The album was written in Ibiza – is this is particularly special place for you all? Why was the decision made to write it there?

Tony: By the end of last year we had about twenty songs that all sounded very different and we needed to start deciding what songs were going to be on the album and how they were going to sound. We wanted to get away from the phones and DJ routine and label worries, clear our heads and really knuckle down. I've been going to Ibiza every year for twelve years, so it was high on my list of favourite places to go, but Ibiza was a natural choice for everyone in the end – its convenient to get to and a really, idyllic beautiful island. We had an unforgettable three weeks there and really knocked the album into shape.

The sea and beaches seem to be a recurring theme for OceanLab, is there any particular reason for this?

Paavo: We're all massive fans of places like Formentera that have beaches with clear blue water; hence the song title!

Justine: The success of our first single, 'Clear Blue Water', seemed, in a way, to define us. We were the band with the water themed name and the water themed single with the singer who had to writhe around in freezing fire hydrant water for the water themed video. I think that when we were writing the third single we might have been trying to keep the theme going, but with the album we just gave way to the song-writing and let the band name influence us when we felt like it. I think, as Tony and I are both scuba divers, we must have a natural obsession with the sea!

Where did the name OceanLab come from?

Justine: You'll have to ask the boys that! That was definitely an 'Above And Beyond' decision. Although of course I gave the nod of approval.

Paavo: When writing 'Clear Blue Water' together we were talking about what we all love and it's sea and beaches. OceanLab sounded perfect for us, the rest is history as they say!

How did you meet Justine?

Tony: Justine was working in a really high-end bathroom shop opposite the Warner Brothers offices, and one day I went in to enquire after a lovely rug in the window. And there I spied this gorgeous girl behind the counter. I asked if I could get a discount on the rug if I took Justine to lunch and, amazingly, she said yes! And we became friends, although I never bought the rug – Justine bought it for Christmas for me a couple of years back. I had no idea she was a singer at the time, the Chicane thing came along after we'd been friends for a long time. But obviously I was keen to do some music with her once Above & Beyond started.

Jono: I met Justine through Tony. Tony knew of an "amazing singer", and we wanted to start writing some songs together. We arranged to meet and have a try in the studio together and that was that!

Justine - as Tony, Paavo and Jono already work together, did you find it hard to get used to their production styles and writing methods?

Justine: When I first met Jono and Paavo they had really only just started working with Tony who was an old friend of mine. In the early days I was never around for production so it wasn't an issue. For the album, however, we have all been working on it together and although styles differ somewhat from person to person we always manage to get our respective points across in the end! The writing aspect is always fun and rewarding no matter how many of us are involved at any one time.

What do you all do to unwind after a long session in the studio?

Tony: We had some lovely Spanish dinners in Ibiza town – I'd like to do more of that!

Justine: I drive home in silence.

Jono: If I need to unwind I go to the gym, meet with friends and finish with a sauna/steam room or jacuzzi. Sometimes the cycle home from the studio is also relaxing.

Paavo: Well, I used to pop out to the bar for a drink with friends, but these days I do some yoga and meditate: the ultimate way to chill in my opinion!

How do you find your song writing as a group has progressed since your first releases?

Tony: 'Clear Blue Water' was the only thing we've done that isn't a full blown song, but we tried to get as much of a story in there as we could. Ever since then we've been trying really hard to write songs that will stick. OceanLab songs are used to teach European kids to speak English, you know! Satellite is in an English textbook for Spanish and Italian school kids so they can learn proper, like, English, like, you know what I mean?

Will you be doing any live performances or an OceanLab tour.

Jono: I'd definitely like to perform live as OceanLab. It would be particularly interesting to do some smaller more intimate performances, perhaps even acoustically.

The fans have been waiting for the arrival of the OceanLab album for a long time. With so much pressure from the fans, how hard did you find it compiling the final tracklist?

Tony: There were lots of issues to think about when picking the songs, but the pressure from the fans wasn't really an issue. It was more to do with what voice we wanted the record to have.

Do you each have a favourite track from the album?

Paavo: I don't know about the others, mine would be the movie mix of 'Breaking Ties'.

Justine: I don't really have a favourite. I love 'Ashes' because it is such an unexpected song for the album and just materialized one afternoon during a song-writing session but I also love Breaking Ties. 'Sirens' does hold a special place in my heart though as it has taken five years to be released since it first came about. The first time I heard the demo backing track I fell in love with it and the song came from that initial feeling and a particular state of mind at the time.

Tony: 'Breaking Ties' and 'On The Beach'.

Jono: I can't pick a favourite, but I think 'Ashes' has a very special atmosphere about it. I also think 'If I Could Fly' has some of the strongest and most touching verses Justine has ever written and I love her delicate vocal performance. It can sometimes feel that way for all of us!

Justine, your underwater photoshoot looks incredible, how hard did you find it posing for those pictures?

Justine: Mmmm, I found it as hard as I usually find it posing for pictures. I'd much rather be behind the camera than in front of it. Still, being made up by Phyllis Cohen, a world class make-up artist who has prettied up the likes of Diana Ross, Annie Lennox, Tina Turner, Sinead O'Connor, Chaka Khan… I could go on… was a real privilege. She was a lot of fun too which relaxed me.

With four strong creative minds contributing to the same tracks, did you have any disputes and if so how did you resolve them?

Paavo: We try and look at the fact that we all have different views as a benefit, and remembering that when we have a disagreement about where a track should go has really helped, but I don't think we would've survived our writing trip to Ibiza without chocolate biscuits and cups of tea!

If you could have a guest musician, dead or alive, appearing on any of the album tracks who would it be and on which track?

Justine: I really had to think about this one because I love so many musicians. However, Imogen Heap is an unsung heroine of song -writing and she has a beautiful and addictive voice. I haven't stopped playing her self-produced album 'Speak For Yourself' since I picked it up last year. I think 'Secret' would work well with both our voices.

Tony: My Dad. He wasn't much of a piano player but it would be nice to see him again.

Jono: That's a really tricky one for me to answer as I think OceanLab (or any band) is unique because of it's current mix of people…. But I'd love to resurrect Miles Davis for a jam and to bring out some of Justine's jazzier tones! I'd also love to see what Boom Jinx could bring to the table. He's still alive thankfully!

Paavo: I would have loved to work on the strings for 'Miracle' with Jean Sibelius - that guy was a genius with chords!

If you were stranded at sea, what one item would you want with you?

Tony: The QE2.

Justine: A flare. Ever the practical girl.

Jono: The first thing that popped into my head was a flare! Man's instinct to survive, I suppose?

Paavo: A compass (I love sailing!)

The OceanLab sound crosses genres and appeals to both a dance music audience and to a more laid back crowd. How did you find a balance between the chilled out vibe and the upbeat club sounds? Does one theme dominate on this album?

Paavo: We've been writing this album very much from each song's point of view and tried to show each in the most powerful light possible. This lead to an album that's got quite a lot of variety in styles, and the demo versions of the tracks have lived on our iphones for months in their different guises. It's been really interesting to start to understand the collection of tracks that finally made it as an album, and it seems that on each listen I get something different out of the album. I'd say that if Tri-State was a 'clubby' album, 'Sirens of the Sea' is definitely a more chilled out. Tri-State ranked by many as a great cd to play at pre/after parties, whilst I've found listening to 'Sirens of the Sea' best the 'day after'.

Jono: The album is not meant for club play, but we will certainly be remixing the tracks for club play. Great songs tend to come more naturally in a non-club music context, but that's not to say that they can't also manifest in dance music. I think the listener will have to conclude what the theme is. Justine is an incredibly good song-writer

1º Here in Spain not much people knows the trance culture or people like you
(who make a lot of work for this musical genre), so, could you describe in a
few words who is Justine Suissa so that Spanish people get an idea?

Hmm, is this the bit where I shamelessly promote myself? I..m not very good
at that I..m afraid. Trance vocals are often considered to be just another
instrument in the mix so you don..t walk around thinking you are Britney
Spears. I just love writing and singing and have been lucky enough to be
adopted by the trance world and given a chance to express myself.

2º This is a typical question but, what is trance for you?

Trance is something that I only really came to by accident about four years
ago and I must admit that initially I didn..t really understand why people
loved it so much but when you are immersed in it, it gets under your skin.

3º When it was your first work with an important producer?

That would be in 2000 when Chicane released Autumn Tactics.

4º When did you know Armin and what it supposed for you?

I met Armin the day we wrote the first track for his album 76 which must
have been some time in 2002. I flew to Amsterdam for two days and we just
hit it off.
I wasn..t really aware of his status in trance at that time so to me it was
another opportunity to write songs and sing and it was just a huge bonus
that we got on so well and laughed so much.

5º What do you do to have such a beautiful voice? Any special care?
Nah, just genetics I..m afraid.

6º What do you feel when you hear your voice in a song and you see people
that sing your song in a rave or a party?

I know that there are singers who don..t like to listen to themselves but if
you have recorded what you think is a good song then listening to it seems
the most natural reaction to have. Of course if I don..t like the song I
don..t listen to it so it..s really more about the song than the vocals. When
I see people singing along it is incredibly moving and slightly
unbelievable.

7º Do you like Ibiza? What would be your favourite country to live?

I must admit I have only been to Ibiza once for 24 hours to shoot a tv video
so I never really got to see it. There are so many beautiful places in the
world to choose from but I am too attached to London to think about moving
just yet.

8º Which are your aspirations in your professional career now?

As a member of OceanLab I hope that we will continue to release singles and
go on to record the Album we keep talking about writing! In terms of my work
with other producers I hope that there will be many more collaborations on
the horizon.

9º New projects or new releases?

OceanLab is releasing its fourth single 'Satellite' in April. It is getting
a lot of support from Radio 1 and we made the official play-list last week.
I hope the Spanish fans will love it as much as the Brits. It is a really
beautiful song and I am very excited about it. I hope that Armin and I will
be recording a few more tracks this year too. I'll keep you posted.

10º Are there any curious anecdote that has happened you in your years of
career?

When I was touring with Chicane and we had to charter a 6 seater plane to
take us from a radio show in Falkirk to do a Cream gig we went through some
very bad turbulence and it was a pretty terrible flight. I think we all
looked rather green when we disembarked. A few days after we landed the
pilot told me that we were lucky to be alive because there was something missing from the engine apparently.

11º You know important people on the trance scene, do you know any new for
Spanish people that may happen soon in the trance scene?

Sorry, I don..t.

12º Are you conscious about the fame your name is getting in the dance music
world? How do you take it?

I am aware that I have caused a low rumble but it seems very abstract to me
so it doesn't really affect me at all. It only really hits me when I am on
stage and the crowd sings along and you realise that you have entered their
lives and made an impact. That is a good feeling.

Oceanlab-Sky Falls Down

You know when you feel it
You know when it hits you
There’s no mistaking when you fall
You don’t anticipate it
And you can’t calculate it
It just comes crashing through your walls

I’ll love you ’til the sky falls down
I’ll love you ’til I can’t feel anything,
Not anything at all
And even when you’re not around
I’ll love you ’til the sky falls down
I’m flying ’til I hit the ground
And lying there and I don’t feel anything
Not anything at all
And even when you’re not around
I’ll love you til the sky falls down

You lose all sense of reason
You have no sense of danger
It’s like you’re living in a dream.
It lets you float through crowds and
Makes you smile at strangers
It’s just the greatest state of being, Oohh...

I’ll love you ’til the sky falls down
I’ll love you ’til I can’t feel anything,
Not anything at all
And even when you’re not around
I’ll love you ’til the sky falls down
I’m flying ’til I hit the ground
And lying there and I don’t feel anything
Not anything at all
And even when you’re not around
I’ll love you til the sky falls down.

Oceanlab-Clear Blue Water

Leave behind your fears
Please believe
You will not falter
There's no danger here
You can breathe
In clear blue water

Clear blue water

Leave behind your fear
Please believe
You will not falter
There's no danger here
You can breathe
In clear blue water

Clear blue water

Oh, when the cold wind blows
I feel it to the bone
Oh, when you say you know
I feel I'm not alone

And even though I may return
To empty places on my own
And I remember everything you want me to forget
And you provide the parachute
When I am falling like a stone
And I remember there's a life that I have not lived yet

You and I
Truth and lies
I've been fooling myself too long
You and I
Breaking ties
How could we be so right and so wrong?


I feel the words you say
Your mouth against my skin
My world just falls away
You light me from within

And even though I may return
To empty places on my own
And I remember everything you want me to forget
And you provide the parachute
When I am falling like a stone
And I remember there's a life that I have not lived yet

You and I
Truth and lies
I've been fooling myself too long
You and I
Breaking ties
How could we be so right and so wrong?

Wasted days, I'm caught up in the fruitless chase
Wanting more than anything that's come before
And I wish I didn't have to choose
When I know there is so much to lose

Cruel desires blind me to the simple things
Lost in fires of passionate imaginings
Cruel desires blind me to the simple things
Lost in fires of passionate imaginings

Simple things, simple things

Holding out, feeling that it just might come
Cursing doubt that keeps you from the perfect one
And I wish I didn't have to choose
When I know there is so much to lose

Cruel desires blind me to the simple things
Lost in fires of passionate imaginings
Cruel desires blind me to the simple things
Lost in fires of passionate imaginings


Simple things, simple things

I'm torn between what I know and what I dream

For each forgotten kiss
For all the memories
For all the times a look
Said all we had to say

You played your part so well
A modern Romeo
You came on cupid's wings
And then you flew away

You touched my face
And you called my name
I'm burned with desire

You touched my face
And you called my name
I'm burned with desire
But you left me in the rain

For every sleepless night
Forever in your arms
For every hour spent
Lost in the reverie

You broke your promises
No shame and no regrets
You burned the bridges too
And in this mystery

You touched my face
And you called my name
I'm burned with desire

You touched my face
And you called my name
I'm burned with desire
But you left me in the rain