The story behind Solarstone & Scott Bond's "3rd Earth" by Solarstone | Muzikxpress 208

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Rich Mowatt is a DJ, producer and composer who’s based in Wales. You might know him from projects such as Young Parisians, Space Kittens, Liquid State, Federation, PureNRG and many others, but his most well known project is of course Solarstone.
In my previous interview with Rich, we already spoke about the Solarstone classic “Seven Cities”. But for this vlog I sat down with him to ask him about the story behind “3rd Earth”, a track from Solarstone together with Scott Bond.
Of course we also spoke about the Pure Trance 10 compilation and the recently released vinyl edition, the collaboration Solarstone did with Darren Tate and Julie Scott, plus you will get to hear more about the upcoming Solarstone artist album as well...
Enjoy and thanks for watching!
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All my interviews with Solarstone;
• Solarstone - Seven Cities: • The story behind "Seve...
• Solarstone & Scott Bond - 3rd Earth: • The story behind Solar...
• Solarstone - The Calling: [Online soon!]
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#solarstone #puretrance #trance

[@muzikxpress]

What is your all-time favorite Solarstone production or remix?

[@spike327125]

Solarcoaster 😎

[@progressivey]

Can't be just one, as Solarstone has MULTIPLE. One from the top off my head is 4ever from 2008. Eternal.

[@djimty]

Has to be the conductor and cowboy - feeling this way (solarstone remix)

[@pSynrg303]

@@djimty you know how rare that release is? So many to choose from one of the greatest Trance producers of all time. My love for Clare Stagg and the clean sweet beauty of "The Spell" Pure Mix is my first go to, but there are many more...

[@djimty]

@@pSynrg303 Yes I know how rare that VInyl is :).. "The Spell" Pure Mix is a fantastic track! I still have the CD for that in my collection lol. Solarstone did alot of amazing remixes that are underrated i.e. Moonman - Galaxia (Solarstone Remix) and Matt Darey presents DSP - From Russia With Love (Solarstone's Red City Remix)!

[@stevehenke678]

I love how he just nonchalantly goes "my first club gig was at Gatecrasher" - like a footballer making his debut at Wembley! 😂

[@muzikxpress]

😂 Pretty cool right??

[@ErwinSchrodinger64]

I used to be a big fan of Solar Stone. I have over 30 vinyl records in remixes and works by Solar Stone. However, once Andy Bury left, their sound changed to a more mainstream trance sound. I believe Andy Bury didn't like the direction that Rich Mowatt was taking it in, hence, the reason he left. I didn't like this transition in sound but that isn't a bad or good thing. People change and artist change. Either way, I have the deepest respect for Rich Mowatt and previous members consisting of Andy Bury and Sam Tierney. Without question, I do have all their major releases on Hooj Choons and many on Lost Language Records. Even their aliases as Z2 and 2nd Element are nothing short of spectacular. Back in the late 90's and early 2000's, I would just purchase anything from Solar Stone without listening to. The name Solar Stone had a special quality to it and the majority of the time it was well spent money. I just liked almost everything they did. Personally, I think their remix to Cygnus X - The Orange Theme was sublime with its dark and futuristic but progressive melodic overtones. It didn't get the recognition it deserved but it had that Solar Stone quality of being such an epic underground sound. The same with their remixes of Space Maneuvers - Stage One (Solar Stone Remix), Planet Perfecto - Bullet In The Gun (Solar Stone Remix), Libra - Calling Your Name (Solar Stone Remix)... just too many to name. My only negative about Solar Stone is that they did so many high quality remixes that their very difficult to find. When Solar Stone did a remix... it wasn't just a sample with added layers. They would go and redo all the sounds and re-interpret their remix into something very different but insanely good. The amount of work they did with their remixes, till this day, for this era is nothing short of amazing. Favorite tracks by Solar Stone and their aliases: Ecano - Run (Z2 Remix) Dominion - 11 Hours (Z2 Remix) Raff 'N' Freddy - Deep Progress (Z2 Mix) Z2 - Intracity Z2 - I Want You... a bit of a naughty song. Z2 vs. Brothers Bud- Herbgrinder (Z2 Remix): Solar Stone can do some very funky breaks. Solar Stone - Green Light 2nd Element - Underwater Fall (an alias of Rich Mowatt... such a beautiful piano piece this is beyond my understanding in composition) Chakra - Home (Solar Stone Remix... again, Solar Stone can do breaks complete and utter justice). Matt Darey - From Russia With Love (Solar Stone Remix) Libra - Calling You Name (Solar Stone Remix): their is nothing they can't do. Solar Stone really shined with their ambient and downtempo works. Conjure One - Center Of The Sun (Solar Stone Chilled-Out Remix) Conjure One - Sleep (Solar Stone’s “Afterhours” Mix) Just too many to name.

[@cosmicfrequency5887]

It’s a great point about the remix style, taking certain elements and creating a totally new track from it, rather than just remaking the same track with a different kick and bass. Also in those days it was great for a release to have 2 discs and 4 mixes across the two. Hooj and Lost Language were great for this.

[@d33pNacho]

One of my favourite trance tracks ever, probably in the top 3 (and I've been listening to trance for about 3 decades) I totally agree with Rich about a new remix not making much sense, it's already perfect as it is. Goosebumps every time I listen to it.

[@RoadRunner1980]

One of those trance tracks that just never gets old. Also one of my favorite producers for ages.

[@trancevoyagesessions]

About 10 years ago he nearly signed a track of mine called Waterfall to his label Pure Trance. The track even got sent for mastering. Unfortunately It just wasn’t quite there for the label. I remember he sent me the most amazing email to encourage me to carry on producing. Unfortunately I fell out of luv with music production not long after. I wish I still had the email he sent, it was really special to me.

[@ErwinSchrodinger64]

Have to comment again on Rich Mowatt. When he talks about groups like The Pet Shop Boys, I completely understand. Growing up as a preteen in the 80's, electronic music was not big in the South of the USA. In my circle of friends, no one ever liked electronic music. Personally, I NEVER understood music and didn't care for it. Rock, rap, pop, and so forth never really resonated with me. About the only time music moved me was orchestration in films. Then, I heard The Pet Shop Boys. I was just amazed by their sounds. Listening to their albums or remixes was listening to new sounds I've never heard before. When Rich Mowatt states he would read the inside of the sleeves in an attempt to find out more of the music, I was mesmerized by that as well. The Pet Shop Boys would have things like Fairlight programming by some engineer or orchestration conducted by such composer... I didn't even know what a Fairlight was but I knew it was special. Only later to find out that the Fairlight was indeed a very special synthesizer for its time. Like Rich, I never tire of electronic music. It just has so much to offer with all of its genres. While I don't really listen to trance anymore (she was my first love), if I dig enough, I will find some trance tracks that really cater to that classical sound I love (Airwave comes to mind and thanks, Twan, for doing those interviews with Laurent Christian Georges Véronnez).

[@muzikxpress]

Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoyed the interviews!!

[@Tinaraver]

Seven Cities was my first introduction to Solarstone - been a fan ever since - I LOVE all his stuff - don't think there's anything I don't like by him - he always makes any song sound Great - Long Live Solarstone & Pure Trance Radio ❤

[@muzikxpress]

"Seven Cities" is great! Did you see my interview with Rich about that one too? kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqDCh5abhdCan6M

[@Tinaraver]

@@muzikxpress thank you - I enjoyed this too :)

[@MichaelBoogerd]

a true technician... the man lists off the kit used like it was yesterday. I remember picking up my white label copy from HTFR Birmingham....

[@muzikxpress]

Ahhh nice! Do you still have it?

[@MichaelBoogerd]

@@muzikxpress yep! Altho no decks for a decade 😅 nostalgia wise got to keep those classics

[@muzikxpress]

@@MichaelBoogerd haha good that you still have it!!

[@CJHBC]

This^ And a true gent!

[@tranceboyjohny1]

Brilliant interview, Twan! It’s always nice to see Rich doing well, what a legend

[@muzikxpress]

Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed it!!

[@SavedByGrace_CitizenEmperor]

Massive tune! Absolute classic! That statement was true 20 years go and it is still true in 2024. I'm looking forward to hear about "3rd Earth" and generell stuff from Solarstone. ❤🎉

[@masqueraver3552]

interviews n stuff like this best thing about the internet 👌

[@muzikxpress]

Thank you so much! More to come soon!

[@mc2engineeringprof]

Such a great interview, Twan!

[@muzikxpress]

Thanks so much!

[@zipplade]

Thanks for this one. Favourite mix? It's a classic Seven Cities Atlantis Mix, closely followed by 4ever. Photographer remix is also great.

[@alexanderfavell]

I have been waiting for this one. Thanks Twan.

[@muzikxpress]

You’re welcome! Hope you enjoyed it!

[@rocko44444444]

Pure Rich. Humming, singing, mumbling, just like on his shows. Great craic from a gas bloke! :D

[@Azottimusic]

Thank You Dear Twan fro your Great Work! My Pleasure! Timeless and Love "3rd Earth"! Top Interview with Rich❤

[@muzikxpress]

Thank you buddy! 🙌🏻

[@MichaelOglesby]

Great and dead honest interview. Thanks Twan!

[@muzikxpress]

Thanks a lot Michael!!

[@SDJSound]

A really enjoyable chat... thanks.

[@muzikxpress]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fezmania5078]

Great interview. Very informative. I enjoyed listening to it. I love 3rd Earth. One of the best classics. I agree, it doesn't need a Pure Trance remix. It's good just the way it is. I would love to talk to Rich about the various artists that release on his labels. Ilook forward to his new album. I loved his last album, 'Island.' It's amazing. Thank you, Twan, for doing this and sharing it.

[@muzikxpress]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your kind words! :)

[@Toftlundtrance]

Thanks for this!👏

[@masqueraver3552]

some tune ..remember it on tiesto dvd

[@vix_in_japan]

Even though I’ve mostly drifted from trance these days this is one that I still play and happy to have my copy on vinyl, probably from ID&T. Can’t remember now.

[@magdelayna]

Great interview! I was lucky enough to have Scott ask me to do a chilled version a few years ago - although im not sure if Rich has heard it yet hehe. That vocal sample is great.

[@muzikxpress]

Thank you! And that's so cool! Keep us posted if it will be released!!

[@masteroftheblaster9523]

Tiësto in Concert

[@muzikxpress]

Yes! And I was one of the lucky visitors, so good!!

[@RobertLidstroem]

"scott (bond) would always show up with some sandwiches and a bag of weed, and we'll just eat sandwiches, smoke weed, drink beer and make music!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@muzikxpress]

Pretty epic right? 😂

[@gainmaster1]

Very good Twan, really enjoyed this one

[@muzikxpress]

Thank you so much!

[@overlordddrp]

Third Earth was one of the greatest trance tracks of all time, Rich.

[@devong1414]

Great interview. This has always been my favourite solarstone track.

[@muzikxpress]

Thanks so much!

[@davidrhodes6413]

Great interview...weirdly I'd just finished a pizza with pineapple on it.

[@OutOfMySystem]

"What's the point?". Haha. Another fantastic interview.

[@trancextend]

I been waiting for Rick!!! Awesome interview!

[@muzikxpress]

Glad you enjoyed the interview, thank you! Who's Rick BTW? 😉

[@damiencrowe6098]

​@@muzikxpresspeople in UK sometimes call people named Richard "Rick" for short..😊

[@jyrilehtinen_aka_grimreaper]

Great interview as usual and Rich being his modest self. 😊 The track is still among my Solarstone favs.

[@muzikxpress]

Thank you so much! And this is also one of my personal favorites, what a beautiful track!

[@Yngin]

I would DEFINITELY be interested in a PURE collection on vinyl, and I bet at least 400 others are as well! Just ask Steve "Thrillseekers" Helstrip how many vinyl he's sold since starting his Connected series

[@muzikxpress]

But keep in mind that it’s not exactly the same since Steve mostly does put the big famous trance classics out. Those releases are obviously easier to sell than current releases. A much bigger audience knows the famous classics, so there’s a bigger market for those. Plus Rich explained that for PTV10 they deliberately made the price very low: € 25,- for 3 discs (bargain!!). There’s a massive amount of time and work going into those vinyl releases as he said. I love vinyl and I buy everything he does release, but I completely understand what he said and I can’t blame him for not willing to take that risk.

[@Yngin]

@@muzikxpress I get that, but I meant he should release his best Pure Remixes in a compilation, like the Orkidea remix that's previously unreleased. Just that track alone would gather lots of potential buyers in my opinion. Come to think of it, Rich should release a Best of Solarstone compilation as well with his older classics like Seven Cities, Solarcoaster, Galaxia, Orange Theme, Bullet in the Gun, and so on. That would sell in buckets, and for more than €25!

[@muzikxpress]

@@Yngin you tell him 😉 I’m sure he looked into some things already in the past. It’s definitely not always as easy as people think. Don’t get me wrong, I love vinyl and I would buy it for sure, but it’s a very difficult business at the moment.

[@chuckymcchuckface8768]

Seven cities

[@LiamKennedyYT]

I'm very curious to hear 'The Bullet'

[@muzikxpress]

So am I!!

[@serious2kable]

@@muzikxpress kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGfPineAjrtpbJo

[@mpmcsherry]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGfPineAjrtpbJo 😀

[@Blaulicht1120]

Pressed 400 items, sold them all out. Still thinks nobody is going to buy vinyl releases. Weird man.. I am glad Steve Helstrip thinks differently and continue making vinyl releases.

[@muzikxpress]

It is not exactly the same since Steve mostly does put the big famous trance classics out. Those releases are obviously easier to sell than current releases. Plus Rich explained that for PTV10 they made the price very low: € 25,- for 3 discs. There’s a massive amount of time and work going into those releases as he said. I love vinyl and I buy everything he does release, but I completely understand what he said and I can’t blame him for not willing to take that risk.

[@nigelsummers-uz2ey]

Loff

[@fgjtygjkk]

Hi im witing for episode with : Cosmic Gate , Rank 1 or Mark Norman :) cheers from Poland

[@muzikxpress]

I’m waiting for those too… 😉 All are on my wish list, I tried to make interviews with Cosmic Gate and Rank 1 happen several times already, but unfortunately no luck so far… Hopefully one day, but it’s not always that easy….

[@fgjtygjkk]

@@muzikxpress super to hear that:) albo boca- miami , and brasil is 🔥

[@muzikxpress]

@@fgjtygjkk Not really doing “requests” at the moment, sorry! I have ideas enough, but time and budget are my main “problems”. So I only do what’s possible now for me when I have time and budget. Just being honest!

[@serious2kable]

How comes Scott Bond has not been interviewed?

[@muzikxpress]

Because he wasn’t here in The Netherlands when I recorded the interview with Rich. Plus Rich already explained who did what in the studio 😉

[@serious2kable]

@@muzikxpress don't get me wrong, it's a great interview and having been a Solarstone fan for years, Rich unknowingly increases my curiosity. Hence why it's always good to get other perspectives.

[@MarcusyesMarcus]

they dont make them as they used to....'c'mon its sooo true...theres no feels in todays trance...everyone knows it...

[@SavedByGrace_CitizenEmperor]

Yeah, well, how often has anyone of us heard that statement before? I'm not saying you are wrong because in a sense you are right. But it's also a highly subjective stament. The stuff we grow up influence us a lot more than what comes later. There are reasons why I prefer certain years of Trance over others. Or take other genres. To me, every genre and even every artists I enjoy has its great phase where I really enjoy them - e.g. Coldplay had a great first three album run but after that they didn't really release stuff that was to my liking and that is the way for me with almost every artist. It took me some time to accept it but now I think I don't care much anymore. I like what I like and don't try to put much if any time into stuff I dislike. It's always hard to compare the past to the present. There are clear reasons why especially EDM was different back in the days and why it is the way it is today. The same can be said about movies. Watch a movie from the 1990s and before until the early to mid 2000s and you probably will instantly realize the different feeling these movies convey. They are slower paced, with less effects and less cuts (in general). You cannot stop the technological progress. If you're feeling that Trance was great from 1995-2000 or whatever period you prefer, then listen to it and forget about what is released today. I'm serious! Instead of constantly complaining why the sound was better back then or how whoever sold out and so forth, without being involved in the business decisions etc. is easy to do but very unfair. I have been actively listening to music since 1996 or 1997. So that's almost 30 years. You won't be able to count to the number of tracks I like anymore because it's a ton. It's actually so much, I cannot even listen to it all. Impossible! No chance at all! In theory, I would like to listen to new releases, maybe pay interest in what is popular these days from time to time and then I don't want to forget my favorite artists. I'm also listening to a couple of podcasts regularly which replaced listening to music on many occasions. My favourite music decades more or less is the music from 1996-2005 or so. From the other decades I also like more than a couple of songs but in all honesty: I don't have the time to listen to it all! I'm a spotify messy. I have made tons of playlists. I sorted my favs into genre playlists. I cannot listen to the music from the 50s or 60s or 70s or Bossa Nova or New Metal or Low Fi regulary. Because I got other stuff I prefer listening to. And I don't want to waste time listening to bad music. I'm happy with my huge music archive and music streaming, where I can super easy and comfortably stream old ASOT episodes on youtube and listen to 90% of everything I want to listen to on the internet without having to dig into my personal archive because some tunes are not available online. I could write on for hours. The Trance from the early 1990s when it started was different from the Trance from around the year 2000. And this phenomenon continued through basically every genre. There are even strange developements, where EDM, which is an umbrella term for many forms of Electronic Dance Music, becomes the name for a genre. And what does Progressive House actually sound like? And what is modern Trance? Yeah, it's trancey but also it's housey and techy, so it's neither Uplifting nor Progressive Trance. I don't know and I don't care. You cannot put everything into boxes. Either you like or you don't. And if you or I think that a genre isn't good anymore, who will stop you from listening to your old favorites? It's easier than ever to do so.

[@MarcusyesMarcus]

@@SavedByGrace_CitizenEmperor Oh I do, I really do trust me. This was just a one-time thing of me clicking on this video hearing the 3rd earth samples and how he so fondly and accurately describes how he made it. It wasnt suppose to be complaing or moaning even if it came out that way, sorry. Its not like a go into every one of these and just letting out all my bitterness on the current day trance scene. I dont follow it, i dont listen to it, I dont care about it, because I know i wouldnt like it. Its just a bonus if something comes out that I do like 👍

[@SavedByGrace_CitizenEmperor]

@@MarcusyesMarcus Hey. Sorry for misjudging your comment a bit but that happens automatically on the internet without knowing, seeing and hearing a person. We all know how often people say "X was better when I was young" or they give you an exact period of time when (in their opinion of course!) that genre or movies or life in general was so much better. This is getting quite exhausting. Time doesn't stand still, technology advances. In theory, you can live your life like it was still 1999. The question is if you would want to do that? Best is to ignore the stuff you don't like. Although my favourite celebrity ever Brie Larson (Captain Marvel actress) got heavily critized for a short speech she gave, I cannot applaud her for saying these ingenous words: "It wasn't made for you!" And to add another guy who has been a EDM producer/DJ for 15 years or so: "I'm out. I'm not the target audience." Great! Perfect! Wonderful! By admitting that you don't "get" something new, you are allowing others to enjoy it while you listen to the stuff you like. That's the smart approach. We don't have to belittle others because they have different taste than us. I find ASOT of these days pretty "meh" I think that is the best way to describe it. It's mostly not bad at all. But it's also not good or worth listening to to find maybe 3 tracks that are decent among 26 that are forgettable. I mean, it has been the same always. I'm currently relistening to ASOT episodes from 2005. There definitely are great tracks, some that can be considerd classics or at least top notch quality. But there are also the other 15 or so tracks that do not do it for me or that don't leave a lasting impression. Best is to filter out your favourites, put them into a playlist and have fun for hours! That's what I'm currently doing. And when an artist I liked or a radioshow doesn't deliver a good enough quality anymore, it's time to cancel it and move on. Why should I waste my time listening to ASOT 1200 when I can easily access ASOT 206? I have such a huge music collection with many artists from different genres I like that if no new music would be released ever again, I wouldn't be too sad. That's the smart approach! Honestly! If someone wants to complain about how bad music has gotten, all s/he has to do is turn on the radio or go to a current playlist and there you have it. But that would be torture to me. 😸

[@SavedByGrace_CitizenEmperor]

And one important aspect is that back in the late 1990s, the options for producing music were quite limited. It took longer time to create music and there were less releases thrown out on the market. Fast forward 15, 20 years and everyday an ocean of sound gets released. It's easier to produce music than it ever was and when you are not trying to be creative but just go for solid standard, you can finish your tracks pretty quickly. I remember 15-20 years ago, when I didn't have access to internet at home and then later it was slow etc. Back then, it was exciting to hear about new releases. "Ah, there is a new Armin van Buuren track coming out!". A couple of years later, AvB relased a track with Above & Beyond. It was pretty underwhelming and the fact that these giants of trance music were collaborating wasn't even worth a headline. I'm happy for the great releases we got back in the days. Everyone was aware that the sound would shift into other directions soon so these tracks are a living document from a long past time period where life was probably simpler and our world was a bit smaller. 🍑🫣