[i:Vibes] i:Vibes Interviews M.I.K.E.

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i:Vibes Interviews M.I.K.E.

07:53 - July 29, 2009

by miles schmidt-scheuber

If you don’t know who M.I.K.E. is and you consider yourself a Trance fan then shame on you! He's one of the real icons for the genre with a production list as long as the river Nile. If you think back to the late 90's and the break of the new millennium and you will find some of the best work M.I.K.E. has ever produced and material that made him one of the leading producers on the scene today. His most notable classics include 'Universal Nation' and 'Strangeworld' under his Push alias and a classic that forever puts a smile on my face 'Till We Meet Again'. Plastic Boy is another very popular alias he's produced under to great success with records like 'Silverbath'.

I could go on about his other aliases but I'd be here for a while because to date he has used over 40. With so many he's conquered different styles and emotions with each to techno through to the more Progressive sound/ This year though the focus is back on 'Push' and back with a bang! The new album is Push as we love it with the sound just as you expect, its a fantastic collection of new Push material with the debut of a vocal track with 'This Place'. It's a risky one putting a vocal in there but it works! On with the interview and thanks to M.I.K.E. for taking time out for a grilling from us and answering a few burning question on what makes him tick and about the new Push album.

i:Vibes: As an artist who has been around for quite some time how do you feel the state of the scene is in at the moment?

M.I.K.E.: Hey guys, cool being here. Well, for starters, I’ve got mixed feelings about what’s going on in club-land and trance general. In the past years, I feel we’ve lost the unity that was once there between us “trancers”. I can’t really put my finger on a reason, but maybe money took over the real essence of it all.

i:Vibes: How did you get started into the dance music scene and what were your influences back then to start producing?

M.I.K.E.: Well, listening to the radio and discovering my all time idols Depeche Mode opened up a whole new world for me. When I saw what they were doing with synths and drum machines, I was totally amazed. I remember saying to myself, ‘I want that & that & too!’ - lol. So I slowly started to buy some hardware equipment at age 15…until around 18years of age, I finally had my own small studio setup. The rest is history!

i:Vibes: When did you first learn to DJ as I think a lot of people know you more of a producer than a DJ?

M.I.K.E.: I was actually a DJ before I started to produce music. I played some records on a local radio station just outside of Antwerp, my hometown. Thereafter, I did play for Antwerp’s biggest dance station ever, “Rave Fm” mid -90ties era, also on Atlantis, and now my radio show Club Elite Sessions goes strong around the world now for 4 years. All stations can be found on my website www.mike.be.

i:Vibes: Has your process for creating a track changed since your early releases or does the basic formula still remain the same?

M.I.K.E.: Not only am I getting older (sobs), but also it takes longer now to produce a track, so yes. The reason for this is because there is too much technology out there and too many tricks which people think they have to use in order to produce their music.

For instance, this is why I don’t like Ableton Live for producing. I do use it for my radio show, but not for making music. Everything is pre-programmed for you, I find it completely lame in this aspect. I rather spend time exploring through Logic inside-out and keep the simplicity in the music, and that’s how it all started -people forget this!

i:Vibes: When producing records what equipment is your weapon of choice when going to work on a new track?

M.I.K.E.: That’s a secret. Blah, you know, I’m a Mac addict, so I use a Mac Pro and a Macbook Pro with Logic, all plugins, and the entire available plugins range for Mac to date…BOUGHT! ALL! Many plugins do stand out, but I think the internal Logic plugins are so powerful! Then my choice would be the Logic compressor (version 8.1) and the ES2 synth; simply an amazing combo!

i:Vibes: I can recall that you have had well over 30 different aliases over the past 15 years with some being more popular than others. Why so many different ones? Is it so you can be a bit more creative with the style on each one without and experiment with the sounds without destroying the aroma of one?

M.I.K.E.: Every project I started has a reason behind it. It’s too complex to explain.

But no, I never had the feeling that one or the other interfered with the other.
Every alias, project or co-project like Yves Deruyter, for instance, had it’s own feeling and aim. If you go back and listen carefully to all my more popular aliases, you’ll find small similarities, but the same energy in all of them.

i:Vibes: It’s a very warm welcome for what may be your most popular alias this year as we see the return of Push. Why the long break between Push records?

M.I.K.E.: This project is who I am, how I feel and how I see the world and what is next.

This new album was in my head for the past 5 years, I just didn’t have the time to start it off, up until November 2008, I felt I was ready for it. After my Bonzai years, it was hard to strive to a new sound and direction of which I wanted to go to. But I feel this album is right and the time is now there.

i:Vibes: The Push sound is very distinctive and has had two of the best Trance records ever created, ‘Universal Nation’ and ‘Till We Meet Again’. How did the idea for the Push aliases come about?

M.I.K.E.: Like any other day, I go in the studio and produce what I feel. It’s what I need to do make the magic happen & that can be enough for an entire Push album.

At the end, it’s all about making the right selection of new songs and remixes we want in order to add them to the main and bonus CDs.

i:Vibes: The new album ‘Global Age’ has just been released this month and from what I have heard it’s a classic. The sound still keeps that old Push feel I think. When did you begin work on the idea for a new Push album?

M.I.K.E.: Thanks! Always appreciate a nice comment. Well, I actually feel the same because it’s a well-produced album, not ground-breaking, but it’s definitely the album fans were waiting for. The typical dreamy, ‘emo-spheric’ sound and the darker side of trance, it’s what they wanted, it’s all there. I may disappoint you, it does not contain any Universal Nations or Strange Worlds, BUT I will say that I’m back and here to stay, and the next Push album is in my head already! It will see production by 2010...& bam!

i:Vibes: How long did it take you to finish off all the tracks for the new album and which tracks are your favourites from the album?

M.I.K.E.: I worked 4 months fully on the album, not considering the Universal Voice E.P., which saw release early 2008. My favourite track must be, “Global Age“ and the new single ,“Infinite“. Both tracks have that typical Push sound with a raw and dark trancey edge to it! But overall, i don’t have favourites. All tracks on the album are carefully selected to make a CD packed with the best in trance and progressive.

i:Vibes: Its not very often you see a vocal in a Push record but your latest single from the album ‘This Place’ features the vocals of Sir Adrian. You get a few people that say male vocals never work in trance music but I’d disagree as they work very well in this one. How did the idea for a vocal Push track all come about?

M.I.K.E.: It was quite tricky, because people know I’m not too keen on vocal trance, either. Especially with my Push guise! But the track turned out fun and challenging for the new album. I had to put some vocal tracks on it in order to open doors for the newer fans and to get more attention for the album itself. I wanted to make sure I was doing right, so it was not easy to come up with Sir Adrian or Elsa Hill, but I’m very happy with the result at the end.

i:Vibes: What’s the thought process for producing a vocal track? Do you start off with the idea of doing a vocal one or sometimes when putting a track together do you think a vocal may well work in there?

M.I.K.E.: Everything went really smooth! For this album I had the music ready, sent it out, they wrote lyrics, recorded it, sent it back to me, and I did a mix-down in my studio until we where all satisfied.

i:Vibes: The opening party for the Push album was down at the Gallery last month. How did that go?

M.I.K.E.: It was a really amazing night. The Gallery is and was always my favourite Club Night, so I was privileged that they allowed me to headline along with Judge Jules and Andy Moor for presenting my new album. The place was packed, and it was a 50 minute pure trance adrenalin rush. Videos of that night can be seen on the official Push You Tube channel - www.youtube.com/officialpush.

i:Vibes: You will be doing a few more dates featuring the Push sound ‘Live’ over this summer. What’s different with the live show over that of a usual DJ set?

M.I.K.E.: The Live sets we bring are the best old bits, the usual classic Push stuff along with some tracks from the new album mixed and mashed up Live during the show. We do play 50% semi live on stage, so every show is different, and that makes it always special for us too. My DJ sets are the best club music of the moment coated in a dip (almost want to say fine Chocolate! Hah!) of the finest classics from the past.

i:Vibes: What will be the next Push single to come from the album as ever track they are all worthy of a single release in my opinion?

M.I.K.E.: “Free Time” is coming out by the end of July along with Infinite, one of my favourite tracks of the album , together with an Edu Remix. Really cool uplifting stuff, while Infinite is more the darker side of Push as we know it. Free Time might be a biggie?

i:Vibes: I read on an interview you did that you will be giving away FREE Push tracks on your web site, is that true?

M.I.K.E.: Well, when I did finished the new album “Global Age” I did overproduce some tracks and there was only room for 2 CDs to fill up with. Along with some previous bootlegs I will put 2 or 3 tracks free to download on the mini Push website during the summer! www.mike.be/globalage

i:Vibes: Another alias that has been responsible over the years for bringing steaming Trance music is your M.I.K.E. alias. Can we expect any new M.I.K.E. releases this summer?

M.I.K.E.: No, not anytime soon. I want to focus now entirely on Push and some other progressive house sort of projects, like the one with my wife called Caromax and my very own Mono Jackers. I recently released a compilation called “Trance World 6” on Armada Music under the M.I.K.E. name. Maybe there’s new M.I.K.E. stuff coming up towards the end of the year, but that is not a promise!

i:Vibes: With so many aliases do you have a favourite one?

M.I.K.E.: Push, M.I.K.E. , Solar Factor, Plastic Boy..shall I continue? No, seriously, every project I start has it’s own sound, feel and identity. I cut back on many of them, due mostly to time restrictions and focusing more on my main Push and M.I.K.E. aliases. Not many will make it back, so we’ll see what the rest of 2009 towards 2010 will bring.

i:Vibes: Who are you favourite producers doing the business for you at the moment?

M.I.K.E.: I don’t have any particular in mind. There are a few labels I do like though and bringing good stuff, like Pilot 6, Anjuna Deep and what Markus Schulz releases on Coldharbour Recordings.

To round it off, I’d like to finish what we like to call the i:Vibes quick five:

i:Vibes: Where are you right now?

M.I.K.E.: 10 km / 32000 feet up, high in the sky & on my way back from Singapore to London.

i:Vibes: What was the last DVD you bought?

M.I.K.E.: I go digital lately, via my Apple TV.

i:Vibes: What’s your favourite alcoholic beverage of choice?

M.I.K.E.: Cava, Champagne, Mojito, Caipirinha, all in no particular order!

i:Vibes: What was the last Magazine you read?

M.I.K.E.: Computer Music whilst sitting on toilet last week.

i:Vibes: What was the last record you last listened to?

M.I.K.E.: Depeche Mode – Sounds Of The Universe

i:Vibes: Thanks again for the interview M.I.K.E. and may we wish the new Push album all the best success as we think its brilliant!

M.I.K.E.: Thanks for having me here and success with the website too guys!

You can get you hands on the brand new album by Push 'Global Age' from the i:Vibes record store right now and make sure you tune into his 'Club Elite Sessions' every thursday on Di.FM!