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Dennis Sheperd has built a respected career in the trance and progressive music scene with over 60 million Spotify streams and performances in more than 30 countries. He’s played at iconic venues and festivals such as ASOT Festival, Ministry of Sound, Space Miami, Stereo Montreal, Colosseum Jakarta, Home Sydney, and Avalon Hollywood. Along the way, he’s collaborated with industry legends including Markus Schulz, Rank 1, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Gareth Emery, and Above & Beyond. One of his standout career moments was mixing In Search Of Sunrise 18, a compilation previously helmed by Tiësto, cementing his reputation as a producer with vision and depth.

Known for his powerful vocal collaborations, Dennis has worked with celebrated singers like Clementine Douglas, Diana Miro, JES, Christina Novelli, Jonathan Mendelsohn, Eric Lumiere, and Ana Criado. These partnerships have led to tracks that connect with listeners around the world while showcasing his signature melodic sound. Dennis continues to explore new creative directions while building on the style that has defined his career.

His latest sixth studio album, The Next Generation, out 26th of September, is a bold and innovative project that redefines the art of collaboration. Instead of inviting the usual roster of established names, Sheperd chose to exclusively work with his own production students from across the globe—spanning Canada, the USA, Mexico, Australia, the UK, and Poland. The result is a vibrant fusion of mentorship and creativity, combining Sheperd’s polished, powerful sound with the fresh, genre-blurring ideas of rising talent. 

Moving effortlessly between progressive trance, melodic techno, and uplifting euphoric moments, the album is a journey for both DJs seeking peak-time tracks and trance fans who crave emotional storytelling.

In this interview, we dive into his creative journey, his approach to mentorship, and how he continues to shape the future of electronic music.

Dennis: The idea came one night in December last year, when I thought that it would be so cool to give my super talented students a platform to shine. So, I decided to collaborate with 16 of my mentees and created a beautiful album with all of them, mostly consisting of vocal records done with amazing singers.

Dennis: This was the time that I moved to Bali, Indonesia, officially. So, this new place and environment was very inspiring for me. And I feel this reflects in the album as well.

Dennis: The album is super varied. It goes from deep house to progressive house, melodic house, melodic techno to progressive trance, and even oldskool trance! Of course, every of my student has their own style and this had to be taken into consideration when creating the album.

Dennis: Even though I have always been very open minded genre wise, I feel this album reflects this the most. I also think that the consistency of quality here is very very high. So overall, I'm very proud of the album!

Dennis: Every production is starting differently for me. Sometimes it's a melody that I come up with, that's super inspiring. Sometimes I create a cool drum pattern and take it from there. So the process always differs. However, making everything sound cohesive takes a bit of work and adjustments on each track.

 

Dennis: Experimentation is always a huge thing in my productions. It may not alway be noticeable, but it could just be with background sounds, certain effects, or even how the final structure was decided (through experimentation).

Dennis: In terms of software synthsizers, I mainly used 3 synthesisers on the album: Serum 2, Diva and Jup-8000 V. In terms of processing tools, I really love everything that FabFilter and Soundtoys do. Their plugins are essential in my productions.

Dennis: Sometimes it's a bit of trial and error until I get there and sometimes I have a very clear vision of how I want my sounds to sound. Either way, I usually get there and try to create something that sounds unique.

Dennis: With today's tools this is fairly easy. 15 years ago it was so much harder! But with TrackSpacer, Soothe 2 and dynamic EQ's it's so easy to make space while keeping the production extremely full.

Dennis: My track 'Too Late' with Ponymeadow is one of those tracks. We started with a totally different instrumental. Then I went to Amsterdam and recorded vocals with Katty Heath for the record. And then we changed everything, melodies, arrangement, structure, simply everything. And it turned out so nice!

Dennis: Not really, mixing and mastering is not a very creative process per se in my opinion. Not to say that I don't love it - I really do! But I believe it's more of a logical and mathematical process than anything else. Having said that, it's my favorite part of music production I would say. Really love it. :)

Dennis: Yes, I would say 'What Is Left Of Me' and 'In The Dark' are both records that kinda set the mood for the album.

Dennis: I think chemistry is everything! With collaborators as well as with vocalists. No chemistry, no collab! Simple as that. After that comes artistic vision and whether or not I love their sound.

Dennis: It's a very intuitive process for me. I like the increase the energy throughout the album and go 'higher and higher' towards the end (pun intended). Small explanation here: The last track of my album is called 'Higher' and it features repeated "higher and higher" vocal parts. :)

Dennis: Uplifted, inspired and grateful. :)

Dennis: There has been so much good feedback on this album and its concept. It really makes me happy to see that people appreciate the efforts I make towards the next generation. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your journey, insights, and experiences with us. Your thoughtful responses will surely inspire and resonate with fans and fellow artists alike. We truly appreciate your contribution to the electronic music community and look forward to witnessing your continued success!

Thanks so much to Dennis who was so kind to reply in this interview.

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