Above and Beyond

WHO?MAG: Tell me about your new CD/DVD Anjunabeats 100?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: It’s a compilation of the best of the first 100 releases on our label Anjunabeats on 2 CDs with a DVD we filmed in Goa and Rio last Christmas. We went to Goa to do a party near Anjuna Beach, the inspiration for our label, as part of the 100 releases celebrations and on New Year’s Eve. We played to a million people on Barra Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The DVD is a film about that adventure.

WHO?MAG: How did you guys Above and Beyond come together?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: Jono and Paavo met at University and release a track called Anjunabeats “Volume One” which was the start of the label. I was doing music as well and we came together to do a remix for Warners for Chakra’s “Home”. It was a pooling of resources for a one off, but the mix became so successful, Above & Beyond kept getting more and more work.
How did you guys get into DJing and production?
Aside from DJ’ing at house parties, the DJ’ing kicked off after we did a remix for Ayumi Hamasaki. The Japanese record company asked if we would DJ at a big party in Tokyo with 8,000 people alongside Ferry Corsten, Tiesto, and Svensen & Gielen. So naturally, we said yes and immediately went record buying.

WHO?MAG: Who are some of your influences as DJ/artists?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: Paul Oakenfold pretty much spearheaded both the UK rave scene and the modern trance scene. His Goa mix was pretty important to us all. Guys like Ferry Corsten and Matt Darey were really on fire when we started and there’s certainly some influence there, but we pull in a wide range of music when we’re writing from the Pet Shop Boys, Radiohead, Thomas Newman – the list is endless.

WHO?MAG: How would you describe your DJ sets?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: Fairly eclectic, uplifting, chunky, highly energetic with a good dose of singing along for good measure.

WHO?MAG: Where do you see the future of Trance music going?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: We approach the future like a man in a rowing boat. You can see the past but the future is a mystery.

WHO?MAG: What are your thoughts on downloading?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: Legally it’s a good business model for music, although it has certainly taken a lot of the magic out of music purchasing and ownership. Illegally it has been pretty devastating.

WHO?MAG: What has been the best experience you’ve had DJing?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: Either EDC last year in LA in the Coliseum or Rio last New Year’s Eve. It’s great to hear so many people singing our stuff.

WHO?MAG: What future projects are you working on?
ABOVE AND BEYOND: We’ve just spent two years working on an OceanLab album which is finally ready for release. We’re already thinking about the club remixes and that’ll be next.