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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna |
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Interview with the Tranzaction Team — Chris Johnson aka Avaline & Charlie G
Reported by Tranzaction
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Submitted 18-06-05 16:15
Avaline aka Christian Johnson is Promotions Director and Founder of club night Tranzaction, which has now been throwing events for over five years at its weekly home in Cornwall's L2 nightclub. As well as running tours up and down the country, they've collaborated with the likes of Escape, Koolwaters and Bionic. He is responsible for making the night and brand one of the strongest and most respected in the scene. Moving into production was a natural progression for a man who has been involved in the hard dance scene for over a decade.
Charlie G, Tranzaction’s main resident DJ, has been with the team for over two years. Still only 20 years old, he also helps to co-promote the brand. The launch of Tranzaction Recordings has led to Charlie becoming one of the youngest record label managers in the industry.
We catch up with the team behind one of the South West’s leading hard nights and one of the scene’s newest record labels, ahead of their highly anticipated second release – Avaline’s ‘Never Sever.’
Avaline
How old are you both?
Avaline: Somehow I’m now 31 years old.
Charlie G: 20.
For those who don’t know you, please give us some background.
Avaline: I was brought up in South Wales and went to my first free dance party when I was working in Oxford two days after I left school. I have a beautiful daughter named Lauren who is now 12 years old. I started getting involved in helping out at dance events at 16 and started Tranzaction nights in March 1999.
Charlie G: I’m born and bred in the South West, started playing out in clubs at 15 and I’m a qualified sound engineer. I’ve been resident and part of the Tranzaction promotions team for over two years, and was recently given the opportunity to do the label.
Tell us about the label?
Avaline: The label was set up by me and L2 club owner Tim Vigus to represent what we do at the club and push the brand and sound internationally. I’m working with Charlie on our third release so it’s really still a baby.
Charlie G: Due to the increased success and recognition for our night, the next step for us was to push our sound. We only planned to do things on a really small scale but the material we’ve got together has been so well received, things have quickly changed.
What makes your label so different?
Avaline: We have no silly ideas of making a fortune or following trends, we just believe in what we are doing and want to present it to the world. Dance music represents a lifestyle for us. Basically as it says on the disco bag, the label ‘dares to be different’, I just hope that we can be part of keeping things fresh and exiting and pushing the boundaries.
Charlie G: We just want to push the music we know rocks our floors and excites DJs and clubbers alike. We’re aiming to be different from the pack in order to create something very special and individual, which I’m confident we have done with our first two releases.
Charlie
How and why did you make a move into production?
Avaline: I had the pleasure of putting a few ideas in when Gaz West and Miss Chif produced our first release ‘Stand Tall’ and ‘Go Away’. The reason I chose to go into the studio was because I really wanted to make a distinctive sound that represented Tranzaction and after over a decade of listening to and being involved in dance music, I really needed to get the ideas out of my head and into the clubs. I needed to know what the response would be.
How did the idea for ‘Never Sever’ come about?
Avaline: The idea has been in my head since the first time i heard the Placebo classic ‘Pure Morning’ many years ago, a sort of indy/punk love song, and after a breakdown with the relationship with my fiancée after 13 years, the lyrics seemed fitting. By 'Never Sever' I sorta wanted to say to her even though we are apart I will ‘never’ forget the good times and will always be there for her, god that sounds cheezy as fuck, but you did asked!
How much input did you have on the final product?
Avaline: I spent a long night at my good friend Mark Thomas’s house with him trying to lay the guitar bits down in many different forms and get it right. Then I got on the case with the vocals massive. Thank you to the hugely talented, Gema James, for getting it bang on at the first attempt and understanding my shaky explanation. Then we went on a five hour drive to Monitor Studios to meet the daddy Gaz ‘Dark by Design’ West and laid out all the bits. I think that I’m probably a right pain in the ass for Gaz trying to push him away from the norm but he’s such a talented guy we sort of met in the middle with both mixes and the final product was perfect!!
What are your influences?
Avaline: I listen to many kinds of music and I think that anything that is genre defyingly new and exiting influences me.
Avaline
How do you feel about the response for the track?
Avaline: I knew that we were on to something the minute it was played in the club but the response from the promo run was outstanding. You could sense real excitement from artists such as Lab-4, Proteus, Ed Real, Alex Kidd, Vinylgroover etc… about the tune and they are all people I respect. Seeing your ideas come to life and played to thousands of people who respond with smiles and hands in the air is something else! I get goose pimples every time I hear it, so yes I’m very happy with the response, it was unexpected but appreciated.
Charlie G: It has been unbelievable, it’s without doubt the most anticipated tune of this year. All the big players have been on it since the start, with the likes of Anne Savage tipping as “The tune of the summer”, and all the press reviews have been outstanding. To be able to get this response with a small budget and no advertising speaks volumes, as we intended.. it’s purely about the music.
What plans ideas do you have for the future?
Avaline: I have written a few more bits and will be getting the vocals down for the first real soon. I want to try and close the techno/trance/hardstyle boundry and try and combine them, but also keep pushing the guitar based stuff, flickering vocals and hold back on the real kick and energy of a tune until its not expected. It’s almost become like an addiction listening out for new sounds, ideas and scribbling down vocals and I’m really exited about getting back in the studio to see what happens.
Charlie G: Obviously as a DJ I have loads of ideas, you always pick up little bits from tunes you like/dislike, whether it be hard dance or hip hop. I would love to be able to put all the different elements in my head together and play out my own material, keeping it energetic, fresh and exciting.
Charlie
Who would you like to collaborate with?
Avaline: Mauro Piccoto, System of a Down, Yoji Biomehanika and DBD in the same studio on the same day (in my dreams of course).
Charlie G: Vinylgroover, Steve Murano and Marco V, but I’d have to force them all away from sticking to their trademark sound, and come out with something hot!
Avaline, do you have any plans to move into DJing?
Avaline: Well its never really jumped out at me but I’m always under pressure to learn and have promised to do a small set at the club a few times so its on the cards I suppose. In a year’s time when I have enough material it would be amazing to be able to play it out. If I thought I could be really good at something then I would do it but I don’t and I suppose its finding someone who can be arsed to teach someone who can’t really be arsed to learn. It will be a challenge but hey never say never.
Avaline – ‘Never Sever’ is on sale now, available from all good record shops, the 12” features the main hard dance/hardstyle mix as well as the DbD + Chris Tranzaction electro mix.
All photos courtesty of Tranzaction. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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