interview

I n t e r v i e w

Hey Superfreaks
here is an interview of DJ Shawnodese, who´s name squired my way through the Psytrance universe for a lot of years. We changed E Mails for a long time, without seeing or hearing each other, but after I heard him playing for the first time in “Butan Club Wuppertal” it was sure that I want to introduce him to all of you.

who are you, where do you live?

Ok, my real name is Gosse Beerda, living right now in Amsterdam since 1996, before living in the north of Holland. I am 34 now, will become 35 in May.

what are you doing when you´re not playing music?

Right now I am not doing anything next to my musicactivities. I used to do many jobs next to it, from bartender to working in coffeeshops. I got really tired of all that and don't feel like working in places like that no more for shitmoney and working your ass off.Right now I try to live of what I make as a dj, which is not always easy, but at least satisfying. Further on I am busy with Mind Funk, a party and musicconcept I am slowly putting together with 2 amazing friends here in Amsterdam, it evolves slowly, but surely. We wanna give it time and do it properly, the idea is to make something different happen at parties and really make the roof go off and make people feel good and treated well. We also have the idea to start in international artist-database, in which people will be able to log into and check all sorts of artists, from firejugglers, to trapezeacts, to dj's and vj's, lightjockey's, steltwalkers and so on. Next to that Nikos/Arara, one of my partners and me try to get booked as much as possible to spread our message of partying hard by playing descent strong psy/progressive trancesets. And next to all this I just started producing my first track...and more are definitely coming I'm sure.

how did you come to music, did you play other instruments/music before you came to psytrance?

My music-education started pretty young, playing different sorts of flutes, something I liked in the beginning, but lost interest, always being forced to go it became more of a curse then a pleasure. I even started disliking music untill I got 13, 'cause the only thing I ever heard was my dad's classical music (of which I appreciate some stuff highly today.). Thanks to my sister I slowly got into the whole New Wave thing at the time, which quickly ran over into serious hardcore and punk...hehe, fucked up kid I was...haha! I've been very active in that scene, always going to concerts and organized a lot myself as well. I also played a bit of bassguitar in a sloppy fucked-up punkband for a bit and I have been trading music in that scene a lot. People were recording anything and swapping it allover the world, thanks to magazines like Maximum Rock'n Roll(USA) and Koekrant(Amsterdam) at the time. After listening to Dead Kennedy's, MDC, Entombed and Slayer for many years, I met this funny guy in a wheelchair telling me he was throwing a houseparty and invited me, this was back in '91. I heard some house and acid before that night and thought it was funny, but that first night on a good party....I noticed my legs started itching straight away and I loved that hard deep kick and thundering basslines rumbling through my stomach. The next week...I bought my first tunes !!!

what is your style, how and when did you come to trancemusic, to producing,
to your first gigs?

Well, I would personally say that I play descent asskicking buttwigglin' psychedelic tunes, that would be my definition. The way I got into it all, well, this is thanks to this wheelchairdude and his brother...also in a wheelchair. The got me into the whole partything seriously. We used to do parties together as MBD System in the north of Holland. Just a bit later, about half a year I think, I walked into some other people, I was doing Kung Fu with one of 'em for a while and he told me one day they were doing parties as well and I should come by. That was the first time I really got introduced with what people called the "Goa-sound". Slowly from there I got totally triggered with all the mental frequencies and sounds used in this music. I really loved deep tribal and psy-techno at the time, also alot of Acidtrance, but this new thing...really got me by the balls. I started looking everywhere for these tunes, but to be honest....I could hardly find any. One of the firs at the time was Overlords-Sun Down, but it was very rare for this kind of music to come out on vinyl. Those new freinds of mine all played these funny dat-machines...and you couldn't find one track of what they played....it drove me insane...haha! So..decided to buy a DAT as well and started collecting "hard-to-get-stuff" as well, next to buying vinyl, that slowly started to come out around '92...'93, with the first Dragonfly tunes and some MWNN here and there. If you compare that with nowadays and how much music is being released now, than you can for sure say this whole thing turned into a big moneymaking businessmachine, but more about that later. So basically, thanks to these travelling maniacs, called the Cosmic Warriors, partly living in the north of Holland, I am where I am now and I say Bom Shankar to my brothers for that, they know who they are. Also thanks to all these guys I got my first gigs and the chance to show my love for this music to an audience.

what is going on in your local scene?

At the moment, I think the scene in Amsterdam is very healthy and alive, compared to the last 4 or 5 years, though there is still to much ego and competition and distrust going on. The typical thing in this city I see, is that people never really join eachother. There is always one group succesfull for a few years...mostly not open to collaborate truly with others, 'cause they are at the top allready, so why should they?(arrogance..I think.) and then the rest starting to backstab and complain about it, without showing the right example. Of course we all have that tendency now and then, we're all human after all, but this has been killing the scene for many years here, at least in my eyes. Right now, there is a lot more coorporation and I see a lot of fresh new people with good input. A lot of the old "elite" disappeared and I'm happy about it. There are quite a few groups doing parties, of which Empathy and 9 Lifes of Hofmann the most frequent, but not the best in my eyes. To be honest, I love the parties in Amsterdam for it's cozyness and the liberty you feel there, no paranoia about smoking a spliff or so, so it's all very shanti...but a bit to much for me now and then. I miss good dj's and live-acts. Mostly it's the same bunch of friends and a cliche live-act like Space Tribe or Sun Projekt...but of course that is all a matter of taste as well, so not for me to judge about, but still....I have the right to have my taste, and I simply don't get satisfied in this city to much. There are some good asskicking dj's here. My respect goes out to guys like Zen & Ocean from Psykick Prod., Danyel and Manuel from Uphonic Recs. and my partner Nikos, who for me is the most promising talent in Holland right now. He simply kicks ass...!!! And of course our local favourite psywarrior La Nebuleuse, who I simply love for his devotion and love for this music and it's message...and for the balls he has to still promote mental psytrance.

what does trancemusic mean for you, how importand is trance for you, what
do you use it for?

Wow...well, that is quite a story. Let's start with the basics and say that for me this music in the first place is pure healing. I had so many parties where I came with dose of frustrated energy, as we all have now and then....and felt so utterly released at the end of a party. In my eyes it is what all the ancient tribes of this planet have done before, to get into a state of trance and release all negative energy. After that a whole lotta doors open and you can go anywhere you choose and live your own adventure on this music, with or without the help of a mind-expanding substance. It is what all our ancestors did to release and feel the unity with ALL. It is about our cosmic connection, to where we come from and where we will all go. I had so many beautifull and lifechanging experiences while listening to these wonderfull sounds and letting myself being taken away by them. Many moments I exploded in pure joy, tears rolling over my cheeks, simply 'cause of those frequencies clearing all barriers, made with so much love for it and simply healing my inner being, together with many others. I get chickenskin writing it right now....that's what this music is about for me, the tribal dance...feeling the rhythm of the Universe.

what do you think about our scene and where do you think are we going to?

To be honest, I wouldn't have a clue, but I have good hope for this music. I don't know where it will head in directions of it getting really big and being the ultimate sort of music for people on earth, to be honest....I don't think so. There is still to much thinking amongs us humans like "us & them". There are still to many people in our scene pretending to be something special, more than others, just 'cause they know a little secret. I am happy to see how psytrance and the progressive side of things melted together and also a lot of breakbeat/jungle and techno-influences fused with psytrance lately, that more barriers are being broken down and people meet again with different musical backgrounds. It has been to long all devided in "Goa", "Techno", "Breakbeat" and all that. I do believe we need it now and then to know what we are talking about, but I don't like people being stuck and only liking "their thing" and to hate what others do. To many people in our scene have been behaving like they are some sort of Gods...knowing what it is all about, just 'cause your silly ass has been down in Goa, they saw the "real thing" and had some mindexpanding experiences on some sort of drug. We are all humans or at least something like it and all have the same value. Some people might be unknowing, but isn't it the task of the ones who do know....to help and show the right way? Instead of sitting high on the mountain and smoking chillums all day....pretending to know all, but not share knowledge with love? And oh my God...if you dared to pass the chillum with your left hand....you were about to get chopped in bits and pieces....haha! To much for me and I'm glad to see it changed, though I don't like the new trend either...and this is to call everybody liking psy/goatrance a "fucking-got-stuck-hippy". Like I said...we are all of the same value. Musicwise....this scene will only develope more and more I think. The quality of production will only increase, 'cause technically things advance so intensely quick right now. Anything impossible a few years ago, you can do with the slightest bit of effort nowadays. All the programs being invented for making music, all the dj-gear and equipment for musicians....it's unstoppable I think and I see great future developments in it.

what are your releases/events until now?

Well, to be honest, I have been freaking a bit here and there in studios of friends, I got invited by quite a lot of people, also really good artists to come and work with them....but so far never really finished anything. I always knew I wanted to focus on my playing and to get known for doing that with alot of positive input and playing killersets. Besides that, only lately I feel it is possible for me to do both, since they both cost a lot of money, but now with all the possibilities to make music, without having to buy a million dollar studion straight away...it's all a lot more in reach. I am slowly planning to build up a studio with my partner Nikos. We got the first gear for it and when he's moving in with me, things will probably take off soon. Apart from this, I have finally managed to get a first track done, though some minor adjustments might still be done afterwards. It's a projekt with a dear friend in Berlin, named HighKo(Heiko) and we just simply decided to make a track. It worked out pretty well for a first one. I don't know what else will come, but also him and me plan to do some more for the future....it's seriously itching now. About some gigs/events I played, I did a 2-year residency in Trance Buddha in Amsterdam, played for Adodisc and 3rd Mind Records, played for Mushroom, Empathy, D.O.P., Earthdance,Mind Funk..all of these in Amsterdam, Antaris Projekt '99, '00, '01, NYE in Mexico this year and in Bali 2 years ago. Many parties in clubs or small underground places from Natraj Temple in Munich, to Atisha & Juiceclub in Hamburg , Que Club and Subway City in Birmingham for Spacehopper. Trancemission in Leicester. Space Family in Nurnberg, Goat Ranch, Psybration and Senseblender in Belgium, Athom in Copenhagen, Friends, lovers and family in Israel, Pfefferberg and Insel der Jugend in Berlin, RTTS' 5th Anniversairy in Germany-Open Air and many others...

what are your futurities, upcoming releases, upcoming parties?

Right now I might go to Israel to play this weekend, but it's all a bit risky right now and the organizer, a good friend, wants to make sure it's all safe and right now he's not sure, so I don't know right now. Further I got some nice gigs in Hamburg and Berlin coming up and and lotsof interest from the UK, though nothing is sure yet,there are some things hanging in the air direction London, Birmingham, Leicester and Liverpool, but it's all taking time. Patience is a nessecairy good in this business....and friends !!! Also there is a plan to make a big party in co-production with a new Swedish label called Psyforce and their friends here in Amsterdam, known as Psychedelic Sceneries....and some other smaller Mind Funk thingies happening.

what was the best, funniest, strangest or ugliest experience in your carreer?

The ugliest experience I ever had was in Bali, where the whole party turned into a big flop. It was in the middle of the mousson-season, but the organizers didn't take care of any shelter or something like it. The dj playing at 12 o'clock was catching 220 volts from the decks and all people left within 2 hours. The expected about 10000 people but didn't even get a descent percentage of it. Me and some friends still played for hours in the morning for the last few hundred die-hards who wanted to party anyway and gave 'em all we had. Afterwards I didn't get paid, got an infection in my eye and almost lost it and had all my ambient music plus a DAT-recorder and a camera stolen...and had to go home to have my eye checked...so all in all horrible. The best thing...well, there are loads of 'em, but for me the best was the Excalibur 2000, where I played as an unannounced guest. Thanks to Tosh from the Chaishop I got the final set on sundaymorning/afternoon and never ever put a set down like that. It was pure magic, the place, the people and the energy. I personally thought that most of the party sucked to be fully honest. The mainfloor was a mess on the main night. X-Dream and Slinky Wizard never played, the dj's playing were nothing for my taste and it just simply wasn't having it for me. Then the days after it was all the time progressive...non-stop, and I love it, but for me to many people simply play what is popular and they don't really care for an audience. Now I know a lot of German people are into the progressive thing, and for a good reason, but hey...come one, there are other people too, from allover the planet and we as dj's should give everybody what they come for, and not just a certain audience. I noticed amongst a lot of people that they all liked it, but missed the partymadness, the real intensity and screaming that goes on at some parties, where the dj's do exactly the right thing together with their audience. Tristan was the only one that satisfied me there, also not full-on, but a beautifull set of the right tunes at the right moment. For the rest....not bad...but where are the balls of most dj's nowadays? It looks to me certain sounds become to much of a fashion and people forget to stay open-minded. I see many dj's just playing what THEY want and what is the hype. They are more worried about their friends and collegues liking it, then being busy with working with an audience, to bring 'em really to a higher level of consciousness, by giving the music with love and understanding. So many people just play tunes, instead of really dj-ing. The art of being a dj in my eyes is about a lot more than just playing tunes, and I am sure most people agree with me, but I don't see to many people playing with real joy anymore. It becomes like a job to many, running from gig to gig, cashing in the money and disappearing again...or pretending to be some sort of rockstar afterwards. I think all of this comes with the whole business/money-machine and we should all be carefull to not disappear in that trap. It should be about sharing love and really partying, as it all started years ago, where people really did things for the love of it..and still many do I believe, but nowadays every little kid wants to be a dj, so we have to make sure, all of us together, that people who are in such powerfull positions, that they deal with that power in full love and understanding...or at least with a full open heart to learn those things. There is to much abuse of that powerabuse for me that fucked up very beautifull and holy moments on the dancefloor, but I have good trust that will change in the future....after all, power to the people and they will demand their good parties back. I don't want to sound to negative as well, since I see many beautifull things, but there's to many people at the top, having their little monopoly-game going on amongst friends, not letting other people have a chance that proved to have the qualities, but all for the better at the end I believe. The right things at the right moment. And to get back to that magic moment of mine....I had a beautifull chance to do something different at Excalibur, it was an outstanding chance to show my view on good morning music and the people simply loved and lost it. After that I played another 2 hours with Sven from Charasmatix, one of the people I respect most in this carnaval of fools...and we simply finished the whole bunch of 'em...haha! It was satisfaction to the max..beautifull weather, in between the hills in the forest, with a magic castle and waterfalls around...what more can you wish for in life?

Love and light, Gosse/Shawnodese

Interview by Frank Frehse