Farius Talks Tritonal Tour and Enhanced Music

We interviewed Farius before his set in Chicago on the 15 Years of Enhanced tour with Tritonal, where we discussed his A&R position at Enhanced and the upcoming label showcase in London.

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Farius is an artist that has made a name for himself in the progressive house and trance music world in recent years. An accomplished artist with releases on labels like Anjunabeats and Armada, he is currently on tour with Tritonal on their 15 Years of Enhanced tour.

Farius’ debut album From The Start was released on Enhanced Music in 2020, which is where we were first introduced to his uplifting and upbeat sound. He has since collaborated with Ruben de Ronde, Johan Villborg, and Estiva and has provided remix duties for artists like Audien and Tritonal. In addition to his work as an artist, Farius also works behind the scenes in the A&R department at Enhanced. The label’s recently released progressive showcase, Digitally Enhanced Vol. 8, was mixed by Farius and Ruben de Ronde.

Prior to his set at Concord Music Hall in Chicago as direct support for Tritonal, we sat down with Farius for an interview about his music, touring, his upcoming album, and more. Read the full interview below and be sure to check out some of his recent releases to hear more from this rising DJ/producer.

PREMIER EDM: Welcome to Chicago! Your current tour includes a stop in London for the Enhanced Music showcase at FH3. The lineup features Ruben de Ronde, Sunny Lax, Leena Punks, and Tommy Farrow. What are you looking forward to most regarding this event?

FARIUS: It’s gonna be good one! Until now, we’ve always done Enhanced shows in London with Tritonal, so this will be the first time we’ve done one without them since they’re on the 15 Years of Enhanced tour in the US.

We’ve curated a really cool lineup with different and newer names on the Enhanced roster like Tommy Farrow and Leena Punks. We’ve got some new music coming from them. There’s also Ruben who just did Enhanced 8 with me, and Sunny Lax, who’s a firm favorite from the Anjuna family.

How did you get started working with Enhanced and Tritonal?

I was releasing music on a label called ZeroThree, which is part of Toolroom. Everything I was doing towards the end of my time there was quite big-sounding in terms of trance and progressive. I started sending some music to Enhanced, and Will Holland (founder) thought it was cool. I did a record with them in Summer 2019, and around February 2020, Will told me they could use an extra pair of ears for A&R and asked if I’d be up for it. 

At the time I said no – I was really enjoying just writing music and producing. But then, I thought that it might be time to think about doing something a bit more stable and grounded. And thank God I did, because a month later, COVID hit.

You’ve had releases on Armada, Anjuna, Enhanced, and more. How would you describe your sound as a producer, and what are some elements that separate your music from others? I really feel like your music conveys emotion and tells a story.

People have told me – which is very flattering – that I have a very distinguishable sound. But I can’t really put my finger on what that is. I’ve been told it’s happy and uplifting, but you can describe a lot of trance music like that. Really, for me, it’s just about writing the melodies that come into my head.

When I’m writing a record, I kind of think of what I want people to feel when I play it out. It’s that feeling of ecstasy…not taking pills, but that feeling of losing yourself on the dance floor in an emotional state that you can’t achieve anywhere else.

Your album From The Start came out in 2020 and still stands out as your only LP. Now that 2020 was already 3 years ago, how do you think that album has stood the test of time, and what are you most proud of regarding that release?

That album was weird because when I agreed to do it, I was so wet behind the ears and I was just like…sure, I’ll just write whatever and put an album out. It was great, and I managed to write a lot of music I was really into. But I think what it did was gave me a really good pedestal to say, “This is me, I’m Farius. This is my sound and please come and listen to it”.

That’s honestly why I’m here.

Thank you! Since then, I’ve managed to build on it and try to diversify here and there. I’m not going to say it’s the best album written in the whole world. It was just something that was coming through me at the time.

I feel like this question is going somewhere about my next album, which is potentially coming out next year! The label keeps asking me about it. With the next album, I’m going to try to tell more of a story. That one was more about my sound, while the next one will be more about the emotion I want to convey or the feeling I want to talk about.

We talked a bit about your A&R position at Enhanced. What are some common mistakes you find in demo submissions, and what would you say are the most helpful tips you’ve come across when giving feedback?

I think a lot of people send music when they haven’t fully digested what they’ve done. And I’m guilty of it too. Sometimes, you spend 8 hours on a record and think it’s the best thing you’ve made. You send it to labels, and everyone says it’s not for them. It doesn’t have to be signed to a label right away…take time and really A/B it next to other records with a reference track. And be open to feedback. Many people aren’t, or they take your feedback and send it again in a few hours. This is art and creativity…you can’t do that in two hours.

As for feedback, it’s really about references. I’ll tell people to listen to another song on Enhanced and then to listen back to their record. This is some advice I got from a producer years ago: if you can hear where your track is falling short sonically, then you’re in the right business. But at the same time, labels aren’t looking to sign what they already have. Anjunabeats aren’t looking for a carbon copy of Ilan Bluestone. Enhanced isn’t looking for a copy of Tritonal or Farius. They’re looking for somebody that sounds in that world, but not exactly the same.

Where do you see the future of the progressive and trance scene heading, and what are some music styles or qualities that you see making an impact in the future?

I think progressive and trance are going in different directions. Progressive is getting way more into that Colorize and This Never Happened vibe. Those labels that do lovely progressive dance music, but it isn’t trance. They’re making warm, more organic sounding stuff that isn’t as trance influenced. I think trance is going back to faster, harder stuff. In the UK, Eurodance has really come back with a vengeance. 140 BPM records with offbeat bass and big trancey riffs.

Tell us a little bit about your podcast, Beneath The Music. You’ve had Estiva and Mark Knight on the show so far.

It’s kind of on a pause right now. I had a lot of interviews lined up after I did ones with Estiva and Mark Knight. But I had to work on some new music and finish the latest mix compilation for Enhanced. There are only so many hours in the day, and I had to focus more on writing music. The podcast is on pause for now, but it’s coming back.

I’m sure you’re focused on your tour for the remainder of 2023, and you might release an album next year. What else are you most looking forward to in 2024 and beyond?

I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with people. I just did a collab with Ruben de Ronde, and one with Solarstone as well. They’re all coming out next year. I just mixed Digitally Enhanced Vol. 8, and some of those records are coming out soon. I want to diversify what I’m doing musically, and continue writing records that I just love. My tastes are always changing, so I want to work on some different sounds, different collabs, and different labels.

So how are things going with Stonewall FC? I saw back in England you’re a member of the country’s top ranked LGBTQ+ football team.

I’m actually wearing the shirt tonight on stage! It’s going well. I don’t play as much soccer as I used to now that I’m older, but they’re doing really well. I still play like once a month. I’m a center back.

What does being a member of the LGBTQ community mean to you, and how is it reflected in your music and your day-to-day life in the industry?

The key for me is representation. I want to be somebody that the 20 year-old me could look at and say, “I can do that. He’s gay, he’s out, and he’s touring the US”.

When I was 20, there wasn’t really anyone doing that. I think that’s really important because back then, I didn’t feel like I could be a part of what I’m doing now. I want more and more people to show who they are and inspire younger generations so people know it’s cool to be who you want to be.

Lastly, what are some of your all-time favorite Enhanced releases and why?

I loved all of the Enhanced Progressive stuff from 2014-2017. But when I look back at the shows I did with Tritonal last year, there was one record out on Coalesce called “Something Beautiful”. That’s a record that I’ll hear when I’m an 80 year old man and just think…wow, that was awesome!

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Author: @michael__premier