Oct 25, 2001 - Text: Diogo - Photos: Dreamlab

So , when , how and why did Dreamlab started??

Dreamlab started in March 1997, when we did our first public Chill Out Area, at a techno party . We say public because the real origin of what we do comes with the experience of doing private Chill Out parties with friends. That´s how it really started. We already had the conscience that we could do more seriously when the first oportunity came, and haven´t stopped since then.

Who are the persons behind it (productin/dj´s)

Dreamlab is a three persons team: Paulo, Isabel and Gi. We share between us all the responsabilities of production and creation, and we are all Dj´s: Dj High, Dj Las´Hark and Dj Headonic, by the name order.

You guys started to make some chill out partys in Sintra , bringing to Portugal names like Deep Dive Corporation and Atmos in his more chilled project Echolab - The partys started at lunch time and finished at about midnight - this is a really new concept of party here in Portugal... can you tell me where this idea came from and did it work??Did the public showed up?? What was the concept of this partys and what you had to offer to the public??

The Chill Out Afternoons are an old dream. The concept is to create a Chill Out environment, one energy, and let people enjoy all that surrounds them... It isn´t only the music, it is a way of being, of enjoying certain things that we don´t have the chance at other places. Chill Out or die...and you can do it at any time, not just at night. In a comfortable room in Sintra, just outside Lisbon we gathered three foreign artists and the best nationals to make the opening of Chill Out Events in Portugal. Everybody that was there enjoyed and the ones who only heard about it are looking forward to go...

Tell us a little bit about the music that is being played at your partys . Do you think the chill out music is a growing market??Is it with a good wealth??Is the music changing and evoluting???

It could be a growing market, but it needs impulse. From the public, that has to be enough to suport more releases, from the artists imagination in bringing the diversity of sounds that Chill Out is, and finally from the who sellls it to the people, that need to get good catalogues, concentrated on this music.
If it is changing and evoluting?
Yes, of course. Chill Out Music is not a style of music, it is a fusion between several kinds of music. So you can find Chill Out in a lot of places.
But it could use a kick. Specially in electronic styles. Sometimes we have to search deep to keep diversity and quantity. And out there are a lot of Chill Out musicians that need to be released.
We are trying to gather new releases on Chill Out through Ketuh Records from Portugal. To any editors interested in selling to us, or even artists to be released, contact us.

In Boom festival , you guys were encharged of the chill out - five days of non stop music in one of the most beautifull decorated chill out I ever saw... Talk a little bit about that experience , who were the main live/dj´s , how did it went and was it hard to push it out??

BoomFestival2000 was our biggest challenge.
We had the chance and the means to create a new decoration, and to have playing with us a good line up of dj´s and live acts. 120 hours of continuous Chill Out that are recorded in a lot of minds, and it was the first step to open up to different people and show more of what is Chill Out and what we do. A big thank you to all that cooperated. 6 Tell me about you relationship with GoodMood - when and how did it started .
At the same time we did our first Chill Out we saw a trance party flyer, from GoodMood. We knew trance but we didn‚t knew of any parties. We went, and we found this incredible good mood atmosphere in the main floor. And it had a Chill Out, imagine. But for us it needed something more. And there was a flyer for BoomFestival97, the first. The flyer had this note about people joining the event with news ideas. So we talked to then, and Paulo started playing in the Chill Out. Boom97 Chill Out Area was already being prepared by them. After that we started doing all their Chill Out Areas and havent stopped since then. We developed our work at their parties, that were growing faster. For us, their were the first party producers to believe that Chill Out is an independent area that needs attention and money as the other areas. It is not the end of the party, poor, with the material and dj´s left from the main floor.
And the bigger and better you do it, more are the people that come and enjoy.

If someone is making a party and want´s to have a Dreamlab chill out - is it possible??What can you guys do???Just arrange some dj´s or take care of everything???What do you have to offer to trance promoters??

We have to offer to any party and event producers (not just for trance...) the complete Chill Out Area. We create and produce all the decorations, lighting and substructures for the visual area and provide the comfort due to a Chill Out.
We arrange the Line Up, including our dj´s, and do all booking management. We organise the stage management of the area, all technical and maintenance questions, important not only in one night parties but specially in festivals.
The producer has to give us a space to do the Chill Out, three phase electricity, the P.A. and other sound devices for live acts. The budget presented includes the area production expenses and our cachet.
This description above is the complete work we offer. But we can also be booked only as dj´s, or as decorators for areas in all sort of events, bars, clubs.
For any information just contact:
Dreamlab
e-mail: chilloutordie@hotmail.com
mobile: +351.96.26757338

So... let´s look forward... what are the plans for the future??

We are going to continue to do all Chill Outs with Good Mood here in Portugal.
And we want to do more Chill Out Afternoons. At the moments the existing Chill Out scene is not big enough to suport big expenses with foreign artists and great decorations. We decided to organise a simple and nice area for three more events and try to make the scene grow by showing what it is. We believe that this concept has a lot of potencial and we have to give the people time to find it and then it will be stronger. We leave in the air the invitation to all dj´s and live acts that want to cooperate in giving the impulse Chill Out needs, to come and play with us. We can´t pay any cachets...Talk to us if you are interested.
From September on we are going to give another step in Chill Out scene development. A radio program, two hours a week, friday from 00/02h on Radio Oxigénio at 102.6FM, only for Lisbon area. Dreamlab will host music sessions, guests and info on all that happens on Chill Out. Once again, feel free to contact us and give any info on what is done outside Portugal.
And we invite all that want to receive Dreamlab electronic mailing to suscribe to the e-mail above.

In a psychedelic trance event , how important can it be the chill out area ?? How can it help to a psychedelic experience?

It is very important! Chill Out gives the relaxing and human side of the psychadelic experience. You can sit comfortable, lower the body beats, talk, feel, dance with the mind. It is essential to go deep inside.
If the Trance floor is made for listening music and dancing, the Chill Out is made for that and a lot more...
We know people that only achieved certain stages of the experience when they started to...chill out.

So... last question... In our modern society , we see more and more persons going out to dance, trying to get some contact with nature and with other persons... why do you think this is happening ??? Are people trying to have a revolution in their way of living looking back to their roots???

Yes, in a certain way. Society in general is going the opposite way, that the party people. So we tend to find in the nature area the site to gather with our way of being. It gives the perfect isolation from what is outside, and the scenario to feel good...wild nature...
We leave a thought:
If we go to nature to have fun, we should respect it. People generally prefer to throw away the glass at their own feet instead of walking two meters to the garbish bag. The fact that you pay a ticket doesn´t give you the right to destroy the place that you choose to be your shelter...

PLUR is real in actions, not words.