Lost Witness (Ten Questions with...) Exclusive interview

  
Lost Witness is a British Trance project founded by Simon Paul in 1997. Under this alias, hits such as "7 Colours", "Happiness Happening" and "Red Sun Rising" were released. His tracks have been released on such record labels as A State Of Trance, Pure Trance Neon, Amsterdam Trance, Ministry Of Sound, We Are Trance, Data Records, Armada Music, Abora Recordings, Captivating Sounds and others. Simon shares his story with Trance music. I invite you to an interview conducted exclusively for Visions Of Trance.

1. What is trance music to you?

Trance is a love and a passion for me , part of my DNA really now. Although I love all genres of music , trance holds that special place in my heart.

Its a real connection between you and the audience, its an emotion that quite possibly no other genre can emulate.




2. How do you perceive the state of the current trance music scene?

Its truly alive, so many talented people carving their way in the the scene over many sub genres, despite the lack of mainstream radio support for the genre its still a true force globally as demonstrated by all the festivals that are thriving.

3. What are your goals in producing trance music?

I have two , one to produce music that i love and means a lot to me 2) hope that it resonates with my fans and audience.




4. Who was your inspiration to start producing trance music?

I think that simply came through being a DJ i was already producing music back in the early 90s but as the genre grew as did my love for it so it was a natural progression for me

5. Which song are you most proud of and why?

Carry Me Home for sure- its was the right song at the right time - smack bang in the middle of covid , it reached and touched so many people that it felt like i had a true connection with people even though we were all locked away. As a collaboration the writer Camillo struck the right chord , Laura captured the right emotion with her vocals and the music just came together !


6. Will your future releases be collaborations with other artists? Are you more into solo productions?

Both work for me , i do work with other producers, and i have done a couple of collabs recently with Mo Fawzy and good friend Andy Senior.

Im happy to work with the right people if we share the same vision

7. What inspires you to create trance music?

My family and where i live, a 10 minute drive and you're by the iconic Loch Ness, a walk with the family in the fresh air and the great outdoors is enough to conjour up ideas and i put them down on a voice memo and get them into the studio




8. What hardware and software do you use to create trance music

Over the years my set up has changed moving more to soft synths but as with a lot of producers i see, the need to create something from raw sounds and hardware has come to the fore, so i have dug out my SH101 (Roland) JP8000, Akai SV01 Vintage module, Korg M1 , dusted them off and see what they can bring to the table in future tracks. If the need is there i'll dust off more. 

Ive always used Cubase and that remains my preference

9. How do you perceive the influence of social media on the career development of a trance artist?

Its a necessary evil , but there is an impasse lately , that of those who see Social media as a leap frog to fame and those who have learned a craft and use social media to share that experience. 

I took a sabbatical for some years before returning to music and it was a changed world..where social media companies and "Boost" sites offer the world for really little return. The only winners really are Meta, X, Spotify , Tik Tok etc of course there are algorithms that constantly change and only really work for those who have the time to study it or pay for it. 




10. Finally, what would you like to say to your fans?

Thank you for 30 years of love and support, I am nowhere near the higher echelons of the scene anymore but I am grateful for the gigs and the support I get to this day from promoters, DJs and fans. With so much talent support or gigs are neither a rite or a given ,but a blessing ..and all i can do is give my all back to them 

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