Our staffmember AfterHourPower got hold of the man behind prjects like Velvet Girl and Airwave, Laurent Veronnez and asked him some good questions. Here follows the intresting answers ...
Question: What is your full name, your age and where do you live ?
Answer: Laurent Veronnez, 23 years, Antwerpen.
Question: What style of music do you produce ?
Answer: Anything around the dance-style, but I made loads of progressive these last two years!
Question: When did you become interested in music, and when did you start to produce your own tracks ?
Answer: When I was 14, I discovered synthesizers and electronic music at my bestfriend's home, I've been totally in since then, when I was 16 I discovered the bonzai sound (blue alphabet jones & stephenson and so on) and I thought "yea, that's something like this I'd like to do" and then I strated making my own tracks with reduced equipment computer-synth, and two years later I met bonzai, so I made them hear some tracks I made, and you know what follows, a dream come true...
Question: What different project names do you use ?
Answer: I have almost 15 different project names, amongst others Velvet Girl, Airwave (It's also my dj-name), Fire& Ice, Planisphere (with my best friend). You know, you made so many tracks a year there is no other way to put everything out! But the most regular, that one that's on all the records, it's L-vee.
Question: When was your breakthrough, what project-name and what sort of tune was it ?
Answer: This first track that's really been a stomper was Airwave "Above the sky", it's still being played by many dj's in the uk and also over there. I could describe it as the kind of track you make in two hours and you even don't like it and two days later it sounds fantastic!
Question: Whats your inspiration, how do you create a new tune ?
Answer: I'm really inspired by movies, scores too!!! But most of the time I directly start in the studio with basic elements and then I add some keyboard parts, then I record them in audio tracks, I play with some plugins and then I create a basis and the structure.
Question: What can we expect of you in he future? Any new singles, albums or mixed cd's ?
Answer: Bonzai just released Battle of the dj's vol.2 "push vs airwave", a mix-cd, for the rest velvet girl "velvet" is soon te be released with new mixes, and a new record under the name "body shock" (with dj-ghost, resident at cm) including a Marc et Claude remix. And still many other things, but no album planned yet (God I wish I do)!
Question: Alot of producers seem to be producing together with other producers at the moment. What about you? Any plans to produce with others in the future ?
Answer It's already like that at lightning. Artists have all been working together for long, that's a good point, and for sure it's the best thing I can see at Bonzai. I already worked with F.Santini, DJ LOONEY TUNE, ENERGY, ZOLEX... and all these things will get a follow up within the next months.
Question: What equipment do you use producing your tunes?
Answer: A yamaha digital mixer, a Mac computer running logic audio. Loads of synths, my favourite are the korg trinity and the access virus Some sample cd's. Some effects but I prefer the computer plug-ins.
Question: What tune and remix are you most proud of?
Answer: Tune: Cape town, Skydriver, a record I made with F. Santini
Remix: hybrid's I know but this is not official and I made it for the fun.
Question What's the best tune ever and at the moment?
>Answer: Best tune ever: MY favourite is BT: Flaming June.
Best tune at the moment: Revolt, dive into the deep.
Question: Why do you think your tunes has such a succes? What makes your tunes different from others?
Answer: My records are not so successfull, even though Velvet Girl seems to do the job. My difference is the fact I want to reach everybody with my music, there's a record for everyone!
Question: At the moment you can download almost every tune from the internet. What do you think about the mp3 format? And do you think you sell less records or cd's with mp3s existing?
Answer: MP3 is a good thing coz you don't have to see that as a rip off. People always get copies from records. The real thief is the teenager in his bedroom who makes copies of these for everybody. If you make a copy for yourself with no intention to sell it, you don't have to be considered as a thief coz music is universal and you have the right to listen to it though.
Question: Do you work only as a producer or also as a DJ?
Answer: Both activities feed off each other so i'm producer and also DJ.
Question: Where do you DJ most of your time? Are you a resident at some club? Do you have plans to tour to other countries in the future?
Answer: I played three times at cherry moon last year, also in tokyo Japan in July, I'm not resident coz I don't want to put all my time into it! Making records is my usual activity, not the DJ-stuff! But, I'm due to play in the netherlands in march (24th in Groningen I think) and april (15th), On 3rd march I'm going to play in Manchester, and next month again in French city Calais
Question: Whats the best experience you had in your DJ career? Where would you really like to perform in the future?
Answer: TOKYO, fantastic, crowd really sympathic, the first place I had to sign autographs for Dj's and other club people, a thing that never happens in Europe.
Question: Where you first a DJ before you produced? How were you discovered and were you producer or a dj then?
Question: Nononononono! Producing records is my JOB, DJ is not.
Question: How much time do you spend producing a tune?
Answer: Depends on the track! Almost three days for a track with vocals in otherwise 2 days is my average time.
Question: Whats your strategy during a set you mix? Do you build up a set? Do you put a "story" in it?
Answer: Like almost every dj, you know, because you feel some things, you gonna play one record and then that other one!
Question: What do you think about the future of trance? How will it develop? Will it be faster, more vocal, more commercial, or move on to the progressive side?
Answer: More commerical and more progressive at the same time coz progressive is now becoming the leading genre in trance. Look at Tiesto, he plays progressive and more commercial stuff at the same time! A good dj! A brilliant man also!
Question: There are loads of trance producers at the moment. What do you think about the quality of trance at the moment?
>Answer: In the netherlands my preference goes to Armin and Tiesto, coz these guys were there from the beginning! Don't ask me anything about belgium, coz apart from my colleagues (Mike, Looney Tune, F.Santini, and so on), everybody has a sound that's to commercial and it's really not my cup of tea BUT I won't tell you this commercial stuff is bullshit, otherwise why should people buy these? Many producers of the underground side forget to make sometimes music for people, too! Music is universal and you have to share it with the rest of the world, so sometimes you have to find a compromise between commerciality and the fatsound, then commerciality is for me not a bad thing in itself.
Question: What do think about the use of drugs during trance parties? Does it enhance the experience or do you think drugs are wrong?
Answer: People do what they want you know, you can't force anybody to quit drugs, I don't take drugs coz I have my own opinion about that, like other people use them regarding to their own opinion.
Fast questions:
Best DJ: Paul oakenfold
Best producer: BT
Best compilation: Global underground
Best club: Bedrock