Trance Star Jurrane Speaks to Skiddle

Can you tell us about how and when you first discovered trance music?

An ex-girlfriend of mine made me listen to some trance CDs and tapes back when we at university together in 1995: I remember Astralasia, The Drum Club and of course ‘Age Of Love’ as tracks and artists that stood out. I went at some point after and bought the first Sasha & Digweed ‘Northern Exposure’ compilation. From that moment on, I was hooked and never looked back.

Did the crowds at trance events make a big impact on you or was it chiefly the music?

It was the music. I’d always loved electronic music and was a big fan of ‘80s synth pop (I still consider Pet Shop Boys: ‘West End Girls’ to be one of the greatest pieces of electronic music ever) and when I first heard trance I was just blown away by its energy and production values. It sounded like all my old electronic influences compressed into this exciting new music scene but so much faster, more dynamic and fuller.

Having said that, I love the crowds at trance parties – I think it’s quite a close-knit genre with a real sense of community. I’ve made so many friends for life from this music scene and I’m incredibly grateful for it.

You are from Holland originally. When did you come over here and are you ever tempted to move back over there, what with it being the global home of trance music and all?

I moved to the UK at a very young age – if you listen to me talk you’d never guess I was Dutch! My father’s side of the family all still live over there and I go back now and again. As for living there, I had the opportunity some time ago and sometimes wish I’d taken the chance but I stayed in the UK and went to university instead. I don’t think I could live there now: I’d miss London too much and genuinely think it’s home to some of the best DJs and parties in the world.

The London trance scene is quiet small knit, with just a handful of regular events. Do you feel this has worked to your advantage with regards to making contacts and getting gigs and so on?

Interesting question. On the one hand, you’re definitely right – as it’s these days a relatively small scene, it’s fairly easy to get to know the various names and personalities involved. On the flip side, though, it means there’s only a fairly limited circuit of parties at which to play, which can make things difficult. One thing I think London misses a little is all the small parties breaking through: there used to be quite a few but the scene’s so competitive and the overheads so high that it makes things difficult for new promotions to spring up. I also wish London had more small-to-medium-sized venues for parties to use: as a promoter myself, I’ve struggled to find suitable places for Boundless, the promotion I’m involved with.

Please could you tell us about the labels you are involved with...

I’m one of the four founding owners of Magic Beans Records which launched a few years back. We saw great support from a lot of the big names including Dave Pearce, Judge Jules, John Fleming, Johan Gielen and plenty more. On a more recent note, I’ve just a remix signed to Ian Betts’ superb Six:Thirty label and there’s also some exciting stuff in the pipeline. I’m road-testing a few new productions at gigs at the moment and hoping these will get picked up for label release in the near future.

2006 has seen you play some really high profile gigs in the capital. Which were the highlights for you?

2006 has been an amazing year and I count myself very lucky for the opportunities I’ve had. Personal highlights include playing the closing set at The Gallery @ Turnmills with Gabriel & Dresden handing over to me for last set of the night, playing the final monthly Knowwhere back in February, the regular bookings I have for the underground phenomenon that is Planet Angel (I’m a regular quarterly guest there) and I was also lucky enough to play in Cape Town, South Africa alongside some of the great local talent out there. To be honest, there’s been so much – I could list at least another dozen parties where I’ve had an absolute blast playing this year.

And what about 2007? What have you got planned for the next steps towards world domination?

I don’t know about world domination just yet lol! I’m just happy to keep on doing what I’m doing and I’ll see what comes my way. There’s a couple of huge bookings planned for January though: first up I’m thrilled to be playing closing set for Vaccine vs Black Hole Recordings at Turnmills on the  12th alongside some of the big Dutch names like Mark Norman, Cor Fijneman and Phynn, and then my own promotion Boundless is teaming up with Tidy vs Extreme Euphoria at Heaven to run the trance room at their massive party on January 26th. Both events should be absolute stormers – I can’t wait!

What equipment have you been using for your productions? Do you feel that certain pieces of software lend themselves better to making trance music?

This is a bit of a funny answer but I’m one of the very few producers who still uses hardware only for music production. I don’t use a computer at all and rely exclusively on banks and banks of synths and samplers, all driven by a hardware sequencer and run through a digital workstation. In terms of synths, there’s the trance essentials like Novation’s Nova and the Roland JP series although I still love the Korg Trinity for nice pads and leads. Having said that, my production partner Sly One uses a setup based around Ableton Live though which is amazing and I’m seriously considering taking the plunge and basing my studio around a nice powerful Mac running Ableton.

You are playing a headline the trance room at Total Mayhem’s £10 payback at Hidden in London on Friday 24th November. Why do you reckon this party is going to rock?

So many reasons! First off, there’s three great rooms of music and I’m very privileged to be playing on the same bill as some of the true legends of the dance music scene like Andy Whitby, Billy Daniel Bunter and Greg Brookman. Also, Hidden’s a wonderful venue and let’s not also forget the party marks the very special birthday celebrations of my good friend Tigger who’s hand-picked the DJs to play at this party. I count myself very lucky to have been chosen to play at this event and I can’t wait to rock Hidden with a full-on trance anthems set!

For those who haven’t been...what’s Hidden like? It seems to have made quite an impression on the clubbing scene since opening a year ago...

I love Hidden – it probably ranks alongside Heaven as my favourite venue in London. It’s got a lovely crystal clear sound system, great lighting and a fantastic atmosphere. Plus it still looks really shiny and new  - I love clubs like that. I’m not a fan of dark, dingy venues: give me somewhere nice and plush any day! I guess I’m a bit of a snob at heart – lol. 

For more information about the event, find us on the skiddle.com whatson guide