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We are DJ/Producers Gabriel & Dresden, as us ANYTHING
Gabriel & Dresden are a California-based electronic music duo. With over 25 Billboard-charting tracks & remixes including the smash hits “As the Rush Comes,” “Beautiful Things,” “Tracking Treasure Down,” “Dangerous Power“ and “No One On Earth.” They are currently in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation of their first artist album in ten years.
To hear our music and hundreds of hours of live DJ sets, check out our Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/redditgd
Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/637707927/new-gabriel-and-dresden-album?ref=96cn21
Thanks everyone for participating in our first-ever AMA!! We really enjoyed spending the time with you and answering your questions and seeing your stories. This will not be the last one we ever do. So stay tuned!!
My Proof: https://twitter.com/GabrielNDresden/status/803031872225902596
gabrielanddresden16 karma
Yes, they are powerful experiences and have influenced our productions positively in many ways.
OSCOW9 karma
I have noticed that Josh is credited in some of Tiësto's songs. What was your role in the production process? Also how was it working with Tiësto and 'the band'.
gabrielanddresden7 karma
My role was co-writer of the music and lyrics. I worked with Tiesto during the writing process and he finished up the track back in Holland. As for working with Tiesto, it was a great experience. He really pushed my ability to think fast on my feet.
_PatternRecognition7 karma
Hey, thanks for doing this. You guys have been one of my long-term favorite acts. Not a lot of EDM groups that make music people fall in love to and you guys have always been great about giving back to fans.
I will probably have a few questions if possible, but my first is regarding the structure some of the aesthetics your music / dynamic has. It has always seemed to me that your project is very much like two parts of a whole. When you were apart, listening to you separately was exactly like listening to one half of G&D. I think this comes from each of your background's and how you came up in the scene to some extend, Dave coming from playing clubs and Josh being more formally trained. Even the name "Gabriel & Dresden" has conveyed a sense of almost binary aesthetics. Gabriel has always made me think of the archangel an Dresden of the firebombing of the German city. Can you speak a little to how willfully structured this is, or how organic this all is? Is it just a circumstance of how it came together or is there something intentional and conscious behind this?
gabrielanddresden9 karma
We don't think anyone has nailed our dynamic better than this post. Your reddit screen name says it all! Bravo!
This IS just the way we are. We came together organically and that's how the project has always been.
titoonster7 karma
Your Essential Mixes are amazing, they have completely withstood the test of time, the ultimate honor.
Do you feel that the time apart helped your relationship musically, driven by the same style of music?
gabrielanddresden7 karma
Thank you very much for the compliments on the Essential Mixes. We worked really hard on them and are glad that they still make you feel something.
As for our time apart, we do feel like it was healthy for us as both people and musicians. We were able to work with many other people in that time period which gave us special perspective about our roles in Gabriel & Dresden. We are excited to finally explore these growths on the new album we're making.
gabrielanddresden9 karma
The verses were inspired by the experiences a friend had during a car accident. The chorus is an ode to the special feelings one can have on a dancefloor.
TrickyTramp4 karma
Do you think the old trance sound is coming back? Do you have any plans on bringing back Motorcycle? When are you playing in Atlanta again? :P
gabrielanddresden4 karma
1) Yes, we do think the old trance sound is coming back. It's part of the reason we feel so inspired to make a new album. There will be a lot of that inspiration in the music that we're making and plan to make.
2) Yes, we are talking to Jes about making music again and hope she will make an appearance on the album.
3) No plans for Atlanta right now, but when the album is done we're planning on doing a full scale tour of the world.
passionPunch3 karma
Holy hell. All this time I've wondered who Motorcycle was. Incredible.
ParDan_Me1 karma
I missed this AMA but I'm just amazed at the minute. Absolutely love your chill out version of your song 'As The Rush Comes' and never knew you were the same. I remember hearing it on the end credits of a movie (Can't remember which one annoyingly) and was mesmerised. The original is one of my favourite tracks of all time. Was only yesterday I was thinking why that was the only song I heard from Motorcycle.
gabrielanddresden2 karma
We made a number of songs that were going to be an album, but for whatever reason, the only one that ever came out was As The Rush Comes. The rest of the songs ended up being on Jes' solo debut album called Disconnect. We did release an acoustic version of the song "imagination" at the end of our 2004 mix CD called "Bloom"
_PatternRecognition4 karma
What do you think about music informatics and machine learning systems? Do you think they have a big future in EDM or do you think the grooves will be generated primarily from human feelings for the foreseeable future?
gabrielanddresden7 karma
It seems that there are already two paths. Some people create all of their music and rhythms from scratch while others use tools to help them with this process. The tools that are out there to help you make music without much experience are only getting better. Who knows where they may lead?
There's a possibility it will give the unexperienced producer super abilities beyond their skill level in the same way that Instagram filters made everyone look like a photographer.
But, no matter how good technology gets, there will always be musicians that make everything from the heart, from scratch. One thing won’t change. The music people love will always come from good ideas.
no-you-shutup3 karma
Hey guys - wanted to say thanks for all of years of great music.
If you could kindly end the decade long search for a song for a friend and I?
https://soundcloud.com/rave_on/gabriel-dresden-live-pacha-new-york-07092007
The song played after Columbian Soul - fast forward to 50:00 minutes to hear it immediately.
If not, looking forward to the new album. New ground and rise up were both amazing.
gabrielanddresden4 karma
Not exactly sure what that track is, but it sounds very much like one of the alias that Aaron McClellan used. He's also the dude who did Fonzerelli. He had a label called Mena Music. Go through their discography on Beatport and you likely will get the ID :)
_jlouise_3 karma
Have you guys ever used a ghost producer? If yes, what was your motovation?
gabrielanddresden8 karma
No. We would never do that, our music is personal. We could never hand any part of that off to anyone.
boo545773 karma
Glad to see you two making another album. The reboot of Tracking Treasure Down gave me such a sublime feeling when I first heard it and I love the sounds of your live sets.
How would you say the Trance scene has changed, especially since the mid-2000s? I only got into the genre a few years ago but it seems like it's dipped, especially the melodic stuff.
I live in SF and am curious - was there a big trance scene in the bay area when you two started? Seems like the fanbase is starting to revitalize but I don't get a sense that there are many local trance djs or shows around here. We just get big names coming to Ruby Skye or Verso. Would love to see a more local scene, maybe you two could start one up :D
gabrielanddresden8 karma
The trance scene has changed significantly over the years. Tempos, sounds, arrangements, they've gone in different directions since we started making music. And for a while (the last 3-4 years) it's felt like music has had to subscribe to 1 or 2 formulas to succeed.
When we got into that trance scene, music was always about melody. It didn't matter if it was an instrumental or a vocal, it had to be musical to work on the dance floor. And we feel that's coming back. In a big way. (and if it doesn't, we're gonna make it) ;)
theActualAltair3 karma
Once again, thanks so much for rocking Calgary with that open-to-close last July. I was only vaguely familiar with your discog before then, but thanks to that night your original album was essentially my soundtrack for that summer. I can't f*cking wait for the new one!
1) I love how your sound is a bit "rawer" than other trance producers so to speak. Acoustic instruments here and there, hardware analog synths, and lots and lots of dubby, delayed ambiences. What sort of things inspired incorporating these elements into your sound?
2) Any future work planned for Andain?
3) Favourite synths and FX? (hardware or software).
4) Have you considered putting some of your own vocals front and center on the new album? I think it was Josh doing backup on Tracking Treasure Down and a few tracks on the Andain album - IMO your singing is good enough to warrant a track for itself :)
gabrielanddresden4 karma
We both grew up listening to 80s New Wave Music and Josh got his first synth, a MicroMoog in 1981. Josh has a bunch of acoustic instruments as well as electric bass and guitar. They always seem to find their way into the music process. As for the delay? We just love the dub.
- At the moment there is nothing planned for new Andain but never say never.
Favorite synth at the moment is the Jupiter-6 which will you will hear a lot of on the new album. Favorite FX (besides pedals) is the UAD AKG BX20 Spring Reverb. The hardware version came out in the late 1960s and it adds an amazing ambience to things like vocals and guitar.
We are planning on singing on at least one song on the album. Thank you for the encouragement!
gabrielanddresden3 karma
We both have voices that we feel harmonize well. We've used our voices in many of our songs...Tracking Treasure Down has us both singing, Play it Back as well. Josh has also sung on his own track "Alive" and Dave sang some backgrounds in Dangerous Power. We definitely don't front like we're vocalists, but we can use our voices in interesting ways and make them work.
djpeekz3 karma
Hey Josh & Dave,
I had the honour of playing before you in Canberra, Australia a few years back and that's still one of the most memorable DJ experiences I've had, as you guys have always been a massive inspiration and I've got so many favourites from your discography. I wanted to ask if Ryeland Allison was a chance for a collab on the album (or otherwise) as the Attention Deficit stuff was always awesome, and was there a remix of Superstyling under the name, or was it a wrongly named mp3 that I grabbed many years ago?
Cheers and hope to see you guys back out here!
gabrielanddresden2 karma
We remember that night, in the side room of that venue on an off night of the Creamfields Australia tour. Glad you had a great time!!
And also, great idea about Ryeland!! He's very talented and we will for give him a call and see if he wants to collaborate on the album.
Cheers!
gabrielanddresden5 karma
James Holden, Oliver Lieb, M.I.K.E. Push, Sasha, Paul van Dyk and Timo Maas were but 6 of our favorites when we started making music. That's not a complete list by any means but the ones we can think of off the top of our heads.
Admirance2 karma
What artists do you enjoy following in the trance scene? What do you think of Will Atkinson?
gabrielanddresden6 karma
Rich Solarstone. We really like him a lot and what he's doing with the scene. We love that he cares about melody and emotion and that he knows how to throw a good party and run a great label that has quite a few remarkable artists.
vankirk2 karma
My wife pokes fun at me for listening to EDM, but then we heard your song in Maze Runner, and I poked fun at her. Who was it from the movie production team that contacted you to use the song in the movie and how had they heard your song?
gabrielanddresden6 karma
The music director for Maze Runner had been a fan of As The Rush Comes for many years and was always trying to think of a way of incorporating it into a film. We think he picked the right movie to use it in.
ldldldld6969692 karma
Love you guys. You are part of the reason I've been running a Mother-32 into Soundtoys Echoboy all day! So thanks for that.
What's the best way to get tunes to you guys?
whatnot2 karma
Hey guys! Thank you for doing this! I have been a huge fan of yours for so many years and I am so thankful that you are coming out with a new album. When I saw that you were doing a kickstarter for it, I IMMEDIATELY jumped in to help. I have a few questions I have always wondered:
I enjoy your originals and your remixes so much. How do you approach a completely new song vs doing a remix?
Most people's fav song of yours are "As the Rush Comes", or "Tracking Treasure Down", (My fav is "Zocalo". I get dem deep feels when listening to it). Were there any tracks that you were surprised with how popular they would become? Or conversely, any tracks that you thought, "This is the one!" but never really took off?
Not a question, but I just want to make it clear that I am so glad you have not givin up on trance after all these years. And that you still believe in what made you who you are.
Thanks!
gabrielanddresden4 karma
With a new song, you need to come up with an idea whereas a remix you're starting with the idea already made the only thing left to do is figure out how you want to present it.
We were really surprised with the success that Arcadia had. We love making instrumentals but we never expect much from them popularity wise but Arcadia just kept on going. And still does damage to this day when we play it.
On the other hand, we thought "Tomorrow Comes" would have been a bigger song than it was. We felt really good about it. For some reason it just didn't connect with others the way it did with us.
Mako182 karma
How have you approached marketing your music and yourselves over your careers? It's extremely impressive that you guys have been active, and fairly well known (at least within the trance community) over more than a decade, so I'm curious if have any insight into what's played into that.
Thanks in advance!
gabrielanddresden5 karma
We have really tried to market ourselves very honestly, using images of things that inspire us and making music that we feel 100% about when it leaves the studio.
If we don't feel 100% about something we don't post it or release it. And that's how we plan to carry on into the future as well.
gabrielanddresden3 karma
MacBook Pro Focusrite Clarett 2-Pre Ableton Live 9
We have all of our songs that we might play in a night in the "clip view" section of Ableton and then we have 2 stereo channels that we send to 2 line in's on the mixer. Then we mix using the faders on the DJM 900 mixer as well as the built in effects.
DeluxeTraffic2 karma
Hey guys, love your stuff! I saw you guys playing once at DNA Lounge in SF and it was without a doubt the best event I've been to!
My question is, what do you think about the changes to the "sound" of trance that have happened within the past 2 years, with a growing focus on big room anthems made to be played at large festivals, and whether or not this will be a big influence on the sound of your upcoming album?
P.S. I also have to ask if you guys are planning on returning to SF or if you're going to be Austin based from now on?
P.S.S. Ok I can't resist asking this, but Adam K & Soha have recently announced their reunion and I have to ask if there is any possibility of a collaboration!
Thank you guys so much for doing this AMA! Can't wait till the new album!
gabrielanddresden7 karma
It's no secret that we're not huge fans of the "big room" EDM sound. For the most part, it leaves us feeling cold. Our new album is going to be influenced by the trance sound of 20 years ago instead of 2 years ago.
As for Adam K & Soha, we are very happy they reunited. We would love to make music with them. They are very talented producers and songwriters.
pm_ur_tunez2 karma
Hey Gabriel & Dresden! Thanks so much for doing this AMA! I'm A HUGE fan :D
I love your Kickstarter idea - I supported :D I'm excited for all the trance coming out. I know you guys will revamp the game!!! Alright, here's my question: how'd you guys come up with that great idea? :)
gabrielanddresden4 karma
The Classics Only Tour made us realize that it was time to make a new album. The only trouble was finding a way to finance taking a break from gigs to make music. We’ve been checking out Kickstarter for while now and the album seemed like a perfect opportunity to try out a new way of doing things.
poolpartypablo2 karma
Any chance you'll be starting the podcast back up? Thanks again for all the good tunes and good luck on the album!!
gabrielanddresden5 karma
Yes, there is definitely a chance to bring back Organized Nature Podcast. But for now, we really focus old school on making an amazing album. Once we do that, we're gonna try. We love making them!
gabrielanddresden9 karma
Best track to drop of ours: Gabriel & Dresden feat Molly Bancroft - Tracking Treasure Down
Best track to drop that's not ours: Holden & Thompson - Nothing '93 Returning Mix. <-- stands the test of time and does it so well.
gabrielanddresden4 karma
That is a really hard question to ask. We love playing anywhere that people are up for it and excited about the music. And we've seen that pretty much everywhere in the world.
However, we're playing Chicago next week and super excited. Chicago always represents well!
learbitrageur2 karma
How has being in the US/San Francisco influenced your trajectory and style? You guys have an awesome sound that is distinct from the European trance producers.
gabrielanddresden7 karma
On the west coast you have the Pacific Ocean crashing into the sand. The sound of the waves at some level has influenced our music. For example, you can hear it in some of our textured background sounds that they are going through a phaser that sounds like waves as it modulates.
Also, as we make music, we test it by driving in a car through nature. There is something about the space in the California landscape that feels at peace with our way of thinking about sound.
trippinpotato5 karma
Your music makes for some of the best driving music EVER! Be it in a car or on a motorcycle, your music never fails to just go with the flow while behind the wheel or handlebars!
Bring-back-fingering1 karma
Are the as the rush comes stems be included in the kickstarter classics package?, also are the lyrics about the journey on mdma?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
We'd rather not comment on the contents of Classics Only, but trust us when we tell you, you won't be disappointed. :)
markwebster11 karma
There must be thousands of remixes and bootlegs of As The Rush Comes. What is your favorite "recent" remix/bootleg of this track. Say, from 2013 to present?
gabrielanddresden2 karma
It's because we gave away the acappella on our Soundcloud two years ago. We kinda knew that we opened the floodgates when we gave it out, but frankly we were curious what people would come up with.
The best remix that has come from that is the Solid Stone remix. His version does the song some justice and works on both progressive house and trance dance floors.
Listen to a radio rip of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1epDJ1GdBYY
There was also this version by Cream and Deep Fog that's really well done.
You can hear it right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw1mHf5FXDM
gabrielanddresden2 karma
That's not our choice to make unfortunately. We signed As The Rush Comes to a major label and they are the ones who choose what gets released and what doesn't. Another one of the reasons why we're doing a Kickstarter to make a new album. It gives us the freedom to do what we want with the music we make. :)
pornshak1 karma
When are you playing Ultra next? I feel like that's the only festival that really matters for an artist's long term career, and you haven't been on the lineup in years. What gives?? You guys are amazing!
gabrielanddresden2 karma
We have not been asked to play Ultra in some time. We would love to play Ultra, we think it's a great festival! Hopefully This year or next year we can be a part of it!
MrDiddles5k51 karma
Hey guys amazing you're doing this. Been a fan since the days of bloom. Here are some questions
- when are you going to do remixes of the 80's songs again. I really loved those.
- what do you think of EDM nowadays and awesome DJs (sarcasm) like Guetta,Avicii and Calvin Harris?
- why did you break up back then?
- Josh, are your own projects coming back (Andain, Winter Kills,etc)?
- you guys ever thought to get back together with Jess and bring back motorcycle?
gabrielanddresden5 karma
We love making them as much as you love listening to them. Once we get done with the album we plan on making more. We have so many remix parts, stems and acappellas from the 80's now, we can't wait to mess around with some of them!
As we've said in a different question, we're not huge fans of the typical EDM sound. A lot of it feels very contrived and over produced to us.
We made music together in a studio for 7 years straight. Every day we were together. Just like in any relationship, sometimes you need time apart to get perspective on it. Which is what we did. Now we're back together and stronger than ever.
Andain currently has no plans, but we are planning on asking Mavie to sing on the new album. We love her. Winter Kills, nothing new planned, but Meredith Call, who sang on that project, is going to work on the new album.
Yes, we have asked Jes to join us on the new album. Let's see what she says...
gabrielanddresden2 karma
There was a problem with our laptop and after that show we marched on into the Apple Store and bought ourselves a brand new machine.
It was really hard on us to be in front of such a great audience and have equipment failure be the reason we could not perform. We apologize for it <3
yarzan1 karma
As I see you're still answering questions, I'd like to know a few things:
- Any plan at all ever to come to Israel? I know you guys tour pretty much in the US only lately, but that would be amazing!
- What made you decide to start remixing songs that would seem to be unremixable? I don't hear many "big name" artists dare (if that's the right word?) to remix the Beatles, or hark back to 80's classics such as 99 Luftbaloons and Depeche Mode. I LOVE what you guys do with songs like that, and it gives me a new appreciation for them and for you guys!
- Favorite "Gives you the feels"?
Can't wait for the new album BTW!
gabrielanddresden3 karma
We would love to play Israel. However, we've never been asked to. If and when we get asked, we will surely say "yes"!!
We don't really ever think of something as being un-remixable. We think about whether or not we like the song. Then we accept the challenge and get to work.
The Feels 8 is Dave's favorite one because of the ride it takes him on. :)
gabrielanddresden1 karma
We use a combination of Ableton and Logic
Ableton for sound design and creating ideas and Logic for arrangement and mixdown.
Sometimes we will make full tracks in either DAW.
gabrielanddresden1 karma
The best way we have ever found to be heard is to try and reach out to established DJ's and or A&R people and get their feedback. This does not mean steal an email list and spam the entire list. Do your research as to what DJ or record label might actually like your track and write a personal email to them asking for them to listen and give you feedback. If you send out 20 emails you're bound to get at least 2-3 back. And if your music is really good, you might be on your way to being heard.
Also, put your music on Soundcloud and YouTube and hope for the best.
ispecialsnowflake1 karma
Whats the name of the song in the kickstarter campaign? Its great!
gabrielanddresden1 karma
Thank you very much!! It's a new track that we have not named yet. It could very well end up on the album.
bernardolv1 karma
What albums do you find yourself listening to when looking for inspiration? Or who'se sets do you usually trust to get the creative gears grinding? Are creative blocks something you still run into or have the many years of experience helped you build a system for you to avoid this in your process. What are some other non music related activities that help you feel/be creative? Whats your favorite natural phenomena?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
Wow that's a hard question to answer, because we own so many albums and we listen to a lot of them to try and find that almighty inspiration. Some that have recently been listened to, Depeche Mode - Violator, The XX's debut album, Yazoo - You and Me Both, The Cure - Pornography, Massive Attack - Blue Lines, The Postal Service - Give Up, Red Hot Chili Peppers - BloodSugarSexMagic.
Creative blocks happen all the time. There's really no magic formula to get out of them, but one we've found that helps for us is to try and find other music that's inspiring. Whether it be something current, something old, maybe it could even be as simple as going out to hear someone else DJ. For us to get where we're at now and ready to make a new album, it was listening to our vast collection of older trance music just to remember how good dance music can be.
We love to go out and explore nature when we're stressed or feeling uninspired. The further away from civilization, the better. Get lost in the woods with the birds and other animals. Flowers, trees and the smell of the grass. Gets us out of a funk every time.
Our favorite natural phenomena are thunderstorms. We don't get to see them often in California, but when we're out on the road, we never miss the chance to have the windows open or be outside (but not under a tree) when there's one happening.
Eivissangroove1 karma
Congrats on your Kickstarter success! What was your motivation behind choosing Kickstarter to fund the production of your new album and most importantly how do you feel that knowing so many people are behind it right from its conception will affect the end result?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
We've become frustrated with the record label model for our career lately and wanted to try something new. When you sign an album deal with the record company, they usually give you an advance so that you can take time off from touring. We decided to see if we could instead fund the time off, with the help of the people that we're making the music for in the first place. We realized as an unexpected side benefit from this process, that we will know who is going to hear the album as we make it. This has us very inspired.
gabrielanddresden1 karma
Being based in the Bay Area means that you are going to be exposed to many kinds of music. There have always been many small scenes rather than the mega-club mentality. Drum & Bass, House and IDM have all seen popularity explosions over the years. Not to mention, Burning Man, which Josh has been going to since the 1990s and had a huge effect on him and how he hears music.
lenovosucks1 karma
Congrats on reaching (and exceeding) your goal on Kickstarter already! What got the ball rolling for you both to start on a new album after a decade-long hiatus?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
We were feeling inspired to make more than just singles. We've been experimenting with so many different sounds and tempos in the two years we've taken off from releasing music. And we finally feel like we're to a place where we can stretch out and do this over the course of a full length album.
_PatternRecognition1 karma
-What is your favorite G&D essential mix?
-What are some of your favorite books?
-If you had to go back and redo your careers, but it could not be in the music industry, what would you choose and why? Choose assuming you would be successful in this field.
gabrielanddresden1 karma
The best one is the first one, March 9th, 2003. Two hours of a journey that still sounds good to us today. Mixed live on two CD players and mixer. No edits.
Last Night a DJ Saved My Life by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton. Really great insight into the history of the disc jockey.
Josh would likely be a software engineer or inventor of things in the tech space and Dave would have tried his hand at meteorology.
kometenmelodie1 karma
Hey G & D! Thanks for dropping by! I can't wait to hear the new album.
I really enjoyed the piece you guys wrote a few years back on How to Talk to Your Kids About Progressive House. It's required reading for any fan of electronic music.
In recent years we've seen a sort of progressive house renaissance in the house and techno scenes. Everybody is playing really dreamy, melodic stuff. Dixon is topping the RA chart every year by playing what is essentially super deep prog house and techno DJs are dropping old trance tunes left and right. Do you see the popularity of forward thinking, melodic music filtering back into the trance scene and bringing back a healthy trance underground?
Also who are some producers and DJs who are inspiring you guys these days?
gabrielanddresden2 karma
Yes, we do see the influence of forward thinking melodic music creeping back into the trance scene. The lines between progressive house and trance in the 1990's were always very blurred and we definitely would bet that these two genres will once again be together as close cousins in the future. And we are hoping to lead that charge.
Some of our favorite artists over the past few years are: Kolsch, Kotellett & Zadak, Deepfunk, Fairmont and of course Stephan Bodzin.
komocode1 karma
did you guys avoid going into the studio together for the past couple of years because you were waiting for the kickstarter or did you already have some ideas jotted down for the album?
gabrielanddresden2 karma
When we reunited in 2011, we came back to a dance scene that was drastically different from the one we left in 2008. When we left, melody and emotion were popular. When we came back, big drums and dynamics were where most dance music was at.
We released music from 2012 - 2014, but in that time period there wasn't really a place for the kind of music we wanted to make. So, we took the last two years off from releasing music.
In that time, we've been honing in on the sounds that we love and also going back and listening to a lot of the music that originally inspired us in the first place. These two things have lead us to where we're at today.
We chose the Kickstarter model because it gives us more freedom to make the kind of album that we want to make. Not to mention, having more direct contact with our fans who are going to be part of the process seems really exciting to us.
gabrielanddresden2 karma
Trance to us is music that takes you somewhere and let's you feel many emotions.
ispecialsnowflake1 karma
How do you approach melody creation? like, are you trained musicians or do you have a method for comming up with melodies? Any advice as to how to develop the ability of creating them?
gabrielanddresden3 karma
Josh graduated from CalArts with a degree in music composition. His knowledge of music has definitely been a help to us over the years. As for advice…lay down a chord progression and set it to loop. Then, see what happens if you try sing or hum to it. The best melodies are ones that feel natural to sing.
register90ok1 karma
Looking forward to the album? When do you guys plan on starting it? When do you plan for it to be finished?
Thank you for doing this AMA! :) We <3 you!
gabrielanddresden2 karma
We are very much looking forward to making this album! It's been a long time coming. We are starting the album in January. We already have some music started from all the experiments we've been doing over the past year or so. The Album will be done on May 1st.
amstertrance1 karma
Hello Mr. Gabriel and Mr. Dresden,
I've been to a couple of your shows and you've always been really cool to me and I just have to give a sincere thanks for that :). It also goes without saying that I'm a big fan and I don't think you guys will ever get enough credit for your contributions to Trance/House and EDM.
EDIT: Initial questions below you can answer if you feel like, but my most pressing question is how do you turn an idea into a production? I always seem to lose the idea while I'm trying to get it down. Do you always have an idea or do you sometimes just mess around in your DAW and see what happens?
Thank you
My question is that although you may not have intended to have such a tremendous influence on the genre, in retrospect, what do you think allowed you to have such a big impact? E.g. was it right place, with the right stuff at the right time?
Also as an aside, I've been a bedroom producer for years (mostly for my own enjoyment as it's all garbage), do you guys ever run out of computing power? I see all these people producing on laptops and my monster machine always eventually runs out of oomph.
gabrielanddresden1 karma
Thanks for your kind words.
- Turning an idea into a production...this is the hardest part of making music. The key is to know what your idea is and to make decisions at every level that reflect your idea. Ask yourself "does this new sound I added emphasize or improve on my idea" If it does, keep it, if not get rid of it.
Sometimes the ideas are conceptual, sometimes the ideas come from messing around with your DAW or synthesizer, every song is different
We feel like we made a big impact because we made songs with lyrics that came from the heart. And we made sure to not follow trends and stuck to our own sound.
Computer power has always been a problem and always will be a problem. It least it always has been for us. You're not alone ;)
amstertrance1 karma
Thank you for the reply! Looking forward to the album, I'll opt for the advisory board on Kickstarter so maybe I'll finally learn a thing or two about production (after about 8 years or so on my own).
aldernon1 karma
Hey guys, saw your classics OTC at Ruby Skye a year ago and it was a major influence in my exploration of trance- thanks for being awesome!
2 questions- 1st off, have you looked into Neptune Project's Amplifyd Music project / will you be looking to use a platform like that to push your new album over the conventional systems?
2nd, a lot of trance artists have been incorporating more and more classic songs in their sets the last few years- do you anticipate your album continuing that trend of pursuing older types of sounds? Specifically, do you anticipate looking to remix older tracks to bring them back to the forefront of people's minds, or are you expecting to try to create new tracks that incorporate the fundamental elements of the classics?
Side note, any chance at another classics OTC in the Bay? Maybe some NYE shenanigans? Are you both still based in Oakland?
gabrielanddresden2 karma
Glad you had a great time at our 7 hour show at Ruby Skye last year!!
We have not really given much thought to the distribution of our album outside of the Kickstarter project yet. Amplifyd Music does look like an interesting platform. We are going to consider many avenues before choosing one.
As for the recording of the new album, we plan on writing and producing new original songs and not do updated versions of classics. That being said, we've been inspired by listening to a lot of the classics from the 90's and 00's and that sort of influence will more than likely find it's place with us.
gentleBandit1 karma
How did you guys manage to stay together for so long? What does each of you bring to the table?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
The key to any relationship is being flexible and having an open mind and also to never forget to communicate.
It’s difficult sometimes to know exactly what each of us brings to the table at any specific moment because things are always unpredictable in the music process. In general it goes something like this: Josh: Music training, sound design and engineering skills Dave:DJ-ing since the 1980s, A&R and radio programming.
But just like our DJing, we've both learned so many tricks from one another over the years the lines have gotten so blurry as to who does what. And that's what makes it fun for us now.
pm-me-dog-pics1 karma
For someone like me who has tried to like electronic music several times without success, what songs would you recommend that are very popular/likeable?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
Andain - Beautiful Things (Gabriel & Dresden Remix) - We have heard from a lot of people over the years who don't like electronic music but love this song. Try it out. If not that maybe our song Dangerous Power.
You can find both of them in here: http://bit.ly/redditgd
connorwaldo1 karma
Welcome to Reddit! Thought I'd post this important question: Yolo or swag?
Kidding...what's your favorite trance song from 1990s-2000?
You guys are awesome!
ripppItDuuuuuddeeeee
phoenix-down1 karma
Hey guys, massive fan here from Australia. Really excited about this kickstarter campaign!
Really hoping to see you guys in Australia in 2017, any plans? :)
What current trance tracks are you digging atm?
You guys seem to have a good relationship with the folks at Anjunabeats, through No On on Earth (fave), radioshow appearances, and appearing in a few of their pool parties, and Anjunabeats worldwide shows. What's your relationship really like with the Anjuna crew, and what're they like to work with? Any stories?
gabrielanddresden5 karma
We'd always LOVE to come to Australia, but it somehow just never works out. We plan to tour the world for this album so hopefully we make it there in 2017.
What we've been doing to get inspired for this album is listening to OLD trance tracks. The ones that still make us feel something. Oliver Lieb, Rank 1, MIKE Push, Sasha, Airwave, Caspar Pound, Three 'n One, Paul Van Dyk, Matt Darey. The original trance from the 1990's. We really want to bring THAT feeling back.
We love the Anjuna/Above & Beyond dudes. We go back a long way with them and we have always been friends. We have nothing but nice words to say about Jono, Tony & Paavo and of course James. The people who work for the label and management are also very lovely. Even the people whom they sign. We are incredibly proud of them for what they have achieved in music. There are not many dance acts who have sold out Madison Square Garden. They have. It's quite phenomenal.
Oh, we have stories...but what happens in Vegas...
iCalibratedTo353MMR1 karma
Thanks for this AMA session! :)
I have two (OK, THREE) 4 questions:
Have you ever ghostwritten for somebody? I mean ghostwritten and not being credited officially. Of course there is no need to call exact names. :)
Any chance for G&D Essential Mix 2017?
Are you often recognized by people when traveling / going to the mall? Have you been released without fine by trance fan policeman after exceeding speed limit? Is there some story like that? :D
Can you briefly describe your typical day when you work on music? :)
P.S. WE LOVE YA!!! And we are excited about future of your music! Thank you guys!
gabrielanddresden2 karma
Thanks for the kind words!!
No. We have never ghost written for anyone else. It just does not seem like something we'd like to do.
We love doing Essential Mixes. Hopefully once the album is out we will get asked by the grand Poobah of dance, Pete Tong. We would surely accept.
We've been recognized a few times out in the world over the years but not a huge amount. One time Dave was recognized by an immigrations officer coming back to America. But there aren't any really stories of us getting over on the law because of who we are.
A typical day for us starts around 9am. We like to work during the day and are best in the mornings. That's when the solid ideas come out, or fix the problems that were created the day before. Usually by 12 or 1 we are ready for a lunch break and maybe a short walk through nature and then it's time to get back to work. We will usually work until around 5 or 6 until our ears hurt or we just can't focus any longer. You never want to push it because once you're done, you're done. We'd rather save it for the next day when our ears and minds are fresh.
lolwutmikka1 karma
Will you come to Australia for any extended sets and will there be any more Winter Kills?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
- We've hoped to bring Classics Only to all the Australian cities but thus far we've not been able to do so.
Once the new album is made and released, we are planning to tour the world for it. Hopefully an Australian promoter will pick up the tour because we've really missed playing down under. We've never actually done a club tour of AU before, only a festival and a multi act bill in large venues. We think getting more intimate in Australia would be really fun.
- At the present time, Winter Kills is on hiatus but Meredith Call, who is the vocalist for the project, will be working with us on our new album.
noclip11 karma
How often do you guys on average end up scrapping a song or melody, and why?
Just wanted to say thanks for the AMA guys. As the rush comes is still one of my all time favourite trance songs
gabrielanddresden1 karma
Could you rephrase the question? We are not sure what you mean by "scrapping"
Thanks 😎
d0gsbestfriend1 karma
Out of the newer Djs who are in the spotlight, who would you like to work with most and make music for?
gabrielanddresden1 karma
This dude Attlas, from Canada is a really good producer and we'd definitely consider working with him. It feels like a lot of his music comes from the same place ours does.
Of course, Stephan Bodzin would be super fun. We love everything about his productions and choices of sounds are second to none.
This is a difficult question because there are so many people we'd love to collaborate with. Even off the wall ideas that you'd never expect, like The Chainsmokers, would be fun for us.
migsdado1 karma
WOW! never thought I`d hear from you guys again!!
The two tracks that I really love from you guys was your remix of Southern Sun and Arcadia.
I was a young lad back at the peak of your career and never really got that chance to see you guys. Nowadays, after saving up Ive finally got myself a pretty decent computer and want to give producing music a try...and maybe become world class DJ (in my dreams)
My question would be, Are you going to release samples and stems of from old productions? OR are they already around? (show me the way?)
I would love to get my hands on them and try take me back to those good old days with my own style and process.
cheers G&D! :)
migsdado1 karma
uhm, if I may, the same two songs that got me on the G&D brand, Arcadia and Southern Sun? :)
CAPnNeckbeard0 karma
Why the fuck are you crowd sourcing the funds for your album? Sign to a record label or get a fucking loan
gabrielanddresden2 karma
Well, this was our choice to make for ourselves and we're very happy with how it turned out. Sometimes you have to try something different and or scary to move forward.
CAPnNeckbeard1 karma
Holy Christ you should be happy you fooled people out of their money to fund your project that isn't going to make any money for them at all. You really didn't have 30,000? I don't believe you.
gabrielanddresden2 karma
We didn't fool anyone. We have people who like what we do, and would like another album from us. And we want to give them a great one. One where we don't have to be on tour while we make it. So we can really focus on the music and only the music.
gabrielanddresden1 karma
We are going to put all the money we make into the making of the album, and then the promotion and marketing of it. This is not a get rich quick scheme.
gabrielanddresden1 karma
It will be for sale, and on streaming services. We are just not sure if we're going to release it ourselves or sign it to a record label.
Sandgrease12 karma
Have either of you used psychedelics or MDMA and if so, have they influenced your music production?
I always find it amazing how producers are able to "hijack" the senses and mind to elicit specific emotional reactions from their intended audience and obviously trance can entrance those under the influence.
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