Sean Tyas has come from seemingly nowhere to completely dominate the trance scene in 2006. First coming to the attention of many with fine productions such as ‘Mirella’ and remixes of Sander Van Doorn’s ‘Punk’d’, Sean has arguably written the ultimate trance anthem of 2006 - ‘Lift’ - which was released on Discover Records this summer. Now fully established as a dj and headlining a room at Hidden for Addiction on December 9th, it’s time to get inside the mind of someone surely to be labelled a legend in months, if not weeks to come.

OP: You originally hail from New York but now are residing in Switzerland. Do you notice any key differences in the state of the electronic scenes in both countries?

ST: Well at this point not really. House rules Switzerland now as well, and I think for substantially different reasons than it does in NY. When it comes to trance, the difference is more about how people view trance. In Switzerland, people know ‘about’ trance but really a small percentage actually know what it really is, due to it slinking back out of the mainstream limelight. In NY, I think the type of exposure that trance had in Europe never fully occurred, so it’s really always been creeping up albeit slowly under the radar.

OP: It’s notable that very few big names in the trance scene, with the exception of Christopher Lawrence, actually hail from America, as the scene in the US is incredibly house orientated. What got you into trance music, and what made you choose it as a genre to specialise in?

ST: Easy, it’s the only one genre that can control my emotions and body on the dancefloor. Yeah sure house can have some emotional aspects as well, but really now, nothing compares to a real trance night when it’s done right. That’s why I chose it: to me at least, there is nothing like it, doesn’t matter if it makes lots of money (hehe which as all my colleagues know, it makes near nothing) and doesn’t matter if it gets you bitches (hopefully you know who you are when you read this), it matters if you affect the floor.

OP: Getting into writing music can be an extremely difficult process for many producers, yet you have come so far in the space of 4–5 years. Every producer talks of that defining moment when they realised that they were a natural at writing music. When did you suddenly think to yourself that you could make a living from trance music?

ST: Hmmmm. Well not necessarily from trance music, as I now do a lot of work with Moonman Productions in Switzerland on various audio projects and for various clients. I never really ‘knew’ I would make a living from all this, but I f*cking hoped I could!

OP: Having had your tracks supported by all of the leading djs including Armin, PVD, Tiesto et al. is obviously a huge honour, but what would you say has been the most favourable moment from your career so far?

ST: Seeing the videos, I think of 4–5 different djs all playing ‘Lift’ at this year’s Global Gathering. It was just an honour to know how many times one track got played at the same festival

OP: Your tracks are notable for their raw energy and drive, which has seen them cross over into many scenes, in particular into the UK hard dance scene. You’ve also written some tough hard trancers in the past with various producers which have also crossed into this scene. How aware are you of the UK scene and what is your opinion on it?

ST: Actually I was really into UK hard house a few years back — that energy element I had already fallen in love with. The other aspect of dance that I loved was the emotion of trance and bit more layered approach it had. Though I am farrrrr from the first person to produce trying to combine these two aspects, I just love to do it and then see the dancefloor as it unfolds.

OP: You recently remixed the legendary hard house smash ‘Lost In Love’ by Legend B, which was a rare occurrence of a trance producer remixing a hard classic, rather than the other way around. How did this remix come to fruition, and what is your opinion of the various hard trance remixes of trance classics currently in existence?

ST: I actually haven’t heard many others. Of ‘Lost In Love’, the only one I have heard was the original 2006 remake released on side A of the vinyl, and I think that version is the most appropriate for the gsa (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) market, where this has proven to be the surviving style over the years in the region. They did a great job and even managed to squeeze in some snips from the original! Nice touch!

OP: You came in for a bit of criticism recently on your website when you stated that you did not want to go in the “hey I’m cool too” direction by playing “emotionless” electro house. Do you therefore feel that trance is the only form of electronic music that can have passion in it?

ST: As said above I do feel it has the most raw feeling, but I feel like really too many people get into electro simply cuz it’s the new thing. Now with any statement there are exceptions, but do NOT consider this a backstep on my part. 85% of electro and house, to me at least, is fucking dreary and boring. Yeah ok so many will say is about the grooooove. Yeah that’s fine, you can have your groove. But that 15% that’s left is really something special. The production in house is far more minimal than trance, enabling producers to have elements loud and faaaat in their tracks, and when done right, its spectacular. Personal note: I don’t like 85% of trance either.

OP: One of your biggest singles, ‘Mirella’, was named after your wife, and on your website you claim she is “the perfect melody.” If we see a record called ‘Jane’, do we assume you’re having an affair? Ha, no seriously, clearly writing music is a very personal process, so do you take great inspiration from those close to you?

ST: Hahahah no affair, it was a track that was already remixed by Carl B, f*cking brilliantly might I add. I just wanted to give it a different directional energy, but don’t credit me with that project, I had some great shoulders to stand on.

OP: You’re now signed to Most Wanted management and have played worldwide. To date, what has been your biggest gig and what would be your ideal gig and line-up?

ST: Just a few weeks ago in Vancouver, I played at a rave called Dooms Night in an arena of 6000 plus. It was unreal and unforgettable. If I had to set up an ideal lineup? Really I have no idea, basically any dj that comes to truly party as if he or she is on the dancefloor as they plays, then I want him or her on that line-up.

OP:’Lift’ has undoubtedly been one of the biggest singles of the year and has been played to death by just about every trance DJ on the planet. When you first wrote the record, how did you stop yourself from just endlessly bouncing around your studio? Did you even think it would be as big as it has become?

ST: Not until I played it out for my first time, and saw how it actually worked. And as far as bouncing around while making it, why try to stop myself? Hehe I’m on my 3rd PC keyboard in 12 months cuz I keep slamming into it!