| Lange
To celebrate Langes's new album ‘Better Late than Never’ available on Digital download here and here, thanks to Cypher Press we’ve been able to exclusively interview the legend behind Drifting Away and those awesome remixes of Protect Your Mind (For the love of a princess) and Fiji. Enjoy as we delve into the deepest darkest corners of his mind... maybe.
So without further ado;
MPFS - Hi there Lange, thank you for your time, it’s very much appreciated. First and foremost the usual boring questions I'm sure you dread; when did you first get into producing Trance music?
Lange - Hi, no problem…my pleasure!
I first starting producing trance in the early to mid 90’s. I was influenced a lot by labels such as Perfecto, Hooj Choons and Platipus. It wasn’t until 1998 I actually got my first release on vinyl though.
MPFS - Do you prefer the rush of Dj’ing to hearing one of your tracks played in front of a loving it crowd?
Lange - I love Djing, it’s the ‘fun’ element to my career, (the producing and business side’s being the ‘hard work’). I admit seeing a crowd go off is very enjoyable ,and it’s a bonus if you get a great reaction to your own tracks too.
MPFS - You saw first hand the explosion of Trance music in the late 90’s, as the preferred genre of dance music seems to change almost yearly now do you think we’ll ever see such an interest in Trance like we previously did?
Lange - No, I doubt it. It was a case of right time, right place in the late 90’s; I was very lucky to be part of it. I think last year’s surge of Electro and minimal show that there is the possibility of genre’s taking over in a big way, but there were too many factors of the time that added to the rise of trance that make it almost unrepeatable; We still had huge physical sales of singles and dance compilation albums, there was huge hype around Ibiza, and of course the superclubs appeared and everyone wanted to be part of it.
It’s all gone very underground again, but I prefer it that way.
MPFS - In your own opinion how has the digital age (mp3/cd mixing) done dance music good or bad?
Lange - You can dress it up as a ‘time of opportunity’ for getting music out there as much as you like, but the bottom line is the digital age has made music more ‘disposable’. People don’t yurn as much for tracks anymore. I used to hear a track played by another DJ or on a radio show and try and find it down the record shop (often without success). These days people will just download it on the day it’s first promo’d. The net killed the whole promotion structure for building a record, but the music industry was making ridiculous amounts of money anyway so it was due a shake up. Also music was in the hands of A&R guys who quite frankly weren’t always the best people to chose what ‘got out’ to the public! So it’s not all bad; beside’s, my back doesn’t ache as much as it used to when I carried all that vinyl around.
MPFS - The album rightfully titled Better Late Than Never (I remember, well over a year ago e mailing you about remixing prices and you saying you were working on an album!) is finally seeing the light of day, can you tell us a little bit about it? What we’re your aims for the album? Any sound you were particularly trying to create? I’ve been lucky enough to get the chance to review it for the site and was impressed, had the same refreshing feel to it as Chicanes Behind the Sun when I first heard that, was that your intention?
Lange - The album is a double album; the first (main) CD is new material, most of which was written this year. The 2nd disc has some of my older material on it from the past decade. As I’m celebrating 10 years in the music industry this year I thought it was a great time to do CD2.
The album is available digitally now on itunes (more download stores to follow shortly) and on CD after Christmas on New State Music. There’s a rather nice album minisite at www.langealbum.com too which has lots of info about the tracks and audio clips for those who’ve not yet heard it.
My main aim for the album was diversity. I wanted to avoid making just a trance album with a predictable flow. Yes some of the tracks have a commercial edge, but others are quite obscure too. Basically my aim was to make music for ‘music’s sake’ and not try to fit the music into what people would expect from me. If I’d written an album 5 years ago (when I should have done to cash in on ‘Drifting Away’s success!) it wouldn’t have been as diverse. I feel I’ve reached a satisfying point in my music making where I’m much more open to new ideas and other genres and I’m already thinking about the next album.
MPFS - There's a significant amount of vocals in the album, what are your feelings towards the criticism you’re likely to receive from hardcore fans claiming your bandwagon jumping/selling out?
Lange - Much of the album has a non-commercial edge so I’m not expecting that kind of criticism as you suggest. An album needs vocals. There are only 4 vocal tracks (out of 12) on the main part of the album (disc 1) I don’t feel any pressure to make any particular music anymore; I let tracks evolve into what will work best. If I really want to sell out I’ll go and make R ‘n’B or commercial house.
MPFS - What is your favourite production to date?
Lange - I’ll pick a few. My 2 joint favourites from the new album are ‘Wind Farm’, a strange electro track and ‘Out Of The Sky’ (featuring Sarah Howells); an indie rock-edged track that’s getting a lot of support from DJ’s at the moment and will probably be the follow up single to ‘Songless’. If we’re looking back over the past decade, I’d say my remix of Brainchild - Symmetry C has to be one of the best and LNG – Intercity.
MPFS - Here at MPFS we like to break away from the norm when it comes to interviews, brace yourself for some pretty bizarre questions in the next bout!
Have you ever shagged a Dj whore at a club?
Lange - No
MPFS - Have you ever been caught breaking the law?
Lange - Not yet.
MPFS - Tell us a joke, the more offensive the better.
Lange - I can never remember jokes....probably for the best!
MPFS - Who’d win in a fight, you or Judge Jules?
Lange - Jules; he’s slightly taller.
MPFS - If you could punch any “celebrity” in the face who would it be and why?
Lange - Roland Rat. I’ve never forgiven him for sending a stunt double (a man in a costume) to turn on the Christmas lights in Shrewsbury one year (sometime back in the 1980s). What a git!
MPFS - If you had the chance to do the Olsen twins together whilst Keeley filmed the whole event in the buff whilst pleasuring herself, the only catch was all three of them got to pee all over you, would you do it?
Lange - I don’t do watersports. Not my thing. Besides, I’m very much in love with my Girlfriend (All say ‘aah’!), so it would be a definite refusal, pee or no pee!
'Better Late Than Never' features two CD's of top tastic tracks from one of the Trance scenes legendry innovators. Music ranges from Epic Trance classics to down right chilled out mellow beats, a perfect selection of fantastic tracks guarenteed to stir emotions.
For more information on Lange visit his website at www.lange-music.com/ |
