Given the fact that contemporary trance is often regarded as ‘girly’, with it’s sweeping emotion and tendency towards emotion-drenched melodies, it’s almost paradoxical that females are so underrepresented as both DJs and producers, most of the time relegated to the role of vocalist. The UK’s Sophie Sugar agrees that it’s a little strange.
“I have never understood this situation and really don’t know why!” she told ITM. “You would think that the scene would be over-run with females with all those emotional breakdowns and hands in the air moments! I guess guys must be more sensitive than we think. I really can’t see many signs of change either – there are one or two new female trance DJs on the scene, but certainly no-where near as many as within other genres of dance such as house and hard house…”
So we guess that makes Sophie Sugar the first, and only, lady of trance. But gender distinctions aside, she’s been doing extremely well for herself within her beloved genre. Kicking off her career as a DJ and producer in 2004, it wasn’t long before her tunes like Call of Tomorrow and Isis were turning heads in the trance world. And last year, she followed it up with the massive anthem Day Seven which received support from everyone from Paul van Dyk to Tiesto to Armin van Buuren, who released it on his leading Armada record label. And in 2008, she’s hit us with her new tune Redemption and this weekend, a trip to Australia to play at a series of parties for Pharmacy crew. ITM talks to Sophie Sugar.
A simple one to start with: why produce and DJ trance music? Why not breakcore or drum n’ bass or hard house, for example?
Quite simply because I love trance!! For me, it’s all about the melody and emotion…
You cite the Italian composer Vivaldi as an influence on your MySpace page. Could you elaborate on what aspects of his music you find influential? Does it relate to the fact that Baroque music is similar to trance in many regards?
When I was younger, my mum used to play Vivaldi’s Four Seasons all the time as well as other incredible classical music, and this was definitely a big influence in shaping my musical taste and style of production.
What process do you go through when creating a track? Do you start with a specific element, for example a melody, or do you just sit down in front of your equipment and let the track evolve organically? And do you have any vices, like a good cup of tea, that you rely on to aid the creative process?
I always start with writing the riff which usually involves getting comfortable on the sofa with my laptop and losing myself in it for hours on end; the riff that is, not the laptop! I don’t tend to have a certain melody in my head before I start, O write the first few bars and the rest just follows. Before I know it, it’s five hours later, I have a new riff and I don’t quite know how I ended up with what I’ve written!! Vice wise, it depends what time of day it is – I drink coffee all day but usually switch to a glass or two of vino at night!
What equipment do you use to produce your tracks?
I use Logic and a G5 Mac – I’ve just switched to logic 8 and it’s great. I also have a Virus TI which is pretty awesome…
You’ve avoided using vocalists in your productions. Is there any reason why? If you were hypothetically going to collaborate with a vocalist, who would you ideally want to work with do you think?
Well, actually… I am working on a vocal track at this very moment! It will be finished soon and all will be revealed. It’s not something I’ve avoided as such, I’ve just been very wary of making sure that it’s right and that it’s ‘me’. I actually started work on it about 8 months ago and have been an a bit of a journey with writing it and finding the right vocalist – now everything has come together and I’m really excited!
Your forthcoming release on Armada, Redemption, sounds fantastic. Are we to read anything into the song’s title, though? The concept of redemption holds fairly strong implications, after all…
Thanks! No, I just thought it suited the track.
The term ‘trance’ has become pretty flexible in the past couple of years. Take tracks like Air Conditionne by Julian Jeweil and Domino by Oxia for example, are ostensibly they are part of the techno family. However, they’vre received play by a lot of the big trance guys, and have even featured on Armin’s ASOT Yearmix CDs. As someone who produces what might be called a more “traditional” trance sound, what do you make of the new tech/electro/minimal sounds that have started creeping into the trance spectrum?
I think each to their own – any style of music would become pretty boring if everyone was making the same sound. From a DJing point of view, it’s a good thing to have some different sounds and variation within your set…
Under your Saona moniker, you tried a different kind of trance sound. But have you ever been tempted to apply your production skills, or DJing skills, for that matter, to an entirely new genre of dance music?
No! Never! I have been playing trance for 8 years now and making it for 5 and I love it more than ever!
Time for some politics…I often hear people complain – especially around internet forums, the source of 93 per cent of the world’s whining – that “trance isn’t as good as it was back in ‘99/2000.” And honestly, it drives me insane. I guess you’ve also heard this complaint before… Is there any truth to it?
I think there’s a lot of nostalgia attached to this time – trance exploded and people associate all the original anthems with some of their most amazing clubbing memories. You can’t compete with that! However there is a huge amount of incredible trance around now, new talented producers are appearing on the scene all the time and the standards are getting higher by the week!
Labels such as Black Hole, Anjunabeats, and indeed Armada are a dominant commercial presence in the trance world. Do you think there is a risk of trance music succumbing to homogenization, and as a result, stagnation, if a handful of labels are over-represented within the genre?
I think there’s room for new labels to grow more so now than ever with digital taking over – I know of one or two people setting up their own labels at the moment and think plenty of fresh blood will filter through over the next few years… Obviously there will always be market leaders as within any industry, however labels such as Armada for example, represent many different styles of trance within various sub-labels and constantly push new artists and sounds.
A simple one to finish with, as well: your upcoming tour this month is the first time you’ve played in Australia/New Zealand. Is there a particular aspect of touring ‘downunder’ that you’re looking forward to? And how do you feel about the prospect of playing alongside M.I.K.E, one of the trance greats, as well as Schössow, another young producer who achieved renown in 2007?
Yes, this is the first time i have been to Australia / NZ as well as the first time playing so I am so excited! The Australians and New Zealanders I know in London are so friendly, happy and mad for it so I can’t wait to play to a whole crowd of Australian/NZ clubbers! M.I.K.E was one of the producers I looked up to most when I first started DJing 8 years ago and his tracks are some of the best trance ever made so to be playing alongside him is going to be incredible. Marcus is a really talented producer so can’t wait to meet/hear him too!
Listen to Sophie Sugar’s mix in ITM-FM, and catch her 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
