Updated 2 years ago

meets X-Dream
March 2005
By Ari Davidov
Simply put, X-Dream is a staple in just about every trance lover’s diet. Marcus Maichel and Jan Mueller make up this German outfit and for well over a decade, they’ve consistently evolved and pushed the envelope through so many solid releases and memorable performances. Now, with the addition of Ariel and new multimedia and performance art, the reinvigorated X-Dream act is eager to follow up the release of the “We Interface” album with a rare New York performance. As the day draws near, TripOutNY reached out to Jan and Marcus to get the latest.
So I understand you are getting ready to go on tour right now… have you been on the road a lot since the release of “We Interface” last summer?
We’re always playing here and there. As you know the electronic live-act is very different than that of other genres of music. We fly somewhere for the weekend & the next weekend off to somewhere else. But, for sure we’re starting to get booked a lot in these days.

The Past…
How were you both first inspired to become music artists? Did you start playing musical instruments early in life? Was it formal training or just all for fun at that point?Jan: I come from a very musical family. My grandpa on my dads side of the family was a violin player in the symphony, my mother plays 4 different instruments & her mother played piano and sang opera.
I also learned piano & bass guitar. And next to that I started computer programming at 14. So the whole electronic music genre came natural to me. And then Marcus & I met and started making hip-hop in 89. And that was a lot of fun…Marcus & I have always respected and been open to music in general.
When an artist inbreeds in one musical direction it starts to loose its edge & become quite frankly, boring. We love to discover!!!!!
Can you name any all-time classics that could help define your musical influences, not necessarily electronic artists?
Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Africa Bambada, DAF & too much to cover! We’re into all sorts of music from classical, Jazz, punk, new-wave, hip-hop, industrial & on & on……..
For better or worse, were the people in the scene back in the early days generally any different from the current lot, people including organizers, party goers and performers?
Yeah….Back in the day we were all 20 year old kids, so of course it’s different. The scene will never be the same because the reality is that nothing stays the same, even if it’s in a stagnant state.
Through the years we’ve grown accustomed to hearing X-Dream tunes, but there was a time when X-Dream was still just that, a dream of yours. Do you often look back at your 15 year career and reflect on it all, or do you prefer not to think about it and let history be history? Can you share any big lessons you’ve learned along the way?
Of course we look back at our career, but honestly we are more about the future & discovering something new in the process. This brings a lot of joy to experience something new and groundbreaking. I think all humans must push themselves to discover or learn new things about themselves and their surroundings.
Big lesson……Listen to your own voice! Even when other people don’t understand….As an artist you put yourself in the public eye for all kinds of critiques and with this comes the lesson of being honest about your art and also courage that it takes to go for it when others reject it.

The Thoughts…
Is all your work guided by any kind of principle or philosophy?
Work is disipline…..And a bit of inspiration….We just keep working & sometimes through this process we stumble on the goods. And this always a euphoric moment!
What are your thoughts about spiritual expression through art/music? Do you witness it evolving as you travel to all the events/festivals?
Well, what is spiritual for one person is not so for the next. That is completely subjective. We all know that music is the universal language, so of course this a very powerful tool of expression. Art & evolution are forever coupled together.
What else are you into besides the music?
Jan, making animation, programming, being with my family, playing chess etc….
Marcus, remodeling my house and dreaming of one day having my own sailboat…

The Music…
You seem to explore different directions in music, blending genres and capturing the moment as you see it with each release. Help us understand the concept behind the latest album, “We Interface”… Was there an overarching concept?
It all started with Quantum lab. Ariel brought in her notebook of poems & research text and started rapping on the mic. And then after she came up with themes that are put forth on the album. It all worked so cool together and was very magical. It took a year & 1/2 to complete; it was a lot of hard work, with a new learning curve working with vocals.
In general, how do you view vocals in the context of the entire track… do you see them as a way to tell a story, or just as another instrument in the mix?
It depends….In the end, it is a sound, even if there is a story. There is a lot to pay attention to when making music. And for us these days we’re inspired by the story. But we only put it in, when it works. So it has to sound good otherwise who will listen to the story!
What kind of feedback did you get on this album?
This album shocked a few people at first. Mainly because they expected something familiar. A lot of people really get it after they see our new live-act with Ariel.
Have you been able to reach out even further to people beyond the traditional trance communities around the globe? Is this one of your goals?
YES & YES! We’ve had famous artist from the electro & techno scene mail us and ask to do remixes. Laurent Garnet had “the 1st” in his top ten all last summer. We even had a guy that heard a famous dj playing it and found who we were and mailed us to say that it was a hit and that he hoped that we had proper distribution because it would be a shame if this one isn’t out there…
Are you optimistic about the increasing role of technology in our lives, or should lyrics like in “The 1st” be considered a warning of a possible Terminator/Matrix-type scenario in the near future?
Yes, we’re optimistic…We love technology, this is human evolution but with that come great responsibility.
Tell us how you got together with Ariel, your vocalist. Who actually writes the lyrics in your band?
Jan: Ariel & I met at Burning Man 1999, and fell in love. She was there working with a multimedia project. I kidnapped her from San Francisco. We are married with a child, make art together and work for Gravity Plus. We also have a music project called Prime Suspect. We will release it in the fall. It’s super fresh stuff! We even have Ariel’s friend, East Bay Ray of the Dead Kennedys playing his legendary guitar on some tracks.
Any new music in the works right now? Any new collaborations coming up?
Ariel & Jan are making Prime Suspect, and Marcus just started working on a new Delta album. And in between we produce a new x.dream track.
JAN: I would like to produce another x.dream album as soon as possible.

The Rest
There is always something new going on at the Gravity Plus collective of artists… Please give us a brief update.
We now have DynamixII, they are a famous electro band from Miami. They have sold over 3 million records & remix for people such as Gwen Steffani, Limp Biscuit, Love & Rockets, & work with a lot of the greats, like Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, Anthony Rother & on…..We also have Atmos, our good friend. MidiMiliz, Kox-BOX, Eat Static, Xavier Moreal & on….Our directive is to bring a mix of quality electronic music to the table.
We DON’T like the idea of being a prisoner of a “scene” or one music direction. There’s so much to explore and offer the listeners. Sometimes it’s disturbing to see people so stuck in one direction. We are about AND, not OR……
One important note**** MidiMiliz, new album comes out in the next few weeks and already it is gathering rave reviews.
So you’re no strangers to the States… how do you like coming to play here?
It’s been a while since we last played the states and this time we’re extra excited to play. We also have been working diligently on connections of all sorts in the music bizz there in the US. Expect to see more of us.
Do you usually play unreleased material during your recent live performances, all released, or should we expect a mixture of both?
We have 2 or 3 new un-released tracks in the live. So, you’ll hear some tunes fresh of the presses….
Finally, is there anything NY trancers can do to prepare for what’s about to hit in New York, come March 25th?
Yes, we have our own video in the live, half built by our friend Peter Vosper from New Zealand and the other half, animation built by Jan. Plus we have cyber-Ariel. We would like to give a plug for our friend Peter Vosper & his neon dance troupe, “Vivid”. Check out vospertron.com His neon trons sometimes perform with us. Peter builds the tron suites and animation.
And all the dancers are formally trained. It’s 100% professional multimedia cyber-art. And to answer the question as to what the trancers can do: Get ready for some killer music and a new live-show that hopefully will send you home inspired. So please come, we can only do it with you! Let’s rock it, New York!!!!
event info:
www.tsunami-trance.com
live streaming video webcast:
www.di.fm/calendar/event.php?event=1209

