Paul Moelands, better known as Re:Locate, is a man on fire at the moment. With releases and remixes stretching back to 2003 and appearances on 34 compilations over the past 3 years, he is probably one of the hottest producers in trance today. Now his stock is up even more as demand grows all over the world for his services as a DJ since he started playing to expectant crowds back in February. But what is there to know about this Dutch wonder?



Making his London debut for ElectronicSessions on the 28th April, you'll be able to find out exactly what all the fuss is about if, of course, you are not already one of the anxious trance lovers buzzing with anticipation to hear his great sound first hand. And why not with all the support he's already been enjoying for his productions. Ross Sullivan caught up with Paul ahead of his first appearance so you can find out more about him and what to expect on the 28th!

Hi Paul. How are things with you? Are you having a good year?

Hey there! I'm absolutely fantastic, couldn't be better. My year started awesome! I had my DJ Debut in February and ever since good things have been rolling in, both professionally and personally. I can't complain at all!

So what new material have you been working on?

There's a lot of awesome new material coming up! The New Re:Locate single is finished! It's a banging, techy tune featuring a great male vocalist, which heads in a slightly different direction from the previous Re:Locate tracks. I've also got a bunch of collaborations with MIDOR and some fresh Octagen material out soon on FiveAM and Monster Tunes. There's a lot to look out for!

What would you say best describes your sound at the moment?

DJ Wise, banging uplifting trance with a pinch of tech. Production wise, everything really!

How did you get your first big break DJing?

I got an email from a party organizer in Poland around Christmas last year. They wondered if I was interested in DJing at an event there for 10,000 people. I still remember that day, it made very clear to me that I should start playing and so I did.


I've only heard and seen good things about the UK! It's a new experience for me, as I haven't had the opportunity to travel to the UK let alone play there before. On the 13th of April I have a gig in Leeds at Digital Society, then Electronic Sessions the 28th of April. After that it's The Gallery on the 15th of June. I can't wait! That's for sure.

Do you get to go out clubbing much and which DJs do you admire?

I go out to clubs and trance events regularly. Living in Holland, we can see a big DJ every weekend. One of the DJs I admire the most is Tiësto, who has pushed the whole trance scene forward over the past few years. In my opinion he still is the best DJ. I've visited his Schiphol "Tiësto In Concert" Showcase and it was amazing. It seems he is really one step ahead of everyone else.



What was the best club you ever played and why?

Well the first Event I played at was in a big sports arena in Poland. It held 10,000 mad clubbers, and it was my worldwide DJ Debut, so that was amazing! There were fireworks and everything! 88 minutes of pure adrenaline rush!

Who were your main inspirations for getting into dance music?

Tiësto, back in the day. I would visit his record shop in my town and just listen to Dance Department on radio 538. Playing the piano for 12 years and loving to improvise also made clear to me I should produce music.



Who has influenced your sound as it is today?

First of all, my parents. My dad is also a musician and my parents told me I could start playing an instrument. I think that decision influenced me the most. For trance sounds, I've always loved the feeling Signum have put into their productions, that raw energy. Other influences are Tiesto, Ferry Corsten and Ralphie B.

You have quite a few aliases including Re:Locate and Octagen, where did you get the ideas for these names from?

Octagen was a slight mistyping of Oxygen or Octagon, I can't exactly recall, but I thought that it sounded good, so I stuck with it. Re:Locate is a different story. In school we had a project about organizing an event and another group had a event called Re:Location. I asked their permission, since I thought it was quite cool.

What's been your biggest achievement so far?

Waterfall got me propelled into the trance scene, with every big DJ supporting it. Rogue featured in the Dutch Mega Top 100 and got great support as well. Another big milestone has to be the title track of my Re:Locate debut album! Reactions were great. I think the fact that I can produce music and do my own thing for a living is also a great achievement. My debut in Poland is far up there too!

Do you prefer to play massive events and festivals or smaller more intimate venues?
Massive events tend to have this huge euphoric feeling. It's great to be a part of that and put clubbers in a trance. But you have a closer connection with your audience at smaller venues, which can be nice and very special as well!



Finally, were really looking forward to having you play for us at ES. What can we expect from your set?

I'm very much looking forward to it as well! You can expect proper banging uplifting trance, combined with some tech-trance elements, all mixed into one big journey of Re:Locate sounds! See you there!

Harder Faster interview