Home > Interviews > Lange

Lange has just released via iTunes his debut artist album – Better Late Than Never – after 10 years in the music industry. Why did we have to wait so long for this treat from the producer who brought us the UK Top 10 and Dance Anthem classic Drifting Away?

1. We know you as the talented and successful producer Lange. What is your ‘real’ name?

The name is Langelaan…..Stuart Langelaan. It is Dutch, in case you are wondering. Apparently a distant relative called Hendrik Langelaan came over from Holland a couple of hundred years ago and settled here. Interestingly, my music had often been described as sounding quite Dutch back in the early days of trance and I really like eggs and cheese. It is all in the genes!

2. You rocketed onto the scene 10 years ago. How did you start out?

I got my break by sending a demo to Future Music magazine. I was featured twice and from the second appearance in 1995 my track caught the attention of Stephen ‘Frank Spencer’ Long from the now disbanded Pulse 8 Records. He didn’t sign the track but after send three more he saw potential in one of them.

I was introduced to a vocal writer and we had a studio session to record vocals. The resulting track didn’t initially get released but some four years later it did and it went into the UK Top 10. That track was Sureal – You Take My Breath Away.

Steve put me in contact with Positiva Records who gave me my first release – The Root Of Unhappiness.

I then went on to remix for Positiva and other labels, and together with massive Radio 1 support from Judge Jules, I was able to make music my full time career.

3. Your first major success was the remix of DJ Sakin – Protect Your Mind. How did you become involved with the project?

I was signed to Positiva who were releasing it and I had been doing a few remixes for them. Originally the track was going to be a smaller Additive release but the remix went down so well it got a full Positiva release and made it to No. 4 in the UK. As you can imagine it was an incredible time for me.

4. Your track Follow Me, released on Positiva, was heavily featured in Kevin & Perry Go Large. What was it like for your music to be in a movie?

Again this was another highlight.

I had been asked to write some music for the film and at the time I had just started on the track. It suited the film so I suggested we use it. I was sent some rushes during the editing process to make special sections of the music to sync with it.

When it was done I got the chance to walk down the red carpet in Leicester Square at the film premiere and met Harry Enfield and Kathy Burke at the after party….all good!

5. You wrote the UK Top 10 trance anthem Drifting Away. What was the inspiration for the track?

I was sent the vocal acappella by a very keen (and slightly mad!) guy called Danny Kirsch who wrote the vocal with another writer, Katie Marne. I could hear the vocal had potential but never realised it would go on to be so big. I have always preferred this way of working – having a vocal to build round is very inspiring.

6. As well as being a producer you also dj to massive audiences across the world. Where have you most enjoyed playing?

There are quite a few places I really like to play including Russia and Eastern Europe where the crowds are so enthusiastic giving the DJ lots of feedback. Also, I particularly enjoy visiting Singapore, San Francisco, Helsinki, and the Isle of Lewis. I have been to the small island of Lewis in the Western Isles nearly a dozen times over the past 7 years. I play to a small crowd of around 250 but the atmosphere has always been electric and I have made some good friends which is why I keep going back.

7. Where can we catch you over the next few months?

I have just got back from the US but will be returning again shortly to play in Washington DC and Los Angeles.

I am playing at Generation in London and High Society in Leeds.

I am also making my debut in India and returning to Australia over the coming months.

8. You have been working on your debut artist album – Better Late Than Never – which was released via download last year and is soon to be on CD. How long has it taken to put the album together?

Yes, that is right. It is out exclusively on iTunes at the moment and the CD will follow at the end of February. It is a double album with the first CD being all new material and the second disc a collection of some of my work from the past ten years.

Most of the new material was written in a nine month period. I started work on it in early 2007 and decided the album release should coincide with me celebrating ten years in the music industry.

9. Do you have any favourite tracks on the album?

I have to pick two completely different tracks as my joint favourite. The aim was to make the album as diverse as possible and my first choice – Wind Farm – strays completely from any traditional Lange sound you might have expected. It is a 125 bpm electro track with a lot of unusual noises and effects.

My second choice would be Out Of The Sky. It appears to be the most popular track on the album so far and is basically an indie-rock style track with a great female vocal and an electronic edge. Again it is not the usual Lange sound.

If you want to check out audio clips of all the tracks (and read the song notes) it is all at www.langealbum.com.

10. What next?

My new single Songless will be out in February along with the album on CD.

I have been remixing this past month and I am currently working on a club version of Out Of The Sky as it is shaping up to be the following single.

Then I will be concentrating on starting to write the next album so the wait won’t be quite so long next time.

Of course, I will be touring too so it is shaping up to be a busy year again.