We check in with Mr. Pure himself – Solarstone – and ask him all about his summer, what’s ahead for Pure Trance, how the process of the new Solarstone album is going and more. Read on for an update on all things Pure!
Summer’s at its end here in Europe, how has it been treating you, Rich?
Rich: “Summer for me has been mainly holidays! I spent a week in Majorca with my best mate and two of our kids (we try to go every year with lots of snorkelling) and I am currently in Ibiza with family for a week. I love Ibiza for the hidden beaches, the welcome breeze off the sea & the beautiful villas that look like they’ve been sculpted from cream cheese.”
To some DJ’s, it’s peak-time season with many festival gigs, to others it’s the perfect time to escape the heat and dive into the studio or spend some quality time with family – which of the two are you?
Rich: “I always do some shows in the summer – in between Majorca & Ibiza I was in Vietnam for two shows, and after Ibiza I have two shows in Malta. But summer is also about the long school holidays. Spending as much time as possible with my son Oscar over the holidays has always very important to me, and I’m lucky that I have a ‘job’ (I use the term loosely) that allows me to take time off then – although I didn’t spend as much time with him as I intended to in the holidays. As for shows, I’ve never been much of a ‘festival’ DJ, I don’t play ‘the hits’. I definitely don’t spend much time in the studio over the summer – that’s better suited to the winter months.”
There’s hot anticipation on the new Solarstone album…can you give us an update on that one?
Rich: “It is very, very overdue – that’s for sure! I don’t want to give too much away but I can say that it’s a very personal record, I had some challenges over the past few years that have shown themselves in the music, so it’s quite autobiographical. The title of the album describes it, but I’m not giving that away yet. I have 3 more tracks to finish before I start to sequence it. The artwork is underway, and it is fabulous.”
What are some of the challenges you’re battling with in its making right now?
Rich: “There’s a lot going on outside of music. My son Oscar is heading off to University soon, so I’ve been trying to get used to that. Paula & I had a baby just over a year ago and anyone who has children knows that the first two years are very demanding. We both work from home (Paula does artist management & DJ bookings as well as helping me with the record labels etc.) so baby Darcy comes first, everything else battles for what time is remaining. When I’m being (or trying to be) creative in the studio I need time & space think about what I’m doing – those hours are way less at the moment. I’ve needed to release some singles to keep up momentum, so a few tracks that were intended for the album are now not included (Sovereign, Hope to name two). I know that these days it’s more usual to release a series of singles very quickly then follow it with an album & then move on, but to me, an album should be almost entirely new music, preceded by a single to ‘announce’ it. When I release an album it’s important to me that it makes a statement as a new ‘thing’ in the world that wasn’t previously there, it needs to justify the space it occupies. I don’t think an album makes much of an impact if it is released almost apologetically after rapid-fire single drops, it’s almost an afterthought & music should never ever be that.”
Aside from Solarstone, Pure Trance label duties are probably keeping you busy as well. Would you care to break down what an average week of being the Pure Trance headmaster looks like?
Rich: “Yes, the labels are very important and take up a lot of time! A lot of the duties involved are mechanical, I can do those with a baby in the periphery of my vision so the output on Pure Progressive, Pure Trance, Pure Trance NEON, Pure Breaks and Electronic Architecture has not been impacted so much & has actually been formidable in recent times. I try to concentrate the label tasks into blocks of time during the week, leaving aside Wednesdays which are reserved for Pure Trance Radio and of course finding time in the studio. The creative side of the labels which is finding, signing and releasing new music – especially from exciting new artists – and sometimes finding remixers for those tracks – is what I love the most. Writing the PR (the descriptive text that accompanies each single) and deciding on the artwork is also fun. I schedule records at least 4 or 5 weeks in advance of their release, so everything has to be completed before that point, but ideally records are scheduled at least two months ahead. There’s a lot of juggling various tasks involved. We try to get interesting content from the artists to promote their records, and also, if they are a DJ, I like to feature them on an Expanded edition of the radio show to promote their single and also them as an artist. We have had some great guest mixes recently from artists like Snubbelrisk, Deepcry and Super-Frog Saves Tokyo. There are always unexpected challenges – but I discover some amazing talent via the labels, and it gives me ammunition for my DJ sets and populates the Pure Trance Radio playlists.”
For anyone wanting to sign to one of the Pure Trance labels, what’s your best advice?
Rich: “Firstly, be realistic in whether or not it is up to the standard of similar successful releases before you send it. Make sure you are targeting the right label. Send your best track over to demos@solarstone.co.uk – don’t send multiple tracks or half-finished ideas. Send a downloadable SoundCloud link so I can listen offline or in my car & you know that it’s been listened to. Write a brief explanation of why you think it would suit my label and then allow 10 days for a response. I listen to all demos within 10 days (unless I’m on holiday!) but only reply to those I’m interested in signing. Don’t get angry if you don’t get a response from me. There is no way I am getting into a conversation with an artist I don’t know about why I don’t want to release their track & it’s not fair to expect that. Another important thing to consider is that labels have schedules, and those schedules can become full months in advance – when the schedule is full it makes no sense to continue signing material, artists end up waiting a year or more and that is just frustrating for everyone, so even if I like your track, I might not ask to sign it. If you don’t get a response from me, then move on to another label. None of this is instant, it all takes time. If your track does get signed, be reasonable about your expectations and have some self-reflection about how you communicate with the label. Be professional, don’t act as if you are talking to your mate down the pub. Be kind & patient. Don’t bombard us with daily emails, especially asking about things you could research yourself. We do our best to promote your music, but take responsibility for your career, promote yourself too, remember that this is a team effort.”
Any particular Pure Trance releases coming up you’re very excited about?
Rich: “Always! ‘When the Morning Comes’ by Foxhill is my favourite one at the moment – it’s from my In Search of Sunrise 20’ mix album – such a gorgeous, Balearic record. That one is not actually scheduled yet as a single, but it’s coming. I have something unusual called ‘Desert Island’ from a new artist called DJ Keyframe, which includes a fabulous Snubbelrisk Remix. Oh and there’s a brilliant, chilled breaks remix of Ishiro’s ‘Serene’ by a Chinese artist called LESSISLESS that I love, that’s coming up on Pure Breaks.”
Pure Trance China just launched and it all sounds very exciting. What is the trance scene like over there and what made you decide to set up the collaboration?
Rich: “Yes, it is an exciting new market for us. There is a new generation of artists there who love trance and are producing great music, they spend a lot of money on records too, collecting vinyl from around the world and they are very enthusiastic about everything. It came about when I connected with a like-minded guy when I was in Guangzhou, we shared a vision of how the Pure Trance brand could be developed in China. We have a passionate Pure Trance China team who push all the releases on Chinese social media and are raising awareness about Pure Trance.”
Which tunes work best in your sets right now?
Rich: “Recently in Vietnam I played out a new track called ‘Eclipse of the Sun’ by Brian McCalla, James Black Presents with Sinead McCarthy on vocals that went down really well, I think that’s potentially a big one. ‘Siam Dream’ by Grant Trowbridge & Sunda is a great one, plus I have a new Robert Nickson one called ‘Aluminium’ which is just ridiculously good.”
Also hot off the press; a Pure Trance night in South Africa, how cool is that! Will we be seeing more international Pure Trance nights again?
Rich: “I can’t wait for the South Africa show together with the ‘We Are Trance’ crew who are brilliant to work with. The lineup in Johannesburg is Dirkie Coetzee, Pierre Pienaar & I. Pure Trance is definitely coming back to international events. Also really exciting is the upcoming Pure Trance event in Helsinki together with Live Nation. Orkidea & I all-night-long in Tapio’s home town – that will be something special.”
For those dreaming of autumn yet, can you lift a tip of the veil on what’s ahead for the labels? A new Pure Trance compilation, perhaps?
Rich: “There are plenty of brilliant releases coming up, but there is no new Pure Trance compilation this year. This is simply because on top of finishing the (overdue) new Solarstone album, I agreed to compile & mix the new ‘In Search of A Sunrise 20’. There’s so much work involved that there’s no way I could also do a Pure Trance compilation. Those are a 6-month project! But we will be back next year with Vol. 11, for sure.”