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ASOT XXL Episode 90 : M.I.K.E. Interview !
For all you who can't understand Dutch, I translated the interviews that Armin had during Episode 90!  I only translated the Dutch!
A = Armin
M = M.I.K.E.
Hour 1
A = Goodevening
M = Goodevening Armin
A = Nice to have you here dude
M = I agree
A = Completely arrived here?
M = No, from Antwerp to Amsterdam a 1,5 hour cartrip.
A = A lot of requests tonight, can you tell us what you can play tonight
M = A couple of exclusive things, but some people want older work from me, but nowadays I stand for more "progression" in music. I mean by that I play what the future will bring us. The oldies belong to it, the past is the past, but I look more to the future and you will see it in my dj set tonight. I won't dissapoint my fans tonight, but there's a progression in the musicstyle I'll play and produce. I call it Electro-Trance, this will come back in the set tonight.
A = But you like it when the people request songs?
M = Absolutely, you have to give something to them, it's giving and taking in both directions.
A = I've checked you're site and I saw lot of classics you produced. I've read that you sold of Push - Universal Nation 350.000 cd's and 40.000
maxi-singles.
M = Totally 250.000, they always exaggerate it a bit and from the albums I think 100.000 copies.
A = It must feel good?
M = Absoluty, but I still didn;t receive a golden record for it!
A = I saw you are busy searching for records!
M = Yeah, I can be here till 3 am in the morning.
A = I like it that you are here and we've hyped you're visit here the last couple of months, I know that a lot of people are listening now, I've looked forward for you're visit. What's this all doing with you? I see you as one of the pioneers of the trancemusic nowadays.
M = Wow, this is a big statement, we try to innovate and it does a lot to me, especialy that there's a MIKE-fanbase.
A = I understood that in England you've got a MIKE-Push-fanclub tey always come to your performances.
M = Yeah, but that's more the "Gatecrasherboys" and "Godskitchenfellows". I think that you've got them as well.
A = Well, we are talking about you right now.
M = There are some groups that follow me closely. Especially when April 19 I will perform live on Godskitchen NEC Arena. You are there as well.
A = I don't know.
M = My job is that innovating is important, especially when you've got a lot of fans.
A = I can imagine. What's the difference between your DJ-sets and live-performances?
M = My dj-sets are a promotion tour for my productions and feel the exposure from club-land. This will help me in the productions. Producing is more important for me. My habit is more my studio tha dj-ing. I choose more for the music, especially for guys like you and Tiesto, that spread my productions in the dj-sets. I don't see myself as a big dj. It started when I was 10, but producing was soon the best for me and that's my main-target.
A = I once visited your studio. I saw a lot of old synths in there. You work differently than L-Vee.
M = I believe more in the MIDI-stuff. I also got more soft-synths. I recently got Pro-Tools.
A= Really? Hahaha
M = I got it to work more with vocals. But, it is fun, you can do a lot with audio. MIDI is the foundation of the music. I started when I was 9 with listening to Depeche Mode, Human League, the old groups from the dancemusic.
A = Where are you listening to besides dancemusic?
M = Depeche Mode, Linkin Park (excellent productions), Missy Elliot, even classic music. When I go home from a gig example: 2 weeks ago from a live performance in Club XL (Amsterdam), I listened to classicmusic in the car back home to dry out of it.
A = You dj a lot in Holland. I've received a lot of reactions that you are coming here.
M = The last time a bit less, but I like to play here.
A = The next hour only with exclusive material.
M = Wow, a lot of jingles in it, they are a lot of fanatics out there with mp3 and stuff.
A = We're not happy with that.
Hour 2
A = MIKE is Mike Dierix, a busy man, produces a lot of years now, one of the most respected trance and progressive producers in the world, you can say that he's one of the pioneers of the trancemusic nowadays. From Belgium he produces under the aliases (blablabla). Recently he released a album in England & Japan "Push from Beyond". he sold 100.000 copies of it.
M = Well, a bit less than 100.000. Everything together from Push about 400.000 copies of it.
A = The album is a must. All your classics are on this album.
M = Yes, originally it was released 2 years ago in Belgium with other versions than nowadays from the tracks.
A = Push vs Globe was with a Japanese producer.
M = Yeah, together with ...., good guy, he's 40 years old, now 20 years active in the Japanese popmusicscene, not really a danceproducer, but that was the meaning of it.
A = Can you eat with chop-sticks?
M = Yes.
A = Before I couldn't, but when you are visiting Japan more and more you learn it. The first time I was there I was there with some important guys from the recordscompany's and it's all Hasasa.
M = I asked for a fork and didn't get it. If you can't eat with sticks, you can use your hands.
A = You work together with L-Vee (Ultravibe), (mentions remixes and stuff)
Questions from listeners:
A = A lot of fans a dissapointed with the loss of Bonzai. What did this to you?
M = I think bonzai ain't completely dead yet, it will come back in another way. I can't tell more about it, cause it's very juridical very complicated. There are a lot of people who want to take money of it that isn't theirs.
A = I talked to L-Vee with it, I can't say more about it.
M = Actually it's about Lighnings Records who got bankruptcy.
A = I'm very crushed by it. What's the real reason for the bankruptcy?
M = I sat 3 weeks ago with tears in my eyes in the studio. Not only the musical, but more the familiar feeling was important. Main reason was the economy crisis in the world the last couple of months. It's not only mp3, I'm not a fan of mp3, I swear that I never downloaded any mp3 of the net. I think there must be some kind of a format and I think that the policy of a company is important. I think that was gone at Lightning.
A = The politics are too busy now to deal with mp3. I got more and more CD-R's send to me.
M = I will never dissapoint my fans. I've read on trance.nu that Airwave was very crushed by it. I will support him with the producing the next period.
A = I've heard his new productions are more in the pop directions.
M = I never admit to the recession. Music is my passion.
A = What's your secret of producing?
M = Every producer needs his own feeling and his own secret. Everybody can buy synths, but it is what you do with it. It's in your head.
A = It ain't about size, it's about what you do with it.
M = You don't need a big studio to produce well. I made Universal Nation with 4 synths in 4 hours. I was bored in the studio and Universal Nation was born. It supposed to be a B-side of Blackmaster - Time never stops. You know that?
A = Always nice to know.
M = The Fly and Manik said: Is this really a b-side? I said: yes. They said that we can do more with the record. The rest is history.
A = Awesome story! A lot of fans think that you can't produce well with soft-synths. That ain't true. Next to me is Robert Nickson, according to me an upcoming talent. He made a great track with soft-synths.
M = I'm more the MIDI-man. I use more soft-synths now like Logic.
A = What's your favourite tune at the moment?
M = Cry me a river - justin timberlake. Back to dance: difficult question. I like a lot. I still play records from 2 years ago.
A = I always have 1 or 2 records from you in my bag.
Hour 3
A = Nice production Urban Shakedown.
M = We're now working on a new one. We are label-less now. But we will see.
A = Who are your big examples?
M = Depeche Mode. And nowadays Timbaland.
A = This is your first production on a Dutch label.
M = Indeed, on the ID&T Label, The Gift - Love Angel (Main Mix). I made it with an English producer and will be released in 3 weeks, we expect a lot of it.
A = Big question: What MIKE-productions can we expect soon? What labels, projects and titles?
M = New Plastic Boy, MIKE, the most important: a new Push and a new album before the summer, I promise. And new productions on my own label Scanner. But that's not the main priority. The main priority of Scanner is for new artists and the musicstyle I want to produce in the future: a mix between Electro-Trance and Techno.
A = Uhh, now you said the answer on the question.
(now mentioning of the winners)
A = A big 9 on the "kippenvelmeter" (goosebumpsmeter).
M = The b-side of the new Scanner.
A = And before this one a special record.
M = Yes, a production together with Yves de Ruyter. More underground, this was Interstate - Work Out, only 500 copies have been pressed.
A = And I've got one from you!
(in English now)
A = What does you think about Marino Stephano?
M = Too bad he died in a car accident. He died when he was on his way to the bonzai-studio. I supposed to work with him later. Actually on the back of the album and "Till We Meet Again" is his name. A tribute to him.
(In English)
A = Thanks a lot for your visit. I enjoyed it, great show. I hope you will continue for many years and I hope you come back here. You said you come back.
M = I've got some ideas, but besides a collaboration between us (Armin and MIKE will work together) it is possible.
A = A lot of new nice things will happen on ID&T Radio. I can't tell more about it.
M = I've read that you quit the show.
A = That is absolutly not true. I say here that it is not true.
Last edited by Freezel on Mar-29-2003 at 10:38
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