London trance legend Ian Betts has had some pretty gigs in his career - not least playing several times for Cream at the gargantuan Amnesia in Ibiza - but on Saturday 20th October, a somewhat challenging experience awaits him. He has the mammoth task of following on from the world's number one DJ, Paul van Dyk, at the London date of his In Between Album Tour, on the main stage at KOKO. Nervous? I would be....

How has your 2007 been so far? Highlights? Lowlights?

It’s been a year of change for me so far and the undoubted highlight has been becoming a father for the first time back in July to the most amazing baby boy called Oliver – it’s been a real life changing event and has altered my outlook on a lot of things, all for the better I might add. There’s also been a fair degree of change as far as music is concerned - I’ve been spending a lot more time in the studio working on a broad spectrum of stuff from trance, prog, breaks and even some guitar based tracks as well! That’s not to say that things have been quiet on the DJ front, I’ve played some great gigs this year but I’m really looking forward to being back at KOKO to support Paul van Dyk. As for lowlights, the cancellation of Cream in Ibiza was gutting.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the trance / harder dance scene in London?

I think trance in the capital is in a very healthy state at the moment, more so than many people make out. There’s a lot of choice and variety out there with the likes of Gallery, Vaccine, Delirium, Knowwhere, Peach and Electronic Sessions all putting on interesting line-ups, and this year’s South West Four was one of the strongest yet for trance. I think trance suffers more than most from the internet effect which is a real shame – it is getting harder and harder to prise people away from their virtual worlds, which for someone like me who has been clubbing for longer than I care to remember seems the complete antithesis of what dance music is all about.

You’ve got the rather unenvious (yet very envious) task of following on from Paul van Dyk at KOKO on his In Between Album Tour night on October 20th. What’s the plan?

The plan is that there is no plan – I’ll wait and see how things unfold on the night. I’m trying to remain cool calm and collected about it but really I’m like a tightly coiled spring waiting to go off! Like many DJs PvD has been one of my inspirations for many many years now – I still vividly remember the first time I heard him play back in 1996 and how he simply blew me away. To get the opportunity to follow him at somewhere as legendary as Koko, with the buzz that is always generated there, is very special.

Why do you think van Dyk has become the megastar that he is? What elements have played a part in his meteoric success?

I think a lot of any success is down to belief in yourself and what you are doing, and having a genuine passion and love for what you are doing as well. When I first saw PVD play he was like no other DJ I had heard, he had a unique sound all of his own and he didn’t try to be anything other than himself. It’s all too easy as a DJ to copy others, move with what’s “in” at any given time and to become reactionary to criticism, all of which can dilute a DJ’s musical personality. My role models are the likes of John “00” Fleming and John Askew who care passionately about what they do yet do not compromise their style.

Describe the feeling you get from playing on that main stage at KOKO....

Haha, an impossible question to answer! There really is no other venue like it – I’m sure everyone can remember the first time they walked down that ramp into the main room, it still gives me goosebumps! I will never forget playing there at Heat’s Evolution event a couple of years ago – the place was heaving, there were people swarming all over the stage, and the energy of the crowd really had to be seen to be believed. From the decks it looked as though there was a sea of people reaching up to the heavens – it is an inspiring venue to play as a DJ.

You are pretty well established amongst the trance cognoscenti now...what do you see as the next step in furthering yourself as a DJ and producer?

To be honest I’m really happy where I am right now, I’m doing everything that I want to do and feel lucky to have all the opportunities that are coming my way. I think it is important to have ambition but there is a danger you can chase things too much and you need to balance the two. As I said before I’m really concentrating on being as creative as I can in the studio at the moment and if people are liking what comes out then that’s a big buzz for me.

What have been the biggest 3 tracks for you this year?

There’s been some great new music about this year although I’m finding it harder and harder to find in amongst the sheer volume of tracks I get sent. My picks for the year so far would have to be:

DJ Eco “Light At The End”
Sly One “House Of Muzik”
Sophie Sugar “Day Seven”

Which new producers have been grabbing your attention?

Mark and Daniel from Sequentia are going to be massive, two very talented guys whose tracks are always in my wallet. Static Blue is always on the money as well, it’s been a pleasure to remix a couple of his tracks recently. Sly One and Jurrane are also ones to watch, they both have an ear for what works and can successfully turn their hand to a number of styles.

How confident do you feel as a producer? What do you find is the hardest part of the whole creative process for you?

If I’m being totally honest I’d have to say that I’ve never been that confident as a producer and I’m always highly critical of my own work - I’m always hearing other tracks and wishing I could be that good, but then that’s what makes you strive to be better I guess. I’ve never had any formal musical training and I’ve never been on an engineering course so I often find it very hard to let tracks out of my studio as finished items, I’ll forever be tweaking them slightly. As someone who engineers my own music the hardest part can be getting all the sounds to sit together in the mix and making them work as an ensemble, coming up with the ideas is the fun part!

Outside of trance, what else in dance music has been exciting you?

I’ve always been into good chunky progressive house but I got bored of it a few years ago when it all started getting a bit minimal, however I’ve been rediscovering the sound recently through the likes of Dousk, Brisker & Magitman and D-Nox & Beckers. Some of the tracks these guys are making are close to trance in many ways and have some serious groove to them. I also love my breaks, especially the squelchy stuff – Tom Real & Rogue Element, Dylan Rhymes and JDS are particular faves.


Click here for full details of Paul van Dyk's night at KOKO....