Monthly Archives: February 2020

RAM is out with his 25 years mix of Essence Of Trance. Covering 4 discs and 320 minutes of music, this is epic in both size and scope. Are you ready? You better be!

Our Dutch DJ, producer, promoter and label runner lived a lifetime of trance25 years (and a month!). Since his first DJ booking, hes been experiential at every nook of trances progression. Last month, he sold out his open-to-close show at Amsterdams famed Paradiso concert hall. Now, we get to listen to it forever on this album.

Experience his own quintessential musical history, through mixing and compiling in this career-defining move. RAM has left nothing to chance. From 400 down to 78 tracks, he worked hard at cutting down his quarter-decade-spanning list of music.

You will see highly recognizable names featured in remixes. Each song flows together to the next, and we love this about albums. Its like one giant set that never ends. We are honored to hear this set-list.

The album is grouped into four headings: Moments, Magic, The Journey,andPassion. For every main headliner weve seen, theres an arsenal of the undergrounds most beloved waiting with remixes. That is to say, Ralphie B, Vincent de Moor, Chakra, X-Cabs will be in here. Plus, Salt Tank, Signum, The Thrillseekers, DT8 Project, York, Gaia and more.However,Tisto, BT, Armin van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold, A&F, John OCallaghan, Solarstone, Dash Berlin, Gareth Emery also take to the decks.

Disc 1: This is about my memories, about countless unique and unforgettable moments Ive collected throughout 25 years of DJ-ing.

Disc 2: The magic of music, [especially trance], has a strong impact on the human bodyThe power of melody, harmony, and rhythm packed in a soul work from someone to someone. That is what music is about for me, magic!

Disc 3: Music takes me where I go. I am so grateful for my journey. I have seen many beautiful places around the world and [connected] with thousands of people. The best thing about this journey is that it never gets boring.

Disc 4: My passion for music has always inspired my being. Never give up on your dreams, have faith, trust, and believe you can achieve whatever your dreams and passions are.

For me it is all about melodic, emotional trance and the feelings this music gives me. Due to evolutions in electronic music, I have played different types of trance in my career. Instead of creating 4 mixes with different subgenres, I have chosen for tracks that fully connect to my essence of trance. The tracks on this compilation inspired and motivated me for the last 25 years, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. RAM

Listen now and let us know which musical identity you resonate with.

Original post:

Witness The Essence of Trance [25 Years of RAM] - EDMTunes

Vinayakan is a phenomenal actor and we know that! But the actor now proves that he is great with music as well. Vinayakan, who won the hearts of movie buffs with his performance in 'Kammattipaadam', is now ruling hearts with his new composition for the recently released Anwar Rasheed directorial 'Trance'. Vinayakan has composed the music for the title track of 'Trance' and the song is just fab. Vinayak Sasikumar has penned the lyrics and playback singers Neha S Nai and Lee have crooned for it. The title track also happens to be the most requested tracks by movie lovers ever since the film was released. Music lovers and cinephiles had been dying to hear the song again and so, the makers have finally released the song!The addictive track is sure to drive you crazy. Here it is: Directed by Anwar Rasheed, Trance was released in Kerala on February 20. The movie is bankrolled under the directors own production house Anwar Rasheed Entertainments and is receiving mixed reviews from the audience.Trance has Fahadh Faasil essaying the lead, Viju Prasad, who is a motivational trainer. The most awaited film of 2020, the movie also has a stellar cast of Nazriya Nazim, Soubin Shahir, Vinayakan, Chemban Vinod Jose, Dileesh Pothan, Sreenath Bhasi, Jinu Joseph and Tamil director Gautham Vasudev Menon portraying some of the pivotal characters.On the technical front, Amal Neerad has cranked the lens. Vincent Vadakkan is the screenwriter and Praveen Prabhakar is the editor for Trance. Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty is managing the sound design. Jackson Vijayan has managed the music and he has also joined Virus fame Sushin Shyam for the background scores in the movie. The movie is releasing the cinemas outside Kerala tomorrow.

Read more from the original source:

The most requested title track composed by Vinayakan from 'Trance' is here! - Times of India

Director-producerAnwar Rasheed wanted to keep the story of his new film, Trance, close to his chest and guard its fantastically intricate concepts till the film's release. So much so that he didn't even want to release a trailer just to avoid any sort of spoilers. It was for his hero Fahadh Faasil's push that Rasheed released the trailer for Trance at the last minute. Of course, revealing details of the film before its release would not only have killed the curiosity, but also could have invited controversies. Because, the film deals with a very sensitive subjectreligion.

Trance is definitely a bold attempt for its theme, as far as Malayalam cinema is concerned. But it fails to do justice to the theme it explores with its weak script that becomes so cluttered and confused towards the third act.

The film explores the journey of a motivational speaker, Viju Prasad, from the locale of Kanyakumari to the world of tele-evangelism. In the first half, we see the intelligent use of montages to tell Viju's past. The sound design in these portions are truly world-class. The film follows a linear progression in its narrative. It starts at a slow pace. The protagonists character-building is decent. But, once his new avatar is introduced, the film gains speed and the whole show becomes more stylised. It becomes more and more messy, too, as far as storyline is concerned. Fahadh's character has references from Indian Godman Osho to Israeli televangelist Benny Hinn.

Hinn used to have a theme of using his jacket (or 'God's Jacket') to heal blind, deaf, people with cancer and AIDS in his evangelical shows. His ministries had been dubbed financially suspect and corrupt by Ministry Watchan organisation who reviews Protestant ministries for financial accountability and transparencyin 2006. In Trance, you could see its protagonist, too, waving his coat to sell God.

Trance goes to the depth of financial crimes happening in name of God. Though the film makes a direct attack on Protestant and independent churches, it takes extra care not to piss off the powerful Catholic church. There is a conscious effort from the director to show that Catholic priests or nuns do not support activities like interfering with medical treatment in the name of religion.

Trance is a technically brilliant film. DOP Amal Neerad makes it a visual treat. Reportedly, this is the first time a Bolt High Speed Cine-bot camera has been used in a Malayalam film. Neerad explores a range of shots and angles to give a stylised output. Editor Praveen Prabhakar really deserves an applause for the beautiful montages, and the sound designing byResul Pookutty is just mind blowing. However, at the end of the day, technical brilliance alone cannot save the film.

The films cast is huge. Fahadh Faasil does a neat job. Actor-filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon makes his acting debut in Malayalam. But, the exceptional performance is that of Sreenath Bhasi. In Trance, Nazriya Nazim finally comes out of the cocoon of her cute, cuddly and naive Nazriya-like characters. But she is neither an enigmatic Ma Anand Sheela nor an eccentric Harley Quinn. And, her character is one of the badly written ones in the film.

Expectations for Trance were quite high, and for many good reasons. This is Anwar Rasheeds first feature film after a gap of eight long years. The team had big names in front of the camera, and also in the background. Also, there were lot of speculations and intrigue about the theme it explores. But it fails to give a great impression, overall.

Film: Trance

Director: Anwar Rasheed

Starring: Fahadh Faasil, Nazriya Nazim, Gautam Vasudev Menon, Sreenath Bhasi

Rating: 2.5/5

Originally posted here:

'Trance' review: Fails to impress overall despite its bold theme - THE WEEK

Faahad Faasil in 'Trance' Image Credit: Supplied

Indian National Award-winning director Anwar Rasheed returns after seven years with a story about the business of religion.

The film is led by Fahadh Faasil and an ensemble cast of accomplished actors, including Gautham Menon, Soubin Shahir and Nazriya Nazim. Faasil in particular has earned rave reviews for his role. With his chameleon ability, Faasil has carried many films on his capable shoulders. His body of work includes diverse roles and he has an ease with which he brings alive his characters, from the arrogant businessman Arjun of Chappa Kurushu, the playboy Dr Arun of Diamond Necklace, Cyril of 22 Female Kottayam to the OCD software geek Harikrishna of North 24 Kaatham. Faasil won the Indian National Award for his role as a petty thief in Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum.

Trance has been receiving appreciation for its bold content, stylish filmmaking and stellar performances.

Heres everything you need to know about the film.

Vincent Vadakkan is clearly on a high. The ad-filmmaker from Bengaluru marks his debut in Malayalam cinema as a writer with Trance and spoke to Gulf News tabloid about his new journey.

What is Trance about?

This story follows the journey of Viju Prasad, a motivational trainer who is transformed to become Pastor Joshua Carlton by an independent group of people in a Corporate set-up and spirituality is their business. However, Trance is also about sibling relationships and psychological elements, and not just the business of religion. It dwells also on the psychological turmoil the protagonist endures the journey inside his mind.

What sparked this story?

I had seen some of my family members being part of religious groups. Not to forget troll videos of such groups. The format is the same. They claim this is Christianity, but Christianity is beyond all this noise. Post release of Trance I have been asked if I am a non-believer. I am a believer of Christ.

Trance has been in the making for a long time, tell us how it developed.

I quit my career with Oglivy in 2014 to write my story. My first draft was ready by the end of 2015. I narrated it first to Fahad, who liked it and spoke to Anwar about the story. Anwar liked the story and the project was on. Its a human intense subject and after several discussions and revised drafts, Trance was ready. Anwar has the ability to bring out the best in you. When I felt this was the best I could do, he pushed me to stretch myself further. Filming took two years.

Sketching many characters must have been quite a challenge. Were there moments when you got stuck?

Trance constitutes many characters that have been played by a team of accomplished actors. There was so much content in the film; the film could run for three to four hours. We had to edit to two hours plus. While sketching, every character had to be given a clear importance keeping in mind the huge star cast.

There were many instances when I got stuck with writers block but you do come out of it. In fact when stuck with Trance, I went on to write another story.

Is Trance inspired from people around?

Not really. One back story of a character was inspired from a real life incident. It is the character Vinayakan plays; he is one of the Pastors followers. I read the story in a news report about how things are done in the name of faith.

How did Gautham Menon come on board?

We wanted somebody suave and stylish, a Malayali bred outside Kerala to play Solomon Davis, the brain behind the business venture. Anwar had watched Gautham Menons interview and he liked the way he conducted himself. He felt that Gautham was perfect to play the role.

For me, it went beyond my dreams. I never thought Gautham Menon will play the villain in my first script. It was good spending time with him. You can sit the whole day listening to him. We spoke about films and writing. He is too good and has a style.

How did Fahad prepare for his character?

We gave Fahad references to his character. He did not imitate them but came up with his own version of Joshu. It was an intense role for him- there was a lot of screaming loud in scenes, besides pausing on some words and stressing on other words. Fahad got it bang on.

What were the shooting challenges?

Since Anwar Rasheed is the director and producer, we did not have a producer breathing down our necks. The biggest challenge came while filming with a crowd. They had to perform and not merely stand around. And, the performance had to be synchronised. We briefed them on it. For one scene, Anwar told them to think about the problems in their lives and perform. After he said cut they continued in that state, so immersed they were in their problems. Assistant directors rushed to wake them up from their stupor. They had got carried away, some were in tears.

For me every shot was amazing to see my story unfold on-screen. Each frame is a masterpiece. Towards the tail end, we shot with a crowd with smoke around and Fahad in his climax attire. It was almost a heavenly feeling. I got goosebumps.

What was your Trance moment?

A: Sitting inside the theatre with the audience at the first days show, I was eager to know how people will react to some dialogues. Listening to their clapping and watching the reactions was encouraging. I was overwhelmed.

TAMIL DIRECTOR GAUTHAM MENON ON HIS ACTING GIG

Role call

I was surprised to receive a call from Fahadh Faasil who mentioned that director Anwar Rasheed wanted to meet me for a project. Anwar came down to Chennai and offered me the role of Solomon Davis. For me, it was about the director, actor and I had heard so much about Amal Neerads crew. I believe everyday is a learning. I wanted to be in the midst of this brilliant team.

The role

Solomon Davis believes in business and money a no-holds-barred man. He is very quiet and scheming, even if he is saying a few things, there is a layer that he does not reveal. He is also someone who gets down to getting things done. With grey shades to him there is a mysterious air about him. Anwar described the character well. I made sure I got the lines right. I enjoyed playing Solomon, except for the last scene-you will understand when you watch the film.

Being directed

There were only four to five shots a day. In between shots I had three to four hours to myself. Working in the Malayalam industry was a nice and learning experience. The crew spend so much time setting up a shot and you understand why they get it perfect. I loved being directed by Anwar. In Trance small roles were taken on big actors. They worked like a family. When shooting we were hanging around and chatting. I enjoyed their company. I am looking forward to being a big part of the Malayalam industry and in talks with actors including Fahad Faasil. I like the way the audience accepts new films.

On Fahad Faasil

He is the best actor in India. Trance is completely Fahads story and journey and he has portrayed it brilliantly.

OSCAR-WINNER RESUL POOKUTTY ON DESIGNING THE SOUND

The filming involved huge crowds, as many as two to five thousand people. Fahad had apprehensions and called me up to say When I am doing my voice right, I am not getting the body language right and when my body language is right, I am not getting the voice correct. I told him you just go ahead with it. For me every flaw is seen as an advantage. While shooting in sync, its not about doing everything right but about being live with it. There are a lot of accidents that happen and these go to make a scene memorable and super-human like-the result is a brilliant performance.

The director was very pro-sync. No one complained when we asked for retakes or asked for more time, Anwar even pushed the release by a week for me to finish the mix comfortably. We did this film with so much love.

The protagonist goes through some situations in life that required a series of psychological analysis through sound. Trance is a state of mind. What takes him into that state of mind? We arrived at a soundscape through careful use of sounds to emulate a feeling of trance. Prior to Trance, I worked on a film, Thaakkol, based on the Christian tradition. For Thaakkol, I was analysing sounds of Christianity and went into the deep aspect of this community through sound. The very sound palette used as identification in Thakkol was used as subversion in Trance.

In the second half, the story moves to another plane where sound is used stylishly and in a very unorthodox way. We had to strike a balance with quiet moments, slow paced moments and not make it a harsh experience. Sound has the ability to sub-consciously affect you and there is a conscious use of the same in Trance.

Dont miss it!

Trance releases in the UAE on February 27.

Excerpt from:

Fahad Faasil's 'Trance' takes on the business of religion - Gulf News

From new announcements to big releases, the week that followed the Valentines Day was quite good for M-Town. From the Lady Superstar of Mollywood Manju Warrier joining the Nivin Pauly-starrer Padavettu to the grand release of Anwar Rasheeds Trance, heres taking a look at the most interesting news from Mollywood this week.Manju Warrier joins the Nivin Pauly-starrer 'Padavettu' Manju Warrier is on a race to chase some of the good projects in showbiz. After bagging a role in the Mammootty-starrer 'The Priest', the Lady Superstar has now joined Nivin Pauly-starrer 'Padavettu'. Manju is teaming with Nivin for the first time. Thank you @nivinpaulyactor @sunnywayn for making me a part of #padavettu. So excited to be part of this sure-shot blockbuster!, Manju wrote on her social media handle after joining the movie's set.

'Hridayam' goes on floors Yet another stellar movie in Mollywood! Vineeth Sreenivasans directorial, Hridayam, which has Pranav Mohanlal and Kalyani Priyadarshan in lead roles went on floors this week. Makers of the movie have started shooting at Palakkad. Mohanlal and Sreenivasan have worked together for Priyadarshans directorials which were huge hits and hence their kids are teaming up together for Hridayam. The movie also brings back the popular production house Merryland Cinemas back.

Antony Varghese in 'Dev Fakir' After giving a top-notch performance in critically acclaimed 'Jallikattu', Antony Varghese Pepe has signed yet another movie titled 'Dev Fakir'. Directed by Zac Harriss, the movie is scripted by 'The Great Father' fame Haneef Adeni. The actor will be seen in a 'mass' avatar in the film. Antony Varghese has also signed up for a couple of movies including 'Falimy' and 'Ajagajantharam'.

Link:

Manju Warrier joining Padavettu to Trance release, here are the weekly highlights of Mollywood - Times of India

Mike Zaloxx, a Swiss DJ and producer, has been passionate about electronic music since the young age of 12. He started to look into music production around that age, and it wasnt until he finished with school that he could devote even more time into intensive producing sessions in which lead to what you can find in his growing discography right now. Playing around with genres such as big room, deep house, future house among others, his latest release takes listeners into the uplifting realm of trance.

Saving Nightis all about pure instrumentals, and it lets the beat do the talking. It features the elements of trance that fans of the genre love so well such as the pulsating synths at the start, mixed in with moments of euphoria and droplets of pure electrifying energy. All in all, Saving Night is a perfect representation of what makes the trance genre so well loved and will surely be taken in lovingly by the community. This is Zaloxxs first release outside of the big room/house genres, but it feels like hes been making trance for years and years on end, showcasing a natural talent for it. With the attention gained for far from this release (with over 100,000 plays on the radio edit on Spotify), its safe to say that Mike Zaloxx will be shifting his focus to trance, and we can expect more tracks in this direction from the talented artist during 2020.

Listen to Saving Night below, and keep an eye out for new releases by following his Instagram page here.

More here:

Mike Zaloxx explores the realm of trance with new banger 'Saving Night' - We Rave You

Indian tennis ace Leander Paes recollects what went through his mind en route to the nations first individual Olympic medal in 44 years.

Ever so often, there comes a time when the stars align in perfect symmetry for athletes to do no wrong. The zone, as it's commonly known, isn't frequent but it is the holy grail for athletes as Leander Paes found out at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

After losing the first set and when I was serving at 1-2 and 30-40 in the second set, something magical happened. I got into what we athletes call the zone where you dont really remember what happened for that 45-minute period, Leander Paes shared in an exclusive chat with the Olympic Channel.

Down a set against Fernando Meligeni in the bronze medal match at Atlanta 1996 and staring down the barrel with a break-point to save in the second set, Leander Paes shared exactly how he went on to bring home Indias first individual Olympic medal in 44 years.

When I saved the break-point, won that game 2-2, won the second set and served for the match at 5-4 in the third, I got into a zone, he said recalled still trying to make sense of that magical night at Atlanta, now steeped deep in Indian sports folklore.

I dont even remember the points because I was in such a trance. Thats why I talk about a mystical and magical experience when you play for 1.4 billion people. When you go out to play the Davis Cup or the Olympics, its a different feeling altogether, he added.

Athletes across multiple disciplines have spoken of being in the zone in the past. Its believed to happen when an individual enjoys a supreme state of focus that allows them to compete at their peak.

In essence, when Leander Paes and other athletes have been in the zone, they were completely immersed in their craft and absorbed by what they were doing to the point where only they and their objective existed in the nexus of space and time.

Getting to that state isnt easy or frequent but Leander Paes believes much of it is mind over matter, as he discovered in 1996 Atlanta.

After losing to (Andre) Agassi in the semis (where he had ruptured a few tendons in his wrist), I was in a hard cask for 24 hours and the morning of the bronze medal match where I came to play Fernando Meligeni, I realised that it was more mind over matter on that day, Leander Paes explained.

For all his mental strength and tenacity, its worth pointing out that Leander Paes did prepare for the 1996 Olympic Games meticulously.

You know, I prepared for Atlanta very specifically. As soon as (1992) Barcelona finished, I spent four years preparing for Atlanta.

I even took time off the Pro tour to play in tournaments that have high altitude. It resembled the conditions that were there in Stone Mountain, Atlanta. I played in all the hard courts with high altitude in South America, he added.

When he eventually did get to Atlanta, though, the draw wasnt very kind to him.

When I got to Atlanta, I saw that I had drawn Pete Sampras in the first round and all my contemporaries were tapping me on the back and telling me bad luck, its a tough draw. But I somehow felt that there was a magic about Atlanta.

There was something magical and mystical which is very hard to put into words. But Pete Sampras pulled out, as history will tell, and Richey Reneberg came in for him and I beat him in three sets.

As it turned out, Leander Paes instincts of something magical unfolding at Atlanta proved to be bang on the money. His bronze in the singles that year is still the nations only medal in tennis at the Olympics. Its also a source of goosebumps to the million Indians, who can still recall his finest hour.

Trying to articulate how I feel gives me goosebumps even in a warm room because the magic of playing for my fellow Indians far supersedes when I play for myself in an individual tournament, the seven-time Olympian said.

With the 2020 Olympics just around the corner, Leander Paes will be hoping for one last hurrah in his final year as a professional in the tennis circuit. And Regardless of whether he can find the zone again, you can rest assured that a billion Indians will be backing him to conjure another magical date with destiny in keeping with that transcendental night at Atlanta.

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Leander Paes reminisces about being in the zone that night in Atlanta - Olympic Channel

Plurnt up, Chicago! From glovin to shufflin and everything in between, rave in some of the greatest EDM clubs in Chicago. Kandi Kids and Rave Bunnies unite for the nights that never quit!

This bi-level River North bar is a staple for EDM aficionados as well as fashion-forward Chicagoans and visitors alike. Imagine youre in a dark space, with loud music, beats, and then occasional flashes of lights in a show. Its as if youre in a literal soundbar, which is partially true. Enter: River Norths Sound-Bar. The first level, or main stage, is for electronic music come here for acclaimed DJs. If EDM isnt your groups favorite music genre, send them downstairs to the second floor, which focuses more on throwbacks and hip-hop tunes and remixes. Sound-Bar brings a whole new level to the going-out experience in Chicago, such that youll feel like youre at Spring Awakening (just inside!).

Basements have never been so elevated! Take your evening to new heights at Spybar. Find yourself in the beats and lose yourself in the lights while you dance the night away. Spybar is the ultimate lounge and bar for connoisseurs prog, trance, and house music. Order a strong drink, watch the lights, and en-trance yourself into a melodic evening.

Do you like to stay up until the wee hours of the morning dancing to the drop and the bright lights? How does 5 am sound? Get your PLUR on at smartbar in Wrigleyville. smartbar brings a lot to the dance floor for you and friends- including a disco ball, lights, and national/international DJs. With a capacity of 400 dancers and fist-pumpers alike, smartbar pairs the beats with strong drinks and reasonably priced shows (free on Thursdays, $15 after midnight on weekends). Be smart about your night in Wrigley: skip the snapback and go to smartbar.

Three cocktail bars, two dance floors, one unforgettable evening *cue the beat drop.* Home to Pretty in Pink on Wednesday evenings and host to famous DJs (Louis the Child, for one), Prysm Nightclub brings an edgy flair to the edge of Chicagos quaint, Kingsbury Street. Also, they have lasers so be prepared for an unrealistically bright evening. Keep up the tempo and drops going if you can until 5 am on Saturdays.

*Note: Be sure to follow the dress code!

Above a famed country-style establishment in River North, is Tunnel (ironically not in the basement). Go up the stairs and follow your hearts true desire: beat drops and LED lights. Tunnel has created a high-energy atmosphere thats even, gasp, sultry. Complete with massive tufted-lounge seating and intricate light fixtures (that sync up to the beat!), Tunnel harnesses the musics energy and inspires dancers, shufflers, and light enthusiasts to get PLURNT!

Heres to your evening full of PLUR, kandi, and lights!

See original here:

Best EDM Nightclubs Where You Can Rave in Chicago - UrbanMatter

Mickey Hart reflects on New Orleans key role in the development of American music.

To celebrate Mardi Gras 2020, were revisiting this article from ourApril/May 2019 issue ofRelix, honoring 50 years of Jazz Fest.

Congo Square deserves to be recognized, Mickey Hart asserts. It is sacred ground, and we need to recognizeits importance. American-based music emerged from theculture that inhabited Congo Square in the 1800s. Most peoplehave no idea what has happened there, but we should never forget.We need to take care of it.

Among his many passions, the Grateful Dead drummer hasmaintained a focus on the history and mythology of music, whichhe has explored in books such as Planet Drum: A Celebration ofPercussion and Rhythm, Drumming at the Edge of Magic, SpiritInto Sound: The Magic of Musicand Songcatchers: In Search of theWorlds Music.

As Hart looks back on his development as a musician and a musicologist, he explains that, while he was drawn to the drums from an early age, his scholarly exploration of the instrument didnt manifest itself until years later. At first, I had no idea about any of this, he says. It reached out to methe ghosts of Congo Square grabbed me around the neck and wouldnt let me go. All I was doing was dancing and listening to Tito Puente, Machito, Tito Rodrguez and all the great Latin bands that were coming out of New York in the 30s, 40s, 50s. These rhythms hit the city street, and they transformed into dance music, into what we know as Latin music now. Thats how music worksyou usually base your knowledge on the body of work that preceded you, and you practice it and learn it, and then you make your own music with it, eventually. Thats what happened to the Grateful Dead, and thats what happened to me.

When I started writing my books Drumming at the Edge ofMagic and Planet Drum, back in the 70s and 80s, he continues,that was when I did all the research to find out what the historywas to what I was doing. Why was I practicing 12-15 hours a day?I had no idea. I was putting myself into a trance but I didnt knowanything about all that stuff back then. It took about 12 years ofresearch to write Drumming at the Edge of Magic, tracing whywe drum, what rhythm is all about and the history of itthebrotherhood and the sisterhood. Where did it come from? Whyam I drumming until I collapse? Why do I do these things to playmusic? Why do we play in the driving rain? Whats it all about? Andthen I discovered these rhythm cultures, which are some of themost powerful cultures on the planet. So, it was just in the ether;it was in the air. I was totally into big-band music. So, you bringyour influences forward into whatever you do, and you change itand you mutate it. It all started on the docks of New Orleans in the1800s, and wound up right here today.

Youve said that there isnt a more important city to the birth of American music than New Orleans. Can you trace the origins of that sound?

When you think about the music of New Orleans, you have to start in West Africa with the slave trade. The diaspora traveled to Brazil, Central America, Haiti, Cuba and, eventually, to New Orleans. There was a Haitian revolt beginning in the 1790s, which resulted in an influx into New Orleans of the West African slave trade. [Haiti expelled the French colonial government during a revolution that lasted from 17911804.] In many cases, these slaves brought musical instruments.

Now, the interesting part of all this is that, when they got there,the instruments were taken away. They were allowed to practicein Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean but, as soon as theygot to New Orleans, the slave owners, fearing Vodun practicescelebrating the gods Ogun, Shangoall these great gods of WestAfricalimited this practice and they did what they could toCatholicize those same gods.

However, on Sunday, the slaves were allowed to practice their rituals in two placesone in Congo Square and the other in Lake Pontchartrain. Here, they were supervised because they were afraid of slaves going into a trance, and these were trance-based religions from West Africa. So, they were allowed to play on Sundays, and between 6-8 p.m. there would be a shot. Thats when they would move into a trance. They would bring in the loa, which inhabited their bodies, in what is a classic possession trance ritual. And these trance-based religions were driven by the trance drums, often using the bat, specifically, which would become congas. Pontchartrain and Congo Square became the real nexus of everything in American backbeat. All the American music like jazz, rap, rock-and-roll, bluesthat all came out of this influx of slaves into New Orleans, where all these trance-based religions were driven by the drums.

If we jump ahead to 1900, then compare the beats of New Orleans to Ghana across the ocean. To what extent were those sounds transformed by interacting with other sounds on American soil?

They mutated, although the rituals were the same. They were going after the loa, going after the trance. And thats the important thing to understand. It was for pleasure, but their pleasure was contacting the gods, and the only way to do that was through these dances. There was no dance without a rhythm, and no rhythm without a dancethey were inseparable. These public gatherings were really frowned upon. So they used to call them entertainments.

Eventually, they were able to keep their drums. After the 1800s, they were allowed to start to have their drums and practice their own rituals. For awhile there, people were selling tickets for others to watch them. There were people in buggies up on the hillsthe whites were watching the rituals from their hillside in New Orleans, watching Pontchartrain and Congo Square. All of this came to an end in 1870 or 1875 when the first Jim Crow Act forbid blacks to freely assemblethats when the dances stopped.

But, a lot of things came out of that, like the instrumentsthe bass drums, the wood blocks, the cymbals, all the African instruments. Sometimes they changed form, but they were pretty much the same instruments.

Meanwhile, the music traveled by way of the Mississippi Riverover to Kansas City and up to Chicago, and it wound up every placein America.

You also cant forget Storyville [New Orleans red light district];thats where ragtime began. You also have the brass bands emergingat this time as well.

New Orleans is Mecca; its the birth place of American music.Its where all those rivers came together and birthed what weknow as our music. And all this history goes back to those fieldson Congo Square.

In Drumming at the Edge of Magic, you also describe how all these rhythms led to a new American instrument.

Yes, the effort to power these new rhythms led to the creation of the drum set, which is incredible. Its one of the only great American instruments and it took the tom-toms from the East, the cymbals from Turkey and some of the other things I just mentioned. Wetook all these different elements from around the world, and wemade what we call a contraption, which was shortened to traps,the American drum set.

Can you talk about the clave rhythm, which also is a product of the diaspora?

The clave means key. The key to everything; the key to the rhythms. That was picked up by Latin music like Tito Puente, Machito and all those New York bands who were playing the clave that was coming out of the rhythms of West Africa. They picked up on it and realized you had to revolve around this one rhythm. All these rhythmic patterns had some version of the clave, which was a repeated pattern where everybody knew the first part of the rhythm and the second part, and it repeats over and over. The one thing that stays constant is the clave. It was derived from the West African rhythms and, of course, it was taken into the new lexicon of the New World.

Thats what you hear in Bo Diddleyhe picked up on it. Buddy Hollythats clave! The Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead. We all love clave. I was teethed on clave. Thats where I came from. One of the things I brought into the Grateful Dead was a bit of the clave. Bill and I played that really well; we love clave. Not everyone loves clave because it has a rolling rhythm to it, which is not so easy for people to pick up on. But once you do, you realize it is the key to everything, rhythmically.

This article originally appeared in the April/May 2019 issue of Relix. For more features, interviews, album reviews and more, subscribe here.

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Mickey Hart's Ghosts of Congo Square - Relix

In May this year,Armin van Buurenwill embark on his series of shows titledThis Is Me. Some of the most special shows of his career so far, it will celebrate his achievements and successes through his music career when he started all the way up to present day, and will be uniquely intimate in the iconic venue Ziggo Dome. Now, these shows have the age limit of 18+ (like most electronic shows that go on through the evening), but Armin has announced something that will allow children to be involved in the action too. Together with events companyALDA(who have been responsible for hosting a lot of Armins events in the past and will be alongside him for the This Is Me shows), van Buuren has announced his This Is Blah Blah Blah show.

The all ages show will be aimed at those under 18 who still share the same passion for trance music as adults, and who wouldnt usually get to see the trance king in action. The afternoon show slots into the schedule of the other shows and will also take place in the Ziggo Dome. Explaining his reasoning behind the show and its concept, Armin had this to say:

I want to spark the younger fans with my love for music, having fun on stage, doing what I love most. Thats why I decided to add an all-ages show to the This Is Me series on Saturday May 23rd, called This Is Blah Blah Blah. This one is for all my fans who arent able to visita regular 18+ show. But most of all, this one is dedicated to my kids.

Taking place on Saturday23 May, you can now sign up the Armin van Buuren This Is Blah Blah Blah ticket pre-sale by clicking here, which starts Thursday 27 at16:00 CET. Get ready to be a part of something truly special!

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Armin van Buuren announces all ages 'This is Blah Blah Blah' show - We Rave You