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As one of our "must watch" names here at the Church of Trance, the California-born and Toyko-based producer Derek Ryan has written blissfully heartbreaking Trance tracks that have graced our playlists for many years. With electric and eclectic productions, like Kagura and Demeritium on AVA, Point of Control with Adam Ellis on Outburst, and Disinformation Age and Fearless on Regenerate, these are just a small handful that have been our personal favorites from his 10+ years of releases.
In 2024 we saw him take to his own Ascent Recordings with his debut artist album, "Lost//Found", that's packed full of superb melodies, but when his track with the heavenly sounding Sarah de Warren "Starts Tonight" was given the touch from our good friend Ciaran McAuley, we had to connect with Derek to hear more about this remix and give our followers at the Church of Trance a glimpse into the world of this talented producer.
Hey Derek - Welcome!
Thanks for having me!
Kicking things off, can you tell us the meaning behind the track "Starts Tonight" and how it originally came to life?
I was writing this track original from a perspective of expansive hopeful energy, and Sarah absolutely nailed that feeling in both her writing and performance too.
I found Sarah originally through a track released on Enhanced a while back called 'Love Again', and while the track itself is great, her vocals were unreasonably good, flowing in emotion in both performance and in her lyrics and vocal melodies. I just had to work with her. So I contacted her to see what we could cook up, and sent her a few different tune demos to work with, and what we walked out with was Starts Tonight -- as deep and expansive but relatable at the same time, about love and forgiveness, and all these things that brought out the melodics of what I put into it I cried when I heard it.
Having worked with her twice now, I can definitely say that Sarah is the real deal. It would be so easy in this industry to write songs that are just surface level and still be successful, and a lot of people are and no shade on that. She goes beyond, her work does the opposite - it's harmonically, lyrically, and expression wise so rich and she just tells so much story with so much heartfelt emotion, and also at the same time makes incredible hooks. She's amazing.
What inspired the remix from Ciaran McAuley?
I'd had my eye on Ciaran for a while as someone to follow - he's got an ear for crafting really satisfying emotional trance. I finally met him in ADE last year in 2023 alongside Nick Gunn, also another really, really awesome artist and label owner from Blue Dot, and we spoke a bit about vocal production there and stuff like that and had a good chat. That just got the gears turning kinda turning in my head that he could bring that craft to Sarah's vocals and do something really special, and i thought it could be a great combination. I really was super stoked he was down to do this, and am over the moon with the result.
And as a special guest for this release review, Ciaran welcome and tell us your experience working on the remix
Funny when Darek reach out to me I hadnt heard the track, Im not sure how I missed this one because I do love the track. After a couple of listens I did think I could bring something to the table and I couldn't wait to dive in. Opening up the project I went for my typical vibes, and it just gelled. I'm really happy with the outcome!
And Derek, what was your feedback on the remix when you first heard it?
It took me by surprise really: it's got this gentleness to it that I think almost hides the subtle power it has. It's easy to just think it's light, but it's not. It's not at all a smack-you-across-the-face sort of track, but it's not laid back. It's got this shining, sparkling energy that is refreshing and beautiful, and really, really brings the best out of Sarah's vocals and the original melodic lines to massive effect from this tune.
So it was not what I expected, but it was better in ways that I couldn't have imagined. It's spell binding and I love it.
We love to hear the "origin stories" of fellow artists, so can you share when and what track made you fall in love with Trance?
I was living in France for a bit, I ended up with the Love Parade 1998 compilation in my hands, and on it is the Nalin & Kane remix of Cafe Del Mar, and that just flipped something in me, it flipped the switch. Something about the gazing-into-infinity feel of that mix just got me; it was something more than club music, something more than just being dancey. I love tunes with textural depth like that to this day, that was what kickstarted the engine.
What's on the radar for Derek Ryan in the second half of 2024?
Man, what a year so far haha, and there more to come too.
So, I've just released my debut artist album on Ascent, which features another track from Sarah. That's a whole other ride, as it's allowed me to really experiment with some things I've wanted to do forever. It's super analogue feeling due to all the sounds I've pulled from my Moog Sub37 and some weird processing tricks and such and theres a bunch of guitar as I do. Also, a few of the tracks may or may not have me on vocals...cannot confirm nor deny haha.
For the album, I've got remixes for a few of the bigger tunes on there that are coming out late this year and into next.
Plus, got a new tune coming on Alter Ego very soon that's super lush and melodic, plus a collab with one of my artists in the Japanese scene here that's named after an awesome club here. And also a pretty surprising old school 'evil' breaks remix of another; that's a fun one too.
Keeran brings the softer pads and a lighter kick in his version, with a more etheral build coasting into mains keeping with a gentler energy, while the vocals from Sarah de Warren have a bigger sound that soars with more verbrato over the amazing cord progression of this track. Give it a listen or download to support these amazing artists, and catch it in the September edition of Church of Trance in the 4th Friday of the month.
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