Sherpa (Ten Questions with...) Exclusive Interview
Andrew Condie aka Sherpa is a new trance music producer from Northern Ireland. He has been creating his own songs for a short time, and has already made remixes for Pure Trance and Black Hole Recordings. Andrew shared a few things about his work. I invite you to an interview conducted exclusively for Visions Of Trance.
1. What is trance music to you?
It’s more than just a genre of music! I believe that everyone who enjoys trance music feels part of something, like a community of like minded people, a family. It brings a lot of people together that’s for sure - that’s trance.
2. How do you perceive the state of the current trance music scene?
I’m going to talk about my own country, Northern Ireland, for a minute as we are quite lucky. Where I am from we have the Northern Ireland Trance Family (NITF) who do great things, from running weekly trance nights in Belfast to open air stages in a local football stadium. There is also the annual Planet Love festival which is mainly trance and the Telegraph Building which has hosted massive shows with the likes of Above & Beyond, Paul Van Dyk, John O’Callaghan and many more. For such a small country the Northern Ireland Trance scene is up there with the very best.
3. What are your goals in producing trance music?
My goal is to keep learning, keep improving. I also have a list of labels that I would love to release tracks on.
4. Who was your inspiration to start producing trance music?
My inspiration comes from a good friend of mine called Mark Reynolds aka “Walsh” from Walsh & McAuley. He broke the barrier for me from being a DJ to now being a producer and taught me so many things that sometimes seemed impossible. He’s a great producer, mentor and friend.
5. Which song are you most proud of and why?
I’m probably most proud of my first ever original track called “Tears” which came out on Perfecto Black this year. I’m proud of it because it was my first but also because I was going through a rough time when I made it and now I’m passed all that, I just feel proud. https://www.beatport.com/release/tears/4051358
6. Will your future releases be collaborations with other artists? Are you more into solo productions?
I’m more interested in doing solo work although I am collaborating at the moment with another Perfecto artist.
Music has always been my escape from reality but at the same time, I can hear another track, music from a tv show or film, or think of a classic and try to put what’s in my mind onto the screen in my studio.
8. What hardware and software do you use to create trance music?
I started on Ableton 9 and now I use 11.
My favourite VSTs are Diva, Serum & Spire. No hardware at the moment.
9. How do you perceive the influence of social media on the career development of a trance artist?
There are more advantages than disadvantages. Social media is a great tool for instant reach worldwide. One like, comment or share from the right person can instantly lift your career.
I’ve only been producing professionally a short while and the support I’ve received has been amazing. Just a massive shout out to my family, friends and everyone else who has supported so far. Thank you!
