Menno De Jong: The Real Trance Sound With A Splash Of Techno

Photo: Menno De Jong

It's hard to believe it's now been an entire decade since Dutch trance maestro Menno De Jong burst onto the scene with 'Guanxi' (below) on Above and Beyond's Anjunabeats label. Since then he has gone on to run a record label, produce a wealth of wickedly received records and perform at some of the world's biggest stages alongside the likes of Paul van Dyk, Tiesto and Armin Van Buuren. 

Now a regular fixture in Ibiza as well, we caught up with the charismatic Dutchman ahead of his eagerly awaited return for Trance Sanctuary on September 6th, following on from his barnstorming set there at the turn of the year. 

Hi Menno, thanks for chatting to us! What have you been getting up to this summer?

I've been quite busy touring, having had the pleasure of playing at both weekends of the 10th at Sunk and Driftwood in Ibiza, with plenty more to come.

Have you been working on any new productions that we can look forward to? 

A few weeks ago I finished my new vocal single together with Polish singer Aneym. The track is called 'Your Heaven' and will be released on In Trance We Trust later this year. I'm currently also working on a little side project which is a mix between the darker/psy side of Trance and my signature uplifting melodies, very excited for people to hear both these releases! 

You have been regularly playing in the UK for a number of years now, why do you think it has been a popular place for you?

The Trance scene is simply very consistent in the UK, every show I play out there the crowd brings an unrivalled enthusiasm and atmosphere, they know their tunes too which makes it all the more exciting to play there.

You have recently put on your own event in Amsterdam, how did you find it not only playing but also promoting as well?

Fair play to promoters, it's hard work! I knew this considering my past with Intuition parties but even with the help of an intern it was a time consuming activity. All the more reason to be happy with a good result though, it was an event packed with pure Trance lovers that clearly had an amazing time.

How long would your perfect set be and why?

I would say five hours, that would give me the opportunity to start a bit deeper and build it up, as well as play some classics at the end. Although depending on the time and place I might also start quite banging from the beginning!

You were involved in the recent In Trance We Trust CD compilation. What was it like to put together and how important do you think making a CD mix still is?

Firstly it was a massive honour to be asked to mix the 20th compilation. I was extremely happy with the number of artists that were willing to make exclusive tracks for the CD, some of which have been in my DJ sets all anniversary of Tomorrowland, Luminosity Beach Festival (watch his set there above), several dates summer too.

All together I was very pleased with the result, and also impressed with the discs mixed by Sneijder and Mike Saint-Jules.

With the dawn of radio shows and podcasts physical albums may have taken a backseat, but there is still a significant portion of fans out there that prefer having something they can hold in their hands and get signed by their favourite artist! 

What do you remember about your last visit to Trance Sanctuary this past NYE?

That I brought my mother with me to London for this and she similarly had an amazing time!

You are headlining Trance Sanctuary’s next event on the 6th September in London, how much are you looking forward to about returning to play there? 

I’m most looking forward to the great atmosphere and friendly people at the event. I've also heard good things about the venue (Egg London) that is regularly used (since the NYE party was a one off at a different location I've yet to experience Trance Sanctuary at its home).

What can the Trance Sanctuary crowd expect from your set?

The real Trance sound with a splash of Techno – free from any EDM/Trouse/Electro. As always I will be doing my very best to make this a party to remember!

Finally when we last caught up with you, your New Years resolutions were to continue swimming and being a pesco-vegeterian. Have you kept to that plan?

I have indeed stuck to these resolutions and added a weekly yoga session to the mix! If you set your mind to something anything is possible :)

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