We’re excited to have you back in Vancouver on Friday, June 12th at Rain Ultraclub! What can we expect to hear from you? Do you have any special surprises in store for us?

I’m excited to be there! You can expect a good mix of melodic progressive trance, lots of energy and although I don’t plan my sets before hand I’m sure there will be a few surprises in store!

Having spent so much time in the music industry, you clearly have dozens and dozens of productions, remixes, and collaborations under your belt. Which would you say you hold the most dear to your heart, and why?

I don’t really look back to my old productions in that way other than to learn for the future. I use my old productions as tools to analyze areas of improvement. If I had to choose one it would be one of my lesser known tunes, such as Cry for Help with Leama & Moor which isn’t an EDM tune.

We want to congratulate you on 100 releases on your label AVA Recordings! If you had to pick your top five songs out of those hundred, what would they be?

That’s a tough one:
1) Ashley Wallbridge – Shotokan
2) David West – Make U Mine
3) Orkidea – Metaverse (Gareth Emery remix)
4) Andy Moor & Orkidea – Year Zero
5) Somna & Jennifer Rene – Because You’re Here

Some of your very popular and timeless classics, such as Air For Life and Halcyon, still circulate the trance airwaves to this day. Looking back at these tracks, what was your inspiration and are you still a fan of them yourself?

I’m still a fan yes and do still like this style. My inspiration is normally made up from positive situations / people / other music etc. I sometimes try to make music with a different ‘feeling’ to it, but without realizing the end outcome normally ends up with this similar type of feeling.

There have been many radical changes in the electronic music scene over the last few years. Have you found that you’ve had to evolve a lot to stay relevant in a rapidly growing business, or do you feel unaffected by it due to your solid foundation in the scene and large fan base?

I don’t feel like I need to adapt as much as maybe new producers have to. I’m lucky in that I have fans that have been following my music for a while therefore its a privilege to be able to stick my neck out and not follow the herds. I still like to develop and adapt to the climate, but not just make a certain style just because it’s popular or commercial. For example, I like the higher energy in the clubs / arenas but I look at other ways to create that same energy, rather than the formulaic paint by numbers style which you hear so often. It’s just not that rewarding to producer or play.

How has the rise of social media platforms as an advertising tool affected your career? Do you see this as a positive or negative change?

I accepted this change a while ago and have no choice but to embrace it, but try to use it in a way that isn’t full of my selfies etc and can either be educational, funny / entertaining or informative about my upcoming music / gigs. Personally I don’t see it a big positive. Unfortunately people are influenced by social media, rather than music and that cannot be a good thing for the quality / diversity of music. There are of course many positives too, but personally it has allowed the marketing companies control who is / is not popular which restricts musical tastes.

Let’s switch gears to a more technical question. You’ve had a tremendous influence on the trance genre over the years with your signature style. Can you tell us one of your favourite production techniques?

I try to change them up, even though sometimes they may sound the same. I never use a template, always start fresh with new sounds / samples etc therefore there might not be as much of a technique as you may think, but the output often has similarities. One thing I like to do is mess with vocals. I think it has a psychological effect on the brain that is hard to replicate with instruments. I do this in various ways depending on the outcome I am looking for.

What advice would you give to aspiring producers who are still trying to shape their sound and create a name for themselves?

I would stick to what they believe in, rather than what others tell you is popular. If you start with a few fans who really dig what you are doing or 100,000 fans who think you are popular right now it really doesn’t matter. If you build up slowly and don’t expect instant success I believe you have more chance of a longer career.

What’s the most memorable gig you’ve had? The worst one?

Tough one! They are all memorable for various reasons (bit of a cop out answer I know) but it’s true. Whether a small room or huge stadium. As for the worst one – It will be whilst playing in China in the early 2000’s and suddenly there was a mass exodus on the dance floor when Manchester Utd. started playing on the big screen. I didn’t realize it was a Manchester Utd. supporters club!

Finally, what’s the most twisted thing that has happened to you whilst on tour?

I put some shoes in my luggage whilst playing in South America many years ago, and when I traveled through Columbia they were replaced with old shoes with many holes in that were 4 sizes too small! I believe that a baggage handler at an airport switched them with his own lol…. I hope he had more use out of them than I had out of his!

Enjoy the sounds of trance connoisseur Andy Moor as he makes
his return to Vancouver on Friday, June 12th at Rain Ultraclub!