My name is Standerwick… just Standerwick!

2014 is going really well for Ian who’s acting since this year only as “Standerwick”. We talked with him about his name change, his music and of course his plans for the upcoming months. Enjoy reading! 😉
 
TranceAttack: 2014 started great for you from our point of view. We saw you in Utrecht at ASOT650 and you had a couple of great releases. Are you satisfied with the year so far?
Standerwick: Im never satisfied! There is always a voice niggling away in the back of my mind questioning whether I’m doing enough. As far as releases are concerned, there is plenty more to come for 2014, I haven’t even started yet! An original, a few collaborations and some remixes have all been completed and are awaiting on scheduled release dates. I will let you know how satisfied I am once I know how well they did!
 
TranceAttack: What are your plans for the upcoming months?
Standerwick: I am concentrating on originals now for the foreseeable future, this is my priority, however, I have a few really big remixes coming up at some point which I’m very excited about. I can’t give specific details about who for other than 2 names from my bucket list will be ticked off and there are not that many! Plans also include establishing myself inside of the DJ world which is going really well since I signed to Adjusted Artist Management, in fact I haven’t stopped and the gig calendar looks really healthy.
 
TranceAttack: Your last release on FSOE together with ReOrder “Sailing Airwaves” is dedicated to Matt Triggle who unfortunatly died last year. Can you tell us a little bit of the idea behind and relationship you had to Matt?
Standerwick: I became good friends with Matt following a remix project I did for Silent Shore some years back, Matt was head of A&R there. He was always a voice of encouragement with all my releases after that and we would often have long chats on Facebook at stupid times of the night. He was such a great, genuine person and I really miss him and those chats we used to have.

 
TranceAttack: You are quite successfull with your “Sky Patrol” projekt together with ReOrder. Is there already new stuff in preparation?
Standerwick: Yes we have another original which is very nearly completed. We are also officially reworking a vocal classic which is very exciting!
 
TranceAttack: Are there any ideas for other collabs?
Standerwick: Yes, lots of plans. Right now Brian Flinn and myself are finishing up a new tune and a few weeks ago Ben Nicky came down to the studio and we started something a bit special. Lots of other plans in the pipeline too.
 
TranceAttack: You changed your artist name this year from “Ian Standerwick” only to “Standerwick”. What are the reasons behind?
Standerwick: This was something that was decided between my management and visual/logo designers. They just felt that it came across better and had more impact particularly on animated backdrops and posters etc. Its not something that I’m well versed in to be honest, marketing etc, but I trusted their decision and was happy to go with it. I must admit it was strange at first but I’m getting used to it now. I was only ever called ‘Stan’ as I was growing up in school, so losing my first name is not a problem for me and I’ve been called a lot worse lol!
 
TranceAttack: In the beginning of your musical career you were also active as vocalist. Are there any ideas to be active again behind the microfon?
Standerwick: I do enjoy singing, but not as much as producing. I have made a decision not to pursue the vocal avenue as I felt this was detracting from what I really wanted, to establish myself as a Producer/DJ.
 
TranceAttack: Some years ago you decided to take a break from music business for your family. How do you handle the balance today between job and family?
Standerwick: A few months back I took the plunge and I am now full time music production & Dj’ing. Since taking this step, family life has improved so much. For the last 2 years I was raising a young family, working a normal job and producing/DJ’ing at the same time. This was really tough, more so on the children. I spent so much of my time in the studio with my head down and I had a lot of feelings of guilt, it was awful.
Now things are so much better. I can now walk them to school, do fun activities with them and still put all the time and effort into producing. Its a great balance and a happy household now.
 
TranceAttack: The technical evolution of deejay equipment is really impressive. What is your prefered equipment you spin with? Do you prefer CD’s or USB Stick?
Standerwick: I use USB sticks – a main, a back-up, another back-up and I still put every set onto a CDR – you can never be to careful!!! lol No I’m not paranoid, but you never know. The great thing about using sticks is I can plan my set and label it as a playlist, but I can also carry pretty much my entire music collection on the same stick. In the not so distant past you carried your record box with your set on vinyl and a collection of ‘maybe’s’ in case you wanted to steer in another direction but you were limited. Now its a completely different ball game. You have access to all of your tunes and more often now I find myself diverting from my intended set list (crowd dependant!) and pulling up something else, because its there and I can!!!!

 
TranceAttack: There are a lot movements in the music scene which focus back on the roots of the trance scene – like Solarstone’s “Pure Trance” or Armin van Buuren’s “Who’s afraid of 138!?”. What do you think of these movements?
Standerwick: I admire Rich and Armin so much for having the vision to undertake these projects/movements, and you know what, Trance fans love it. We focus on the roots of our passion and yet, though the production standard may have changed and the way we do things in the studio, Trance remains consistent. Its also a way of keeping things in check so Trance doesn’t go off at some mad tangent.
 
TranceAttack: What is your opinion on the future of the EDM?
Standerwick: It will evolve and continue to evolve like any other genre of music. Technology increases, new sounds, new production techniques, fresh ideas and so on. Its very exciting at the moment, I think we are heading towards a transition, or a shift in the most ‘popular’ styles in EDM, but this is normal. Another full circle will have played out its course and another one will begin again, bringing with it new talent and new producers all jostling for a spot. Its all about the music at the end of the day and the way it can make you feel. Its certainly not all about one genre. Im very content at 138bpm and above, I’m comfortable and happy, so this where I will stay for now.
 
TranceAttack: Thanks for the interview and we wish you all the best for the future!
 
Connect with Standerwick:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/standerwickmusic
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ianstanderwick