Page 15 - Zone Magazine Issue 021

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T he Thrillseekers ( Steve Helstrip) is an English trance DJ and producer. Steve has been at the forefront of the trance scene since the release in 1999 of his critically acclaimed track "Synaesthesia". Helstrip has also worked under the guises of En Motion, Insigma, Rapid Eye, and Hydra. He is also prominent for his work in remixing, having remixed work by Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and many more . Steve owns his own record label, 'Adjusted Music'. “Synaesthesia" was first signed and released by Neo Records in 1999
and went on to sell over 12,000 copies on its initial release and was heavily supported by famous DJ’s including Paul van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold. Synaesthesia peaked at #28 in the UK Singles Chart and was featured in the 2001 film The 51st State
Artist collaborations have played an important part in Helstrip's production career. Immediately following the success of "Synaesthesia", Helstrip went on to launch a new moniker for the Ministry of Sound subsidiary, Incentive. En-Motion was born with "Truth" in 2000, and "Getting Away with It" followed in 2002. In the adjoining years he also partnered collaborations with Andy "Pulser" Perring as Insigma ("Insigma" / "Open Our Eyes" / "Avalon") and with Tim Stark under the name Rapid Eye ("Never Going Back" / "Circa-Forever"/ "Stealing Beauty" / "Santa Cruz" / "Absolut"). A week before the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Helstrip was on a week-long tour in Japan. Shortly after the earthquake & tsunami, Helstrip produced a track called "Song for Sendai" released on 8 April 2011. The song was available exclusively through Beatport, and it was announced that all proceeds from the track would be donated to the Japanese Red Cross. In July, 2016, Future Sound of Egypt released "Amber", the first single from Hydra since Affinity (2003). It reached 1# on Beatport Trance and 27# on Beatport Main. Amber is the first single from his debut album Escape, which was released in December 2016 through the same label.
The Thrillseekers are constantly touring these days and he has worldwide DJ bookings throughout the year, in fact 2017-18 have been Steve’s busiest years to date for DJ bookings! Steve has regularly performed at Ministry of Sound, Creamfields, Luminosity, Godskitchen, Gatecrasher and many more events. __________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for taking the time out to speak with us, how is everything in the world of Thrillseekers?
Life is good, but crazy hectic at the moment. I need another Thrillseeker to help with the workload. Most people already think there’s more than just me anyway, so it could work out well.
2017/18 has been rather productive for you. Are you pleased at how they have been received and can we look forward to even more material from you?
I’ve had a lot of support for my music, from both DJs and the trance scene as a whole, so yes I’m really happy about that. In terms of new music, right now I’m producing an album under my alias, The Thrillseekers Pres. Hydra. If all goes to plan we could be looking at a release at the back end of this year, with perhaps 1 or 2 singles before it lands. I also have a couple of collaborations in the works, so keep an ear out.
Fans of ‘Thrillseekers’ have come to know and love the energy in each track and the unique feel to the melodies.
Can you explain a little of what drives you and where exactly you draw inspiration?
Inspiration comes from everywhere, but the best stuff I do is usually influenced by a personal life experience, something that has had an emotional impact on me. I try to convey those feelings with the music I write, but not exactly sure how!
You have had some great bookings this year, what has been your memorable event of 2018?
Transmission to Bangkok was next level. No other show comes close in terms of the production and the overall experience.
you will return to London to play trance night ‘Flying High’ for the second time. You’ll be playing a special
4-hour set at the June Event. Are you a fan of having extended time?
I love playing extended sets. Four hours gives me plenty of time to experiment a bit and show the crowd a little bit more of my musical taste other than the stuff I’m more known for.
What kind of musical journey can we expect from you on the night and are there any tracks that you know you will be playing that will surprise us?
At the last event I played a ‘15 years of trance’ set, so perhaps this time I’ll start deeper and build from there, depending on the vibe. I don’t plan too much so we’ll just have to see what happens!
This year has seen a huge surge in interest with new events and festivals embracing trance. What is your view on on how the scene is progressing around the world and what do you see happening in the future?
Let me just gaze into my crystal ball for a second... Yeah, it’s looking great in the future. In terms of gigs, I’m busier now than ever, so from what I see the scene is pretty healthy right around the world at the moment. And long may it continue.
You can catch John in London next on Saturday 9th June 2018 performing an Extended 4 Hour Set for Flying High @ Union in Vauxhall, London.
https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/London/Union-
Nightclub/Flying-High-Presents-The- Thrillseekers/13137847/
Words By Danny Scahill
Pic by Rob Stainforth
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