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Interview with Jonas Steur ( 11.04.2008 - 20:10 GMT UTC )
1. Do you write all of the lyrics to your productions ? If so, where do you get your inspiration ?
The Ananda Project: I do on some songs, but not all. I tend to write more for male vocals than female. A lot of the feeling behind the music is about the feeling of flying, and being free from the mundane. So this is kinda where I am coming from when I do write lyrics.
2. Who have been your favorite vocalists to worth with thus far ?
The Ananda Project: Terrance Downs is really great to work within the studio. We have a very intuitive way of making songs happen. He may come in with a rough idea, and then we will shape and mold it into full song.
3. Your track “Where the Music Takes You” has been featured on the recent Miami Underground compilation as well as Kandi Lounge. How do you feel about that ?
The Ananda Project: Oh... that is great... it is always nice to hear that people are 'vibe-ing' on the tracks that we are doing.
4. Can you tell us more about the album you released last month entitled “Night Blossom” ?
The Ananda Project: Well, it is basically a remix album with a bonus disc that is I mixed comprising alot of Ananda Project back catalogue. Sort of a retrospective of the cuts I really like... as well as some new unreleased mixes.
5. How do you feel about Sander van Doorn’s remix of your track under the alias Wamdue Project entitled “King of my Castle” ?
The Ananda Project: I think legally it wasn't released as Wamdue Project, but people started tagging the name on to the remix he did. They had someone re-sing the lyrics, so technically it's not a remix. But to answer the question, I'm fine with it... as long as royalties are being collected from it.
6. Which DJ’s might we expect to be supporting some of your recent productions ?
The Ananda Project: I just did a really epic sounding, organic, latin sounding remix for a group called Pacifika on the Six Degrees label. I think it will do well with the Ibiza chill guys, and some of the deeper Japanese dj's.
7. Can you tell us more about your recent performance at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in South Africa ?
The Ananda Project: It was great, we played on a stage outside in the middle of the city in front of 9500 people. The feeling was incredible. People over there really have a profound respect for house music, especially the deeper soulful elements, where it may not be popular so much anywhere in the UK or US markets, deep house is certainly alive in Africa.
8. Which productions or albums do you feel have been your most successful to date and why ?
The Ananda Project: Well, the biggest records we have had are the tracks 'Cascades of Colour' and 'Kiss Kiss Kiss'... and also the song 'Glory Glory'. I think they've done well, because they were unique at the time. I don't think anyone else was doing quite the sound that we had. I guess it's very important to me to be a little different. There is alot of the same stuff in house music, and I don't see the point in trying to copy what else is out there.
9. What qualities in your tracks signify the most about who you are ?
The Ananda Project: I think it is the feeling in the chords a lot of times. I feel like that is the Ananda Project signature... the way we work with harmony and the relationship to the voice is very important to me.
10. Are you currently working on any other projects or have any upcoming performances scheduled ?
The Ananda Project: We are about to embark on a Japanese tour in the next couple weeks. Japan is also a great refuge for the kind of house music we play. Other than that I have got some more commercial records coming out in Europe, and a variety of recent remixes that I have done.
Interview made by Zaneta Soroko aka Euphoria (TranceSound.net forum general moderator)
Links:
Ananda Project official website
Ananda Project @ MySpace
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