Exclusive Interview with James Dymond

Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with James Dymond, shortly before his performance at Aftermoon on 31st October.

You are a classically trained musician. How did you get in touch with electronic dance music – especially Trance - in the first place and how did you get into DJing and music production?

I got into Trance by listening to the Gatecrasher classic CDs. From there I listened to more of the modern Trance and really enjoyed it, and decided that I wanted to learn how to produce it. At the same time, I bought my first pair of CDJs and learned how to DJ. Djing was the easier bit, it took a good couple of years to learn how to produce Trance due to how complex music production can be.

You play and produce a mix of Uplifting, Progressive & Tech Trance. How would you describe your own music in just a few words?

Uplifting, energetic, powerful.

Armin Van Buuren has described you as “arguably one of the most requested remixers in the scene right now”. Could you point out some remixes that you are especially happy about?

I think my two biggest remixes which were Armin van Buuren – Communication (James Dymond Remix), and Binary Finary – 1998 (James Dymond Remix). Every time I play these tracks in the clubs they go down great. I am also especially happy with my remix of Mark Sherry – A Star Within A Star. It took quite a while to produce, but I think it turned out great. A 135 uplifting progressive trancer with tons of energy, and something that goes down awesome on the dance floors.

Your track “Paladin” (released on Armada in 2012) was a huge worldwide success. What other tracks would you recommend to someone that is not yet familiar with your music?

Apart from the 3 remixes above, my tracks 'Siren's Song', 'Refresh' (with Ben Nicky), 'Sao Paulo' (with Tomas Heredia), my rework of DJ Tiesto – Adagio For Strings, and my remix of 'Waiting For The Sun' by Binary Finary & Lele Troniq ft Christina Novelli. These tracks would be a good place to start! :)

What are you currently working and focusing on? What’s on your agenda for the near future?

Currently working on some new originals, for a few different labels. One of which for Mental Asylum Records who I work quite closely with, the label boss Indecent Noise being a good friend of mine. I'm also looking in 2015 to produce some original vocal tracks, as this is something I haven't really delved into yet.

In terms of Djing, I'll be working with a couple different labels for some world tours over 2015, as well as headlining my own shows and playing alongside some of the best Trance Djs all over the world. Some really exciting gigs coming up!

What was the best and the worst gig you ever played and what was the funniest thing ever occurred during any of your performances?

Best gig, probably my debut gig at Ministry Of Sound Club, London. As a previous regular clubber at MoS, it held some real sentimental value to me, and to be able to play there was definitely a milestone in my career!

Worse gig, don't want to name any names, but when I first started out I did play some very bad gigs. Maybe only 20 people max haha!

Funniest thing, seeing a girl in a polar bear outfit jump up on stage and started dancing around like a crazy person! Definitely made the crowd giggle also :P

On 31st October you will perform live here in Bangkok alongside the TLT crew at Aftermoon. Have you ever visited Thailand before? Will the performance be you Bangkok Debut? What can Bangkok expect of your upcoming performance?

I've never visited Thailand before, not even as as tourist, so I'm super excited to finally be able to go! A lot of my friends have been there and have said how good it is. You can expect in my up and coming performance lots of uplifting Trance, new and exclusive tracks from myself and others, and hopefully a great atmosphere in the club! :)