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 We take a few moments to quiz trance legend Lange on his new projects for 2011 which include the launch of a brand new alias in 'LNG'. Well, the name may have appeared before but the similarity ends there...
It’s always a pleasure to catch up with Lange here at i:Vibes. It’s been a little while since we have but with his new project ‘LNG’ getting us all excited we thought now was a good time to. He made trance fans wait almost ten years for his first artist album ‘Better Late Than Never’ and last year he followed it up with the superb ‘Harmonic Motion’. The genre of trance is one Lange is a true master of having carved out some of the style’s most iconic tracks over the years. He does have a flare for exploring the boundaries of his sound and without wanting to take the style of Lange he has launched a brand new alias for 2011 called ‘LNG’. It may be a name he’s used before for a track released in 2003 called Innercity‘, but that’s where the similarities end. The ‘LNG’ brand is one which will see a different musical direction for Lange and one he has already offered a glimpse off with the first single under the name called ‘Brandalism’. It’s a bit of everything, house, trance, techno, electro, breaks, breakbeat and any other genre you can spot within it put in there. Even within all that diversity you can still sense a little bit of Lange branding to it. There will be a lot more to come during the year, it starts with a new compilation Lange has mixed for Passion which is due out in April. With so much on the horizon for Lange we went for a word.
i:Vibes: A very warm welcome back to the i:Vibes interview desk Lange, it’s a great honour to be able to catch up with you. Have you just about got over the New Year and getting stuck into 2011 now?
Lange: My pleasure! It’s been a case of hitting the ground running this year; such a busy start. Can’t believe we are into March already!?
i:Vibes: It’s been a week since you played at this year’s ‘Energy’ event, how was the night?
Lange: I’ve wanted to play Trance Energy for a few years and was very excited about it. It was a great night, the crowd were awesome and the 360 degrees visuals screen on my stage was pretty cool
i:Vibes: Were you surprised to see ID&T drop the trance tag to the event this year after so many years as the biggest annual event solely dedicated to trance?
Lange: A little. There’s been some fuss over it, but I guess they are wanting to open up the event to artists from other genres as a dance event rather than just solely trance. To be honest there was still a big emphasis on trance artists anyway so I don’t think it is implying a huge shift in sound. Maybe the name ‘Trance Energy’ had a better ring to it though than just ‘Energy’?
i:Vibes: Did you managed to catch any of the other sets at Energy?
Lange: I caught a few glimpses around the stages as I took a look around. Ferry played a nice set.
i:Vibes: Do you notice different reactions to your music in different areas of the globe you play?
Lange: Yes, reactions do vary. I play quite a varied mix of music from the good quality melodic trance through to driving, grooved, edgier stuff. I always tweak my set a little depending on the night, and often the sound system can have quite an influence on what will sound best.
i:Vibes: On the future gig schedule what dates are you most looking forward to playing before the summer?
Lange: I’m looking forward to Monday Bar Spring Cruise and Helsinki this weekend. Then it’s ASOT 500 in South Africa which is going to be huge! I’m back in Indonesia the week after that for a couple of dates. I’m headlining Slinky’s birthday here in the UK, Luminosity in the Netherlands and also playing at Passions birthday in April. Beyond that I’m particularly looking forward to a couple of USA tours including a return to California, one of my faves!
i:Vibes: Moving on the production front your last artist album is still rocking our bass cabs. How would you rate the success you’ve had with Lange artist album number two?
Lange: I was really pleased with the feedback, both from DJ peers and the listeners! The singles went well; Harmonic Motion, Strong Believer, Fireworks, and perhaps the most popular single with Emma Hewitt, Live Forever. I still see a lot of comments about the tracks on my facebook / Twitter etc which is probably a good sign
i:Vibes: Have you any plans for a remix edition; it seems to be the current trend with dance artist albums in recent years?
Lange: Yes, it’s certainly become almost the norm to do a remix album. Precisely why I decided not to do it.
i:Vibes: Will you be releasing any new singles from ‘Harmonic Motion’ this year or is the plan to work on new stuff?
Lange: All Around Me EP was the last single package from HM – It included ‘Fireworks (with Sarah Howells) /Sci-Fi Hero and of course ‘All Around Me’ (with Betsie Larkin). I felt it was time to move on with some fresh sounds in 2011
i:Vibes: On the subject of new tracks you’ve got a few out and incoming this month. The first of which is a collaboration with Fabio XB called ‘Electrify’. What was it like working with Fabio?
Lange: This track actually started life as a remix for Fabio. I kind of put my stamp on it so we relabelled it as a cowrite. Fabio’s a really nice guy, so it’s always a pleasure to work with him.
i:Vibes: Who had the idea for the stunning melody for the track? The Lange mix has uplifting written all over it.
Lange: I think all the mixes have that ‘something’, although I have to say I prefer my dubier version to play out.
i:Vibes: Now then, as a pioneer for trance over the years your latest track is quite simple, bonkers! It’s the first time we’ve saw the LNG name back after a track you released way back called ‘Intercity’ and this new track is world apart with the sound. Why the choice to re-birth the LNG alias?
Lange: It’s not a continuation of the ‘Intercity’ track from 2003. For all intents and purposes, it’s a new project, but in this world of recycling I decided to reuse the name as I liked it! (You may have noticed I already recycled the title for my radio show). The reason for the new LNG project is to allow me to stretch my production muscles in a different direction without confusing everyone. My Dj sets include not only melodic music but also some of the techier, more driving edgy stuff – I like to mix it up a bit and wanted my production work to reflect that. I figured it would be best to take things into 2 separate directions so I can be more experimental with LNG, whilst continuing to produce my more trancier tracks as ‘Lange’
i:Vibes: Just what was the inspiration behind ‘’Brandalism’? It’s got a slight hint of 80’s computer game fighting FX music to it we think.
Lange: I’ve seen a few comments about it reminding people of games music! The inspiration came from me wanting to let loose with some more driving fun stuff. I’ve been a producer for a long time and I’ve touched on a little techno, electro, and house and wanted to make something epic in a different style. I’ve played ‘Brandalism’ in all my recent sets and reactions have been excited, even from some of the more ‘pure trance’ clubs, so I’m really pleased!
i:Vibes: Do you think a lot of trance fans will be surprised that this is a Lange track?
Lange: Maybe some, but this is the point of making it clear that this is a separate side project. I don’t want to confuse my fan base. I have a strong passion for both melody and grittier grooved stuff, sometimes a track needs to go fully one way or the other for it to work.
i:Vibes: What style would you ‘Brand’ it is? We just can’t find a pigeon hole for it.
Lange: Your guess is as good as mine! Non-branded.
i:Vibes: Have you plans for more LNG releases over the next few months?
Lange: Yes. It’s fun to be switching between ‘Lange’ tracks and LNG one’s. it keeps it fresh! I already have a couple of Lange vocal tracks in progress for a bit later in the year as well as some more LNG releases.
i:Vibes: What’s coming up next on the Lange Recordings label?
Lange: The next release is really something special. You may remember ‘Heart of Glass’ by Deep voices last year. This is the follow up with the same vocalist (who also featured on my ‘Strong Believer’ single), Alexander Klaus. It’s called ‘Autumn Leaves’ and comes with a huge remix by Beltek!
i:Vibes: Your regular podcast ‘Intercity’ is going strong still, any changes for the show this year?
Lange: I keep thinking I need to tweak the show, but I’m actually really happy with the format and by the looks of the download figures, it’s still growing at a fair pace :)
i:Vibes: What season can we expect the ‘Intercity’ compilation series to drop into for its next edition?
Lange: Ha! Yeah we’ve had a Spring and a Summer. it’ll be Autumn or Winter this year. On the topic of mix albums, I’ve just mixed the forthcoming Passion compilation which is out in April. I’m really pleased with how it turned out
i:Vibes: On the subject of compilations, do you get the opportunity to check out any other artists mix compilations and any that have impressed you over the past year or so?
Lange: I’ll be totally honest, when I get a spare moment I’ll often opt to listen to different music or no music at all! I live trance everyday already
i:Vibes: Lange the artist is married to the music but Stuart the person will be getting married for real this June so we’ve been informed. Is the missus very supportive or your music and touring?
Lange: Very supportive. My fiancée has a huge passion for music, and has been incredibly supportive over the past 5 years already.
i:Vibes: Back on the music, what tracks and artists have impressed you so far this year?
Lange: My current favourites are Bart Claessen (including his ‘who.is’ guise), Mat Zo, Arty, and Beltek.
i:Vibes: An interesting point in the latest Scruff bites was just how top level DJ’s deal with you huge injection of new promos and music each week. What’s the Lange method?
Lange: I have great support (and believe me you need it!) here with downloading so many promos. Usually less than 5% will make it on my show or in the CD wallet. Someone’s going to invent software that sorts the wheat from the chaff at some stage (hopefully!)
i:Vibes: What would your tips be to any budding producer out there to get their tracks noticed?
Lange: If your music rocks, you WILL get noticed. My advice is to not give up trying
i:Vibes: Aside from trance, what other styles and genres has been a musical influence to you over the past few years?
Lange: I’m always influenced a lot by movie soundtracks. Music makes a good film an experience.
i:Vibes: What was the last film you watched?
Lange: Inception – incredible film, and the music compliments it perfectly. It’s not obvious, but it gets you in the end.
i:Vibes: Tea or coffee?
Lange: Both, I alternate throughout the day – I’m quite a caffeine junkie.
i:Vibes: It’s all gone Pete Tong or Kevin or Perry?
Lange: Haha! I don’t have a choice, I have to say Kevin & Perry all the way
i:Vibes: What’s your favourite car of all time?
Lange: The old Saab 96 my Dad used to own. Good memories!
i:Vibes: Many thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions from the i:Vibes crew, we absolutely love the new LNG single and can’t wait for the next injection of fresh Lange sounds over the coming months!
Lange: No probs, thanks for the continued support guys!
LANGE'S NEW SINGLE!
:: Read our review of 'Brandalism' right here!
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