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Darren Porter

ORANGE COUNTY, SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA - Solarstone’s enduring influence spans the near length of the genre’s history.   Having championed the true nature of - 'Trance Music ' - from his very first release,  ..the last 24 months have seen Solarstone drive its sound, ..almost singlehandedly, ..back up to the top of the genre’s agenda.   Through his  ; # 'PureTrance ' -gospel  -  modernizing the genre’s heart,  ..whilst maintaining its soul - he captured the mood of the scene ; with zeitgeist timing.   Solarstone’s - 'Pure Trance' concept has subsequently spun off into a mix-comp series, 'Pure Trance' shows worldwide (including electronic music capitals like Miami, Ibiza & Amsterdam) and most recently the Pure Trance Recordings label.

 

LABELS | PURE TRANCE  / TOUCHSTONE  / SOLARIS  /
SOLARSTONE / MOLECULE

ARTIST ; SOLARSTONE

MANAGEMENT | 24 / 7 

STYLE  +  PURE TRANCE /  ELECTRONICA / AMBIENT
ORIGIN ; UNITED KINGDOM
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1.     Hi Richard !  Thanks for taking some time to do this little interview with us ! How are you doing, and where can we find you today?
  •  Hello there,  thanks for inviting me to chat.  At the time of  this writing ; I am on a flight from'San Francisco' to 'San Andrea' for tonight’s show at 'Mansion', Costa Mesa with 'Giuseppe' ( I’m meeting him there, he’s not on the plane with me ! )
2.     Can you explain about your new 'TOUR VAN' - for the new 'North American' TOUR 2016 - How did that come into being ?
  •   Ha !  ..Well, actually, ..I just hired this small campervan for a few days between shows,  ..I flew in to 'LA' -  last Saturday ; after a show in Minnesota the night before, ..and had intended to make arrangements to work with some vocalists whilst in 'LA' – ..but it turned into a pain in the ass, ..to be trying to lock anything down, ..so instead I decided to take a little road trip up to '- 'San Francisco '   and call in on my friends there, ..who include Essence with whom I recorded ‘Lunar Rings’ many years ago, and also Gabriel & Dresden in Oakland.  Turns out  - that road trips in a 'campervan' - are not as great as they sound, ..seems the authorities are pretty hostile to people sleeping in campervans on the West Coast, I kept getting moved on !   It lost it’s appeal pretty quickly to be honest. It had a great hifi though.
 3.    Congrats, on the release of ‘Pure Trance Vol. 4’ ! It’s such a treasure of Progressive Trance Music. Did you get tracks from your 'Web-Site Drop Box' demo submissions or where ?
  •   Thanks !   I  love the album too, ..so many gems on there.   As for where I find tracks -  it depends. I get most demos through direct emails to demos@solarstone.co.uk. The Demo Drop system was a great idea but in reality, for me at least, it is crap. People just send mashups and crappy demos that are in completely the wrong style for the recipient – they just don’t follow the guidelines at all. Demo Drop was a great idea that has been rendered unfit for purpose by people who think that if they throw enough shit against the wall, something will stick. My specs are pretty clear – trance and real progressive house – specifically not mashups, EDM, trouse or other inappropriate stuff - but still it keeps on coming, and I just don’t have the time to wade through all that stuff. A word of advise for artists submitting demos to labels: be very precise on the label you choose, do not send a bulk email to multiple labels with the phrase ‘I think this will work great on your label’ – we hate that! Make sure that your track is as good as other releases on that label and in the same style. If you are conscious that your productions still sound like ‘demos’ as opposed to releasable tracks of top quality, don’t send them anywhere until you’ve reached that stage. Build up a relationship with an A&R guy. Don’t expect a reply unless you A&R wants to sign it. I get sent demos then bombarded for days after ‘Did you listen to it’ / ‘Do I need to change it’ – I consciously avoid replying unless I’m interested in signing a track, otherwise you get into the ‘What can I change to make you want to sign it’ conversation, which is road to nowhere, It’s either great and makes me excited, or it doesn’t and I shouldn’t have to explain why. Sounds harsh perhaps, but doe to the sheer volume of sub-standard-or-worse music that I get sent every day, I have to be harsh. Remember, I don’t have someone listening to this stuff on my behalf like most of the big names do, I do all this myself, and there are only so many hours in the day .
4.    What can you tell us about the mixing aspect ? How many layers and remixes does it take to produce a 'Pure Trance' album? What kind of Mixer? Software? Where do you record and produce? ?
  •  Yes, ..To summarize, I request stems for all of the tracks I use in a mix, that just gives me more freedom to make the physical mixing more expressive & creative. I use Ableton and Cubase for the sequencing; Cubase for the more tricky editing, processing and musical stuff, and Ableton for the looping, synchronizing, warping etc. It’s kind of like producing a track really; I use the same tools. As for the number of tracks… whatever is necessary really. Sometimes two records mix together so well I don’t have to do anything else at all, other times it’s a huge stack of layers! I love mixing compilations; it’s one of my favourite things about what I do. It all takes place in my studio, the spare room of my little house in Wales. It’s all pretty basic, I don’t have that much gear any more, I just make the most of what I’ve got rather than turning the place into a space ship.
 5.    Can you give us an example of the VST instruments that you like to use? - What about Hardware Instruments?
  •   I still use my Virus Ti a lot  &  I use my UAD Satellite  ; for most processing  – EQ, compression  etc. I buy sample libraries from people like ; 'Spitfire Audio' - which are extraordinarily high quality, for things like 'strings and pianos.'  Recently I’ve been using 'Orbit 'a lot, those guys at  Heavyocity make some great instruments, and 'Granite 'is something I love too. I tend to buy 'VST' instruments which allow me to create sounds, but it takes me a while to make new ones.   Sometimes I use a preset for a supporting layer, - there’s nothing wrong with that - but the l'ead instruments ' in my tracks are always my own sounds. If you don’t create your own sounds then you’re never going to sound unique, I guess.
 6.    ‘Seven Cities’ is a 'Trance Classic' released in 1999. Can you tell us about the early days of Solarstone? When and where did you get your start as a 'Live DJ' ?
  •  'Solarstone was originally a 3 piece,  ..previously known as "The Space Kittens," -  when we were making 'Acid-Disco-House', ..the name change came about when the music style started to change, we were making trance remixes for 'Perfecto'  (Label)  ; as 'Space Kittens" - but when we produced ‘The Calling’ 'Red Jerry' from 'Hooj Choons ' - suggested a name change.  One of the members 'Sam' ; left in 1998, as his taste in music wasn’t  in, 'Trance Music '  then 'Andy' also lost interest in 'Trance' around 2005, nothing really happened for a couple of years until I got fed up with the lack of momentum ;  and decided to go solo. The 'Djing ' - started in around '2002,' -  I really started to enjoy it  ; once 'Solarstone' became a solo project. The production was always my domain after Sam left, so it was a natural progression to go solo once 'Andy' -  decided to go his own way.P.
 7.    Your professional career started in '2001' , I’ve heard that you were involved in music much earlier in your life. You can play the drums and bass and keyboards ; is that correct? How did you learn how to play these instruments?
  •   Yes, - This is true,  ..I was in an indie-dance band called Emission from the late 80’s until around 1993, we did a decent amount of gigs,  ..played with bands like ; 'Dodgy' and 'Neds Atomic Dustbin' (big 90’s indie bands) around the 'UK', -  released one single, ..a few cassettes, ..and sold a few 'T-Shirts' ; My skill on various instruments is not exactly earth-shattering – with practice I can play most things reasonably well, my Dad is the same – he’s a Jazz musician and can play anything he picks up. I play piano, a bit of guitar, a bit of bass and can hold my own on the drums – at least well enough to record those instruments and use them in my tracks. end.
 8.    Do you still do body piercing, and how long have you had your trademark pierced upper left eyebrow?
  •   Ha ha, ..no  ..I don’t do it anymore, ..I don’t have the equipment these days, but I did a lot back in the 90’s, I had my own studio in Birmingham for a while. I had the eyebrow pierced when I was 21, so that’s 22 years ago – I had it done when I was learning how to pierce, it was an advertisement for my trade, I guess. I took it out when I was 40 thinking that I was a bit ‘too old’ for it, then realized once my mid-life crisis had passed that the idea of being ‘too old’ for anything is ridiculous.
 9.    On this new turn of the Solarstone Radio Show, the 8 year run with 'Solaris International' is now history. Pure Trance Radio & its Sister podcast is now the essence of it all. Can you explain about the new 'Podcast' and the Times and Channels ?
  •  Sure,  ..well it made sense to rename the show,  'Solaris International ' - was named as such because my main label at the time for Solaris Recordings. I moved on from that after running into administrative issues with the company I’d partnered with, and the whole Pure Trance movement had become my main focus. I decided to start from Episode 001 rather than continue the episode numbers as I did when renaming the show from Made In England to Deep Blue Radio and then to Solaris International,  I wanted to have a fresh start. I don’t really care about things like that, amassing huge numbers etc., ..I’m the same with my labels, once I lose interest in something it makes sense to just move on. Hence why my career contains a graveyard of labels including Deep Blue, Insatiable, Solaris, Molecule, Touchstone, Crashing Waves, even one called Richie’s Records!   As for the radio network, it’s all about the FM stations for me, you reach far more people by concentrating on building a solid FM network than countless internet stations who only reach a few dozen people. DIFM gets the first broadcast – which we focus on for the live twitter feed, that’s on Wednesdays at 22:00 CET, ..but the vast majority of listeners hear the show via the FM network which is worldwide, some of those stations hit hundreds of thousands or listeners. The network is found on the radio page of the Pure Trance website by the way.out.
10.    When you’re mixing live what is your favorite B.P.M. for your DJ Sets? Do you like to test new music and will you be playing alongside Giuseppe?
  •   Depends on the length of the set – for an 'Open 2 Close' - then anything goes, ..but when I’m part of a larger lineup - I generally kick off around '136 ' – I rarely hit '140' - unless I’m playing late.  As for Giuseppe – of course I love playing with him, either on the same lineup ; as solo acts ; or together live on stage with 'PureNRG'.  I really look forward to doing 'PureNRG' shows, there’s such a vibe and dynamic to them, playing live – and my that I mean really live, not pushing buttons – is the most satisfying thing you can do as an artist – you can’t beat it, ..for the buzz !
11.     What was the impetus of the ‘Electronic Architecture’ series ? It has a certain 'Ambient Beauty’ to it ?
  •   The EA series ; is a way for me to spread my wings musically in the mix, ..with no constraints.  Its about a multi-layered mix which is more of a collage than a series of tracks mixed end to end.  Of course there is a certain amount of multi-layered mixing on the Pure Trance compilations, ..but nowhere near the intricacy of the EA albums.  It’s difficult to explain the music in words, ..if people listen to the EA series then they know exactly what it is all about.  It’s definitely not aimed completely at the clubs - they are more listen-at-home albums. 
12.     The fans love the 'EDM IS DEAD - VIVE LA TRANCE' T-Shirts, how did these T-Shirts come about ? Why do you think the 'Pure Trance' movement and label is growing so quickly ?
  •   They certainly do love the Pure Trance T-Shirts! - I get a great thrill seeing my audiences packed with people wearing them – they help spread the message.  Back at the beginning of the PT movement ; I created a ‘Dubstep is Dead – Vive La Trance’ T-Shirt – it was meant to be ironic.  At the time, ..Dubstep was the big sound and everyone was hyping it and at the same time saying ‘trance is dead’, the slogan on the T-Shirt was an ironic twist on that reality, ..part of the fight back.  Everyone knew that Dubstep was certainly NOT dead, it was huge – but that was the point.  Another irony in that was that it sort of became true, Dubstep did indeed almost completely vanish from the main stage, whereas trance began to come back. This is the thought behind the EDM Is DEAD T-Shirt, it’s the same irony. The EDM sound is the biggest thing across the world still (although it is definitely showing signs of fatigue) and trance is still growing and building. - "These T-Shirts are a tribal statement of pride".  As for the movement , and labels growing quickly, - it’s not really a quick thing at all, ..it’s been a slow organic growth over the past 4 years fueled by a genuine love of the music , ..by myself and millions of people around the world !
13.     Some Trance Music fans elitist attitude ; was developed whereby - people began using the B.P.M. of a track, ..as an indicator of its purity and automatically discounting slower pieces.  What say you?
  •  I don’t know, ..I can’t see what the 'BPM' of a piece of music  - has to do with it’s ‘purity’ ..or validity, ..that doesn’t make sense to me.  Trance  Music - can be any tempo at all in my world, ..any at all ..
14.     What's the status of the 'Touchstone' label ?
  •  On the shelf for the time being, along with the others ..
15.     Is the 'solarSwarm' community ; active today ?
  •   No, ..I’ve not had the time to spend on it, ..it needs to be completely rethought and re-launched – it’s a complicated beast that needs love and attention, ..and with everything else going on – my music, Pure Trance, the radio show, the label, PureNRG - I simply don’t have time for it I’m afraid.  Mystro keeps bugging me to get onto it, - but to be honest  ; if I can’t give something my full attention I’d rather not do it at all.
17.     What are your thoughts on the 'DJ Mag' voting poll ?
  •   Is it relevant any more ?  ..I don’t think there are many promoters who use it as a basis of which Djs to book.  The last few years it’s been more like a 'Pop chart,' -  I didn’t recognize 80% of the names in in last time.  I really couldn’t care less about it.  Having said that, ..if I was in it I’d probably say it was great LOL.

FEAUTURING ;  The expression ‘Pure Trance’ was no more than one artist’s encapsulation of his own output. Over the course of the following 12 months that solidified into his mission statement, before he catalysed it into a scene-wide, ‘brighter day’ battle cry. It tapped into the fans shared consciousness, caught the current and nailed their prevailing mood: Pure Trance ..

 

18.      What’s your reaction when you found out that many ; 'Trance DJ’s' - have gone Trouse ?
  •   These days  - I couldn’t give two hoots what other Djs do, ..I do my own thing ; and each to their own. So long as everyone is producing music they love, & being true to themselves, ..that’s great.  However, when Djs chase the cash elsewhere then try to muscle their way back into to Trance Music when things don’t work out for them, ..that bothers me, and it’s so obvious when they do. ..I don’t have time for those guys, ..the scene doesn’t need them either !
19.     What advice would you give to a talented and aspiring Trance Music Artist ?  Should they 'DJ ' or just produce ? Do they need to have a vocal track ? Should they stay melodic ?
  •   Truly the only pieces of advise I have that are worth mentioning is stick to your guns, produce music that you love & believe in, don’t expect to be rich or famous, be realistic, don’t rush & most importantly - stay humble.
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