STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW

If you were out hitting the clubs back when trance was going through its ‘golden’ phase in the late 90s, then you’d definitely be aware of some of the mega anthems Push were responsible for – Universal Nation in particular was one of the quintessential trance weapons tearing up Gatecrasher and Cream and sending the glowstick-clad kiddies into hysterics. The work of Mike Dierickx AKA M.I.K.E., earlier this decade he retired the Push pseudonym and began moving trance a little closer to techno under a range of different monikers. M.I.K.E. was last in Australia for Godskitchen only late last year when he was still very much in a tech-trance frame of mind, but in ‘08 he’s decided that the time is now – the big-room melodies of Push will be being reborn. So the question begs – why now?

Not unlike his colleagues John ‘00’ Fleming and Christopher Lawrence, for a while M.I.K.E. was less than inspired by the sounds coming out of the ‘standard’ trance scene. And it was actually when he was in Australia for Godskitchen last year that he began to be excited again by the big-room melodies. “When I played the Godskitchen tour, I was actually doing a remix… in my hotel room in Sydney and the results were very ‘trance’ again,” he told ITM. “And it felt good again to be doing that. So when I got back from my Australian tour… I decided I wanted to surprise everyone by going slightly back to my roots.”

So Push is back – with the brand new Universal Voice EP, and a solid schedule of dates lined up around the world as the world happily welcomes him back with open arms. ITM’s Angus Paterson talks to M.I.K.E about what Push means in 2008, and what we can expect to hear when he performs live in Australia this month.

Catch the reborn Push experience at the following shows…

Fri 23 May: Pharmacy at Queensbridge, Melbourne
Sat 24 May: Pharmacy at Channel, Adelaide
Fri 30 May: Pharmacy at Family, Brisbane