Third Party VS Cicada – Feel

March 12, 2012 | Dan Carter

There is something to be said about the spirit of continuity that Britain has boasted over the years of Electronic music’s untimely rise. Yes, our European cousins may have taken the spotlight as far as its universal sights are concerned and no, they are not quite topping the steadfast American resurgence, but the country’s genuine sense of belonging on the club floor from the outset of the Acid House movements remain impertinent at a time where national musical identity is a key selling point.

Where Cicada have proven themselves an excessively promising asset to the aforementioned movements, Steve Angello’s favourite Essex House entrepreneurs Third Party have certainly risen to the task of topping their steadfast studio output. Basking in the hysteria surrounding their forthcoming remodel of the Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s ‘Otherside’ and further Beatport smashers ‘Release’ and ‘Duel’, their return to Size Records makes for yet further progression of dexterous sound and aptly tuned energy.

Remaining true to the infamous top line of ‘Don’t Stare At The Sun’, their daring canvas of uplifting melodics and emotionally evoking key work may not make for anything new, but the way with which the duo complete their coherent remodel of this timeless anthem verges on unique on so many levels. At a time where repetition far exceeds innovation amid the digital market, Third Party remain born leaders to the new school and affirmative practitioners in the dynamically defiant and emotively charged anthems that are forging England an exciting soundtrack amid the European explosion. We may not have a formidable House mafia, but we certainly have an outlet that is bringing the same family values and boisterous Peak Time properties home for 2012.

Third Party VS Cicada – ‘Feel’ is out now on Beatport.

Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano

November 19, 2011 | Dan Carter

If an earlier anecdote about Holland’s nocturnal House elite holds any weight then 2011 has certainly been a restless year for Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano.  Whether it is taking on the globes biggest festivals, signing hits to Steve Angello or remaking the masterpieces of THE original Dutch superstar DJ, aspiring artists across the globe are praying for someone to bottle whatever this fresh force in House have been drinking for the past few years. Amid their triumphant return to Amsterdam for a larger-than-life appearance at Passenger Terminal, Dan Carter caught up with the dynamic duo at the Fun X Radio studios to trace their incredible journey and the next chapter of the Netherland’s latest success story.  Read More

David Tort

October 4, 2011 | Dan Carter

Like busses, the high points of a rising European producer can often come all at once. Now donning his tunes to celebrated outlets as Mafioso imprints Size Records and Axtone, the life and times of David Tort have taken a truly hectic turn towards the incredible. Fresh from a summer of manic touring with minimal damage to his head, Dan Carter caught up with the Spanish House sensation to talk about how Pacha put him on the right tracks and why he will never beg for a record signing.  Read More

Swanky Tunes

September 19, 2011 | Dan Carter

Somewhere along the line, Russia has managed to finely tune itself to be one of Europe’s hottest exporters of mind-bending Electronic music. Slotting elegantly into her rich roster of exciting Dance acts, one trio of club-minded individuals have truly caught the globes attention with their diverse blend of wall-shaking Progressive House. With powerful banger ‘Sending My Love’ alongside R3hab for Afrojack’s Wall Recording’s and a host of releases for Size Records under their belt, Dan Carter caught up with Swanky Tunes to reflect on the momentous progress of Russia’s award winning floor- fillers. Read More

Thomas Gold

December 15, 2010 | Dan Carter

With his Size Records debut on the horizon, a killer cut for Dirty South’s ‘Phazing’ making big splashes in the digital pond and the remnants of his summer floor-fillers still doing the rounds, it is incredible to see the impact Thomas Gold has made in just six months! Dan Carter caught up with German producer prior to his upcoming  world tour and the release of his epic Size offering, ‘AGORa’ to explore why gold is the only way for this rising star of Progressive House.

What stands most impressive about Gold’s efforts for 2010 is the ground he has covered in such a short space of time. Signing ‘AGORa’ to Angello’s renowned imprint Size Records, ‘Areena’ to Dirty South’s Phazing and the epic ‘Marsch Marsch’ to Toolroom Records, Gold’s determination seems only fuelled by the pressures of attention from his adored outlets for music. He explained: “It is an incredible feeling! Within six months I got my tracks signed to three of my favorite labels, which is something I would not have dared to imagine happening, especially in such a short space of time!”

They say a Size Records track takes 100% more heart and time and Gold’s debut for the flagship label proved no exception. With time on his side and a solid melody at his mercy, it was not an overnight success story, but AGORa finally came to light as THAT track. Gold explained: ‘AGORa’ took me a while to finish. I had this main melody in my head for quite some time and I tried out loads of arrangements and tracks around it. It took a couple of weeks to develop the final mix, which I played out in my sets over and over to test it and I worked a lot on the overall sound by changing it again and again, just to get it perfect.”

After this stint of trial and error in the studio and on the dance floor, Gold saw ‘AGORa’ fall into place, presenting camp Angello with an offering they could not shrug off.  “One day I played at a club in Stockholm and dropped the nearly final version of it. AN21 (Steve’s brother and label A&R for SIZE) came to visit me there and when I played AGORa, he immediately asked me for the track and the next day I had to send it to him. He told me to leave it with him and Steve for a couple of days. One week later they signed it.”

Besides the blessing of a Size Records release, Gold was thrilled to drop ‘Areena’ on Dirty South’s House imprint ‘Phazing’ in October alongside Spanish sensation David Gausa and the Californian producer David Tort. Starting with a short and simple piano riff, the trio bound themselves to a studio in Barcelona with the aim of striking gold in the duos name for 2010. It wasn’t long before the attention they craved came calling for this epic offering. Gold explained: “When we sent it to Dirty South, he played it at one of his sets at Pacha Ibiza in summer and the day after we got his confirmation to sign it to his label! He told us that he would do his own edit to complete the package, which was amazing as there is nothing better than having a version by DS himself!”

Whilst his new and forthcoming tracks are creating an incredible buzz amongst the industry, his celebrated Toolroom offering ‘Marsch Marsch’ remains one of the autumn seasons most celebrated tracks, creating a massive buzz at this year’s ADE as well as gaining support from the likes of Tiesto. Starting off as an intro for his DJ sets, Gold realised that he had hit the right notes with his sensational portion of driving House keys on the backdrop of an epic snare line. “When I saw the great reactions of people in the clubs, I felt encouraged to send it to the guys from Toolrom, who had been asking me for some stuff around then. I was more than happy when they signed it immediately and put it on their huge ADE compilation. After the release, I got loads of great reactions on Facebook, Twitter and my email from fans and other DJs; it was so cool to hear that other DJs used the track to open their sets, not to mention seeing the video of Tiesto playing it!”

With a diverse stash of bombs at his mercy, the anticipation of his forthcoming offering for Size and a forthcoming remix for Axwell’s signature imprint ‘Axtone’, it is unsurprising that Thomas Gold is a producer in high demand across the globe. Starting November in Toulouse, Gold will take his epic sound to the masses over the next two months on a tour that stretches the globe and back again. With Australia, Japan, Canada and a brief trip home to Germany on the cards, no rock has been left unturned in Thomas Gold’s quest to reach House fanatics across the globe. He explained: “I have wanted to go to Japan for a long time, so I really can’t wait for that weekend. I am really happy to be heading back to Australia, it is simply beautiful! The landscape is unique and people are so friendly, you immediately feel at home. It’s always fun to tour there; people really know how to party!”

Whilst the road ahead is a long one, Gold remains humble at the opportunity to travel the world and reach new audiences with his arsenal of incredible club anthems: a feat that eliminates any of the burdens of travel. “I’m lucky that I have the chance to travel the world and to see so many places, it is a gift and I appreciate it a lot, even if sometimes the travelling itself can be very exhausting! Long-haul flights, long stays at airports and bad organisation on location are all annoying at the time, but at the end it is just such a great experience and I cannot think about stopping it anytime soon!”

The journey of Thomas Gold transcends the six month streak of providence that he has recently seen and the prominent House sound that has earned Gold his crown. To watch things fall into place is truly a godsend for the German producer on the eve of his busiest winter to date! Gold explained: “For me this is a fantastic period and it makes me feel that my change in style was the right decision. I got back to my real house roots whilst maintain an influence from other genres and it now feels like this is the sound coming from my heart. It feels just amazing!”

Gold’s unfolding legacy is the wet dream of any aspiring producer and whilst the German producer remains humble, he admits that the dream is over and the reality must be maintained and conserved. “I had this kind of dream when I was a kid, I wanted to make music and get it played by people, but I would have never expected it to become my daily life as a full-time DJ and producer. It is not always easy in this business, there are some bad moments from time to time, but the positive aspects outweigh these and I am so happy to live my dream every day with all these amazing experiences. Thus the reality is even better than I could have anticipated.”

If reputation is wealth then Thomas Gold is sure to be one of the richest figures in House music and will continue to plough his way to the top with his rigorous dedication, magnifying studio skills and the ambition to show the world just what is golden within House music!

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