Mugasha Aux

Boom Jinx is a solid guy. We were able to catch up with him in Miami and chat about the life of being an international DJ & producer and his upcoming album. Enjoy!

Great behind-the-scenes video with Mugasha favorites, Tritonal.  (it's even worth sitting through the long ad at the beginning, haha)

Thanks Tony for finding this one :)

Video after the break:

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

This week on Radio KUL, experience the wonder and magic of Heather Pollock aka Lo-Fi Sugar.

Already a star in her own right after being featured on Starchaser’s “So High,” 2009 has been an amazing year for this singer songwriter of 10 years. She collaborated with John O’Callaghan on “Never Fade Away,” the title track of his artiste album, which propelled her instantly to worldwide recognition and has gone on to potentially score the the dance anthem of this year. Now, she has crafted her new album Quadrilogy, a eclectic mix of traditional and electronic music.

It’s no surprise to us that Lo-Fi Sugar’s music reaches far and wide as many fans find themselves immersed in her lyrics and depth. She has invoked responses from people around the world who have fallen in love and formed a personal connection with her music.

Heather has worked with Paul van Dyk and Kuffdam, among many others, and together with musical partners Jean Marc Brissat and Cosmo Jones, she has developed a solid formation that creates a unique connection unique through Lo-Fi Sugar. Despite all this, she tells us her journey up to this point have been a contribution of coincidences and "pure serendipity."

Putting together a guesthost episode of Radio KUL is always a challenge for us. We can only hope we do justice to our special host by picking the right tracks from the discography and providing our guest enough opportunity to focus on the making of each track. We’re figures behind the decks, and our guesthost is the star of the night, providing vocals and reaching out to the audience. We want to bridge a connection between our featured artiste and you. Our hope is that wherever you tune in, we’ll transport you for the short time we have with you (perhaps even distract you), invoke some reactions (the kind that makes your heart skip a beat or gives you goosebumps), and bring upon some self discovery. That, and some really fantastic music.

We’re overjoyed to tell you that after many weeks, we’ve crafted an excellent edition of the show this week as Lo-Fi Sugar wonderfully perfected all the bits and pieces. So we absolutely cannot wait for you to listen to this week’s episode as Lo-Fi Sugar takes centerstage and travels with you on a journey of blissful beats and vocal magic during our 2 hour exclusive. It’s definitely a highlight for us.

Meanwhile, we had some time to speak with her and get some questions across for this Radio KUL Extra interview.

Lo-Fi Sugar

Hi Heather, how are things coming along?
Things are coming along quite nicely, how are you?

We’re doing great here. How did you get involved with dance music?
Pure serendipity: A few years ago a vocal producer/songwriter named Alexander Perls contacted me after hearing my songs on Myspace and asked me if I’d like to write some music together. Up to this point, I worked mostly within the indie/pop/folk world. The first vocals we wrote together were for the song ‘Haunted’ which was released on Paul van Dyk’s artist album “In Between”. That was the starting point of my journey into dance music and to this day I ask myself “How did I get so lucky?!?!?” I adore dance music and it has literally become the soundtrack to my life.

Your track with John O’Callaghan, “Never Fade Away” is massive and is on the way to be one of 2009’s records of the year. How did this collaboration come about?
Thank you! John and I became friends (and mutual supporters of one another’s music) after an introduction by a mutual friend. I fell in love with his work from the moment I heard it. We always talked about how wonderful it would be to collaborate and, when John went to work on his album “Never Fade Away” we got our chance. He is a true master of trance music and his heart seeps into every track he writes. I think every listener who comes across John’s music knows what a gift he brings to dance music.

Tell us more about tracks that you’ve done with Paul van Dyk, Ceeryl, and Kuffdam.
The second track Alexander and I did with Paul Van Dyk is called ‘Castaway’ and it is a song that is really close to my heart. The song was directly inspired from Paul’s beautiful track. The words and melody came to me very quickly, almost like they were meant to be! I had the great fortune of touring with Paul on his “In Between” album tour and performing ‘Castaway’ live. To sing that song in front of thousands of beautiful faces on stage with a man I utterly respect and admire…oh I just can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it was!

Alexander Perls and I also wrote for Scottish producer Kuffdam, who is so talented it’s ridiculous. We wrote ‘The Last Time’ which is a pretty sparse track vocally. The real genius of that song is in Kuffdam’s production –it’s dark, mysterious, and very sexy.

Ceeryl contacted me and asked if I’d like to collaborate with him. He sent me the demo for ‘Set On the Prize’ and I immediately knew it was something I wanted to work on. I had a feeling the vocals should be a little mischievous and playful. And that’s what they turned out to be. It was really great working with Ceeryl and he was very patient as I tried to perfect the melody for ‘Set On the Prize’. Twist My DJ Records, the label who put out the single, also released some really awesome remixes. They are not to be missed.

Of course we have to ask you about your track with Starchaser called ” So High.” That was the first Lo-Fi Sugar track for us. Who wrote it and how did you meet Starchaser?
What a great introduction to Lo-Fi Sugar music! Yes, we are extremely proud of ‘So High’. This was another track co-written by Alexander Perls and I think Starchaser absolutely perfected the track. Before we ever worked on this track, I heard Starchaser’s music on Myspace and thought they were brilliant. Then, a few months later, I found myself collaborating with them. So wonderful and magical the way life works!

Of all the tracks you’ve released, which do you think had the most response from listeners?
Hmmm…that’s a hard one. I know many people loved ‘So High’ and ‘Castaway’. More recently, though, I have been getting a lot of really beautiful feedback from fans of ‘Never Fade Away’. It’s so hard to say, you know? I think every song kind of has its season of response and appreciation. Right now, ‘Never Fade Away’ seems to really be resonating with the listeners.

What’s the most wonderful thing anybody has ever said about your music?
I am moved whenever anyone tells me they are somehow inspired by my music or my voice. It fills my heart with such a sense of joy I cannot describe. But, as odd, as this sounds, one of the greatest compliments I ever received came from my mom. She said “Heather, your dad has been playing ‘Never Fade Away’ over and over and over again! He’s showing it to everyone he knows and he even keeps trying to sing it!” I thought that was the cutest thing ever and it meant a lot to me that it moved him so much.

What else are you currently up to at the moment and will you perhaps be doing any live performances?
Thank you so much for asking. We are just about to release a full length Lo-Fi Sugar album and that is what I have been focusing on this last year. We are DEFINITELY going to bring the songs from this album live. We are currently working on preparing our live show and I think it’s going to be HOT!!! I love bringing on a show and it might be one of my favorite things to do artistically.

What can we expect from the full length album and will there be any collaborations on this album?
Yes! We will be releasing a full-length album called “Quadrilogy” next month. It is an album divided into four genres – Dance, Electro, Indie/eclectic and rock. The album is reflective of my love of many different styles of music. It was produced by (in my humble opinion) of the best talents on the planet, Jean Marc Brissat (Briss) and co-produced by my music partner Cosmo Jones who has been my music cohort for years. I think it’s some of the best work Lo-Fi Sugar has done to date and it’s very very very cinematic! Fans can preview the new album on our website.

Who are 3 of your favourite artistes at the moment?
Oh man! This one is soooo hard! Perhaps I’ll share with you my top 3 favorite female vocalists instead?
(in no particular order)
1. Audrey Gallagher
2. Jaren
3. Josie
Yup, those girls rock!

Is there a special person in your life right now?
(blush) Music is the special person in my life these days ;)

What’s currently playing on your iPod?
Oh this one is easy! At the moment I am totally in love with Emilie Simon. She is a French artist and her music blows my mind!

What’s your idea of a perfect holiday?
A perfect holiday is time spent with people I love. That may sound a little obvious or simplistic. But it’s the truth. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world or what the event is, as long as I have people I love and admire around me, I am happy.

Which person(s) in your life do you feel played an important role to inspire and encourage you to make music?
There are so many people who have inspired me and have played an important role in the evolution of Lo-Fi Sugar music, I could hardly name them all. I am truly humbled by the love and support I have been given throughout the years – in both high times and low. I must say, though, I couldn’t imagine doing music without my partners Briss and Cosmo. They are my pillars and I am really grateful to have them in my life.

How does it feel to be hosting this week’s episode of Radio KUL?
I feel privileged and honored and I really want to thank you for the opportunity. You are bringing a great service to the world, do you know that? How beautiful! To bring trance music to the ears of people all over the world! And to highlight artists like me? What an amazing service! I hope you stay inspired and I hope you’ll keep up the great work.

And lastly any message to your fans reading this.
To my fans I’d like to say a heartfelt “Thank You”. If I had one message for them it would be “My greatest wish for you is that you continue to seek music that inspires you, that moves you and that you, too, extend yourself in a way that inspires others.” Oh! And I’d also tell them this “I love you!” I do!

Join Lo-Fi Sugar as she guesthosts Radio KUL 108 with Simon Lee and Alvin. The show will also feature a guestmix from First State. Airs Friday, 16th October 2009 on Mugasha.

John O’Callaghan Feat Lo-Fi Sugar “Never Fade Away” and Lo-Fi Sugar’s new album Quadrilogy are out now.

More info :

Lo-Fi Sugar – http://www.lo-fisugar.com/

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

Belgium’s Franz Hlusek aka Fast Distance has had a string of hits such as “Pacifica,” “Verano” and more recently, “Big Ben.” He has remixed for Sunlounger, Three Drives, Angel Ace, Paul Miller and many more. His music has seen releases on Vandit, Alter Ego, Armada, and Vandit. He attributes his success in dance music to his early exposure to synthesizers and keyboards. Today, Fast Distance is one of the scene’s most sought after producer and has a lot more monster tracks that are waiting to be unleashed. With support for his releases from the world’s top DJs, he’s testimony that talent still carries substantial weight.

This weekend on Radio KUL, Fast Distance will guestmix the second hour of the show. We manage to catch Fast Distance for a few questions for this Radio KUL Extra exclusive interview.

Fast Distance

Hi Franz. Good to speaking with you today! How have you been?
Hi guys, I’m good thanks. Really busy at the moment in my studio.

Your remix for Three Drives “Automatic City” is absolutely fantastic. How did you manage to remix for the legends? What has the response been like?
I got the remix request from the producers. I tried to do something different from my usual style melody wise, and it seems to have worked well because the Above & Beyond guys have played it 3 weeks in a row on their Trance Around The World Radio Show and it was also voted ‘Web Vote Winner’. Someone told me that he heard my remix caned at a gig by Armin. So I’m pretty happy with the result.

Tell us about the 2 new EPs coming out on Magic Island and 1 on Vandit.
My track at Vandit called ‘Big Ben’ has been released recently. I’m really happy with this release because Vandit is one of my favourite labels. They are very professional and I’m proud to get my track signed by them. Paul van Dyk said himself that he loved it and that he played it at each of his gigs. They also invited me to provide a guestmix on Paul’s VONYC Sessions.

Regarding Magic Island, I did an EP with a Spanish friend of mine ‘Dimension’ and the other one is my ‘Puerta Del Sol’ follow up under my Suncoast alias. The tracks are featured on the new Magic Island compilation Vol.2 and I’m looking forward to the single releases.

Earlier this year, you created a storm with “Pacifica.” Which is your favourite remix on that release?
Yes the track had huge support from high calibre DJs like Armin, Paul Van Dyk, Tiësto, Above & Beyond and many others. I don’t have a favourite mix because they all have their particular touch.

What do you do when you’re not making music?
I spend time with my girlfriend, playing sport, going to the cinema or watching DVDs.

What’s your favourite Fast Distance release so far?
Hehe, that’s a hard question! I like most of them because I always use to do my best for each production.

And what’s your favourite track of the year so far?
“Pacifica” of course : )

What do you feel has been Fast Distance’s biggest accomplishments to date and who do you give credit to for that?
To sign my tracks on the world’s biggest trance labels, Armada, Vandit and Recoverworld and I’d like to thanks Roger Shah at Armada, the Vandit staff and Chris Hampshire because they trust in my music.

What else would you like to achieve?
Music is my life and my greatest passion, so I’d like to make music my main job.

Have you done any gigs recently and what’s your tour schedule looking like?
I played a few gigs in the UK, Netherlands and Germany and I’ll make my debut in France in October. But I’d like to perform more as a DJ and right now I’m looking for a DJ agency who would be interested to get me in their artist roster.

And lastly, any message to fans and friends reading this?
Thank all of you for your support and I hope to meet you at a gig in the near future.

Catch an exclusive guestmix by Fast Distance on Radio KUL 107 with Simon Lee and Alvin. The first hour will be mixed by Simon Lee and Alvin, followed by an hour long mix by Fast Distance. Airs Friday, 9th October 2009 on Mugasha. “Big Ben” and the Fast Distance remix of Three Drives’ “Automatic City” are out now.

More info :

Fast Distance – Myspace , Official Website, Facebook Group, Facebook Fan Page

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

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

One of trance music’s luminaries this year has got to be Dennis Sheperd. The 23 year old German has packed a punch and delivered outstanding productions ever since his musical adventures began in 2004. After securing our attention on “Not Too Late” in 2008 which received a lot of requests on Radio KUL, Dennis signed with Kyau and Albert’s Euphonic label. This year, together with his close friends tyDi, Steve Brian, and Cold Blue, he has crafted amazing tracks and remixes such as “Somehow,” “Mount Everest,” “Black Sun,” and “Yaya.” There has been no disappointments from Dennis so far, and we’ve invited him to guestmix on Radio KUL this week.

Here’s our exclusive interview with Dennis Sheperd in anticipation of this.

Dennis Sheperd

Hi Dennis. Thanks for speaking to us today. How are things?
Hi, thanks for doing this interview with me. Highly appreciated. Things are going really well at the moment.
My new single with Cold Blue called “Freefalling” is being promoted and should be out on High Contrast Recordings when this interview will be published.

We’re still really loving your track with tyDi and Marcie called “Somehow.” It will be included on Armin van Buuren’s Universal Religion 4. Tell us about the making of this track.
tyDi and I made friends via mySpace quite a while ago. After a few weeks he sent me a song-idea which I really, really liked. We decided to collab on it and after a week or so we had “Somehow” finished. It was nice working with tyDi and Marcie as they always put 100% of their energy into the releases. It was already finished in February this year and tyDi debuted it at Trance Energy in Utrecht, Netherlands, on the mainstage. After this we just did a bit fine-tuning again and then it was fully finished.

One of our favourite tracks of all time is “Not Too Late.” What’s your personal favourite production that you’ve released or remixed so far?
Thank you! It’s hard to tell which production of my own is my favorite as I really love every track I release. But I would say my latest release “Freefalling” (with cold Blue), which was by the way also sung by the same singer as in “Not Too Late”, Chloe Langley, and “Black Sun” (released earlier this year on Euphonic) are my favorites.

“Mount Everest” has of course been one of the year’s biggest tracks. What inspired this track?
Cold Blue has written the track. So this would be more a question to ask him. Maybe he visited Mount Everest some time ago or just dreamt about it, no idea. But what I can tell you is that I really liked the tune itself and instantly felt in love with it. That’s why I really wanted to remix it. I think the result turned out to be quite good. Above & Beyond were really happy with it as they included it into their “Anjunabeats Volume 7″ album. Also look out for Andy Moor’s compilation “Breaking The Silence Vol. 1″ which featured my remix as well.

Who are 3 DJs or producers who you are really inspired by at the moment?
As always: Kyau & Albert, Gareth Emery and Nic Chagall (Cosmic Gate)

Describe your music in 3 words.
Innovative, clubby and catchy.

What was it like touring Russia? What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen on the road?
It was just awesome. The craziest thing I’ve seen? No idea. But I can tell what has been the craziest thing I experienced myself: After my gig in Moscow, a few guys came to me and told me to put my CD package on the floor. I just thought they wanted to do a photo with me but then suddenly they took me and threw me in the air a few time. Man, what a feeling, so much emotions. I was really stunned and felt very honored that those guys just loved my music so much!

What are you currently listening to on your iPod?
“Kyau & Albert – Worldvibe” as well as “Paul Kalkbrenner – Berlin Calling”.

Which label do you think has been putting some really great music this year?
Euphonic of course as well as High Contrast.

What’s your favourite track of the year to date?
Dash Berlin with Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren – Man On The Run (Original Mix)

Are you working on something special at the moment?
You should look out for “4 Strings – Take Me Away (tyDi & Dennis Sheperd Remix)”. We have done it for Ministry Of Sound Australia and we are both really satisfied with the result. This also proves that our working-together was not just a one-time-thing. Maybe there will come a few other things as well, just keep your eyes and ears peeled.

What are your plans like for the rest of the year?
I want to keep the quality of my music on a high level as well as touring a bit more. I hope I can do some good remixes of quality releases (you have to know I’m very picky when it comes to remixing a tune). But let’s make it short: I will just continue with what I’ve been doing so far.

And lastly, any message for your fans reading this.
Please check out my new release called “Dennis Sheperd & Cold Blue – Freefalling” (High Contrast Recordings).
It was sung by Chloe Langley, who also sung on “Dennis Sheperd & Cold Blue – Not Too Late”, and co-written by Richard Bedford, who sang and co-wrote on “Alone Tonight” with Above & Beyond. For uplifting fans there’s the Cold Blue Mix (also as Dub) and for Progressive fans there’s my mix (also as Dub). If you would like to stay updated, just subscribe to my newsletter via the link on my Myspace page.

Catch an exclusive guestmix by Dennis Sheperd on Radio KUL 106 with Simon Lee and Alvin. The first hour will be mixed by Simon Lee and Alvin, followed by an hour long mix by Dennis Sheperd. Airs Friday, 2nd October 2009 on Mugasha. “Mount Everest” and “Freefalling” are out now.

More info

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

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

American DJ and producer Randy Boyer is often credited for infusing and evolving the sounds of the underground on chart topping singles from heavyweight dance labels over the past 6 years. He has collaborated with the late Eric Tadla as EnMass delivering several immortal tunes such as “CQ (Seek You)” and “Stemcell.”

Randy credits his success to “integrity, persistence and hard work.” Even though music has always been his passion, the road to the top was a slow but sure climb with no shortcuts. He personally took effort to learn the trade, connect with the players, and achieve his dream. It’s no wonder then that Randy also doubles up as life coach and motivator when he’s not making music.

Most recently, through his charity, Operation Give Life, Randy raises money for cancer research and he has collaborated with Heatbeat to form Heatboyer.

We catch up with the man of the moment, Randy Boyer, to talk about what he’s been up to.

Randy Boyer

Randy, it’s good to be talking to you today. How are you?
I am great, thanks for asking.

You’ve crafted amazing records for the world’s biggest music labels. How would you describe your sound?
Well I always try to innovate and produce a sound different than the typical trance sound. I have been calling my sound Nu Groove, which could be described best as electro trance. That is definitely my signature sound!

What’s your favorite production or remix to date?
Well I love all the music I make, but some of my favorites are “CQ (Seek You)” – EnMass, “Stemcell” – Randy Boyer & Eric Tadla, and “Happy Ending” – HeatBoyer, just to name a few. Oddly enough CQ was an earlier production of mine and Happy Ending is my most recent track, so it’s really important to me that the quality of my music only becomes stronger and evolves with time.

Your radio show, BUZZ, is also a podcast now. BUZZ has been running for quite a few years. What were some of the highlights of the radio run so far and what do you have in store for the near future?
BUZZ Radio is a 4 hour, weekly mix show on WKSS Kiss 95.7 in Hartford CT. USA. You can also listen online for free at www.kiss957.com from 12midnight till 4am EST on Saturday nights / Sunday Mornings. The show has been on the air for over 7 years now, and I have had every major EDM DJ on the show at least once, many of them more than that. I had Armin van Buuren perform an exclusive set for the show on it’s five year anniversary. I also have weekly guest mixes from some of the industries top DJ’s including Markus Schulz, Darude, Matt Darey, Kristina Sky, DJ Addison and many more occasional guests. Since Buzz is a four hour show, I have been able to do a lot with it. For example, I held a local DJ completion this May (2009) and out of 50 entries for the competition I awarded the two winners (Kyle Rayner and Funkhouser) with an opening slot at one of my gigs as well as guest mixes on the radio show. Buzz has been an amazing platform to reach so many fans worldwide. As for the future, I am currently brainstorming some type of celebration for the 100th episode of the podcast which will be coming up soon!

What are your current or upcoming plans like?
I have several releases scheduled, and remixes as well. My DJ schedule is pretty crazy as well. I’m heading over to Sweden & Finland in December for a weekend European tour, so really looking forward to that.

Your music takes you around the world. What’s the most interesting place you’ve been to so far?
I love traveling, so there are a few places. Santiago, Chile, El Salvador & Vancouver, Canada are some of the fun places.

The second annual Operation Give Life (OGL) 2009 was held in July. Tell us more about OGL and some of the artists involved. How was the response?
OGL is my annual fund-raising event for cancer research. I have always wanted to give back when ever my career finally put me in a place that allows me to do so. I am extremely proud of this event. It is basically one big trance show where all the proceeds are donated towards cancer research and treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. Besides ticket sale donations I really try to rally up my fans in the months before the show to start donating (even if they cannot attend the show). In the past 2 years I have raised over $4000 for the cause and plan to raise a lot more in the future. This year Tritonal were my guest DJs and the response was amazing. There is nothing like a room full of EDM lovers in one room all for the same cause! I can’t thank everyone enough for helping out and I encourage everyone to continue to support OGL each and every year. In the future I hope to bring on board several other top DJs as well.

Your remix of Coldplay’s “Fix You” is totally rocking! Why did you choose this as theme for this year’s OGL?
Thank you! The song “Fix You” is probably one of my favorite tunes by Coldplay, and the live version is just amazing. The words, chord progressions and emotion when he sings the song just strikes it home with me. Originally it was written for the survivors of hurricane Katrina, but after listening to the song deeply, it could fit cancer victims and anyone who is suffering from a tragic loss. I thought it was a perfect song for the theme and I really tried to give the tune an uplifting feel in my mix as well.

What’s your record of 2009 so far?
HeatBoyer – Happy Ending [ISTMO Music]

Tell us about your personal life. Are you single or married?
I am engaged.

We’ve been told that besides being a musician and DJing, you’re also a life coach?
I love helping people, that’s just who I am. It’s in my family. If I can help someone in music production or djing or in anything in life, I love connecting. I actually have a special section on my forum at www.randyboyer.com/forum where I invite my fans to go in there and post any questions they may have about DJing, music production, how to make it in the music business, etc. It’s a great place for fans to connect.

You’ve mentioned that you’re working on a remix for Tritonal. Can you clue us in about this?
Yes, I am currently remixing one of there new massive tunes “Kiss Me Here”. Its a jam! We also wrote an amazing tune together called “Myogenic” which will be finished shortly.

And lastly, any words to fans reading this interview!
I want to thank all of you for all the support and I really hope to catch you all at a live gig soon! Make sure to check out my website www.randyboyer.com and also sign up for my newsletter, its free and I give away many of my remixes and live mix recordings from my shows. Also hit up the Facebook, Twitter & Myspace as well.

Catch Randy Boyer’s remix of Coldplay “Fix You” on Radio KUL 104 with Simon Lee and Alvin. Airs Friday 18th September 2009 on Mugasha. You can find out more about Operation Give Life at www.operationgivelife.org. “Happy Ending” by Heatboyer (Heatbeat & Randy Boyer) is out now on Istmo.

More info :

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

Moonbeam Is All For A Dance

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