Over the last 8 years trance music’s true artisans: Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, & Paavo Siljamäki have cultivated Anjunabeats from its backroom beginnings to the apex of worldwide dance recognition. DJ Mag described Anjunabeats in 2008 as “the most consistent trance label in the world” and its discography has engaged the playlists of pretty much every EDM DJ out there. Central to that success has been the forging of the oft-noted ‘Anjunabeats sound’… Part of the label’s DNA from the very start, it has rendered their releases instantly identifiable as ‘an Anjuna track’ to music lovers & diehard clubbers alike.

Here in 2008 Above & Beyond themselves need very little introduction. 2 top 20 hits (including one under their OceanLab alias) and a mega-selling, hugely-praised debut album in the form of ‘Tri-State’ have firmly established them (to quote Pete Tong) as “the UK’s new dance superstars”. In addition to that they’ve remixed some of the world’s most influential artists (including Madonna & Dido) and regularly DJ to stadium-sized audiences, most recently performing to an audience of 1 million on Barra Beach in Rio on New Year’s Eve. In that process they have propelled themselves up the DJ rankings, breaking into the world’s Top 10 in 2006 and taking them within touching distance of the coveted No.1 position.

Mixed and compiled by the trio, ‘Anjunabeats 100’ delivers a perfect cut-view of the music and artists that have brought the imprint to where it is today. It features tracks and mixes from established trance trailblazers like Above & Beyond & Andy Moor, OceanLab, Gabriel & Dresden, Matt Hardwick, Smith & Pledger & Super8 & Tab. In addition it decisively highlights Above & Beyond’s ability to push to the fore new trance talent (using Anjunabeats as the hub) with debuting artists like Luminary, Israel’s Maor Levi, Alt+F4 & Boom Jinx. Also included on the Anjunabeats 100 package is a Bonus DVD, featuring footage of Above & Beyond’s Anjunabeach parties in India and Brazil. The DVD includes breathtaking scenes from their New Year's Eve show in front of 1 million people, as well as fascinating behind the scenes footage and interviews.

Think of ‘Anjunabeats 100’ then not so much as a ‘best of’ - but more like a ‘best of the best’ compilation!

Q: We are all eagerly awaiting the Anjunabeats 100 album, can you tell us a bit about it?

This year our label, Anjunabeats, reaches its 100th release and so we decided to celebrate in style with an album showing the best of our releases mixed by ourselves. It’s a 2 disk CD with a rather special DVD especially for our fans!

Q: There are obviously three members of Above & Beyond so how did you organize yourselves to produce this CD? Who was in charge of select the tracks, to mix?

We picked the best selling tracks from the first eight years of the label as a team and tried to include all the key releases and artists on the label.

Q: What were the inspirations and influences behind the album?

To be honest we’ve resisted re-releases and remixes of our catalogue as a lot of labels do too much of that. We prefer to concentrate on new music but on the occasion of our 100th release we felt it was right to do a retrospective album.

Q: Will we see anything different about the way this CD is released compared to your other albums on the label?

We have really gone full out with this release! You will be seeing adverts across national television in the UK, we have lined up some special signed albums over at CDJshop.com and we have just done two major launch parties, one at Godskitchen here in the UK and another over in Miami which really kicked off!

We also especially love the artwork for this release as it reflects all of the vinyl covers we have released on the label. We love it so much in fact that there is a very cool T-shirt available with the Anjunabeats 100 vinyl collage.

Q: Do you have a favorite release on the 100 album?

One of the key projects we’ve worked on has been OceanLab and we’ve mixed in all the OceanLab singles including Satellite which has been a huge track all across the globe.

Q: How many tracks does Anjunabeats 100 have?

It has 31 tracks on two CDs. Then there is the bonus DVD!

Q: The album also comes with a fantastic DVD. Can you tell us about it?

As part of our 100th release celebrations we went to Goa last December to do a party close to Anjuna Beach, the famous place where the whole Goa rave scene started and the inspiration for the label’s name. We played on the beach there and then we went straight to Rio for New Year’s Eve to play on the beach there as part of an “Anjunabeach” tour. The tour continued on across Brazil, but these first two dates were so important to us that we decided to film them. So the DVD is that film. It is called “From Goa To Rio” and is a documentary which includes footage from the gigs, interviews and some fun stuff of us exploring Goa and Rio.

Q: What do you think of the UK scene right now?

It has gone a bit more underground than a few years ago and that's been good for the scene. Obviously it is smaller than 10 or 15 years ago but there's not much you can do about that. For us we see a Global view in any case, so I guess we're a little less worried about the UK day to day.

Q: Aside from working on the 100 album what else have you been working on in the studio? Any remixes in the pipeline?

We’re not really doing any remixes at the moment. We are mainly concentrating on the OceanLab album which we’re hoping to release in this coming summer. The album will include tracks which will become big club anthems (we hope!) but we are also making the album in more of a chill out style (a bit like we did with Tri-State) so you can listen to it at home as well. Its going to be another massive release so keep your eyes peeled!

Q: Your Brazilian gig in Rio was simply huge, with a crowd on 1 million fans! Can you describe the sensation of standing on the stage playing out to that crowd?

There is an energy and intensity to Brazilian gigs that is difficult to match anywhere else on the planet. Brazilians have music in their blood and so it is always an honour to come and play to them.

Q: What is your favourite club?

Last year it was "Big One" in Buenos Aires, but I will seriously miss Turnmills in London now its gone. It had a totally unique atmosphere.

Q: So what will be the next Above & Beyond release?

We have a special release of 'Sirens Of The Sea' coming out very soon (late April). That is an Oceanlab track which has some really hot . That’s going to be a massive single release so make sure you check it out!

Q: What does the future hold for you in general?

Glorious surprises.