Progressive Trance in its purest form is some of the most elevating music in existence. If there’s one artist that portrays that sound better than anyone else, it’s Orkidea.
Pure Trance label head Solarstone chose the perfect person to take the steering wheel and guide this two-mix compilation album in the right direction. Complete with both a DJ mix and an Artist mix, the ‘Pure Progressive’ mix comp is a journey to pure bliss through the power of music.
I caught up with Orkidea and we spoke about this project as well as many other topics in and around the progressive trance realm.
FMF: The world of progressive is full of pure excitement in regards to the soon-to-come release of your mix compilation ‘Pure Progressive Vol. 1’. We have to know, what was it like putting these two mixes together?
Orkidea: It was a really exciting project – especially as it is a combination of artist album and DJ mix. Showcasing both sides of me. And also to make the very first ‘Pure Progressive’ compilation is an honor and feels like the beginning of something bigger. Just like when the first Pure Trance compilation was born.
For the DJ mix, you chose many tracks that ebb and flow so perfectly together creating a wondrous journey. How did you select the tunes for this mix?
Rich Solarstone was a big help with curating the songs for the DJ mix. We wanted to showcase both new and fresh talent (like Macker) and heavyweights of the prog world (like Yotto and Grum) and I think we succeeded with that. I also wanted to make a very dynamic journey where a deep start and euphoric ending felt like different ends of the same musical spectrum.
The artist mix is also your artist album. Tell us a little bit of the inspiration for these tracks?
My production sound has been described as “retro futuristic” which I quite like. So there are elements and feel of the classic trance but the production sound and quality are very much 2020. I draw inspiration from my 25+ years of DJing and there are quite a few of my all time favorite tracks which I remixed specifically for this compilation.
I know this is like asking a parent who their favorite child is, but — do you have a favorite track of the upcoming album? If so, which one and why?
Of my own productions ‘Forward Forever’, ‘Higher State’ and my Deepsky and Pink Bomb remixes are all extra special. On the DJ mix the Macker and Yotto songs represent the amazing progressive sound of today. But just like with parents and kids: every single one is special and much loved.
Being one of the pioneers in the progressive sound, what advice would you give for young producers today when they are trying to create their own unique sound?
1) Be brave and create your own unique sound instead of copying everyone else. Of course everyone draws inspiration from somewhere, but put in the work to create your own thing.
2) Work, work, work! Breaking through is harder than ever with so many producers around. You need to be really committed, work hard, release lots of music and have a bit of good luck as well.
3) Be kind and do the right thing. Put your ego aside. Help others along the way. There are enough self-centric DJ stars already out there. Doing good will pay back eventually and if not, you’ve done the right thing which is great.
Many of us are hoping and wishing that events will soon be available to us again. In the interim, many artists have been doing live streams to help hold us over during these tough times. Are you doing any live streams? If so, where can we catch your sets?
I have only done a couple live streams (organized by others) so this is something I need to work on. Live streaming is the biggest new development in the scene this year and I have lots to catch up. This year I’ve put all extra time to production and haven’t started my own streams yet. Hopefully this will change.
Finally, I always like to ask this question even though it is a bit controversial. What is your opinion of pineapple on pizza?
Haha! My personal choice is definitely “no” for pineapples on pizza but I’m 100% ok with other people thinking and doing otherwise.
*Featured image via Orkidea*
