Lange is a legend. It’s as simple as that. When I started working with the team over at one3two PR, I had no idea they worked with him. After building a great relationship with them, they asked if I would be interested in interview Lange. Um… YES! He has been working on some big projects, including a single with the lovely Betsie Larkin titled “Insatiable.” He has also been playing sold out show all over the place promoting the new single. I got the chance to sit with Lange recently for an exclusive artist interview. This is truly and honor and it is a pleasure to introduce you to Lange.
Tell me more about Clash of the Gods.
Clash of the Gods is the return of the legendary Godskitchen night in Birmingham and it’s a back-2-back night with me playing alongside Sean Tyas. This will actually be the first time I’ve played B2B with Sean – The idea came to me after asking Sean to remix my latest single “Insatiable” which is out NOW!
A lot of guys in EDM have their own record label. You have Lange Recordings. What sort of talent are you looking for and how do you keep your finger on the pulse of what is next?
I try not to be too genre specific with the label. Obviously there’s a strong trance focus, but the spectrum of releases really does range between the more progressive or dark tracks through to the more driving, peak time trancers. The link is simply the quality of the production, and of course, I want to be able to support the record to the max in my sets. I have a great team at the label, and we receive a steady flow of promos from both established artists and newcomers. I’m also always on the lookout for a new producers when I’m looking for fresh music for my sets and radio show every week. When you get bombarded with so much music it’s not difficult to keep up to date!
Do you tend to tour with guys on your own label to give them exposure?
I do when I get the chance. We have some Lange Recordings nights in the pipeline, which are great opportunities to get the artists involved. It’s great having such a diverse group of artists to select for events.
Really digging “Crossroads (Estiva Remix)” featuring Stine Grove. Tell me more about that track and what you hope to accomplish with this release.
This track first came out in 2012 in the form of my original version only. I wanted to include it on my 3rd artist album and made a deeper, chill out mix. To freshen it up after the album, I got remixes including this huge remix by Estiva. He’s given it a great trance/EDM crossover kind of sound which really does do the damage in the clubs. I wanted to accomplish world domination with this release, but I’ll settle for club domination.
Las Vegas has become a focal point for dance music in the U.S. Can you explain why that is? What clubs do you like to frequent in Las Vegas?
The USA was looking for a party playground and Vegas is the perfect place for that. I don’t think the USA should focus too much on this commercial hotspot though, there’s plenty of great places to head all over the country. The music tends to get better the further you get away from Vegas!
We Are Lucky People just came out. I LOVE that name, that single, and that album. It is one of the best releases in a while. Tell me more about the album, the mixes, and all the artists you worked with on this album.
We Are Lucky People is a 2 disc album consisting of album versions of tracks on disc 1 and club mixes on disc 2. It features the vocal talents of Betsie Larkin, Susana, Cate Kanell, Stine Grove, and Hysteria and an electronic violinist, Ilseviolin. With this being my 3rd album, I had the idea to produce the club mixes through the year, building up to an album release at the end. This was because with previous albums I’ve disappeared into the studio for much of the year and I like to get music out as soon as possible, because it’s then fresh and you’re still into it! Of course, doing it this way meant that there had to be something different about the final album at the end, and so I came up with the idea of tweaking all the music into a flowing album with some tracks being completely changed into acoustic mixes, and just generally creating transitions between tracks that gave this album a proper “start-to-finish” listening experience.
I didn’t know if the album would be a success, and naturally this experiment was risky, in case people thought because they’d heard 10 singles already it wasn’t worth listening to. Ultimately, the gamble paid off, and despite all those singles, sales for the album were as strong as we would have expected from an album released the more traditional way. On it’s release, the album actually exceeded my expectations, hitting #15 in the North American iTunes Dance, as well as strong positions in Europe. The biggest reward for me personally was how pleased I am with how the album turned out. In my opinion, it’s my best work to date.
Lange & Betsie Larkin – Insatiable
We talked a little bit about dance music in Las Vegas, but that goes for the entire scene across the country. Do you think EDM is a bubble just waiting to burst? How are you staying unique with all your new releases to make sure you work in the next generation of dance music fan?
Maybe. It was certainly a bubble that ended up bursting in the UK around 2001. Even if there is a burst with the commercial end, the rise of EDM has been a huge benefit to the USA in general, and also for those who have been drawn into the scene by the commercial reach. It’s always the hope they get hooked and delve deeper to discover the more underground scene. Let’s hope it doesn’t burst too spectacularly, as dance music has finally reached a point where it’s competing with other genres of music and rightly so.
I’m not a fad-chaser and stick to my own game in the studio, but I’m obviously influenced by my weekly intake of promos for my events and radio show. My longevity in the scene is perhaps down to me doing what I believe in, because you get the best results when you’re passionate about what you’re doing.
I listen to a lot of podcasts on my iPhone. You have “Intercity.” It seems you release that on a regular basis. What is your mission with your podcast, and do you tend to feature artists on Lange Recordings on your podcast?
Yeah, it’s a weekly show and has been growing for over 5 years now. The show gives me another way to reach out to dance music fans globally. You can only visit each city a few times a year at most, so the show is a great way to “keep in touch” with your fanbase and also reach those who live in places where there really isn’t an EDM scene at all. Some of my listeners are too young to go to a club; others never get international DJs visiting their towns.
Yes, every other week it’s a Lange Recordings Sessions episode, where I invite a label artist to mix part of the show.
You played on ASOT600 in Madrid. Tell me more about your relationship with Armin and what being a part of such a massive event like that means to you as a DJ.
I have a lot of respect for Armin. He’s achieved a huge amount and pushed the scene forward giving it more exposure on the global stage. I’ve been involved in 4 years of ASOT parties playing New York, South Africa, London, and Madrid. All have been pretty memorable events I can tell you. There’s that added buzz knowing your set is going out to a few million, and the response through the social networks has always been huge.
Dance music has changed so much over the years. Your sound has changed, too. Do you find yourself producing for what is popular, or producing new work as your talents mature?
I make what I feel like making and go through phases of wanting to focus more on melodies or the more bass-orientated stuff. I like to think my music is improving, you never stop learning new tricks in the studio.
What’s next for Lange?
After a year making a euphoric, melodic album I’m experimenting with some new productions. I’ve also got a few co-writes in the pipeline including a new one with Andy Moor. I’m releasing single #11 today from We Are Lucky People called “Insatiable” with Betsie Larkin. The Sean Tyas remix has been well received, as well as the newly reworked “Radio Mix,” and we also shot a really nice music video shot in New Mexico. Later in the year, my We Are Lucky People album gets the full remix treatment, and I’ve got some great artists involved in that.
Thank you so much for your time, Lange. I know you are a busy guy. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
My pleasure, mate! Thanks for your continued support, and hopefully see you all soon on the road!
Connect with Lange:
Website: http://www.lange-music.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/langefan
Twitter: https://twitter.com/djlange
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/langetv
