One of Anjunabeats‘ most iconic acts sat down to answer some questions, ahead of his Ultra Miami set.
ilan Bluestone (also abbreviated for the sake of simplicity as iB) is among the most recognisable Anjunabeats artists of the past 10 years. Tracks like ‘Spheres‘, ‘Big Ben‘, ‘Bonsai‘, ‘Will We Remain?‘, and many, many more, have turned into anthems of the label, and have also showcased how broad his style can be. Further experimenting with styles, he now also makes music under the subalias ilan Bluestone pres. Stoneblue, focusing on faster 135+ BPM Trance.
Yesterday, Ilan arranged an AMA instance on the r/electronicmusic subreddit. Out of all the questions asked, these are our top picks and findings from it:
1. He’s quite picky about the low end on his shows
In one of the questions, he explains why he doesn’t play his BT and Stef Lang song ‘All These Wounds’ around clubs:
Q: “All These Wounds was one of those songs that just captivated me the first time I heard it, but I’ve never seen you play it live. I vaguely remember reading something from you on social media saying that you didn’t feel that it fits in a club/DJ set environment (please correct me if I’m mistaken). Can you walk us through the thought process behind what makes a song better to be heard in a live environment vs. in a standalone setting?”
iB: “Club sets really need tracks that have banging bass lines. All These Wounds I feel is more suited for a chill environment just based on the way its produced. After trying to play it I found i realized the low end on this one wasn’t powerful enough compared to other tracks of mine.“
2. His collab with Giuseppe Ottaviani has a name… and has been played around!
After the video preview both artists shared on Instagram a couple of days ago, we all got excited as we learnt about this collaboration. During the AMA, ilan shared a little extra insight on it, like the title:
Q: “I’m super stoked to hear the upcoming collab with Giuseppe once it’s finally done!”
iB: “Collab with Giuseppe is done and its called Futuro! I’m playing it out on all my upcoming shows! See you in the front row 😉“
Q: “Do you have a favourite track to play live currently?”
iB: “My new track with Giuseppe Ottaviani, as well as Save a Prayer with Gid!“
3. He cares about his ears
A must for a DJ, as their ears are their work tools:
Q: “Ok when you listen and working too much on music stuff do you have any issue with your ears?”
iB: “Ear protection is very important. I’ve got earplugs that I always wear at festivals and in nightclubs to make sure I’m not damaging my hearing!“
4. A Stoneblue album is on its way
When asked about it on the AMA, he hinted towards something big for his faster subalias:
Q: “Do you plan on a Stoneblue album at some point? I find myself listening to that version of Stanger To Your Love more than the original and I remember loving it the second I heard it.”
iB: “F to the yeah! Just wait on this one 😉“
5. His favourite gig of all time was his ABGT100 set
Out of all the show’s he’s played to this day, the 2014 one at MSG stands out for him:
Q: “If you could rank your own sets (not just music but crowd/type of set/liveliness/etc), how would you rank them? If that’s too broad of a q, what are your most memorable sets/festivals/shows that you remember?”
iB: “Madison Square garden, nothing will beat that show as it was my first ever live performance. I nearly shat myself on stage“
6. It’s a challenge for him to play after Above & Beyond
Even though he’s done it several times (ABGT150, ABGT200, ABGTW 2019), he says playing after the trio always comes with great responsibility:
Q: “Do you find it intimidating to go on stage after the headliner of an event? I’m specifically referring to ABGTW in 2019.”
iB: “Can’t wait to be back at The Gorge! its super intimidating to go on stage after the kings of trance that got me into this in the first place. There is a high bar set by them and it can be really daunting to take the stage after such legends!“
7. There’s some Elysian on the works
Another one of his side projects is the one formed by Maor Levi, Emma Hewitt, and him. Under the name Elyisian, they’ve released tracks like ‘Moonchild’ and ‘Water’. ilan had a say on the matter during the AMA:
Q: “Also the remix for Now We Are Free is that one getting released? All the best!”
iB: “We’re currently trying to get the rights to release it!“
Q: “any plans for Elysian new music esp that Gladiator theme? EPIC !”
iB: “As mentioned above we’re trying to clear the rights to the Gladiator theme.“
8. He’s a fan of smaller venues over big festivals
He says they provide a better setting to try out new music:
Q: “Is there a difference in thought process in terms of track selection at a smaller venue compared to a larger one or a festival stage?”
iB: “I prefer smaller stages to festivals, because I feel like I can test out new unreleased music better.“
9. His Anjunabeats debut was the one which took him the longest to produce
He says he spent a while polishing ‘Namaste’ to sound optimal:
Q: “Which song took the longest to create and why?”
iB: “Namaste was one of my first Anjuna release and took super long because i wanted to perfect it as much as possible!“
10. And lastly…
Q: “How many sugars in your tea?”
iB: “3.5“
Read the full AMA by clicking here. Also, do help yourself by checking his Spotify profile right here. Lastly, watch his ABGT450 set down below.
