Van Dope is DJ & Producer based in Miami. His production mainly features Progressive and Melodic sounds with hypnotic vocal hooks, layers of melodic ear candy, and driving drums with the perfect bass to compliment the sound. The final product is sure to take you on an epic emotional journey. Inspiration taken from many legends in the Progressive House, Melodic House, Melodic Techno, and Trance genres. Music supported by Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Ver:West, Paul Thomas, Dylhen, Fuenka, Luccio, Kristina Sky, Suzy Solar, Andretta, Deestopia, Jordan Gill, Whoriskey, Cosmic Gate, Jope, Aly & Fila, OzzyXPM, and many more.
His latest EP including the tracks Eternity/For You is out now on Pattern, the label curated by DJ Dylhen. We are very glad that Van Dope has found some time to answer to our interview about his new EP and talk about the past, present and future of his music journey. Enjoy his brilliant answers.
1-Dimitris: It would be nice to start by telling us your 3 most important achievements or goals fulfilled in your career so far that you very are proud of.
Van Dope: 1) My favorite achievement by far is getting my tracks played by DJs that I admired and love
2) Being able to write music and produce tracks that are having an impact on somebody anywhere in the world is special to me. It really is an honor to be able to do this. I really don't care much about being famous, but I do care about creating music and sharing it, and hopefully people like what they hear.
3) Remixing an artist that is one of my inspirations. Special thanks to Paul Thomas for the opportunity and support. He has always given me advice when needed on making music, and the industry. One of the nicest people I have met in the industry for sure. My remix for his track "Remember" will be released on February 16th
2-Dimitris: Why and under which circumstances did you took the decision to start DJing or producing electronic dance music?
Van Dope: The first time I fell in love with the impact a DJ can have on people was witnessing Paul Van Dyk perform his Politics Of Dancing Vol.2 tour in Lebanon in 2005. That performance left me in awe and paved the way for me to get interested in the scene. I think proceeded to listen to more and more DJs, and going to more events like Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, John Digweed, Deep Dish, Steve Lawler, and kept getting more and more interested. As far as producing a friend of mine used to play around on a software called Reason, and I used to sit with him and watch him, so my initial journey in production started there, and I got more and more interested and kept diving deeper and learning more about it. To me personally I always enjoyed the journey of learning music production and creating and improving every year.
3-Dimitris: Can you note down the top 3 producers that have influenced your decision to get involved in the electronic dance music scene and you admire and respect them very much?
Van Dope: From when I first started it in 2005 to 2010 it was these guys:
Paul Van Dyk
Tiesto
Paul Thomas
4-Dimitris: Can you tell us the top 3 tracks from the past that have influenced your sound the most and why?
Van Dope: Very tough question and I would not be able to answer it. This answer always changes and music always evolves.
5-Dimitris: It would be fantastic to talk about your latest EP on Pattern. Please tell us how these tracks came about and what was the idea behind them.
Van Dope: My latest EP on Pattern has two tracks!
"Eternity" is an uplifting Progressive type track that combines the groove of modern progressive with the anthemic style trance vibes that we all love.
"For You" is also similar, but a bit more deep and dreamy in general thanks to the lovely vocal that I found on splice that fits in. Also there are layers of Guitar segments layered in behind the synths that add an Organic element to the track.
I kept both these productions tempo at 120BPM to be able to cater to different genres. I look at these two as bridges that can help with a DJ stepping up and changing genres upwards, or slowing down at the end of a set, but the story telling is there in these two for sure.
The idea was to create something epic and captivating, but to be honest when I write music it just flows out of me, and I don't really plan for it unless its a remix or something specific that was requested of me. My original tracks are usually all from the heart and in the moment.
6-Dimitris: How long it took you to produce them and can u describe the production process in simple steps?
Van Dope: When I produce music I work backwards. I usually start with the most interesting part of the track and see if there is potential for it. I start but writing the main idea and take it from there if I am loving the track. Sometimes I can finish a track in a day, but sometimes it takes weeks or even months.
So for me it's always write the main idea down, add the elements, create different sections, and variations, and then start arranging at the end and extending the song. Get some feedback when I need to rest my ears, and then continue with the same version, or a different version of the song. Always save different versions on your work station :)
7-Dimitris: Did you had any particular difficulties accomplishing these particular tracks or any specific technical challenges or obstacles that you had to overcome during its production.
Van Dope: I would say the main difficulty was trying to fit them into one package as an EP, as one was a bit faster paced than the other, but I was able to find common ground and fine tune things. Getting the write sounds across both tracks so they fit in one package was a bit challenging at first but once fixed it was smooth.
8-Dimitris: If you would have the opportunity to change something in your tracks and maybe to do a new remix what elements are you unhappy with and you are going to change? Is there any artist that you feel would be fantastic to remix these tracks and why?
Van Dope: I would not change anything personally about them, but for remixers :) I would love to have A.M.R. , Paul Thomas , Fuenka, Dylhen, Blake Jarrell, Nihil Young as remixers for this EP if I had to choose. I think they would re-create something fantastic.
9- Dimitris: Which music composition software or hardware you prefer and why? What is your opinion of the latest movement to produce music with more analogue equipment and with less or without any digital software?
Van Dope: Personally I use Ableton Live 100% of the time. I also have Logic Pro but I don't really use it much. I just find Ableton the easiest and fastest to write my ideas down and make them bigger. As far as plugins I use Diva, Omnisphere, Sylenth1, Native Instruments, and Ableton plugins, but I also have Waves plugins that I use. For my signature sounding Arpeggiators that I used on a lot of my tracks I always tend to use Sylenth1 for them. Fantastic plugin and I just use it very well and am comfortable with it.
I don't own any analog gear, but I know a lot of producers that do.
It doesn't matter to me. The important thing is the idea and musical content.
I know producers who can write amazing stuff with a laptop and headphones, and I know some who have so much expensive hardware/analog stuff that can't seem to write decent music.
It's all about the idea and music content. As a producer you need to find what works for you, and the important thing is to get into the creative flow state. You can do that with Analog gear, or without any. It just depends on the person, but it is important to keep an open mind and be open to learning new things and learning from others.
10-Dimitris: Do you prefer vocal or instrumental tracks? If there are vocals on the track we discuss about tell us about the singer you work with?
Van Dope: I like both, but I tend to pick my find my vocal samples at the end just to make them easier to fit around the instrumentation and emotional feeling of the track. They usually add that extra harmony, emotional depth, and textures that are needed to take the track up to where it needs to be.
11-Dimitris: Are there any vocalists/singers on electronic dance music you aspire to work with?
Van Dope: Yes !! Definitely Diana Miro, JES, and I would love to work with Jeremiah McKnight again.
12-Dimitris: Please choose the most powerful lyrics ever included in a dance track and why these lyrics have touched you so deeply and have a special meaning for you?
Van Dope: Paul Van Dyk feat. Wayne Jackson - The Other Side
That song was stuck in my head for 6 months after I first heard it, and it still holds till today. Fantastic vocals and it would be a dream to officially remix this track one day and put my own spin on it.
13-Dimitris: Do you believe that artwork on your latest track is good and do you believe that artwork can attract listeners or record buyers? Can you mention the best artwork of a track ever released?
Van Dope: Artwork is important, but the music is definitely more important.
From my own tracks I love the artwork for a collaboration I did with Egyptian artist "Amru"
The artwork for the track named "Sic Mundus" was created by a graphic designer in the Netherlands.
She also did my personal branding and some other artwork for releases.
You can check her portfolio here: https://www.synaesthesik.com/portfolio
14-Dimitris: Can you pick your favorite top 3 record labels including the one released the track that we discuss in this interview and give us a short comment about why these labels are important to you and the music scene too?
Van Dope: 1) UV: Great evolving record label and always pushing the boundaries of Progressive House
2) Pattern: Has been home to my recent releases and future ones, and it fits my current sound like no other label has.
3) Settlement Recordings and Vandit Alternative (TIED for third): I love the type of tracks they are releasing and I will challenge myself in the future to get some work signed with them.
15-Dimitris: Do you have your own record label? if yes tell us when did you set it up, the reasons behind this decision and your top 3 releases on the label so far plus 2 or 3 releases that we should look after from your label.
Van Dope: I did own one called Odd Olive Records, but I decided to slow down last year, and I will not be releasing on it anytime soon again. Maybe in the future, but for now I just don't really have time to work on it and give it the attention it deserves.
The best 3 releases on the label to me were:
1) Dark Night : an original track by me with remixes by Stan Kolev, Ucros, and Paul Hamilton
2) Moe Turk: Orchid
3) Horizone (Ucros Remix)
16-Dimitris: Are you planning to complete an album or mix compilation soon? if yes please give us all the details about regarding tracks and how will look and sound like?
Van Dope: I would like to create a 10-12 track album as a one time thing and see how it goes, but Its something I will look at in the next couple of years. For now I am happy releasing singles, EP's, and remixes.
17-Dimitris:How much time do you spend promoting yourself in your social media and you see this as essential tool for self promotion and getting bookings too? Which social media is the one that seems to work better for you?
Van Dope: This is the part of the industry that I am not so talented at, nor do I enjoy it :)
Honestly speaking I prefer the music making part of things and I do not enjoy the social media aspect. I understand that it is essential and needed, but I do feel like it brought a narcissistic spin on things in the industry. For me I like to let the music do the talking.
Instagram is definitely my favorite platform for promoting music and I find it the easiest to use, but I think the biggest potential is with YouTube after recently having an artist channel on there.
18-Dimitris: Do you have your own radio show/podcast/twitch stream or Vlog(video blog)? If yes please give us a comment about it and how long it take you to prepare for it and if you are always excited to produce it?
Van Dope: I do have one on YouTube called Odd Sessions that I should be starting again soon and putting out a mix once or twice a month. You can check out my new releases and mixes on there.
19-Do you post videos on tiktok? If yes please reference for us your favourite? What is your opinion about the power of tiktok to promote music releases?Is there any tiktok video created by fans of you with your music worth mentioning?
Van Dope: I did a few times and I have been advised to do so more often, but like I said earlier Social media is not something I enjoy.
20-Dimitris: Do you have any gigs/festival performances confirmed so far for 2024 in which ones are you most excited to perform and why?
Van Dope: I was offered a few gigs in Miami for Miami Music Week, but I politely declined as I am on a different journey right now and am traveling and have other responsibilities. Gigs will come on my travels for sure, but It has not been my focus recently. Sometimes life just happens.
21-Dimitris: Can you describe your music as certain music genre such as trance, house, techno or your music exempts these categorizations? What is your opinion about hybrid styles and artists who are attempting to mix influences from various genres in their tracks?
Van Dope: I definitely think my music mixes a couple of these genres together. I don't think artists should limit themselves to one specific genre. The point is to create. Not every creation will be great, but the creative process is important for every artist.
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for Flux Bpm Online readers.
Van Dope: Thank you all for checking out the interview :) I hope you can find inspiration and joy from my music. Have a wonderful 2024. Peace and Love!
Thanks so much to Van Dope for his time to answer this interview.
Thanks so much to Stuart and Paul at FSOE for organising this interview.
Find his EP Here: https://pattern.streamlink.to/eternity