Out now on Garuda Music, is the next chapter in their compilation series 'The Sound of Garuda' featuring some of your favourite dance tracks, plus 13 exclusive debuts you won’t want to miss. The Sound of Garuda: Chapter 3, mixed by rising star Ben Gold, is packed with gems by Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten, Ashley Wallbridge, W&W, Arty, KhoMha and more.
"I felt honoured when Garuda approached me to mix the 3rd chapter in "The Sound Of Garuda" series," Ben Gold said. "Being the next ambassador for this compilation after Gareth Emery makes me really proud!"
Mix 1 contains chart smashers like Emma Hewitt's 'Rewind' (Mikkas Remix), W&W & Ummet Ozcan - 'The Code,' and Eximinds - 'Mainbeat,' before closing out with Ben Gold's new track 'Amplified,' which debuted on ASOT 612 - along with an exclusive interview with Armin van Buuren about the compilation. Over on Mix 2, you'll find the newly released Ben Gold track 'Mesocylone’, along with Garuda exclusives like Craig Connelly's huge debut vocal single with Christina Novelli titled 'Black Hole', and a massive new track from Gareth Emery's upcoming album called 'Layers.'
"This 2-mix compilation reflects some of my current set highlights, some classics, and some very hot unreleased stuff," Ben said. "I'm excited to present the unreleased tracks from Gareth and Craig Connelly, the hot new remixes of 'Where Life Takes Us' and 'Fall With Me’, and of course my next single, 'Amplified'".
The third in the popular Sound of Garuda series, Ben Gold takes the listener through a flashback of unforgettable tunes that are sure to ignite memories of sandy beaches and strobe-induced nights on the dance floor. Add this compilation to your collection and re-live the euphoria that can only come from the sound of the world's best trance and progressive artists.
This great compilation was the perfect occasion to request an interview with Ben Gold who is such a talented producer and DJ, who seems to be on great form and ready to rock the big summer festivals.
Interview was written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias, Music Journalist, Radio/DJ
Dimitri: When, where and under what circumstances did you take the decision to get involved professionally in the global trance scene?
Ben: Whilst being on a holiday in Ibiza when I was 16! Watching DJ's like Paul Oakenfold, Judge Jules and Pete Tong play on the sunset strip in San Antonio was what it took for me to make my mind up.
Dimitri: Did you start your career as DJ or as producer? Would you like to tell us about your first ever DJ gig in front of big crowd, and your first ever release? How did you feel when you saw your name on the credits?
Ben: I started as a DJ, then a year after that I tried my hand at production. My first big crowd I played to was at a club night in London called Peach, where I followed Armin van Buuren. My first solo release ended up on two Ministry Of Sound compilations, and received a handful of BBC Radio 1 plays, one of which was Judge Jules' Tried & Tested. That was a big accolade back then.
Dimitri: Have you ever attended any music production courses or you are totally self-taught?
Ben: Self taught, although I studied Music Technology at college, where I learnt how to record a band, music management, how to calculate the acoustics of a room etc. We were taught the basics of Logic Audio (DAW) but by this time, I was already familiar with the sequencer.
Dimitri: You are very lucky to be part of Gareth’s Emery’s very successful record label Garuda. Is it possible to tell us how you managed to attract the attention of Garuda’s A & R department, and become part of the Garuda family?
Ben: I released a track under the name 'Be:Gold' called Starstruck which Gareth loved, so I sent him the follow-up to play in his sets (it was already signed to Musical Madness, so it didn't make its way onto Garuda). The next track I sent to Gareth was called 'Sapphire', which was my first release on Garuda. From then on, Garuda always heard my music first, which resulted in me becoming part of the team.
Dimitri: How long did it take you to compile the Sound of Garuda chapter 3, and did you mix it digitally, or with CDJS as a live performance?
Ben: The whole process took around 6 weeks. That includes getting in touch with labels to see what tracks they had available, listening to them, waiting for producers to finish exclusive tracks for the comp, creating the track list, and mixing it. I mixed it in Ableton, as I was on tour for 5 of the 6 weeks. I mixed it in Los Angeles.
Dimitri: What are you going to remember most from the production process of the compilation? Did you manage to finish it with one take, or did you try several times?
Ben: I enjoyed all of it. There were some tracks that I really wanted on the compilation that were unavailable, however, I selected enough tracks for 3 CDs which gave me a difficult job of turning down 12-15 tracks that were easily good enough. The 2 discs took 5 days or so to get right. The draft mixes took a day each, then the rest of the time I spent fine-tuning them.
Dimitri: Is it possible to describe for us the process of producing a track? From which sound element do you start the process?
Ben: I start with the melody. Then I build the drums and groove and work on the impact (the part that you hear after the breakdown). Then I strip it back and work on the arrangement and add the effects. I kinda get the levels right as I go along, but always spend a great deal of time (if needed) fine-tuning them at the end.
Dimitri: In your productions do you mainly use pre-existing samples from sound libraries or do you produce 100% fresh sounds? Which sound library is your favourite and why?
Ben: I have my own sample library which I have built up, which includes a wide-range of drums, effects, sounds, presets etc. This is my go-to library when building a track. I never rely on the same sound for the lead, although, I guess I have a 'sound' so the lead always has a 'Ben Gold' sound to it.
Dimitri: You are currently on a big Garuda tour all over the world including gigs in USA and UK. Is there any experience that you will remember most from those gigs so far? The most crazy and up for it crowd maybe?
Ben: I haven't played one Garuda show that hasn't been awesome! The show at Guvernors Island in New York last year was really special, as was the Garuda show at Ministry Of Sound in my home town, London!
Dimitri: Let’s finish off with your piece of advice to the young producers out there who aspire to get into production and produce awesome tracks like yours? How should they contact the labels and what is the best way to send out their demos?
Ben: It’s important to create your own identity, your own sound. It’s easy to copy whats already been done. Be unique, find your own sound. Let the music do the talking for you.
Many thanks to super busy Ben Gold for finding the time to reply to this interview with such great answers
Many thanks to Lauren Worthington at Theory X for supporting us in organising this interview
Many thanks to Paul at 1mix radio for publishing and proofing this interview.
The interview is published on 1mix radio web site click here
Various Artists - The Sound of Garuda vol.3 tracklist
Mix 1:
01. Juventa - Bitsmash
02. Ben Gold - Where Life Takes Us (Juventa Remix)
03. Ferry Corsten - Rock Your Body (Arty Rock N Rolla Remix)
04. Emma Hewitt - Rewind (Mikkas Remix)
05. Ashley Wallbridge - Yin-Yang
06. Luke Bond - 1UP
07. W&W & Ummet Ozcan - The Code
08. Thomas Ulstrup - Disco Fever
09. Mark Eteson & Luke Bond - 4 Days Out (Tom Fall Remix)
10. Russ James - My Mind (Rafael Frost Remix)
11. Ben Gold feat. The Glass Child - Fall With Me (Tom Fall Remix)
12. Lange & Audrey Gallagher - Our Way Home (Noah Neiman Remix)
13. Eximinds - Mainbeat
14. Fast Distance & Rikkaz - Cruise Control
15. Ben Gold - Amplified
Mix 2:
01. Gareth Emery - Layers
02. Eximinds - Ganesa
03. Ben Gold - Mesocyclone
04. Ben Gold & Tritonal - Apex
05. Rob Naylor - Yes
06. Solis & Sean Truby - Meerkat
07. Fisherman & Hawkins - Apache
08. Gareth Emery - Tokyo (Ben Gold Remix)
09. DJ Eco - Borealis (Solis & Sean Truby Remix)
10. Skytech - Out Of Nowhere
11. Raneem - Carousel
12. KhoMha - Vapor
13. Ashley Wallbridge - Mumbai Traffic (Ben Gold Remix)
14. Craig Connelly & Christina Novelli - Black Hole
15. Lee Osborne - Beautiful Trouble
Additional info:
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