[Release] Angelus - Deus Volente [Regenerate]

 

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When we received this promo here at the Church of Trance from one of our favorite artists on one of our favorite labels Regenerate we ecstatically reached out to Jan De Jong, otherwise know as Angelus (and how can we not love the name) to learn more about Deus Valente, its heavenly inspired origins, and what big things he has on the radar for 2024.

What is the definition of Deus Valente and what does it mean to you?

It came from the phrase the Latin phrase 'Deo Valente' which means 'God Willing' which I thought was a positive message, but rather than just copy that and use it word for word me and Sean [Tyas] we just wanted something that was just still a little bit different and that's how it ended up as 'Deus'.

Also massive into video games and sci-fi so I know I've seen Deus, Deus Ex and like Deus Ex Machina I remember seeing those titles and it was like, wow, it sounded powerful. So that’s what it means to me it's just a positive message.

You've released some of our favorite Angelus tracks on Regenerate: Not Changin', On Fire, Fireworks & Sanctuary so as a resident on the label, how does "Deus Volente" separate itself from the others?

Something that I went through with Deus Valente was I wanted to go for something groovy - that was the whole basis of the track. It wasn't so much about emotional breakdown or vocals, which my other tracks have had. It was more just about trying to get a bit of a groove going and a bit of a vibe and just sort of going with that, and then it somehow still kind of got some of those more traditional uplifting elements in there.

But yeah, I feel like it was just a different kind of arrangement, a different kind of vibe and I went for it, and that's something that I know, Regenerate really wants - they don't just want stuff that sounds the same as everything else: they're looking actively for things that are a little bit different. I think that's what Sanctuary and Deus Valente have been about. It's just a try and do something different in the tracks that I've not done before - that's what I go for!

Always a real pleasure to have a release on the label. You know, I really sort of make it my mission every year to try and get at least one with Regenerate. Obviously massive fans of Sean and I'm glad that they keep wanting me on the label and keep releasing my tracks.

Can you share what moment sticks out from the creative process that brought Deus Valente to life?

It was all about the groove, and I had this idea in my head that it's easier to get groove at lower BPMS. That's like the first sort of initial idea. So it started off as like 132 and then it went to 134 and I think I still had a lot of elements that you would expect in maybe a faster track. So the BPM kinda slowly kept going up and by the time we got to 138 I was like well, you know what? I feel like it's still has some of those more trippy kind of groovy bits in there and it has that sound that you would expect in this kind of BPM range, you know, maybe Regenerate would like that, and yeah they did.

That was definitely funny to see how the track sort of transitioned, probably like going from like one style to another to another every time it went up a little bit in BPM but all came together in the end.

Whats on the radar for Angelus in 2024?

I'm probably not releasing as many tracks this year as I have done previously, I wanna try different things and I really really wanna just push what I'm doing to like best of my own abilities and learn on the way. I had a release last year with Liam Melody and Jessica called Unbroken, and Armin played that on A State of Trance and it was just like yes, this this is what I want!

I've got a release, Deus Valente, which comes out on Regen first Friday in April and then next month, I have a new track coming out on Chasing Dreams with Xijaro & Pitch, really looking forward to that. And also I've got my first ever more tech trance track coming out, which I'm quite excited about and it's definitely something different, but I've still tried to keep different parts of just me and what I enjoy when it comes to making the music. There's lots of work going on and lots of different ideas floating about but it's definitely going to be exciting this year on the production front.

Gig front as well still got a few exciting things to announce. There's been a few bits of bad news which has stopped certain things from being announced, but the next one that has been announced for me is gonna be a free summer all dayer in Manchester for Blueprint at the Zombie Shack. I think I've deejayed there more than anywhere for my mate Ricky Denton and that whole Blueprint crew, it's always a pleasure. Hopefully the weather is good and yeah, hopefully I'll see some of you there.

From the very beginning of the track the intro gives us a hint that were in for something exciting with that thumping bassline and techy vibes that drops us into the buildup. The cord progression and the pads take us on a journey as they build in multiple levels into the drop where the tech vibe converses with the pads in a smooth topline melody and a very ethereal chant that lightly carries with the driving low end through the end of the track. We excited to make this as one of our top picks for April 2024 here at the Church of Trance.

Label: Regenerate
Release Date: April 5, 2024
Buy/Stream: https://www.beatport.com/track/deus-volente/18809913