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Features Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London!

Interview with Dave Holmes and Sharkboy Reported by Sharon B / Submitted 24-07-03 14:06 August 2003 will see the release of Neon Lights "Fine Day" and "Silence" by the two legendary producers Dave Holmes and Sharkboy (aka: Greg Ferguson) on the Voltswagen label. A further release of Steve Morley’s 'Reincarnations' is also coming out soon on Y2K with Sharkboy vs Dave Holmes remix. Dave Holmes is currently cutting up the dance floor all over London's best venues with his mix of hard trance and hard dance having played at Heat, Knowwhere and OHM! to name but a few, and is resident at Milk. His tune Freedom is a firm favourite of any respectable DJ and he continues to produce under a variety of names for many different genres. Sharkboy's reputation as a hard trance producer continues to go from strength to strength with follow-ups to his legendary "Nightime" with tracks such as "In Hiding", "Finale" and "Brown Sugar". Both independently successful in their own rights the new release will mark a collaboration between two of London's best Hard Dance producers that is sure to get the clubbers stomping hard, screaming loud and reaching for the lasers. Sharon B decided to chat briefly with them both to find out more about their up-coming release and plans for the future. Sharon B: Has music always been a big influence in your lives? What’s the first record you bought? Either dance or non-dance music? Both: Yes! Greg Ferguson: ‘Kids In America’ by Kim Wild, I also bought Shakin Stevens ‘ Green Door ‘ that day, oh dear! Dave Holmes: Yes, Music was a very big influence in my life since my dad was a trained vocalist and composer. I could not escape from music in my parents house even if I wanted to, my dad got me playing the piano from the age of 6. ‘Crazy Horses’ by the Osmond Brothers was the first record I bought, was mental for that time….. SB: Is this your first collaboration together? What inspired you both to work together? DH & GF: ‘Fine Day’ was our first collaboration and since then we’ve done another 3 more. We wanted to work together as we had mutual admiration for each other….plus a little bit of help from Steve Hill! The sound of the remix for ‘Reincarnations’ is what you can expect from us for the future. SB: How did you each get into producing in the first place and what were your first tunes? GF: For me it was a natural progression from djing. My 1st tune was ‘The White Stuff’ which was released on Freezing Point. DH: After leaving my classical music and playing in several bands I discovered house music and decided to have a go! SB: What 3 words best describes your style? DH & GF: Tough, Uplifting & Driving SB: Do you remember hearing your first tune played out? Where was it played out and what was it like hearing your creation on the dance floor? Were you nervous? Excited? etc. GF: Yes, ‘Fat 6’ @ the Fridge & it was a lovely feeling. DH: Oh yes! It was Divine Orgasm – ‘Creator’ @ Nightown in Rotterdam – it was fuckin amazing – a feeling I’ll never forget! Especially because that was our favourite club where most of the Rotterdam based producers hung out like Jochem Paap ( Speedy J ) and Ferry Corsten. SB: How do you both approach a new tune? Do you find a suitable sample first and then create a rift or is it the other way round? DH & GF: We normally take the vocal and work our way around it, good vocals give an instant vibe for the track. SB: Did you find it difficult to collaborate your styles for this tune? Do you think one of you had to compromise their style more than the other or do you feel that you have come up with a uniquely different sound? DH & GF: No we certainly don’t have to compromise, we bounce ideas off each other & are always happy with the finished product. We have very similar styles of music that complement each other well. GF: Dave comes from a vary trancy background and I was on the hard house scene from the word go! I was playing it at my club Sunflowers in 1996. DH: We’d like to think our sound is unique! Or at least very recognisable. SB: Is there any part of the tune that can be easily identifiable as Sharkboy or as Dave Holmes? Any parts that stand out as your individual influence or do you think it is a fairly well balanced collaboration? DH & GF: We feel the collaborations are well balanced. We don’t really think about these issues to be honest, we just play and program whatever comes up and enjoy the track while we work on it. SB: Where do you look for your samples? DH & GF: Anywhere & everywhere! TV, Radio….of course we often like to ‘borrow’ from our colleagues too! SB: Sharkboy (Greg Ferguson) – you use a lot of female vocals in your tunes – what is it about vocals that attracts you to using them so often? And why do you always release your tunes on 33rpm? Any particular reason? DH & GF: There’s no particular reason why they’re pressed at 33rpm. I like to use female vocals as they add a lot of expression and emotion to a track. A few people have a go, they think it’s cheesy, try telling that to 4000 people at HHA with their hands in the air? (Night time) DH: Nothing wrong with a bit of cheese ! SB: Dave Holmes – you have a released a lot of tunes under various names – why do you use so many pseudonyms? Is it a different name for a different genre? Do you feel it gives you more freedom to be more creative? DH: I make too many tracks to release under one name and yeah, I don’t like to be restricted in styles. Most names have a particular genre; for example the Gabba tracks I produced were released under the name Underground Nation of Rotterdam, whereas Clubbers Delight was the artist name I gave to the more groovy house music I made. GF: He needs a long holiday to let the record labels recover from all the stuff he brings to them SB: What’s your favourite genre of dance music? GF: Drum & Bass, trance and hardhouse. There’s a band called ‘The Streets’ who are fantastic. DH: Trance and vocal house, especially the US stuff. SB: This week saw the 5th anniversary of the death of Tony De Vit. Many people credit TDV with being the “Godfather of Hard Dance” and responsible for the scene that we witness today. How big an influence has he been to the scene do you feel and who has been your biggest influence as far as hard dance goes? DH & GF: Yes TDV was a major influence in both of our musical progressions. GF: My biggest influence would have to be Pete Wardman though, his mixing was and is out of this world and he’s a nice guy too who made some cracking tunes. SB: What tune that you have each produced are you most proud of and why? GF: ‘Nightime’ because of the crowd reaction it received at Heat! That told us it was special. DH: ‘Reincarnations’ - as people told me it ‘touched’ them! That means a lot to me as I can clearly remember the morning I made the track. While I was overlooking the city centre of Rotterdam from my studio the sun was just coming up. A magical and emotional scenery! SB: Who would you most like to work with that you have yet so far to collaborate on a project together with? GF: Rob Tissera DH: Matt Darey, he is my favourite producer of all times. And Rob Tissera since we started something but never had the time to finish it. Hopefully soon we will both have some time to finally collaborate on a tune. SB: You both DJ as well as produce – which is your favourite? If you could only do one which would it be an why? GF: I wouldn’t wana give up either but if I had to chose one…I’m getting really into my producing at the moment – so I’d probably stick with that. DH: I would find it so difficult to choose, but I have to admit that not much can beat the feeling you get when a crowd are going crazy! So with me it would be the djing I think. SB: Who do you admire most in the hard dance world? Who do you always make an effort to go and support when playing out? DH: Paul Oakenfold! I know he’s not hard dance but he is a legend! And Rob Tissera who always make me move, something very rare I can tell you. GF: Steve Hill because he works hard for me and pushes the scene forward. Also Marc French, dj wise he is awesome! SB: There has been a rise in bedroom DJ’s and female DJ’s over the last 12 months – how do you feel the scene has changed with this sudden influx of new talent? Do you feel the market is getting saturated or do you welcome “fresh blood” on the scene? DH & GF: It’s true that these days there are a lot more ‘up & coming’ djs. It’s a bit of a shame as not all of them will make it but on the whole it’s a good thing as it makes it more competitive – and raises the standard. It keeps us on our toes! It’s sad though when dj’s are pushed into positions they can’t handle. SB: Some bigger clubs are now no longer booking hard dance events on both nights of the weekend due to a significant decrease in numbers. Do you think the scene is regressing? Whose to blame? Lack of innovation from larger events or is the market being flooded due to saturation of smaller nights? DH & GF: ‘The Scene’ isn’t regressing, but like anything it’s changing – that’s natural progression. What was once a good thing becomes stale & things go a bit flat until newer & better sounds, events, djs come in! It will bounce back – fully recharged! People will always wana club! Nothing compares to that electrifying feeling you get when we’re totally absorbed in the music together! SB: A lot of smaller promotions have really come to the forefront of the scene over the last few months – do you feel that small events are the way forward? Do you think that the scene is splintering into smaller fragments or that people are going to smaller, more intimate events as an expression of their tastes away from larger, more commercial nights? DH & GF: Nope – there will always be a market for both! Don’t forget that the smaller events could not exist without the big ones and the other way around. The so called ‘commercial ‘ nights generate interest from a lot of potential clubbers who would not think of going to a smaller event until they slowly get lured into the scene. People tend to go places they know and can relate to when they want to have a good time. SB: Which do you prefer to go to as a clubber, an event that holds 200 or an event that holds 6,000? Which do you prefer to go to as a DJ? Does a bigger crowd mean a better night? GF: I enjoy small clubs but it doesn’t really matter the size of the crowd, so long as they enjoy it! DH: I do prefer bigger events, particularly being a dj as I can reach more people with my music! SB: Many people say that the scene is regressing back into its underground roots – do you feel this is true? Do you think hard dance will ever become commercial? Can you envisage a time when a hard dance tune is playing on Top of the Pops? DH & GF: For us there is no such thing as underground or commercial in hard dance just good or bad music. As long as people have a good time that’s all that matters. SB: If the hard dance scene collapsed tomorrow what other career do you think you would pursue? Would you still be in the music industry or would you follow another avenue entirely? Have you always wanted to do music or did you have other aspirations when growing up? GF: I always want to be involved in music in some way. DH: Me too, I always want to stay in the music industry – it’s incredibly driving – addictive even! Although working for MI 5 sounds interesting aswell. GF: I always wanted to drive a milk float. SB: Who do you think has made the biggest impact over the last 12 months and is there anyone you feel we should keep our eyes on over the next year with regards to the scene? DH: Well in hard dance – Sharkboy’s certainly made a powerful impact. Someone else who’s really impressed me is Fergie! Not only is the guy a legend in hard house, he’s the only person I know that has successfully managed to cross over & receive an equally admirable status in techno! GF: I think Steve Hill pushing Tripoli Trax to its 100th release is a major impact. People take it for granted how hard it is to make a good record, let alone to achieve this. SB: Do either of you have any plans to go into promotion and if so what kind of night would you put on? DH & GF: Yes we do and all we can say at this stage is – Watch This Space! ! ! Sunflowers Reincarnated, coming soon to a theatre near you. SB: What’s your favourite venue and why? GF: Turnmills because of the sound system. DH: The Opera House, Bournemouth & I loved the Coronet! SB: Do you use Harderfaster? What do you think of internet sites in general? Have they made an impact or been of any influence on the scene in the last few years? DH & GF: Internet sites can be good, but it puzzles us why many people stay anonymous when they have something to say… We both use HF regularly – it’s a nice, effective and well put together site. SB: What are your goals for the next 12 months? What can we expect to hear from Sharkboy and Dave Holmes? DH & GF: A lot! A new Sharkboy called ‘The Revolution’, Neon Lights ‘ Silence’, Neon Lights ‘ Fine Day’, a remix of Rob Tissera ‘ Bring the Lights Down’ and a new Steve Morley. Eh that was it for the next month SB: Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? Would you still be in the UK do you think or would you have moved on from here? GF: I think I’ll still be making music in the UK. DH: I reckon I’ll still be based in the UK but with regular bookings abroad as well I hope! SB: Do you think you would work together again on another tune? Would it be of similar style or would you go in another direction? DH & GF: Yes we have lots of plans and will keep on working together on different projects. We may start a label as well. Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Sharon B: What's it all about? Alfie! - Getting Technikal with Alf Bamford Heat UK presents....SW4!!! - Interview with Damian Gelle Interview with TWIST promoter Steve Darragh Interview with Innovate Resident Nick Sentience Interview with Ferry Corsten The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable. Comments: From: James Nardi on 28th Jul 2003 16:21.54 The return of Sunflowers with some of the original DJs...... Now there`s an idea Greg. From: Tom Allen on 28th Jul 2003 16:32.04 Unreal tunes guys - keep it up! From: Krazy Nut on 29th Jul 2003 14:18.38 Great interveiw as usual, Havnt been dissapointed by any of the productions by you guys, look forward to getting my hands on Silence/Fine Day...... keep em comming From: Ben Holder on 29th Jul 2003 14:32.35 Both cutting edge producers with an excellent sound Looking forward to your appearance @ Smile/EzDuzzit on Saturday Gregg Respect

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