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DJ Silas pres. Trance Dummies Vol 4
[Alaa on left/Steve Angello on right]Alaa is a trance and house producer/DJ based in Sweden. As the co-founder of Nellie Recordings along with his partner Kristoffer Ljungberg, Alaa is a rising talent with a solid style that is receiving more and more recognition by major players in the industry with each release. His creative and melodic style has attracted the attention of many major DJs who are currently supporting his tracks such as DJ Tiësto, and Steve Angello.
We reached Alaa to discuss how he first became involved in the scene and requested a little more insight on his latest projects as well as the developments over at Nellie Recordings.
Can you tell us more about your musical history?
I started out as a DJ in a club owned by my brother. I think it was 2001 or 2002. Back then; I listened to lots of trance music and also some hip-hop. I also started producing, mostly uplifting trance; 138-140 bpm. The only software I used was Reason. I produced lots of tracks without any success. 2004 I moved and took a break from deejaying. In 2005 I switched to Ableton Live and that improved my productions dramatically. My productions became more progressive. I signed my first tracks to Metallic Recordings using an alias, Transparance. In 2007 I started deejaying again and listened more and more to house music. Mostly progressive house and I decided to start Nellie Recordings. In 2008 I almost closed down Nellie Recordings, and that's when I met Kristoffer.
When did you first team up with Kristoffer Ljungberg, and how did you two meet?
We met each other on the net, don't really remember how, but I guess it was thanks to some house forums. I told him about Nellie Recordings and we decided to keep the label going. He helped me promoting my first house production under my real name, the tracks were Dust and Why. No huge success, but then we signed two tracks by Audible. Moments and Forever was supported worldwide by DJs like Tiësto and Steve Angello. I think that gave us that little extra boost, and look where we are today!
Please describe why Kristoffer is a good partner to work with both on a music and business level.
Kristoffer knows what he wants and he is honest all the time. When giving me feedback on my productions, he always pushes me to the limit and doesn't stop until everything sounds perfect. That helped me a lot and I think it's thanks to him that I'm able to do what I do in the studio. It's all about perfection.
How did you feel when you released your first track?
My first release wasn't supported at all, that's as far as I know and when it was released it felt kind of cool, but have to say that I was a bit disappointed and didn't feel anything special at all.
What part of Sweden are you from and can you describe your area?
I am from a city called Linköping. I think it's the 5th biggest city in Sweden and there is a lot of industries going on here. They are good in sports here, like Hockey and Soccer.
What is the scene like in Sweden in regards to trance nightclubs?
I don't think it's that good actually. House is getting more and more attention here, and as far as I know there aren't that many trance parties here anymore.
What does your production set up consist of?
It's very simple. I use Ableton Live as the main software, or I'd say I do everything in Ableton Live ;) I've got a PCI soundcard from M-Audio, might change that before the end of the year. Midi keyboard is a M-Audio Keystation 49. Monitors are a pair of Fostex PM0.5. Both Midi keyboard and the monitors was owned by Tristan Garner when he was in Sweden studying, but I bought them from him when he moved back to France.
What is your favorite piece of hardware and software?
Ableton Live!
Which aspects of the music business do you enjoy the most?
First of all, I love being out deejaying, so I think that's my favorite part of this business. I can't describe how I feel when dropping one of my own tunes and I see how people love it! When producing I like the excitement when sending out promos, it's something special about getting feedback or radio plays, that's how you know you've succeeded after all the hard work in the studio.
How long did the preparation and groundwork take before you were able to launch Nellie Recordings?
A couple months I think. I made some quick decisions and decided to give it a try. Now after I teamed up with Kristoffer, things got a bit easier and the hard work seems to finally pay off.
Is Nellie Recordings currently looking to sign new artists? If so, where can potential producers send a demo?
Nellie is all about talents, so we are always looking for new music and new artists. Upload demos to: http://soundcloud.com/nellierecordings/dropbox
Do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to mention?
Yeah, there are a couple of originals finished and some unfinished. Kristoffer and me are working on another collab release. We hope to release another EP together before the end of 2009. I might also work with a new alias in the near future. It's an alias for commercial house releases, we'll see what happens ;)
Any additional comments for your fans?
Love you all! Thanks for all your support!
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