HIDE & SEEK with Jan Johnston-Because Of You [We Are Trance]

 

This year has been full of great music already, sometimes hard to keep track of it all. So much talent in today's world, definitely something to be joyous about as music really does lift one's spirit out of the dumps on one of their most dreadful of days! 

 The latest release to catch my eye or my ears perhaps, is the profound "Because Of You" constructed by artists on the rise "HIDE & SEEK" (who will definitely not remain hidden for too long), alongside the legendary singer/songwriter "Jan Johnston", responsible for numerous dance music hits that remain firm favorites for us all to present date. "Because Of You" is out on major South African label "We Are Trance", owned and operated by none other than one of South Africa's unsung dance music heroes, "Dirkie Coetzee" with valuable help by U.S.A's sublime artist "Suzy Solar" and another of South Africa's major talents "Corrie Theron".

 Vivid rhythms spring forward, like an agile jungle cat, amidst a complementary percussion and a overzealous melody. Jan herself appears in the tune early on, adding her touch of vocal magic and enchantment while an overflow of emotions takes over like a tidal wave. An utter radiance emanates within the break of the track, all the while illuminated by Jan's one of a kind colorful hues of vocal brilliance over the vibrant synths and epic melodies at hand. The build that follows takes things to the next level, hammering away relentlessly among a bittersweet backdrop. Jan continues her seductive performance, elevating the track to the highest peaks. 

A definite win for "HIDE & SEEK" and Jan that will bring a huge smile to the club goers and radio enthusiasts alike!

Released: 31/3/2023

Label: We Are Trance

https://www.beatport.com/release/because-of-you/4046231 

Exclusive Interview with DIM3NSION!

The amazing thing in dance music is the global scale of it all and the connection we all have to it. Artists and fans alike connect, form friendships and are of course unified by the wondrous power of the music itself. Artists arise from all corners of the world, fueled by their passion and love for the music they play and many times create. 

One of the most charismatic and gifted artists out there is without a doubt an artist from Vigo, Spain who answers to the name "DIM3NSION". He has been a bright beacon in the dance music scene for many years now, constantly bringing something new and exciting to the field. His steady flow of uncanny releases over the years have brought large smiles to many dance music faithful fans around the world. Creating music for him is not a job or favorite pass time. It is a necessity and that can be seen if you pay close attention to any of his releases. They are filled with pure emotion and an energy that brightens the mood on any given day. It is always a rare pleasure to interview him and I am pleased to share this exclusive interview with you all for "MusicTalk15".

Question 1: Last time we sat down and talked was in Amsterdam during “ADE 2017” for an interview for “Trancefix.nl”. Great times! Has the “Amsterdam Dance Event” become a yearly tradition for you ever since and are you perhaps planning a comeback for the next edition this year?

Hey Kostas, first of all, thank you so much for the interview. It´s nice to talk with you again 6 years later! Absolutely, I think ADE is a must for any artist. I couldn’t join the previous editions but this year I will come back to see old friends and open new business.

Question 2: Covid and the lockdown around the world was a huge blow to the scene that we love and the artists more than most. Did you work during that devastating period and if not how did you stay occupied? Did you dive into creating new music and in return focusing on your craft?

Well, that chapter in our lives was indeed quite bad for everybody but I have been always focused on music. I´m positive in life and I was thinking all the time that the covid shit will stop and the situation would change sooner or later so I was still focused on creating music. There were some changes in my organization as well during that chapter and it was the reason why I have not released as much music as I would have love to in 2021 and especially 2022 but finally, I´m getting where I want to be and you can see that this year with all the music that I’ve already released.

Question 3: What were the highlights of last year for you and what are you most looking forward to this year?

For me 2022 doesn’t have any highlights to be honest with you. I just released two songs last year and that’s unacceptable for me. I´m an artist able to do more than 2 songs in 365 days. Nowadays an artist needs one release per month as minimum to keep being visible so I was very disappointed with that. Most of the songs I´m signing and releasing this year have been produced in 2022 but they have been there waiting for the right moment.

 Question 4: What would you say were your favorite tracks of 2022 and what artists do you acknowledge for their contribution to the scene so far this year?

Maybe the remix I did for "Sunnteck – Explorer", featured on the "In Search Of Sunrise" compilation was my favorite of last year. I have been experimenting and discovering a lot of artists. I´m a big fan of the combination of future rave and trance. Armin is doing awesome for example with his club mixes of "Come Around Again", "Let You Down"... that type of sound is what I´m feeling at the moment. "Skytech", "BLR", "Aname" or "Avao" are some of the names I’ve listened to the most last year.

Question 5: With severe restrictions and lockdown in effect we witnessed quite a few artists locking themselves away in the studio and returning with their premier artist albums. You have given us loads of magnanimous single releases over the years. Do you feel that the time has come for a “DIM3NSION” artist album this year? 

From the point of view of an artist, creating an album is like the ultimate goal. It´s like seeing your full creation out there in the hands of the people, not only digital, you can convert your music into something tangible. It´s something I really want to do. But on the other hand, I don´t feel it is the right moment yet, I need to grow a little bit more, have a bigger fan reach and keep releasing music often on the biggest labels like I´m doing this year. After that, let´s see what´s going on, but an album is a goal for me. Absolutely yes.

Question 6: One of your most renowned and instantly recognizable tracks is the wonderful “Origami”. Still one of my faves ever! Do you have any plans for a follow up style-wise to that tune or perhaps a rework of the beloved tune for 2023?

Absolutely! "Origami" is probably the most beautiful thing that happened to me. Also "Mangata" which was a follow-up of Origami has worked pretty well. I think there are more people who know me because of Mangata rather than Origami.... Certainly, I already did a follow up of this track and it was "Theia".My first signing of this year, it was released on "FSOE" last January and reached a top 10 position on Beatport. I`m very happy with what "Theia" has brought.

Question 7: You are mostly known for your most vivid instrumental tunes. It was a big surprise to see you working on a vocal release. How did that come about and will we see more vocal tunes from you in the near future? 

In the beginning I was not comfortable working with vocals because there is a longer process until it gets released. You have to wait for approvals, lyrics, the recorded vocals, changes, etc... It´s true that for the people,vocal tracks work always much better than instrumentals but this year, I felt it was the time to change this. I actually have signed to Armada 3 vocal tunes for the second half of 2023, so yeah. In the near future there will be more vocal tunes!

Question 8: Do you have any favorite movies or series that you enjoy watching? Have you ever considered working on a movie soundtrack?

Not right now. What I love the most from the TV series or films is listening to the soundtracks and sometimes it makes me lose the dialogues... :p I enjoy them a lot and I took many as inspiration but for now, I prefer to keep my focus on my business, my releases as "DIM3NSION", "Benner" and also the music I´m doing as a ghost producer for other artists, clients, online classes and my "Patreon" on: patreon.com/dim3nsion

Question 9: Years back you had provided us with a DJ mix compilation for “Flashover Recordings”. Can we expect a future mix compilation from you once more in the near future?

That compilation was very fun to make. I selected and mixed personally together with the a&r of "Flashover" at that time, Celwin Frenzen (owner of "EDCT Recordings" nowadays). It is not in my plans to do another mix compilation in the future but I´m planning to run my own record label in 2024!

 

Question 10: Do you happen to have any exciting events you happen to be performing at this year that you would like to share with us?

Well, after covid I lost all my gigs, there were cool things in schedule like a China tour, some dates in the USA as well as in Europe... but everything stopped for me. My plans right now are to make the best music possible, release as much music as I can this year and working to find the right people to work in order to have gigs again in 2024, nothing in schedule for now unfortunately.

Question 11: The Spanish trance family is definitely on a rise. Over the years we have seen more and more trance music oriented events popping up plus the rise of the “Summer Story” festival. All great things for the scene there. What are your thoughts on the matter as a Spaniard and as an artist? Do you see Spain having more and more attention from the fans wishing to travel there for an event or from the artists themselves expressing a similar interest?

The Spanish trancefamily has grown for sure, but is still a small niche. Good people and good fans. I feel beloved and I´m grateful for that but trance in Spain is still really small. Spain is not a good country for electronic dance music, most of the people just want have fun at the festivals, a festival is a business and they follow the trends. I understand completely and respect it but for example nowadays, most of the festivals are focused in techno which is the bigger genre at the moment.

Question 12: “Ferry Corsten” has always been a big inspiration to you. The concept change of his radio show from “Corsten’s Countdown” to “Resonation Radio” was a daring move yet met with great success. You have worked with him many times in the past. Will we perhaps see you assuming guest mix duties on his radio show soon?

Who knows? I´m always working to have the best music possible and get a bigger reach and opportunities. Being his guest on "Resonation" would be a pleasure for me and another cool opportunity :)

Question 13: Rumor has it that you have a brand new release coming out on legendary label “Future Sound of Egypt”! Would you care to share with us some information regarding this release?

 Yes! This new track is called "Funktionlust"' a German word which means "the pleasure of doing what one is made to do or what one does the best". It was released on Monday April 3^rd and I´m very excited for this release. Happy to come back to "Future Sound Of Egypt". I still love this type of sound and FSOE is one of the biggest labels for trance, you have to be there if you are a trance artist. So I´m very grateful to "Aly & Fila" and the team for signing this record!