Simon Berry

Last updated

Art of Trance
Simon Berry.jpg
Berry at the Venice Biennale
Background information
Birth nameSimon Paul Berry
Also known as
  • Poltergeist
  • Vicious Circles
Born1970 (age 5253)
Origin England
Genres
Occupation(s) Electronic musician, composer, record producer, remixer, record label owner
Years active1993–present
Labels
Website www.platipus.com/artists/art-of-trance/

Simon Paul Berry, (born in 1970) known by his alias Art of Trance, is an English trance music DJ. [1] Berry is also known as Poltergeist or Vicious Circles, and has been a member of the trance groups Clanger, Conscious and Union Jack. He has been producing and remixing music since 1993. In addition to his work as an artist, Berry was the founder and head of Platipus Records, based in London. Initially his label only released his own tracks. His work was first distributed on vinyl and compact disc and then digital only from 2011.

Contents

Career

On 15 June 2002, his track "Madagascar" reached number one on the UK Dance Singles Chart. His work has charted in United Kingdom eight times as Art of Trance [2] and the first time with "Vicious Circles" under the alias Poltergeist in 1996. Berry has remixed a number of tracks for other electronic musicians, including Quietman, Moogwai, Indiana, Matt Darey, Steve Jablonsky and Anthony Pappa. A remix of Yello's "Vicious Games" from the 1985 Stella album, charted in 1999. In 2003, he re-recorded a new version of Jan Johnston's "Calling your name" that charted at #80. His tracks appear on mixed compilations such as Tranceport 2 , Global Underground 017: London , Upfront Trance , Magik Three: Far from Earth , Oakenfold Anthems , Beyond Euphoria , Ibiza Euphoria and Classic Euphoria .

Berry's music has been remixed by artists including Ferry Corsten, Cygnus X, Perfect Stranger, Mike Dierickx, Michael Woods, Telefon Tel Aviv and Gai Barone. Art of Trance performs at various international music festivals and parties. He was credited for the release to a wider audience of the single "Children" by Robert Miles after its initial release failed to chart. [3]

Production

Berry's music has been described variously as progressive trance, psychedelic trance, acid trance and techno. During the 1990s, Berry's music production was focused on his wide array of analog synthesizers. [4] From 2005 on-wards, his work space shifted to the computer. [4] His current hardware includes an Analogue Solutions Nyborg 12, Modal 008, Alesis Andromeda A6, Abstrakt Instruments Avalon and a Moog Sub 37. He uses Logic Pro and Reaktor with a range of plugins. [4]

Art of Trance is well known for the usage of samples of natural sounds (or electronically produced imitations of natural sounds) in his tracks, like bird singing (e.g. "Easter Island", "Kaleidoscope" and "Madagascar"). The songs "Stealth" and "Blue Owl" were featured on the video game Midnight Club II . Various remixes have appeared on the SongBird and Black Hole Recordings music labels. Berry's work is currently distributed through Platipus Music. [5]

Berry has described his style as deep trance, explaining his preference for "techno-based hypnotic progressive house with depth, and occasional psychedelic and melodic elements". [4] He cites Depeche Mode, Vangelis, Tomita, Orbital, 808 State, Jean Michel Jarre, Wendy Carlos, Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Jeff Mills as his musical influences.

Discography

External media
Audio
Nuvola apps arts.svg "Curve Bender"
Nuvola apps arts.svg "Before the Storm"
Video
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg "Stratosphere"
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg "Ultrafoxx"
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg "Praxia"

Albums

Singles

  • 1993 "Cambodia"
  • 1993 "Deeper Than Deep"
  • 1993 "Gloria"
  • 1993 "The Colours"
  • 1995 "Octopus" / "Orange"
  • 1996 "Wildlife on One"
  • 1996 "Vicious Circles" (as Poltergeist) - UK #32 [6]
  • 1997 "Kaleidoscope" - UK #83 [7]
  • 1998 "Madagascar" - UK #68 [6]
  • 1999 "Breath"
  • 1999 "Easter Island" - UK #77 [8]
  • 1999 "Madagascar" - UK #48 [9]
  • 2000 "Vicious Circles" (as Vicious Circles)
  • 2000 "Monsoon"
  • 2000 "Breathe" - UK #76 [10]
  • 2001 "Killamanjaro" - UK #82 [11]
  • 2002 "Madagascar" - UK #41 [9]
  • 2002 "Love Washes Over" - UK #60 [12]
  • 2004 "Mongoose"
  • 2004 "Turkish Bizarre"
  • 2005 "Madagascar" / "Monsoon" ("Monsoon" features vocal sample from "Ever So Lonely")
  • 2006 "Persia"
  • 2009 "Madagascar Remastered 2009"
  • 2009 "Voices of Earth" featuring Caroline Lavelle
  • 2009 "Swarm"
  • 2011 "The Horn"
  • 2011 "Chung Kuo"
  • 2011 "The Horn"
  • 2012 "Praxia"
  • 2012 "Stratosphere"
  • 2014 "Moroccan Roll" in collaboration with Loud and Domestic
  • 2014 "Ricochet"
  • 2014 "Humans"
  • 2015 "Before the Storm"
  • 2015 "Ultrafoxx"
  • 2016 "Firebird"
  • 2017 "Curve Bender"

Remixes

  • 1993 Art of Trance - "Deeper than Deep" (as Poltergeist)
  • 1994 Velocity - "Lust"
  • 1998 The Young Braves - "Warriors Groove" (as Poltergeist)
  • 1999 Quietman - "Tranquil"
  • 1999 Yello vs. Hardfloor - "Vicious Games" - UK #88 [13]
  • 2001 Moogwai - "The Labyrinth" (as Vicious Circles)
  • 2002 Indiana - "Do You Hear Me?"
  • 2002 John Occlusion vs. Johen - "Psycho Drums"
  • 2003 Jan Johnston - "Calling Your Name"
  • 2004 Tekara - "Wanna Be an Angel"
  • 2011 Steve Jablonsky - "Arrival to Earth" (with Exist and Arjen van der Hoek)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delerium</span> Canadian band

Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band’s history, their musical style has encompassed a broad range, including dark ethereal ambient trance, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. They are best known for their worldwide hit "Silence". The band is known to feature female guest vocalists on their albums since their 1994 album Semantic Spaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiësto</span> Dutch DJ and record producer (born 1969)

Tijs Michiel Verwest, known professionally as Tiësto, is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by Mix magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was voted by DJ Mag readers as the "best DJ of the last 20 years". He is also regarded as the "Godfather of EDM" by many sources.

<i>Kaleidoscope</i> (Kelis album) 1999 studio album by Kelis

Kaleidoscope is the debut studio album by American singer Kelis. It was released on December 7, 1999, by Virgin Records, and was produced entirely by the Neptunes. Despite underperforming in the United States, the album saw mild success in certain international markets, including the United Kingdom, where it charted at number 43 and was certified gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferry Corsten</span> Dutch trance producer, DJ and remixer

Ferry Corsten is a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer. He is well known for producing many pioneering trance tracks during the 1990s–2000s under his numerous aliases, including System F, Moonman, Pulp Victim and Gouryella. In recent years, he has shifted to a broader electronic music style, playing everything from progressive house to uplifting trance; and hosts his own weekly radio show, Resonation Radio. Corsten routinely plays at events and festivals all over the world including Electric Daisy Carnival, Tomorrowland, and many others, and has been consistently ranked among DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs poll, having placed at rank 5 in 2004 and 2005, 6 in 2006 and 2008; and most recently at 89 for 2023.

Platipus Records was a British trance music record label that was based in London, England. It was founded in 1993 by Simon Berry, and early releases included Union Jack and Art of Trance. Later, the label included artists like Dawnseekers and Quietman. Sublabels included Gekko and Platipus Euro. Platipus Records Ltd ceased trading in 2010. Berry and the label's artists relaunched under the Porcupine Records label, but this was superseded by the founding of Platipus Music at the end of 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Lashes</span> Musical artist

Lisa Lashes, is an English electronic dance music DJ and music producer known for mixing numerous Euphoria albums and for her Lashed dance music events. She has headlined European and international music festivals such as Global Gathering, Creamfields, Nocturnal Wonderland and Dance Valley, UK events such as Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Inside Out and Planet Love and has toured China, Canada, US, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.

Jam & Spoon were a German electronic music duo formed in 1991 in Frankfurt. The group consisted of composers and producers Rolf Ellmer and Markus Löffel. They also worked under the pseudonyms Tokyo Ghetto Pussy, Storm and Big Room. Under these pseudonyms, the credits on the albums are listed as Trancy Spacer and Spacy Trancer.

Matthew Jonathan Darey is an English trance music producer and performer. Darey has sold over two million albums and singles with numerous top 10 and top 20 chart hits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chab</span> Swiss musician

Chab is the stage name used by Swiss trance music producer and remixer François Chabloz. Known for his progressive trance style, Chabloz has an extensive history as a remixer and he has also released original material under the monikers Moogwai and Star. Artists remixed by Chab include Gorillaz, Depeche Mode, Röyksopp, Ayumi Hamasaki, Nelly Furtado, and Every Little Thing.

Jan Johnston is an English professional singer & songwriter, best known for collaborating with some of the world's top trance music DJs and producers.

Cygnus X was a trance music project from Germany named after the famous X-ray binary star Cygnus X-1. It began as a collaboration between Matthias Hoffmann and Ralf Hildenbeutel, who later left. Other projects of the pair include A.C. Boutsen, Brainchild and Dee.FX. Their sound extends from hard to ambient trance.

John Fleming is an English trance producer and DJ from Worthing, West Sussex. He has had releases on record labels such as Ministry of Sound, Deconstruction Records, Logic Records, and 3 Beat Music. He also owns and runs Joof Recordings. He has performed at many clubs including Cream, Gatecrasher, Ministry of Sound, and Godskitchen.

Euphoria is a Canadian trance, techno, blues, and electronica music project based in Toronto, Ontario. The group has released five albums and four remix EPs based on the musical compositions and guitar playing of Ken Ramm.

<i>1980–1985 The New Mix in One Go</i> 1986 remix album by Yello

1980–1985 The New Mix in One Go is a compilation of remixed songs by the Swiss band Yello. It was released on March 17, 1986. The album peaked at No. 99 in Australia on the Kent Music Report chart in December 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Children (composition)</span> 1995 single by Robert Miles

"Children" is an instrumental composition by Italian composer Robert Miles. It was first released in Italy in January 1995 as part of the EP Soundtracks on Joe Vannelli's DBX label, but it did not chart. Vannelli brought the track to a nightclub in Miami where it was heard by Simon Berry of Platipus Records. Berry worked with Vannelli and James Barton to release the composition in November 1995 as the lead single from Miles's debut album, Dreamland (1996). "Children" was certified gold and platinum in several countries and reached number one in more than 12 countries; it was Europe's most successful single of 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Space Brothers</span> British trance music duo

The Space Brothers are a British trance music duo comprising Richard 'Ricky' Louis Simmonds and Stephen Christopher Jones, noted for producing under a variety of pseudonyms such as Chakra, Lustral, Ascension, Essence, Ultra High, Lamai and The Realm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Race (Yello song)</span> 1988 single by Yello

"The Race" is a song by Swiss electronic band Yello, released as the first single from their album Flag. The single was initially released on 11 April 1988 via the Fontana label.

<i>Kaleidoscope: Remixed</i> 2010 remix album by Tiësto

Kaleidoscope: Remixed is a remix album by Dutch electronic dance music artist Tiësto, released on 31 August 2010 in the United States. It is the remix album of Tiësto's fourth studio album, Kaleidoscope, released in 2009.

<i>Chilled Euphoria</i> 2000 remix album (DJ mix album) by Red Jerry

Chilled Euphoria is a DJ mix album digitally mixed by British DJ Red Jerry as part of the Telstar TV's Euphoria series of DJ mixed dance music compilations. Chilled Euphoria features chill-out music, in the form of genres such as ambient music and trip hop, cross-licensed from different artists. The album was intended to be played in "post club sessions", where people chill-out in their homes listening to the album after returning home from a dance nightclub at 8 am. Some of the remixes on the album were exclusive to the album and previously unreleased, and five of them were compiled onto a double EP used to promote the album.

Mark Sherry, is a Scottish DJ and record producer productions & remixes on Outburst Records/Techburst Records, Reset (Spinnin), Armada, Mental Asylum, High Contrast, Lange & Detox.

References

  1. Art of Trance discography at Discogs
  2. "Art of Trance". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  3. Alice Vincent (10 May 2013). "Robert Miles, creator of dance music classic Children, has died aged 47". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "An interview with Simon Berry aka Art Of Trance". TranceFix. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  5. "About Platipus". Platipus, UK. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  6. 1 2 "vicious circles". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  7. "kaleidoscope". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. 19 June 1999. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  8. "easter island". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. 15 March 1997. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  9. 1 2 "madagascar". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  10. "breathe". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. 15 May 1999. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  11. "killamanjaro". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. 22 September 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
  12. "love washes over". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  13. "vicious games". Official Charts. The Official UK Charts Company. 15 May 1999. Retrieved 5 September 2017.