Solarstone

Solarstone – The Music: Originally a 3 piece (with former members Sam Tierney & Andy Bury), Solarstone blazed a trail through the emergent days of the trance phenomenon, founding their name with the club hits like ‘Green Light’ (1995), ‘The Calling’ (1997) and ‘The Impressions EP’ (1998). As the first trance tsunami peaked in 1999 Solarstone left an indelible mark on the scene with the Top 40 hit ‘Seven Cities’. The track - one of the very first true Balearic Trance anthems - has been re-released 3 times and has sold in excess of 500,000 copies. Remixed in 2002 by Armin van Buuren, its instantly-recognizable sunset-sound legacy can still be heard in tracks being released today. Over the next 6 years Solarstone continued to feed the ever-hungry trance-masses with speaker-sensations like ‘Solarcoaster’ (2003), ‘Speak in Sympathy’ (2004), ‘Eastern Sea’ (2005), ‘Like A Waterfall’ (2006) & ‘The Calling’ (2007). In May 2008 he released ‘RainStarsEternal’ – an album described by DJMag as “a consummate all-rounder from the UK’s original trance master”. ‘R.S.E.’ has so far spawned six singles including ‘Spectrum’, ‘4ever’ & ‘Late Summer Fields’ - the latter of which Rich produced, sung and wrote lyrics for. In the autumn of the following year its remix companion piece ‘RSEMIX’ was released with refashioned tracks from the likes of Ferry Corsten, Probspot, Stan Void, Bissen & Pedro del Mar. On the compilation front in 2006 he released his first long-player, the 99-06 compendium album, ‘AnthologyOne’. In the late spring of 2009 Rich launched his next compilation series, Electronic Architecture. Born from Rich’s longstanding love of pop art, it won plaudits and acclaim around the world for its imaginative premise and (in their article covering it) was hailed as “a magical blend of music, art and design” by M8 Magazine. In 2010 ‘EA’ received an IDMA nomination in the ‘Best Full-Length Dj Mix Category’. Solarstone – The DJ: Solarstone behind a pair of CDJs is something that every electric dance music lover, planet-wide, should witness at least once in their clubbing careers! Rich brings together a clear and abiding love of melody with an intrinsic, perceptive aptitude for floor-quaking performances. Since learning to spin in the late Nineties, he’s played for the majority of the super-club brands (inc. Cream, Ministry of Sound, Gatecrasher, Slinky & Euphoria) and spun alongside the worlds best-known DJs many times over. Unlike many other spinners he also maintains a huge home-country following, playing almost as much to UK audiences as to ones abroad. Rich's worldwide travels have also taken him to some of the biggest events and festivals across the globe, and also some of the most remote. Over the years these have included islands in the Philippines, bush parties in Australia and massive festivals in the heart of Brazil. Solaris International – The Solarstone Show: Solaris International is Rich’s long-running and widely-syndicated radio show. Working on a fully fleshed-out 2 hour format of features, interviews, guest mixes and regular spots, it has developed over two years from a cult following into a weekly essential tune-in for large sections of the electronic dance community. Presented on alternate weeks with Robbie Nelson, Solaris International broadcasts across some 50 FM & Internet stations including the Passion FM network to a listenership of over 8 million. Solaris, Crashing Waves, Molecule & solarSwarm – The Solarstone Labels: Opening for business in August 1999, Rich co-owned, a&r’d and managed the Deepblue imprint. The launch-pad for a multitude of club hits (including ‘Like a Waterfall’, ‘Jump the Next Train’ & ‘Why’), he eventually parted company with the label in July of 2008. Alongside his new progressively- inspired imprint Molecule, and Uplifting Trance Soundklash label Crashing Waves, he now owns and manages the Solaris Recordings label – the spiritual home of Solarstone’s recordings. At the start of 2009, Rich launched solarSwarm, an online community of die-hard Solarstone fans. In the summer of the same year his insatiable label morphed into solarSwarm Recordings. In a ground-breaking move solarSwarm became the world’s very first social network record label. Managed and A&r’d by the Swarm, it quickly became a wildly popular endeavor and now has over 200 members regularly contributing to its output. Solarstone – The Guises: In order to showcase different musical perspectives & sounds, Rich has also recorded under a number of pseudonyms. In 2002 he initiated the 80’s-referencing Young Parisians outfit, scoring a big debut with lamenting ‘U Write the Rules’. The act then skyrocketed with one of the 2004’s defining trance/prog tracks ‘Jump the Next Train’. In 1999 he released the underground anthem ‘The Hymn’ by Skyscraper on 4D Recordings, latterly re-releasing it on his own Deepblue label. He also has recorded alongside Andy Bury as Liquid State for Perfecto & Space Kittens for Hooj Choons. Solarstone – The Remixes: Over the years Solarstone has always maintained a rigid dichotomy between original production tracks and remix works. He has remixed for A-list names like Paul Oakenfold (‘Bullet in The Gun’), Ferry Corsten (‘Galaxia’ & ‘Gabriellas Sky) & BT’s ‘Calling Your Name’. He has also stepped outside his traditional zone to refashion tracks by legendary acts like Radiohead, The Human League & Sarah McLachlan. Solarstone in Quotes: Armin: 'Solarstone sets the standard for the best in Balearic dance music'. Paul van Dyk: 'I've been playing his music for more then 10 years now. Really looking forward to the new album! Tiësto: 'Solarstone never disappoints… warm, beautiful and just amazing music'. Ferry Corsten: 'Always been a fan of Solarstone. The new single Rain stars Eternal is an amazing track'. Above & Beyond: 'Solarstone is the REAL DEAL!' Mixmag: 'Top dog when it comes to melodic monsters'. DJ Mag: A consummate all-rounder from the UK’s original trance master'. Prepared by Tim Stark