Grabbing the attention of the Trance World and quickly climbing the ladder of success in the cut-throat world of music, James Dymond has captured the adoration of fans and co-artists alike with his spellbinding sounds. James Dymond has taken the term, “grand entrance”, to a whole new level…
Hailing from training in classical music, James Dymond entered the Trance scene in September 2011 in a blaze of light of musical glory. His captivating sound brought him quickly to the attention of many established artists but most notably Armin van Buuren who featured James’ track ‘Gundam’ on his ‘Universal Religion Chapter 6’ CD compilation, which was later released under Armin’s legendary label, Armind Recordings. Armin has also rewarded James’ musical prowess by labeling multiple tracks of his as, ‘Tune of the Week’ on his weekly “A State of Trance” radio show where he has stated – “If you were to look up ‘uplifting’ in a dictionary, I’m sure you’ll find James Dymond in there somewhere!”
Having had a phenomenal history on the Beatport Charts with having x 4 Number 1 tracks on the beatport chart with Spectrum (with Chris Schweizer), Stay, Keep On Moving Up (with Signum), Push and with all tracks within last 2 years reaching Top 5 entry on Beatport trance chart.
James has performed at major Festival plays such as FSOE Stage @ Tomorrowland, A State Of Trance, Creamfields, Electronic Family, Luminosity, Nature One, Ministry Of Sound, Amsterdam Dance Event. And various Future Sound of Egypt events worldwide
Musically James has received extensive support on playlists on Radio 1, FSOE Radio, A State Of Trance, Pure Trance Radio + many more
James is also proudly an exclusive to leading Trance label Future Sound Of Egypt
James Dymond style is quite unique compared to the rest of the scene. Incorporating influences from Psy & Tech Trance, whilst always keeping the all important Uplifting Trance feel. This is what has given the artist a lot of success over the last few years in releasing a ‘signature James Dymond’ style.
James continues to impress with his emotionally-charged performances that fill the dance floor with energy. A Dymond set is not just another trance set but a deep and passionate journey into emotion and sentiment while riding the waves of electronic music.
Dimitris: Can you mention your biggest music career achievements in 2018?
James Dymond: 3 out of 4 Original productions of 2018 hit #1 on Beatport Trance
Dimitris: Can you rate 2018 for you as a year with 1 being very bad until 10 that is perfect year!
James Dymond: 9 excellent year, It's been an incredible year for me, both gigs and releases. Starting off the year playing in Brooklyn, New York, on New Years Eve as part of the FSOE 550 Tour.
Throughout the year I've had the chance to play all over the world, revisiting countries as well as debuting in new ones.
In terms of music, 3 out of 4 of my originals in 2018 hit the #1 spot on Beatport Trance. It's been incredible to see the amount of support within the scene from both fans and DJs.
1) Best 3 Tracks from other artists in 2018, please give us a short comment for each track:
James Dymond: Lost Tribe - Gamemaster (Lightform Remix) - I'm a massive fan of the original and this remix really did it justice. Keeping the essence of the original but bringing it up to date.
Giuseppe Ottaviani - Space Unicorn (Original Mix) - a crazy creative and unique track, which sounds amazing on the dancefloor with a killer melody.
Bjorn Akesson - Vival (Original Mix) - aside from being good friends with Bjorn, I'm also a massive fan of his productions. He is one of the few artists in the scene that really pushes himself to produce the very best he can every single record. And there is no doubt that "Vival" is one of these tracks. I've been playing this track out for many months, I really love the drive and enormous breakdown and melody. Top notch!
2) Your 3 Best of 2018 personal productions, give us more background info about them(please provide the listening link for our readers):
James Dymond: James Dymond & Susana - Love You Are Made Of (Original Mix) - this was a special record for me in 2018. I've been a big fan of Susana for many years, so it was great to be able to work with her. Throughout the whole production process it all worked naturally and flowed seamlessly. Her voice complemented the instrumental perfectly, and is one of my favourite tracks to play out live.
Sneijder & James Dymond - Deadline (Original Mix) - for a long time myself and Sneijder wanted to work together, and finally at the start of 2018 we managed to get together to produce "Deadline". I flew over to his place and we spent a few days in his studio getting ideas together. It took another 5 months or so to finish it off, but it turned out to be one of my biggest tracks in 2018. A true collaboration, mixing both of our styles into one track.
James Dymond - Black Mirror (Original Mix) - this was one of those tracks that came out of nowhere. Before producing the track, I was struggling to get down anything I liked for quite a few months. All of a sudden, I produced the bassline and backing FX. Then the rest of the track came together very quick and the track was finished in no time! Sounds great on the dancefloor and a nice catchy melody!
3) Best Remix in 2018, please explain why you liked it so much:
James Dymond: Mark Sixma ft Emma Hewitt - Missing (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix)
Massive vocal track remixed into Jorn's uplifting style. Works amazing on the dancefloor as a big sing-along, and I love the drive.
4) Best Remix that you have produced in 2018, please tell us why you believe is your best work?
James Dymond: I only produced one remix this year, Mark Sherry ft Sharone - I Will Find You (James Dymond Remix). So I guess that's my best remix in 2018? :P
5) Best New Talent in 2018 (DJ or producer), please explain the reasons why you choose him/her :
James Dymond: I wouldn't call him a new talent in 2018, but he's been smashing it this year none the less. My Trance hermano Chris Schweizer!
6) Best electronic music label for 2018, please justify why you choose this label and what was so special in 2018 about it:
James Dymond: Can I say FSOE? lol, of course I'm going to say that as it's the label I work with. But Sean Tyas' "Degenerate Records" has been release great stuff in 2018.
7) Best Club event or Festival that you have performed there or you would love one day to perform there, please explain the reasons that influenced your choice of the event & festival:
James Dymond: James Dymond - Live @ Genesis Pre-Party - Bangkok, Thailand.
One of the most amazing gigs I've ever played. It was a producer set, meaning I only played my own productions through the whole set. Everybody singing along to all the melodies and vocals, as well as an incredible atmosphere throughout the whole night.
8) Your Best personal DJ Gig for 2018 (if you are active as DJ) and why you believe is the finest:
James Dymond: Output 001, Melbourne, Australia, October 2018. This was one of the best gigs I've played all year. It was the first time I played at an event which had 3D holographic visuals. Absolutely incredible! Indoor festival style, a few thousand hardcore Australian Trance fans going crazy. Loved it!
Dimitris: Do you have a radio show or vlog? Have you produced any YouTube tutorials for fellow artists to learn from you? If yes please tell us here the details and choose the best episode from your radio show/vlog/YouTube tutorial for 2018.
James Dymond: I have produced a number of online video music production tutorials via the music production "Sonic Academy".
I've produced 3 full length tutorials, showing how I create my tracks from start to finish. First video being for beginners, 2nd for intermediate and the last for advance producers.
You can check these out on the SA site here https://www.sonicacademy.com/
9) Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career in 2018 and has helped you to progress even further:
James Dymond: For me, producing something different in Trance has worked very well. I like to think that I am producing a sound that not many other producers are producing, at least not as consistently as I am.
So my advice would be to try and incorporate other genres into Trance music, not be afraid to try something different and always push musical boundaries.
Dimitris: If you are DJ or producer who travels very often to perform Live in various countries can you give us your best Travel Tip for 2018 in order to survive the long travelling hours?
James Dymond: Over the last few years I've been travelling mostly to Asia for my gigs. Meaning every journey is a minimum 12 hour long haul flight. Sometimes upwards of 24-30 hours travel time depending on where you are going.
Many people who aren't regular touring DJs, or even just fans, think that it's an amazing life being able to travel and DJ at all these far and exotic destinations. I agree, it's amazing and I love it. But there is the flip side that you don't always understand... Consistently travelling on long haul flights can be extremely exhausting. Once you get to your destination after so many hours, the last thing you want to do is go out for dinner or drinks in the city. Most of the time, you just want to hit the bed.
The travel is the bad bit, but the gigs are always 100% worth it.
So my best travel tips would be:
Have a tablet loaded with games and films to keep you entertained, the Nintendo Switch is great for on-the-go gaming :P
Pack light - don't check in a luggage bag if you're only away for the weekend on a long haul. It's 10x easier having a backpack or small trolley bag that holds your essentials. There's nothing worse than getting to your destination and finding out your bag has been lost in transit. Even worse, if it includes your headphones and USBs! Keep those in your carry on luggage always!
But most of all, just enjoy it! Yes, it sucks being stuck on a 12 hour long haul, then a 3 hour transit in the airport, and then another flight afterwards to your final destination. But always in the back of my head, I am thinking how much I can't wait to DJ. That is what makes it all worth while :)
Dimitris: Can you mention briefly your plans for your future releases, tracks, albums, collaborations, DJ gigs for 2019!
James Dymond: Big plans!! I recently had a meeting with the Future Sound Of Egypt Recordings team to plan out 2019 in regards to my releases and marketing plan.
Lots of new and exciting stuff - original productions, remixes, gigs, and a brand new radio show (you heard it first here!!)... Also, I've mentioned this before on my social media that I'm currently working on my debut artist album, which I'm aiming to release in 2019!
Thanks so much to James for his fantastic answers. Thanks so much to FSOE Recordings too.
Additional info:
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