Alphazone feature in this weeks Base Magazine.
In a recent election, it was decided that Braunschweig is to be Germany’s ‘City of Science’ for 2007. With science-oriented conferences and think-tanks descending upon the town next year, city officials have changed Braunschweig’s nick-name to ‘The Idea- kitchen’. Cooking up a storm for over a decade now in this newly-elected ‘City of Science’ is Alphazone, the prototype for hi-nrg trance.
If we are to be scientific about this, then we must start with a definition of terms. So rather than
have the artist describe his own music, the artist was to explain what trance was in the first place. “Trance is one of expressing your emotions on the dance-floor,” defines Arne Reichelt, one
half of Alphazone. “Trance generates more atmosphere and has more depth than Techno, Electro or Breakbeats for example. The people can drift away in the music. It’s a feeling that is transported via music.” Trance is therefore a translation of emotion in a setting of maximum depth and ambience.
The timeline of Alphazone can be traced back to the mid-nineties to the meeting of school friends Reichelt and Alex Zwarg. Years go by as this duo hone their production skills until 2001 when their remix of DJ Kim’s ‘Jetlag’ drops and Alphazone’s hi-nrg trance sound is birthed. Surely after a decade of partnership, this duo would be working on an intuitive basis. “Yes, of course,” responds Reichelt from Alphazone’s warehouse studio in Braunschweig. “We know each other so [well] that we often have the same jokes in mind or think of the same thing right at the same time. And luckily enough we have the same idea of how a track should sound. So there is no discussion of how to make and mix a track.” A departure from the need for verbal communication.
The Alphazone sound can be imagined as the fusing of progressive elements into melodic euro-trance styles. Driving drums and acidic rhythms rumbling underneath uplifting melodies, dropping down to massive breakdowns and euphoric buildups. “We try to do everything as perfect as possible,” discusses Zwarg as he reflects on what sorts of Germanic qualities may be found within the Alphazone sound. “German precision engineering is one of the virtues the Germans are known for. Like in car engineering with Mercedes-Benz. It is our goal as well to make the tracks sound as good and pumping as possible.”
Taking this into account, along with the idea that Alphazone have evolutionised, if not, pioneered hi-nrg trance, then how is it that they stay at the forefront? How does Alphazone keep their sound and still push forward, while staying fresh and original? “By doing something different,” responds Reichelt
laughingly. “Trance music in general has to become a bit more open-minded
for other styles of music.
All young producers just look at Tiesto and Paul van Dyk and try to sound like them. That’s a very dangerous development.” Maybe a clear indication that trance music is becoming more and more a
fixture within modern pop culture. “We need fresh influences to keep the scene alive,” theorises Reichelt. “This is what we will be aiming for with our coming productions.” A few key releases saw Alphazone come into their own. Following the Jetlag remix, Reichelt and Zwarg matched that success with more ‘interpretations’, such as their involvement with The Legacy by Saltwater. Their own productions also took flight with Flashback and Destination Paradise under their Nebulus moniker. Their success can be measured by how often their tracks wind up in the sets of some of the world’s top DJs, getting played by luminaries such as Tiesto, BK and Ferry Corsten.
After some clutch releases, the boys of Alphazone decided to define their sound live and have criss-crossed the world with their hi-nrg. “Missing a flight on a New Years Eve,” describes Reichelt as the craziest thing that’s happened to them yet. “The flight to Canada was cancelled because of bad weather conditions. And there was no alternative flight! The promoter got seriously anxious. Instead of a direct flight, we took a route with 4 stopovers and arrived in Canada just one and a half hours before our DJ set!”
“On our last tour to Japan when we played in Tokyo’s biggest and best venue for dance, the night club Velfarre,” Zwarg jumps in describing a perfect night. “And the crowd was amazing. All the Japanese fans there got really crazy, everyone was dancing like mad and went crazy. When we played our song Flashback, the light jockey put some explosions on the breakdown and golden confetti from the top all over the dance floor. That show was absolutely massive!”
Zwarg and Reichelt also run Skywarp Records, Skywarp Platinum and TranceTribe. When asked how the labels are doing, in spite of the current trend in the music business, Reichelt responds potimistically. “Yes, all labels are doing very well compared to the shrinking music business. Our last two releases got very huge support all over. Bas and Ram’s Speed of Light on Skywarp Platinum is a bomb for all DJs who like the harder edge of trance. AM-Rise on Skywarp Records is totally different. A beautiful and intense vocal trancer which is already a huge Tiesto favourite right now.”
Setting down in Perth on Sunday the 16th alongside Nik Fish, John Ferris and Marzz, Alphazone will be one of the main attractions at Ministry of Sound’s Hard NRG Tour at Capitol. “Peak-time hi-nrg Trance,” promises Zwarg for the show. “And for sure we will play lot of new and unreleased stuff again! Watch out!”
Catch Alphazone, the hi-nrg ambassadors from the City of Science and find out what’s really going on in the Idea-kitchen.
OMG this night is going to be huge *so excited*