Thomas Gold is originally from Berlin, Germany (tip of the cap to #TeamGermany) and has been producing trance/progressive house styles since 2000. He is also a former Top 100 DJ and I am a big fan. Always excited when he releases something new. He just dropped “Dreamer” and “You Know” on Armada and it felt like the right time to learn more about this talent. This interview is a long time coming, and I am excited to introduce you to Thomas Gold.
You have released a lot of stuff over the years. You recently released a single titled “The Chant.” Tell me more about that release. It’s fire, by the way!
Thanks a lot! “The Chant” was a very exciting release for me, as, after having put out a bunch of rather downtempo and radio-friendly productions in the past year, “The Chant” is a 100% pure uptempo club track. It has a bit of an old school tech-house vibe and it also shows some of my progressive-housy side I was known for a couple of years ago. I wanted to create a typical Thomas Gold club tune with a 2017 approach. And – “The Chant” (and it’s follow-up “You Know” – out since July) marks the beginning of a string of upcoming Thomas Gold club releases, so be prepared!
You are originally from Berlin, Germany. There are some pretty iconic dance clubs in Berlin and throughout Europe. What are some of your favorite rooms in Europe?
I love Berlin of course, for its authentic and very organic music scene. Whenever I have time to go out here, I try to visit a club and hang out with friends. Apart from that, I love Barcelona for its vibrant nightlife scene, and of course Ibiza is one of my all time favorites.
Tell me more about Revelation.
Revelation is the name of my album “in progress” – means that part 1 has been released in March and it contains 5 tracks. Part 2 is scheduled for end of 2017/beginning 2018 and it will contain another 5-7 tunes. Revelation is a bit different from what people would know me for. With pt 1, I released a couple of very emotional, downtempo songs (including “Magic”) and some of them (e.g. “Sanctuary”) are completely different from anything I have released before. You can still hear the TG sound in there though. I just wanted to show my fans the “other side” of Thomas Gold and it was really great to see the positive feedback I got!
Part 2 will be the continuation of pt 1 and it will contain some of my recent singles but also some completely fresh tunes. I’m in the middle of putting everything together, it’s exciting and I can tell you that it will be super cool!
You’ve worked with a lot of labels over the years. You released “The Chant” on Armada Music. How do you decide what labels to work with? Do they come to you or are you pitching them?
When I do a track, I always try to find the “right” home (label) for it, and I have been releasing on all kinds of labels (Axtone Records, Size Records, Spinnin’ Records, Toolroom, Revealed Recordings, Protocol Recordings and Armada Music) and I am in touch with all of them for possible future releases. Right now, I have my album coming out on Armada and I have very close relationship with the team there, as these people are doing an amazing job. So priority for me is to release with them. But if there is a track which I think would fit better somewhere else – no problem. It really depends on the music.
You were ranked number 82 in 2012. Do you put much weight in the DJ Mag Top 100? Does being on a list like that help secure tour dates or generate more revenue for a DJ?
I personally don’t give too much about this list as there are SO many cool and great DJs out there who never made it into the Top 100. So the list does not really reflect the quality of a DJ but mostly rather the amount of promotion put into campaigns for the voting. There are exceptions though and some of the DJs within the list are really amazing.
Anyway – being in there CAN possible get you more shows/more money but only in those markets where promoters and people don’t know much about the DJs. In the US and Europe for example, people don’t care much about the list anymore – they pick their artists by style, quality and what they can expect from them. Which I think is the better way.
Thanks for doing this, Thomas. This is a short interview, but in all of the interviews I do I always give the artist the last word. Go.
I just want to say THANK YOU to all my fans and music lovers out there – thanks for their ongoing support, be it at my shows or online. You guys are amazing and I can’t wait for the next show!
Connect with Thomas Gold:
Website: http://www.thomas-gold.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/djthomasgold
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thomasgold
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ThomasGoldOfficial
