STEVE Angello has spent a sizeable portion of the year winding up Swedish House Mafia activities. After deciding — alongside Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso — to put the SHM project to bed at the end of the year, he’s been refocusing on his solo DJ career and promoting his Size Records label, which in its time has released tracks by big boys Tiësto, Deadmau5, Avicii, Thomas Gold and Sander van Doorn, as well as regular Size headz such as Max Vangeli and Steve’s brother Antoine, aka AN21.
In June, the Swedes announced that the current SHM tour would be their
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “Batman. He lives by night!” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “If you get big enough, the crowd is there to hear your choice — so therefore both.” What does EDM mean to you? “It’s short for Electronic Dance Music. But that’s an American thing, we still call it dance music.” Should celebrities be DJs? “If they feel like it... there are no rules to what we do, that’s why we do this. Whatever rocks their boat.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Never.” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “Yes, you’re a song selector. Traditional radio DJs have never beat matched and they’re still respected.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “Asia is coming strong!”
tyle: “Progressive trance and progressive house.” Best known for: “‘The
Fusion’.” Tune of 2012: “Gareth Emery ‘Tokyo’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Ashley Wallbridge or Zedd.”
IT’S been a productive year for young Evgeny Smirnov, aka Omnia. “I’ve been working in ‘fast mode’ — a lot of studio work that I had to combine with my gigs,” says the rising trance star. “But this is what I always dreamed of.” Speaking of dreams, Omnia fulfilled a lifelong ambition in 2012, with his debut at ASOT (A State Of Trance) 550 in Kiev, also playing Tiësto’s Club Life and Global Gathering.
A further 2012 highlight was the release of ‘The Fusion’, with IRA. The anthemic thumper of a track has been echoing
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “Probably the power to move through time to get inspiration from the future.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “I’m really lucky, as I’m playing my favourite tracks in every set and the crowd love it too! So maybe I’m just one of these guys in the crowd after all?” What does EDM mean to you? “EDM is what I was involved with from childhood. So I can surely say EDM is all my life now!” Should celebrities be DJs? “If celebrities are DJing just for attention then I don’t think they should be taken seriously. We’re here to work!” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Fortunately never!” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “Time moves on and technology changes, so some DJ skills cannot be assessed [the same way] today as 10 years ago. The main point is the music.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “I’m really proud of my coun- try, Ukraine, right now! Not only do we have huge festivals like Global Gathering, but also many great summer beach events around the beautiful Black Sea coastline.”
through clubs since its release, and shows no signs of stopping yet, rounding off what Omnia describes as “the biggest year ever for me!” TRISTAN PARKER
58
NEW ENTRY
tyle: “Dance music.” Best known for: “[Being] one-third of Swedish House Mafia and boss of Size Records.” Tune of 2012: “‘Don’t You Worry Child’ [final SHM single].” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Third Party.”
last. “We want to thank every single one of you that came with us on this journey,” they posted on their website. “We came, we raved, we loved.”
The Swedes went on to play some massive shows on their farewell tour, which provided some of the highlights of Steve’s 2012. “First and foremost, my highlight of the year was being able to sell out the biggest venues in the world,” he tells DJ Mag. “Milton Keynes Bowl was one of them!” CARL LOBEN