Madis Sillamo aka Beat Service has been firing up a string of Top ten hits on the Beatport Trance Top 100 for the last three years.
Having received support from some of the biggest names in the scene like Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten, Beat Service is all set to release his first artist album, ‘Focus’. We caught up with Madis to speak to him about the album and various other topics. Read our chat below.
T.H.E – Hey Madis! Thanks for this interview. How’s it going? What are you upto currently?
Beat Service – Hey guys, no problems! Im doing well here, thanks. After finishing an album im currently taking some time off from the studio and enjoying some time with the family.
T.H.E – Congratulations on the release of your album, ‘Focus’. How did the decision to release an album come about?
Beat Service – Thank you very much! I’ve been releasing singles around 5 years for now and I thought it’s time to leave a mark in the trance scene with something more than just a single release, which gets forgotten pretty fast nowadays.
T.H.E – With every album comes a significant story behind the name chosen. With “Focus” what is it that you want to share with your fans?
Beat Service – With my first artist album I wanted to create something that you can actually listen in your car, during workout or at home. I didn’t pay much attention to the fact, how it would work on the dancefloor. It’s all about the music I love and wanted to share my passion with my fans.
T.H.E – Deciding which artists to collaborate with is definitely a mammoth task. However, you have worked with various vocalists on the album but have not collaborated with another producer. Any particular reason for this?
Beat Service – I love working with vocalists, that was indeed essential for the album. Fortunetly I had a chance to work with some of the best singers out there, thanks to Raz Nitzan who has an army of trance vocalists. As for the other producers – I would love to have work with some names, but they were all “busy” with their own stuff, so I decided to work solo on every track. It’s not as easy as you maye think.. Maybe somewhere in the future ;)
T.H.E – I must admit ‘Proxy’ is one of my favorite tracks. Could you share some of the production process that went into creating the track?
Beat Service – It really is different each time, where I start making the track. With Proxy I started from the electro influenced drop, which has caused some real good damage around the world on the dance floors. Later on I added a melody, some cool basslines and it was done. I think I spent 2-3 days on it… I wanted to create something for the festivals and clubs, and I think I succeeded.
T.H.E – Which track, do you feel, was the most fun to create and watch it come to life?
Beat Service – An Autumn Tale with Ana Criado. I went really deep with this, it’s almost like a story, not a song. Take a listen to it and you’ll know what I mean.
T.H.E – What’s the most difficult part of creating an album?
Beat Service – Trying to make every track sound as different as possible. Who wants to hear same track in a different arrangement? Some producers seem to think it’s cool…
T.H.E – When do you know its done? Is there a process?
Beat Service – Track by track you work your ass off and after endless days/nights of listening to the smallest details and tweaking them out, you know it’s done!
T.H.E – Certain artists release albums only on digital where as certain artists release it on CDs as well. You have certainly opted for CDs. What is the thinking that goes behind this?
Beat Service – Digital release gets lost in the middle of thousands other songs. CD is something that will stick around for a very long time and fans will remember my by. I wanted to leave a mark and what else is better way to do it than CD.
T.H.E – Moving away from the album, could you describe the exact moment that you knew being in the music industry is what you want to do for the rest of your life?
Beat Service – It was around 10 years a go when I discovered my passion for producing electronic dance music. I just started playing around with various DAWs and after a while I couldn’t stop. It’s like a disease. Once you’re in it, there’s no getting out. And im super happy about it!
T.H.E – What is the craziest request you have ever gotten from a fan before?
Im afraid I don’t have any crazy stuff to talk about.. yet. Just the usual – signings, pictures..
T.H.E – Which are your top 5 essential tunes of the moment?
Beat Service –
1. Beat Service – Focus
2. Beat Service & Ana Criado – An Autumn Tale
3. Jorn Van Deynhoven – 101010
4. Faithless – Salva Mea 2.0 (Above & Beyond Remix)
5. Gouryella – Anahera
T.H.E – Thanks a ton Madis and wish you the very best! :)
Beat Service – Thank you guys for having me :)
