Mugasha Aux

This is Simon Lee and Alvin from Radio KUL, a weekly podcast that you can listen on Mugasha. Here's an interview with one of the artistes that will be featured on this week's episode of Radio KUL.

She’s been labeled “the queen of dance music.” Suzy Solar is definitely dance royalty – as one of the most sought after DJs in the scene, she’s toured the world, made TV appearances, hosts an internationally broadcasted radio show, and seen her share of thick and thin on her road to the top. The Solar star has DJed her way through an era when being a female DJ was extremely challenging, forcing her to rise above and working twice as hard than her male counterparts to garner respect and recognition. Still, she has risen to the challenge through her spectacular live shows and generous support for her productions.

In this exclusive interview, we speak to Suzy about some of her most colourful moments in her career, and what’s in store for the future.

Suzy Solar

Hi Suzy! How are you today and where are you currently at?
I’m doing great, thanks! I’m currently in the sunshine state of Florida, USA.

Right now, you’re the queen of dance music. You have been so important to the scene and you’ve really shown the guys that women can rock this even better than us. How do you think perceptions of female DJs have changed recently?
Aww thanks! There’s been lots of great female DJ/producers hitting the music scene, so I’ve noticed that people are much more open minded to females as professional DJ/producers now than they were ten years ago. I think that there’s still some sexism, but most people these days know that women can rock the decks proper!

When you first ventured into DJing, did you ever think you’d get this far?
Absolutely! I knew that I’d go far in the music industry since I was a small child:)

You have a hectic schedule of touring and doing the radio shows. Do you also have any productions coming up?
Yes, I have a few collabs and original productions that I’m working on as we speak! Right now, I’m almost finished with a collabs with Thomas Bronzwaer, Daniel Wanrooy, and Tucandeo.

Your radio show Solar Power Sessions continues to grow stronger each year. It’s been quite a few years since the first broadcast. What can we expect from SPS next?
You can expect that Solar Power Sessions will continue to grow bigger as my new productions are released. There’s going to be some new surprises up ahead so be sure and stay tuned!

What do you love most about performing live?
I love the rush of the energy that the audience and I feed to each other. It’s a mutual high that transcends any language, or anything else out there! Plus, I love to travel and meet new people:)

Tell us something really crazy that you’ve seen on tour.
I can tell you three things off the top of my head.
1. During one of my sets in Colombia, a swarm of police came in with machine guns and ordered the party to be shut down because the promoter didn’t have a permit. Then the promoter left me and my manager stranded there, up a mountain an hour outside of the nearest town! Thank goodness we had fans to help us out.
2. Another time, my manager and I were flying from Hawaii to Florida, when the 911 bombings happened! They emergency landed us in New Orleans. Bourbon Street was totally empty except for religious freaks holding signs that said “We told you the end of the world is here!” The crazy thing, was that we almost went to New York to see the twins towers that very weekend, but we got booked in Hawaii instead!
3. One time, we were flying from a tour in Germany to WMC in Miami. One of the plane’s engines on the wing went up in flames upon take off! We had to fly to a safe place to dump the fuel and return to the airport, which took a total of three very scary hours. Once we were on a different plane, that one broke too, and we had to sit on the runway for many more hours before we could take off! It must have been mercury retrograde… lol!

What do you do when you’re not making or mixing music.
Believe it or not, I like to study astrophysics and psychology for fun:) I also like to write, and I often go to the beach and parks. Florida is very beautiful year round to enjoy the outdoors. I also love to watch TV and movies, especially The Simpsons, Family Guy, Doctor Who, Torchwood, and South Park.

What has been the track of the year for you so far?
That’s a tough one, since I get tons of new music every day! So far, my favorites this year are Tucandeo Feat Cat Martin – Novembers (Abraham Leoga Vocal Remix) [Navigation Records], Blue Tente Feat Stine Grove – Heading Home (ReOrder Remix) [Diverted Music], and Gaia – Tuvan (Andy Blueman Remix) [Armind].

Who do you feel have been vital to your success?
My manager Brian Benning (DJ Lil B) has been my right hand man since the beginning. Also, Thomas Bronzwaer taught me to produce music, so he’s very vital to my career too:)

How do you think trance music has evolved in 2009 and where do you see it headed to in 2010? What influences will surface?
In 2009, I’ve been seeing more strength in trance sub-genres like electro-trance. There’s more trance music to choose from in various BPM ranges than ever before. In 2010, I think more more musicians from other genres will want to make trance inspired music fused with their own sound, and vise versa. Lately, I’ve been seeing more trance fusions with rap, rock, and pop.

Throughout these years, tell us about a time when you felt really overwhelmed or challenged.
Last year, I tore the ligaments in one foot really bad and sprained the other. It was the worst pain ever! I was in a wheelchair for a few months, then a few more months later I was on crutches. It proved to be the hardest challenge I had to face my career. Traveling and performing was extremely difficult. The swelling and pain was so bad, that I couldn’t even sit upright at the computer for more than five minutes at a time:/ Since then, I’m now 99% healed and I’ve resume normal daily activities:)

Is there an artiste, DJ or producer that you would like to collaborate with?
I’d love to collaborate with Ferry Corsten one day. He’s a friend of mine and we’ve played shows together, but we haven’t worked on music together (yet;)).

Who are your current favourite DJs and producers?
Ferry Corsten, Thomas Bronzwaer, Sean Tyas, Tom Colontonio, just to name a few.

What’s your current secret weapon for the dancefloor!
My secret weapon changes from show to show, depending on the situation. For instance, at my most recent show, I went on after three 128bpm house DJs on a notorious house music night. I knew that if I played trance right off the bat, the crowd would thin out faster than Lindsay Lohan;) My secret weapon of the night was Shannon – Let The Music Play (David Delano, Dirty Lou & Swedish Egil Remix) [Perfecto]. It was the perfect transition track to go from house to trance. The crowd went nuts and it was an excellent night!

If you weren’t an internationally acclaimed DJ today, you would be a ….
I used to produce and host my own music television show, so I think I would have furthered my career in television. Or I may have even gone back to school to be a psychiatrist specializing in paraphilias (sexual deviance;)).

Is there somebody special in your life right now?
Yes, my manager Brian has been my boyfriend for 12 years now.

Describe Suzy Solar in 3 words.
Electric, eccentric, shining;)

And lastly, any message to your fans reading this!
I love you all! Muah! You’re like an extended family to me. Feel free to drop me a message on MySpace or Facebook!

Catch an exclusive guestmix by Suzy Solar on Radio KUL 112 with Simon Lee and Alvin. The first hour will be mixed by Simon Lee and Alvin, followed by an hour long mix by Suzy Solar. Airs Friday, 13th November 2009 on Mugasha.

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Follow Simon Lee and Alvin on Twitter and Facebook and find out more about Radio KUL at their official website.