If Melbourne clubbers were asked to name which of their city’s DJ/producers were rising the fastest through the trance scene, there’s no chance they’d go past Steve Strangis. Alongside interstate colleagues tyDi from QLD and Scott Richardson from NSW, Strangis has received more praise than any other trance up-and-comer and while he’s been at it for a number of years, people are really starting to talk about him a whole lot more in 2008. This is something that was reflected by him rocketing into the Sony inthemix50 top 20 this year.

He’s been a regular at his city’s Godskitchen parties over the years, but this year he’ll be taking it a step further: playing as the warmup DJ to a mega lineup that includes international heavyweights Sander Van Doorn, John O’Callaghan, Menno De Jong* and Jon O’Bir. ITM talks to Steve Strangis ahead of his mighty slot at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne this weekend.

You have made your name over the years purely as a DJ, without having a big track signed to a big label. Has this been an obstacle at all in getting gigs?

To be honest it hasn’t been an obstacle, even with some current locals releasing their music on labels; I still have had the pleasure of playing at major festivals, which includes supporting top internationals, and I still do my residencies and a lot of interstate gigs. I recently was headlining an event in Sydney representing Godskitchen, and have done the same in the past with gigs all over the country. I also do a lot of guest mixes on internet radio stations such as DJ.FM and Vonyc Sessions for the world to hear. I think I have achieved that purely being a reputable Australian DJ.

While many of us dream of playing to a huge crowd screaming for more, after the weekend it’s back to the 9-5 grind. What does it takes to rely on DJing as your only income? Can you do it, and is it something you want to achieve?

It’s a goal I will definitely achieve. I feel just as strong about it now than I did when I first started in high school, even now after around 10 years of DJing I have no interest in slowing down. But I still think I’m at the start of my career and would love to start making releases on major labels to go abroad. Locally or internationally, to be successful the scene would have to be healthy; year by year it does get a notch better. What it takes to make it is not just being a good DJ and producer, they have to have character in this business and be humble. Most importantly they have to have ‘heart’.

While speaking of production, you have worked on a few things here and there and have had tunes played by the likes of Matt Hardwick and Above & Beyond. What are you working on now, and can we expect a release anytime soon?

I recently wrote a track called Duilio and I’ve received interest from Australia’s TranceTribe label, so it could happen soon. In the meantime I’m upgrading my studio and have been collaborating with another producer who goes by the name of AnR who recently has had some of his progressive tracks signed to a few smaller labels. The current project we are working on is more on the progressive trance tip, the initial goal was to write an intro track for me to play at Godskitchen this year, but it has actually turned out to be something special. Also I’m about to start a remix for Matt Darey, very excited to see where it takes me in the later half of 2008.

I know one of your all time favourite records is the Tiesto remix of Silence by Delerium, which you ‘retired’ after playing it nearly every single gig you ever had. Is it framed on your bedroom wall? Or does it still have a place in your record bag, for one more go just in case?

I’ve played it at more the old-school events like Santrancisco at room680, it still goes down a treat at those kind of nights. But I don’t play it at any other gig, it’s in the record crate at home next to a few other favourites.

When large-scale events are held with trance headliners there’s always a large crowd, whatever the current fad is. But over the last few years the local trance nights have come and gone. Why do you think they don’t last as long as other nights?

There could be a number of reasons why some regular nights don’t last as long, it could be there location, the cost, how well it’s been promoted or other internal reasons. Another reason maybe is that Melbourne has turned into more of a festival city, when the people who are behind the big production companies go overseas and obviously they have a vision to create Australia’s very own version of say a Dance Valley or even Global Gathering for example, the result here would be 2Tribes or Summadayze. Since the scene is growing, other international agencies and DJs alike see Melbourne as a secret party destination. So now a lot of overseas brands have made there way here which is great for the scene, it makes it exciting. Since festivals are frequent they aren’t always cheap for entry, punters are paying for quality production and quality DJs. I also think the cost of living now is expensive so that’s a possible key factor as to why punters would normally save themselves for an event where they can see there favourite international and local DJs in one night, rather than go to a regular night every weekend.

You have gone from playing at 4am to about six people in small upstairs clubs on to supporting the ‘who’s who’ of trance music in packed arenas and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. What have been some of the highs and lows so far?

Well obviously playing in front of huge crowds every year is always a treat, but still looking back playing at clubs like Cage and Nightshift at the Sugersweet was still a lot of fun since it was the start of the bigger picture and I did make a lot of friends. From then till now there was certain regular nights that I had played for which at the beginning was great and gave me loads of exposure, and then slowly I was always left out due to political or other internal reasons that sometimes had nothing to do with the night unfortunately, which was confusing. But on the upside, I’m still standing and they’re not. Every year that’s passed by has elevated my profile for various reasons EG. in 2003 my first main room gig for Godskitchen or 2007 I got into the inthemix50 and so on. Every now and then it can still be a struggle when there’s a lack of gigs and I’m still in the early stages of music production, but some of the highlights at the major events makes it all worth it.

Favourite gig till this date was going back to back with Eddie Halliwell for 3 hours at Summadayze ‘06. The vibe in that trance stage was just amazing, when your in the middle of an experience like that soaking every second of it up, it makes all the bullshit the scene brings to demoralize a hard working DJ all more the worth it for that moment. Another favourite was last year playing at Godskitchen 2007 which was probably my favourite gig since 2003, and then a week later playing before Paul van Dyk at The Metro which wasn’t supposed to happen that way. Apprently a DJ who was supposed to be playing before PVD was double booked so I was asked to play for over two hours before the superstar, the crowd was amazing and obviously it’s a huge honour to play before one of my favourites. So now after a rollercoaster 10 years of DJing I’m looking forward as to what would happen in the next few years especially.

After playing before pretty much every big trance DJ, and even back to back with Eddie Halliwell, is there anyone else you would like to be on the same lineup as? If you were planning your own night, what would your dream line up be?

Well in 2tribes 2006 I played before Marcus Shultz and Armin van Buuren, that was a great experience for me also. If I can have that plus Eddie closing the party then it would be sorted.

Doing a mix CD for Godskitchen must have been a bit of a buzz. Were there any limits on tracks you could or could not include? What impact did it have on your career so far?

Doing the GK CD was a lot of fun, I enjoyed mixing it up and the fact that I was going to be doing it with Above & Beyond made it all the more special. I was limited with some tracks, there are some labels that don’t allow their new unreleased music to be used which was unfortunate at the time. But now looking back I still got the music on that I wanted and people still talk about it, which is always a treat. It had a major impact on my career because I’ve been allowed to tour with the Godkitchen branding to other cities and it was a turning point in the inthemix50 polls when I finally made it in after years of trying.

While you’re a Melbourne boy, you have been able to DJ at other gigs around Australia. What was it like playing to people for the first time? Have you got any more interstate gigs in the future?

Every city has a uniqueness about them, Sydney is more about the club scene as opposed to Melbourne’s festival scene and it has a great vibe at their events. I’ve got this impression of the Sydney crowd as if there not really fussed if there DJs spin new or all out classics in there set, just as long as its good music. Adelaide is a smaller scene but the punters are very devoted, I’ve really enjoyed every set I’ve played there, and I see the crowd as educated and they have great expectations of the DJs they come to see play. Brisbane was my first interstate gig many years ago and back then I had this impression from other DJs at the time that they’re very into their ‘style wars’, where DJs preach to other DJs that there music is better. But I remembered the crowd being up for a great night and were very friendly, and very mixed. Kandy raver types amongst classy punters, all getting along. I recently just came back from Sydney and am due to play in Adelaide again in December this year.

Steve Strangis plays warmup duties at Godskitchen in Melbourne this weekend, Saturday 5th October.