Hi

As you all know, the "Sex style" remix competition ended early October. We were surprised by the amount of remixes that were sent to us because we got hundreds of remixes. Was not easy and too its time, but finally we have finished going over all the remixes and here is the list of remixes that were impressive enough for us to choose as official remixes of "Sex style"

                                           (by no special order)

                         
Sex style (Analyzer remix)
Sex style (Krunch remix)
Sex style (Rewind Evolution remix)
Sex style (Vogue remix)
Sex style (XSI remix)
Sex style (4-Play remix)

I would like to personally thank all the artists who sent their work/art and took part in this great adventure. It was a pleasure to hear so many variations of my track and it inspired me in many ways :)

Thank you all one more time

                                         ASTRIX
                         Bringing Psytrance To The Masses
                            

By: DmAc

In life you get what you want. This may sound a tad oversimplified but when you cut through all the chaff it really is what life boils down to. Sure, circumstances do play a role but as you get older and you reach a stage when you are able to start reflecting on at least a part of your life (say at the grand old age of 30 or so, heh heh) you will realise that the sum of all the parts of your existence, to whatever point you have reached at that moment, have got you there ... define you at that present time.

Take psy-trances best known exports; Infected Mushroom have always wanted to be a big stadium rock band, Skazis intentions were clear from he outset ... debauched guitar rock-star! ... And Astrix! Perhaps the most refined of all psy-trance stars worldwide ... our very own Paul Van Dyk of psy-trance.

Having cracked the Top 20 on the now globally accepted world DJ charts
(as hosted annually by DJMag) after steady rises of more than 20 positions
in both 2005 and 2006, Astrix (Avi Shmailov to his mom) can take a long hard lookat himself in the mirror and smile broadly. He keeps good company with the biggest names in the world of dance music. Everybody who is anybody knows who Astrix is. To the masses (and when I say masses I mean the millions of dance music fans outside the psy-trance clique) Astrix defines the genre by presenting an accessible yet supremely well crafted version of the sound that never fails to ignite a dancefloor into absolute mayhem. Avi will be the first to tell you that his aim has always been to take his sound to as many fans as possible; There is a limit to the change that you can reflect into pure psy-trance. In order to expand and excite more people you have to fuse other elements from other genres to keep it evolving and fresh. This is something I try to do in my own music by mixig in clubby elements and atmospheric soundscapes so that it will cross-over to other electronic scenes and bring in some new energy.

A big fan of the eighties, and indeed he used to DJ 80s music,
he still admires the uniqueness of the sound produced by the likes
of Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, New Order, Eurythmics, etc. remarking that its still hard to accurately re-produce that certain flavour.

Of Israel he expresses his wish for peace; We have enough global worries and wars shouldn't be one of them! He continues, My personal wish would be that someday I will play in a party for peace for all nations (including our so called enemies). He does love Israel very much and remarks that it has one of the best club and night-life cultures in the world, which he says is why so many are exposed to it and start producing the music. He says for many in his home country, Israeli psy-trance is not a fashion but a cultural way of life which is welcomed with open arms, and even in this present time this connection is still a vibrant network going all the way down to the roots of the global trance scene.

Life has become a non-stop world-tour over the past few years giving him very little time to complete his hugely anticipated third artist album, Red Means Distortion, and even less time for himself; I spend almost all my time either locked away in my studio with my music or traveling around the world. Not much "off" days for me lately since.I am working hard on delivering my new album soon.
Astrix literally plays every weekend in a different country or city across the globe, spreading his sound to the masses; an achievement he had always set out to do and wants to continue for as long as he can. After his new album is out he says he will be exploring new possibilities with live performance. I want to evolve so that people will always look for the last word from the Astrix chronicles, he remarks thoughtfully.

If you ask Avi about his new album, his influences... where he is taking his
sound you get a confident and direct reply. He seems a man who knows what he wants and has quite obviously given a lot of thought to how he is going to get there.

Its no fluke he is ranked 18th on the world DJ Poll. He intends growing his fan base with each release ... The new album is a showcase of this global experience as I tried to produce various kinds of tracks, going from the psy side to the more euphoric highs in search of new dance floor anthems, but without losing my trade mark groove and sound that my followers expect from me, as my plan is to try and please both my followers by trying to blend the main elements of both previous albums in the same productions. I strongly feel my fan base is increasing every year so I guess they are happy to stay with me on my journey into global trance music, and Im sure they will feel the same once they hear the new album.He explains things a little more, I never considered myself only a psychedelic trance producer, but I did explore that style heavily while working on my first album Eye to Eye. On my second album Artcore I tried to take my sound into a more full on and uplifting mode, which proved very right for its time and helped me cross over to a bigger and more commercial kind of crowd and events. Now, in my new third album Red Means Distortion, my plan is to try and please both my followers by trying to blend the main elements of both
these albums in the same productions.
The old clichd question of where he likes to play the most worldwide is met with the same thoughtful, and well prepared answer he has no doubt been asked a million times, although he does offer an interesting enough insight. I like to play where ever there is a good party. The how is much more important than the where because a good party makes you feel like your head is in heaven and it doesn't really matter which country your feet are in. My fans are the
core of my success and I consider them an essential factor in my career and my music I am here for them and they are all over for me Keep it real!

At time of press Avi had just undergone back surgery and was recovering at home. He has been forced to cancel some of his dates worldwide as he comes to terms with the impact of non-stop flying for the past few years. We wish him a speedy and healthy recovery and look forward to Red Means Distortion, his new highly anticipated third album with a release date now set for just before Christmas. As his SA distributor, Arik from 4Tune records says Well now
that he is resting hopefully he can add the final touches to his album. We are dying to get hold of it! It has been a long wait and we get constant enquiries from eager fans all over South Africa.

Footnote: As Avi was not able to attend to our interview personally due to his current operation. At the request of his label, HomMega, we used several up to date interviews as the source of all quotes and information. These include; Rave Magazine (India), In the Mix (Australia) and Entrevista Astrix from Brazil. Look out for his new album Red Means Distortion, out before the summer.

http://www.bpmmag.co.za/web/articles.php?artno=405

http://www.bpmmag.co.za/web/index.htm

You can find a scan of this article and  cover  in my "pictures" folder named "Press&Fun"

Astrix: Taking psytrance global

Along with fellow countrymen Infected Mushroom and John '00' Fleming, Israel's Astrix is one of a handful on names who are successfully pushing psytrance out to a wider audience. Securing a place Last year in the top 20 of the DJ Mag Top 100 poll, he attributes this to his efforts to push the sound out into new horizons. "Being among the top 20 DJs of the world is a great thing, which I think has much to do with my efforts to blend trance with other genres," he told ITM.

"I strongly feel my fanbase is increasing every year so I guess the fans are happy to stay with me on my journey into global trance music, and I'm sure they will feel the same once they hear the new album." As he rips through his first Australian tour in several years, Astrix chats to ITM about expanding horizons.

Congratulations on securing a spot in the DJ Mag top 20 list. Other than Infected Mushroom, can you foresee any other members of the future trance elite joining you any time soon?

Being among the top 20 DJs of the world is a great thing, which I think has much to do with my efforts to blend trance with other genres. I think the same applies for Infected Mushroom who took their trance deep into rock. I don't think a totally psychedelic trance act will enter so easily into the top 100, but those who dare to explore more with it can. I think the Israeli band Sub6 are best qualified for that as their sound and style always keeps its own unique flavor of originality and quality.

How have fans found your transition from psychedelic trance to club trance?

I never considered myself only a psychedelic trance producer, but i did explore that style heavily while working on my first album Eye to Eye. On my 2nd album Artcore I tried to take my sound into a more full on and uplifting mode, which proved very right for its time and helped me cross over to a bigger and more commercial kind of crowd and events. Now, in my new third album Red Means Distortion, my plan is to try and please both my followers by trying to blend the main elements of both albums in the same productions. I strongly feel my fanbase is increasing every year so I guess the fans are happy to stay with me on my journey into global trance music, and I'm sure they will feel the same once they hear the new album.

Which other trance producers, if any, would you be keen to work with?

I would like to collaborate with various trance producers of all the trance stream, from the psy to the club. Producers like Armin van Burren, Infected Mushroom, Royksoop and Simon Posford just to name a few.

Tell us about the concept behind your new Red Means Distortion album?

As I stated before, my tours take me across many different kinds of events and crowds. As a result, I find myself under different musical influences and inspirations. The album is a showcase of this global experience as I tried to produce various kinds of tracks, going from the psy side to the more euphoric highs in search of new dancefloor anthems, but without loosing my trade mark groove and sound that my followers expect from me.

What can the younger generation of Melbourne clubbers expect from the underage show while you are here?

In Israel trance music is very popular among the younger generations and I get to play to them a lot, but I never player to a young crowd outside Israel so I am very happy to do it and see how it goes. I believe in the younger generation… They are the future and I am here to stay.

What can we expect from HOMmega Records over the next year or so? Are there any new exciting artist additions to the label?

Regarding HOMmega Records, for me it is one of the best decisions I have made in my life and I know that whereever I get, it will mainly be because of the hard work and the right guidance that this label has invested into me and my career. In the near future HOMmega will launch the debut album of Krunch Booster, a new X-noiZe EP Part of the Plan, the second album of Black & White The Sound Pharmacy, my third album Red Means Distortion and I know that they are cooking in the oven the new albums of Chakra and Sub6, which are eagerly awaited. Besides new releases, HOMmega is going to launch a new digital promo portal (www.trance4nation.com), which I'm betting my money that it will will take the promotion and digital distribution of psytrance to a whole new level. Aside from loads of free music, discount tickets for events around the world and the coolest mailing list and news letters in the scene, trance4nation will also launch the official international Astrix 'Sex Style' remix competition which will run until the end of September, where the winning remix will be featured on my new album.

As far as new additions to HOMmega, I really love the direction of Krunch; they're on a roll and also worth mentioning are the new amazing progressive/electro/house tracks from Delirious (new project name will be announced soon).

It has been about 3 years since you were out here last – what do you miss most about Australia?

I think that in my earlier visits to Australia, something was missed. I remember getting back home feeling that my trip was not the best and that it will take a long time until I will travel to Australia again and try to 'unite with the vibe' as is happening to me almost everywhere else in the world that I travel. This time I am full of motivation and feel that the time is right as I also know that Conquest, the agency which is managing my Australia tour is proving to do an excellent job of hyping the tour (and me) with the best of energy and the highest quality. High profiled venues, super promotion and marketing, special attention to the small details… This time Australia will rock.

(Message from HOMmega  to Astrix’s South Africa fans)

The company that wants to bring Astrix to tour South Africa is ’Urban Wave’ (they work under Camel)
They have Astrix up on a chart where people should choose which super star DJ they would "dig" to have this company book for their next events.

Their website is  www.urbanwave.co.za
and then you scroll down to the 3rd cube where it says "TUNE ME!".
When you’ll press ’select’ you will see the list of the super star DJ’s (big list)

Let’s rock South Africa!

Location - Exhibition Center Tel Aviv/Israel

Type - Infected Mushroom10th Anniversary Live

Video By - 24 Chanel  (Israel'i Main Music Chanel)

Date  -  22.11.07

Link -   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJJHe_apV5M

Enjoy....!

Also u can find this video on my profile