With Trance Unity right around the corner on February 24th, 2018, I had the chance to speak with Ramy Barghoud. Ramy is the talent buyer and operations manager for Monkey BuzinezZ, the company that is responsible for Trance Unity and a strong presence in the Trance scene in Montreal. I should also mention he manages artists Solid Stone and Tomac. I figured he would be the perfect person to ask a few questions that I am sure many people, as well as myself, have about this year’s TU.
Q: This year’s theme is “#legends”. What is that all about?
A: We always try to book DJs that are not here often, and we wanted to focus on DJs that have been in the scene for a while yet haven’t played in the area for quite some time. With names like Marco V and Gabriel & Dresden returning in full force as well as Super 8 & Tab and Roger Shah making their long awaited return, it was only appropriate to label this as a legends edition.
Q: The date is a very different time of year than the previous two TU events. Why did it move?
A: The first edition of Trance Unity was in February, but the reason we came back to this time of year is because of our new collaboration with AIM Festival. We wanted to be able to focus on each event and put the appropriate work for each event. We don’t want to put our crowd in a position where they can only attend one. Putting six months between those two massive trance lineups would be ideal for everyone.
Q: This year’s TU is 13 hours long, while previous years were 15 hours in length. Why?
A: It was scheduled to be 13 hours – regardless of the headliners. Very few people were making it the entire 15 hours. We felt it was unfair to the DJs playing the later sets and to the people who actually wanted to catch all of those DJs. We also heard feedback about the price of tickets last year, so this was a way to reduce our costs and reduce the ticket price without affecting the quality of the lineup.
Q: Will you tell us which DJs backed out, causing the delay in the Trance Unity lineup this year?
A: No, sorry. 🙂
Q: Are there any artists that are on your wishlist for future events?
A: The artists we put on are not about MY wishlist. It is about our crowd’s wishlist! We really listen to our crowd and try to cater to as many people as we can. I’m a big fan of the older generation DJs so, needless to say, I was thrilled with the lineup we came up with this year. One name that returns often that we will try hard to book for a future edition is Aly & Fila. If we do book them you can bet that it will be something special where they can showcase a whole spectrum of their talent and play a minimum of a 5 hour set. Fingers crossed!
Q: I met my wife at Trance Unity 2016, and another writer for Team EDMTOR proposed to his girlfriend at TU 2017. Have you heard of any other love stories from TU?
A: I don’t know any particular love stories per say, but I know a lot of friendships with very strong bonds have been created at Trance Unity. The vibe is just so special, it’s 1500 people all bonding together with music. We ask there is no use of any cameras or cellphones for any pictures or videos during the entire event so that everyone is actually immersed in the music.
This year’s Trance Unity is s looking to be one not to miss! How could you pass up 13 hours of artists like Alex M.O.R.P.H., John 00 Fleming, Christopher Lawrence, Gabriel & Dresden and a classics set by Super8 & Tab? That’s just to name a few! This will be my third year in a row attending TU and it’s always a no-miss event for me. Maybe I’ll see you there, TranceFamily!?
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Ryan Gentry – EDM TOR
