswarm and lately Molecule. Labels where he releases music from himself and from other fantastic artists that he personally chosen to nurture, and bring them out of their closet to the global EDM community. In my opinion, Rich has that God-given skill amongst others, to be able to recognise new artists with potential to become really successful. There are plenty of examples of new artists who started their careers on his labels, and then they become well known and respected. Lastly, he is a fantastic radio DJ as well, as presents and produces his radio show Solaris International which is streamed on various radio stations worldwide, and is available as free podcast too.

Definitely, 2011 is a very creative year for Rich, with many projects running along with his DJ sets at various venues all over the world, so it’s the most appropriate period to organise an interview with him, which is now ready for your eyes and mind only. Within this interview, you can expect to get fantastic insights on how Electronic Architecture Vol.2 was produced, along with Rich’s comments about each single track of the compilation. Also, he express’s his dislike for all the music magazine editors who every now and then declare the death of trance music, and he gives us the backstage story for the 3 remixes that he did, and currently are heavily supported by DJ’s and radio stations all over the world. He doesn’t hesitate in his self reflection, and marks his various abilities behind the DJ decks. Its one of those interviews that you need to read again and again, in order to understand even more - particularly if you are a young hopeful talented producer and you are looking for some advice on how to manage, to get your place within the music industry.

Interview is written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias “Flux BPM On The Move”

Dimitri: First of all I would like to say that I’m really glad to be doing another interview with you after meeting up at Tomorrowland. In that interview we talked about the making of the new ‘Electronic Architecture’ that now is finally out with great feedback and support. Therefore, I would like to know first about the kind of feedback that you received for the first volume, and if you have had any constructive criticism that you have taken on board when you prepared the second volume.

Rich Solarstone: That's an interesting question... To be honest with you, when you are an artist with a completed album 'constructive criticism' doesn't really exist - it's never constructive at that stage. For example, if one man says 'It's good but it would be better with more uplifting stuff on it' the next man will say 'it's good but I prefer the progressive stuff'. When you have completed an album it is your own vision - when people come back after it is released with their criticisms it's kind of pointless, and if you, as an artist, are going to tailor what you do based on the criticism of others, you end up winding yourself up into a confused ball. I just do what I do. I don't have the time or inclination to base my musical output on other people's opinions, that's not what it's about! You turn into a parody of yourself if you approach making music based on other's opinions, it's far better to stick to your guns, and take willing people on the ride with you. Every artist appreciates good reviews, and tends to ignore bad ones!

Dimitri: It would be cool to let us know if there is a certain motto or idea that flows within the electronic architecture vol2 compilation.

Rich Solarstone: There certainly is - new music from new artists presented as a multi-level mix with beautiful aesthetics. For too long artists and labels have shovelled out the direst compilation fodder imaginable. When dance music was in what many would consider its zenith (in terms of sales at any rate), artists and labels put far more time and artistic thought into the packaging of their releases. Labels such as Renaissance were in fact proud of the aesthetic qualities of their releases. I felt, even though the financial rewards may not be so great from sales in the current climate, the marriage of brilliant music and beautiful artwork, should be an integral element of releasing an inventive compilation album. I wanted the EA series to shine like a star of hope to lovers of aesthetically pleasing releases, lovers of new intelligently produced music, and lovers of in depth mixing.

Dimitri: How long it take you to produce this compilation? Can you describe to us the various stages that you passed through from selecting, mixing to releasing this compilation. From all those stages what did you enjoy most doing?

Rich Solarstone: The entire album took around 12 months from conception to completion, on and off. Finding, and then polishing the tracks up to the required standard took the most time; the actual mixing was the pleasurable bit. Finding the music is a big task, because I'm trying to find new music from new producers, and by their very nature the production standards can be very varied. It's one thing to sign a finished track from an established producer, but finding a rough demo from someone with a great idea, but without necessarily great engineering skill, and then developing it into a polished finished track can take some time, but I think it's worth the extra effort. The packaging is another long process because Andrew, who does the art, is such a stickler for detail. He always sends over 20 different variations on a them - it's a bit mind blowing to be honest. Then there is the promotional angle to be decided on, the interactive website in this case. It would be so much easier to just go down the major label canon-fodder approach to releasing this music, but I really do want to put out something that will be regarded in 10 years as a worthy and memorable release. Something that will stand the test of time.

Dimitri: Did you change the tracklisting of the compilation many times, and did you face any difficulties in managing to license any of the tracks?

Rich Solarstone: The track list was constantly morphing and changing, because when you introduce a new track into the mix, it can change the dynamic of the whole thing. It's interesting the way it unfolds. For example, there was a particular track which was the first track I signed for EA2, and then that track just did not work at all with the other tracks on the album. In fact there were 2 such tracks. Nobody was more surprised about it that I was! But it's all about the dynamics of the mix, if a particular track takes the mix in a difficult or unexpected direction; you have to make a decision on whether that is a road you want to go down. I did go off on a few tangents when mixing the album, at one point disc 1 was going to be all break beats! Only one track was licensed for the album, all the rest were signed by me to my labels exclusively for this album, and subsequent single release.

Dimitri: All the DJ’s nowadays in their compilations produce their own edits of the tracks selected to feature on them. I wonder if you have done your own edits, and do you like the idea of your own edits, mash ups and bootleg versions, produced especially for DJ sets and compilations. Some artists feel that DJ’s don’t respect their original tracks in that way.

Rich Solarstone: Hmmm well 'deconstruction' is one thing, 'mashups' are another. Personally I really do not like the latter. Taking two tracks that happen to be in the same key, and jamming them together in a crude way doesn’t press my buttons at all. But the deconstruction and reconstruction concept behind the Electronic Architecture series is very, very, different to that. It takes the constituent parts of each track and weaves them together to create something new. All the artists were aware of the concept when I signed the tracks, and all were happy with it. I think if you do it respectfully, then it's ok. Plus most of the tracks will receive a full single release on one of my labels, with a remix or two anyway, following the release of EA2. So the original pieces do get to see the light of day in their purest form!

Dimitri: It would be cool to take the compilation track by track and offer us your short comment on each one.


Rich Solarstone: Matvey Emerson–Prizma (Reconstruction)

This is the only track I licensed in for the album; it was originally released on System Recordings. I love this record and did a hefty reconstruction for the intro of Disc 1. The chord progression is, I think, the same as my Solarstone track 'Release', possibly why I liked it in the first place! I've subsequently signed another Matvey Emerson track to Solaris entitled 'Dark Water'.

Piotro–Mist (Reconstruction)

The first of Piotr's contributions to EA2. This is all glitchy warped textures; this is what Piotro is great at doing.

Nick Stoynoff–Tokyo Nights

Nick's production is classic Global Underground to me; it is warm, spacious and engaging. Fabulous. Not really dance floor material, this is more listen-at-home music, or in the car.

Daniel Mahuad–Winter Solstice (Sunn Jellie Remix)

This progressive remix of Daniels peculiar and warped track fuses perfectly with Tokyo Nights. Sunn Jellie is very, very good at making music like this.

Piotro–Uncontrollable

More spaced out twitchiness from Piotro!

Abdomen Burst ft. Yavanndiel–Solar Eclipse

I love the breaks driven flow of this track, this is a stripped down dub version of the original. Abdomen Burst really stands alone in this genre now in terms of the standard of his production.

Hybrid–Numb (Kill City Sounds 03 Remix Reconstruction)

This reconstruction takes elements of the Kill City Sounds mix and the orchestral version, chops them up into little bits and reassembles them to make a dark symphonic groove.

Solarstone–Big Wheel

My first post-Touchstone track, this one kind of speaks for itself. Its prog house meets prog trance with a cool melodic riff and peculiar vocal sample running through it.

Alucard–Sliver

This is a brilliant snippet from Alucards forthcoming debut album on Solaris. Peter McCowan makes the most sublime driving music, and one of his mixes was on rotation at the birth of my son, so his music will always be very special to me.

Kazusa & Shingo Nakamura–Dice

Shingo Nakamura is a rising talent from Japan, he faultlessly blends house and trance sounds into a gorgeous Balearic Soundscape with this track.

Aerium–Icedive (Reconstruction)

This is another one where I felt an irresistible urge to take the constituent layers to create my own version for EA2. It has a wonderful old school Hooj arpeggiated riff in it which really shines during the break.

Poonyk & Oxide–Weekend

This one appeared from nowhere, I had never heard of these guys before and this track is really very unusual. Nothing else I have heard from them sounds anything like this. It I sort of 90's house music fused with modern prog trance with an almost electro break dance riff.

Elfsong–Eta Carinae

Elfsong is one of my favourite producers; this track was created especially for EA2, proper euphoric trance music without a whiff of cheese.

Aeron Aether & Embliss–A New Dawn (Reconstruction)

Another bespoke production for EA2, the big room breaks of this track are very wide screen indeed, it’s the perfect opener for Disc 2.

Janeiro & Sovt–Dreams Of The Sea

This is Balearic chilled trance if the highest order; it has a peculiar time signature which is a little disturbing at first but resolves itself beautifully. The guitar hook is very Solarstone, probably partly why I like it.

Mike Saint-Jules–Vespera (Reconstruction)

Pure melodic trance music, I stripped some of the elements out of this track for the EA2 mix as it seemed a little busy, but even in stripped form it is still wonderful.

Jahawi–Nairobi To London

Jahawi understands what makes a good trance record in my book. Understated melodies and interesting arrangement combined are the magical ingredients.

Solarstone–Touchstone (Orkidea Remix)

I love Orkidea's take on this track, is very 'classic trance' with a hint of Bladerunner to it. I didn't like most of the Touchstone remixes if I'm honest, but then I rarely do like remixes of my own tracks, but this one presses the right buttons for me.

Medway–Resurrection (Proff Remix)

The first of two Hooj Choons classics which I revamped for EA2. Proff is a bit of an upcoming remix wizard and this proggy workout shows just why.

Baltic Sound–Searchers Lane

Ilya Malyuev can turn his hand to most things, be it deep grooves or driving trance up lifters, this falls into the latter category. It really flows well with the next track.

Ozo Effy–White Wind

This seems to be a marmite tune; you either love it or hate it. My press agent Tim and I spent a good 10 minutes exalting the virtues of this track when I first signed it, it really is a 'headphones' track, it is very intense. Sometimes I wonder if tracks like this occur by accident...

Peter Liu–City Of Dreams

This one took a lot of too-ing and fro-ing between myself and the producer to get the sound just right. This has a classic Lost Language feel to it; there is no big riff just a warm euphoric pad progression which is a real spine tingler.

Majera–Escapade

Another of my favourite producers. I don't get why this guy is not more in demand, as he totally understands what it takes to rock a peak time trance club. He's a wicked DJ too, one of Australia's best kept secrets perhaps. The track itself is glorious main room trance.

Tilt–I Dream (Nick Rowland Remix)

The second of those Hooj Choons classics given a rub down. Nick Rowland remixes this a bit of a cheeky bootleg, and I happened to hear about it and quickly signed it up before he sent it out to DJ’s. I love his take on this Bjork vocal underground trance anthem.

Almar–Wasted Time

Vandit / PVD fans should love this, it is all arpeggiated everything with such a euphoric chord change halfway through, truly sublime and mixes fabulously with the next track...

Active Limbic System–Vanity

The penultimate track, rousing guitars and driving sequencers, this is really as hard as I'm prepared to go on an EA2 album, any harder than this and you lose the melodies and the tracks become more about naked aggression.

DJ Orion & J.Shore–Architect's Dream (Dub)

I was getting a little frantic about an endtro track for disc 2, try as I might I could not find anything that was 'just right'. Just at that time Juska (DJ Orion' dropped me a line asking if I'd like to check out tracks from his forthcoming album' 'Architects Dream' was the first one I listened to - it was perfect for the Endtro track, it was even in the right key - it was indeed an 'Architects Dream'! I did a little deconstruction on it to make the mix fluid and perfect.

Dimitri: There is a lot of speculation among online communities about what is coming next. Are you going to release an album with chill-out lounge versions of the tracks on this compilation, or of your Touchstone album?

Rich Solarstone: Indeed. The Electronic Architecture 2 Ambient Edition is coming next, all of the artists completed ambient / Chillout version of their tracks for me, which has resulted in a truly fabulous 2 x CD Ambient Edition, which is being released in the summer. A couple of the ambient remixes didn't really work on the album, but I have replaced those with a few other brand new ambient tracks which I have signed this year. It really is a fabulous ambient mix! Disc 1 is classic Balearic Chillout whereas disc 2 is darker and more Vangelis themed ambient sounds. There IS a 'Touchstone Remixed' album due for release later this year too; we're still getting a few remixes in for that.

Dimitri: Lately you put your hands on various tracks and you delivered some great remixes. I would like to get a small comment about your latest ones. About the style you adopted for them, and if it was an easy or difficult task to remix them. Those are:

Rich Solarstone: Allure feat Jes-Show me the way on Magik Muzik

This was a great one to remix - I delivered two different mixes on this, firstly the classic Solarstone Club mix - this one takes the bridge vocal and makes it the chorus. I love Jes' voice, it is so expressive and receives no auto tuning that I am aware of! My second remix is my Solarstone pres. Smashing Atoms remix. This one is tougher and dirtier, is closer to the original version I think.

Mory Kante vs Loverush Uk – Yeke Yeke 2011 [Loverush Digital]

The Hardfloor remix of this record is one of my all time favourite records. In addition, it was quite inspirational to be back in 1999 when I released Z2 'I Want You' - I decided to return the inspiration with my remix, so I dug out an old synth I had used on 'I Want You' and used one of the elements from that track in my 'Yeke Yeke' remix. It's a thunderous remix which builds and builds - sounds amazing on a big system like at Ageha in Tokyo!

Aly & Fila ft Sue Mc Laren – Still [FSOE]

This was my return swap remix with Aly & Fila after they remixed 'Touchstone' last year. This track really stood out for me on their 'Rising Sun' album - perhaps because it was one of the few 'non-trance' tracks on the record. I though the vocal could work really well with a classic Solarstone club mix. It turned out quite 'In Search Of Sunrise' in the end, I think people liked it. I was very pleased they decided to release it as a single, considering the fact that the original track had been kind of overlooked on their album.

Dimitri: Are you working on other remixes as well. Can you reveal to us any of the forthcoming ones.

Rich Solarstone: Yes indeed I am! I've just finished something rather large for one the 80's biggest bands, but unfortunately I'm sworn to secrecy on that one!

Dimitri: Have you turned down an offer for a remix, and why did you do it? In addition, did you get any of your remixes back from a record label cause they weren’t satisfied with it?

Rich Solarstone: Of course, I've turned many down over the years. Back in the late 90's there was so much money begin thrown at remixers, you really had the pick of the bunch. These days it is totally not about the money, just about working with material which is inspirational. I never had a remix declined, but one time a label did say 'It's tough, it's Dub, but it's not what we wanted'!! They released it anyway, though after I did another version with a bit more of their crappy vocal in it. Those days are long gone, thankfully.

Dimitri: You are the owner of Solaris record label and also of Crashing waves, Solarswarm and Molecule. It would be great to let us know how things are going with these labels. Are you satisfied with the first social network label that you have established so far? Did you feel that Molecule have found a niche in the dance music scene, and have managed to build even a loyal following?

Rich Solarstone: Solarswarm is going very well. I never thought it would be easy, and it isn't - it is tough to keep on top of - but it seems to have mutated nicely of its own accord, into something which kind of runs itself these days. All the members seem to have carved out little niche's for themselves quite naturally. The project is totally open to new members, and we are about to hit our 10th release. The term 'Social Network record Label' is perhaps not 100% accurate; it's more of an 'Open Source' project. Molecule Recordings on the other hand is a totally different kind of label, it is so underground it is practically subterranean. I'm not really sure who plays the kind of music we release if I'm honest, but it is just brilliant, inventive and intelligently produced music. I'm very much looking forward to releasing a 'Molecule One' compilation once we hit something like 20 releases! The website and artwork for each release are absolutely beautiful. Anyone inquisitive should go over to www.moleculerecordings.com and check it out. I don't run these labels for fortune, they are purely to send what I consider to be brilliant music out there into the world and give it a chance to be heard,

Dimitri: Summer is very close, and we wonder in which places (clubs/festivals) your fans will be able to enjoy your DJ sets? Is there any particular place that you feel really anxious or excited to visit?

Rich Solarstone: I shall be appearing in Ibiza several times this year with Ferry which should be fantastic. I'm also very much looking forward to going back to Indonesia, surely my favourite place in the entire world. It is just like paradise to this boy from the Welsh valleys! In the immediate future there are dates in Taipei, Singapore and Moscow on the cards. I know there are tours of the USA and Australia in the pipeline, but other than that, we shall have to see which way the wind blows.

Dimitri: Every now and then someone declares the death of trance music because of the domination of the epic prog house sound. What is your opinion about that, and do you think that trance as a style is alive and kicking, and will offer more exciting music in the future?

Rich Solarstone: There is nothing more boring that some features editor proclaiming the 'death of trance' - what could anyone possibly hope to gain from that? It's short sighted and pathetic. How can music be 'cool' or 'uncool'? It is music for f**ks sake. I have only two words for anyone who wishes to dictate what music is 'cool' and which music is not, and the second word is 'Off'.

Dimitri: One of my favourite questions to all the DJ’s is that one about self-reflection and self-criticism. Out of 10 with what score do you rate the various elements of your DJ performances and why?

a) your mixing skills:

b) your ability to choose the right track for the right occasion:

c) your friendly attitude towards the fans that are coming to shake your hand when you perform and after that?

Rich Solarstone: Haha - there is no way I am going to answer that! You might as well ask me to strip off and flagellate myself right now, nobody is more critical of my DJ performances than I myself am. In terms of meeting fans though I love to have a drink with and hear their thoughts on the music scene, it's fascinating to hear their insights sometimes. I do not understand DJ’s who get these huge inflated egos and treat fans like 'subjects', it is just really pathetic.

Dimitri: Your radio show, ‘Solaris international’ continues with great success on various radio stations all over the globe. Is there a secret to success behind it, or maybe a particular recipe that you follow so you manage to have such a loyal following?

Rich Solarstone: Maybe part of the show's appeal is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It's purely about finding good new music and presenting it to people in a tongue-in-cheek manner. There is none of the what I call 'starwarsian' claptrap associated with other shows. I don't consider myself a musical guru by any means, but I also refuse to place genre restrictions on what I play. I know some people tune in for the 'Progressive Selection', and others for the more uplifting stuff. I love all of it, especially the unpronounceable names of some of the artists. Sometimes I just take pot luck on the pronunciation and hope no one pulls me up on them.

Dimitri: Are you frequent and dedicated user of the social networks and online communities like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube? Do you see your presence as vital on them, in order to reach your fans and new audiences, and even to get more bookings?

Rich Solarstone: Gosh... social networks in general are a strange beast, but what I do find the trickiest is bridging the gap between self publicising your music and talking crap. When I was a kid, to 'twitter' meant to talk a load of horse sh*t that no-one other than yourself was interested in hearing. But you need to connect with your fans these days. Real fans are interested to hear what you are doing on a musical level, where you are playing that week, what your thoughts are on current topics of conversation etc, but knowing where to draw the line is the tricky bit. As far as having' the most followers' is concerned anyone can see that this is totally corrupt - there are companies out there who you can pay to place 100,000 'followers' on your twitter account. That kind of thing sickens me, and there are so many artists falling into that trap these days. It really is a double edged sword. Some promoters decide who they book depending on the number of followers those artists have on Twitter, or by how many people 'like' their fan page; and then are scratching their heads in confusion when only 50 people turn up at the gig. Other artists prefer to keep things honest, but then they appear less popular to the general public because they appear to have fewer followers. It's impossible to enter into a personal conversation with everyone who sends you a tweet, but at the same time if you're going to get personal with your fans you have to expect a bit of abuse from the occasional disgruntled person! I think Twitter and Facebook are a handy combination for sure. Possibly the days of personal websites are on the way out. Many artists don't even bother with a dedicated website these days. I know my own Facebook pages get much more traffic than my dedicated websites. You just need to keep a happy balance. It's easy to get carried away and spend all day managing your 'online reputation', when you should be in the studio making music!!

Dimitri: It would be great to reveal to us as a final question if you work currently for brand new single on Solaris and if yes when we are going to get it?

Rich Solarstone: The next Solarstone single on Solaris will be the remixes of Solarstone & Orkidea 'Zeitgeist'. They come from Dennis Shepperd, Tasadi, Tom Cloud, Active Limbic System plus my own Smashing Atoms remix. I think that is coming out at the start of July. Also there will be the release of remixes of Solarstone 'The Best Way to Make Your Dreams Come True Is To Wake Up' on Molecule. Those mixes come from Miss Nine and Max Essa.

Dimitri: Lastly, please send your message to all the Electronic Architectures out there who wish to follow your successful path, and maybe they think of you as a role model for their career.

Rich Solarstone: I greatly appreciate all the support from my fans; they are a fantastic and sophisticated bunch each of whom deserves a gold star for dedication! To any aspiring producer out there I would say this; “Stick to your guns and follow your own path, make music you love and don't be swayed by critics”.

Many thanks to Rich for answering the questions in such a wonderful way that is nominated from me as the best interview that I have done this year so far.

Don’t miss his fantastic albums Touchstone and Electronic Architecture Vol.2. Its worth buying them as a gift for yourself, or for your loved ones who you wish to introduce to EDM with the best possible example

Additional info:

www.solarstone.co.uk

www.solaris-recordings.com

www.crashingwaves.biz

www.solarSwarmrecordings.com

www.moleculerecordings.com

http://electronicarchitecture.co.uk/

www.solarstonetouchstone.com/

The interview is first published on www.1mix.co.uk

Many thanks to Paul for publishing it in a such wonderful way

check: http://www.1mix.co.uk/reviews/560-interview-with-solarstone-about-electronic-architecture-vol2