Congrats on signing Airplein to Pure Trance!
Stuart:”I was pleased to be working with Rich again on the release. We’ve had several before over the years. I think he gets the feeling behind my productions, so it’s great to be putting ‘Airplein’ out on Pure Trance.”
Now, for those who don’t know you yet…who is Stuart Millar and what should we know you from?
Stuart:”That’s a good question! In short I’m from Belfast in Northern Ireland and have been playing and producing trance for over a decade. I’ve released on In Trance We Trust, JOOF, Discover, High Contrast, Blue Soho and more besides, and these tracks have all charted on Beatport and been played on countless radio shows. I’ve released a collab with Ronski Speed and co-written with Judge Jules back in the day. In the UK I’ve also been on the airwaves for BBC Radio 1 as a presenter and contributor. Use Google and YouTube for the rest!”
How did Airplein come into being? What inspired you?
Stuart:”I’ve been doing this a long time and I have seen a lot of trends come and go, but the pure sound always works with a crowd in a club, even if that wasn’t how they got introduced into trance in general in the first place, because of the feeling in the melodic nature of the tune. With any track I’m inspired to recreate that proper feeling and I’ve always been influenced by the early sounds in the genre from the 1990’s. Think Oakenfold at The Courtyard for Cream, or some of the old Bedrock releases for that sort of melodic / chord-driven vibe, and (without getting to technical) actual drum machines for the groove. “
When I hear trance nowadays a considerable amount doesn’t have any rhythm section of note, just an off-beat hi-hat / ride and a clap, and it was the combo of great techno-inspired grooves plus the amazing melodies which got me into the sound. A lot of melodies now are dumbed down, with just appregiators flying around, no real chord progressions of note. So in the absence of tracks that give both melody and groove, the only solution is to try to make them myself. The track itself came together pretty quickly once the chords were done, and from being in Amsterdam so much the name ‘Airplein’ just popped into my head last year at ADE and it seemed to fit the bill.”
What support have you received on the track so far?
Stuart:”I know Giuseppe Ottaviani has been caning it and I’ve heard Oakie is on it too. I expect that to be honest – Rich, Giuseppe and Oakenfold have played other tracks of mine over the years, and they were some of the real originators of the sound, hence I get a nice sense of achievement out of that. The remix is really good as well so big ups to Peter Steele.”
What’s the biggest strength of the track – the melody perhaps?
Stuart:”Yes the track would be nothing without the main melody. I think when the chords come in during the breakdown, that is the best part. I’m really pleased with how it sounds in a club, it’s hard to beat a proper, musical chord progression with some phasing / modulation to keep it interesting and always changing, rather than as I said before only a poorly programmed arpeggiator.”
What else can we expect to hear from you in the next couple of months?
Stuart:”I’ve just finished a brand new track I’m literally about to send to Rich as a follow up to ‘Airplein’, and I’ve got a couple of new tracks in the works plus two potential collabs though I can’t really say too much at the moment. Best thing to do is keep an eye on my SoundCloud and follow me on Twitter. Thanks for the interview!”
Get ‘Airplein’ on Beatport!
