Hiddenagenda are the Sheffield based trance duo behind some of the most uplifting, euphoric and powerful trance sets you will have heard in recent years and here they take time out to tell Elevation Music all about it... 

Hello chaps, how you both doing today?  Big shout for taking your time to talk to us at EM...

Danny:  Hey!  I’m doing good, and thanks for having us.

Rich: Hi I’m not too bad thanks spending my only day off with a few beers and logic!

For those who may not be aware, who are you guys and how did you get to where you’re at now?

We’re a trance duo based out of Sheffield/Leeds.  Things started for us back in 2005 when we met at Cream in Liverpool and remained in contact.  It wasn’t long before we both realised we shared a passion for DJing and we hit the decks together.  We started out playing pre-parties and after-parties in Sheffield, before and after Crasher, and things really went from there.  Obviously there’s been a lot of hard work involved over the last 6 years to really push ourselves and get our name out there.  

How would you describe your musical style and what do you think it is that sets you apart?

Our style varies slightly dependant on the time we’re playing, but it is essentially driven by big basslines and uplifting melodies with tech influences. We don’t really stick to a strict style but simply play any tracks with a good groove that will get a dance floor moving.  There are a lot of DJs out there who love to play the peak time, driving sound so I guess it’s our versatility in what we enjoy to play that sets us apart.  In our sets we like to play a good mix of upfront, fresh material as well as throwing in a few of those forgotten gems that everyone loves to hear.

You’ve both obviously been very busy over the last couple of years and are definitely continuing to make a name for yourselves.  What would you say was your best gig of 2010, or at least, the most memorable one for you?

We were extremely lucky to have had some amazing gigs last year; residency gigs at OTR, a couple of appearances at Digital Society, performances at Passion and at their UK Indoor Festival and also a show at the massive Magna centre in Sheffield.  But without a doubt our booking at Gareth Emery’s Northern Lights concert for his album launch in October last year has to go down as the best and most memorable of 2010. We were hugely honoured to have been asked to represent there and it surpassed all expectations! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was possibly one of the best gigs ever for us!  

As a duo that are playing at some of the biggest nights around how would you describe the state of the modern day trance scene in the UK?

Danny:  There’s some that say that trance is dead or that it’s not what it used to be and that’s always going to be the case. But that’s just someone’s opinion and I believe that the scene is very healthy at the moment.  I think that the injection of elements from different genres keeps things fresh and interesting. The last couple of years have really seen the emergence of some forward thinking, innovative producers that are doing great things for trance.  The same goes for smaller underground nights that are putting on fresh lineups and pushing boundaries.

Rich: The trance scene is definitely alive and kicking at the minute. Brands such as ourselves at OTR and Leeds based Digital Society show what is possible and there are smaller nights up and down the country putting on successful events week in week out.  The scene is certainly more diverse now than it has ever been with a lot more progressive influences than ever before. 

Unless you’re sworn to secrecy, what big events or plans have you got cooking up for 2011 that you can tell us about? (aside from taking part in the Elevation Music Radio Weekender of course hehe)

EM weekender aside we obviously have the OTR 4th birthday coming up this month on 18th.  As resident DJs and co-promoters our focus is really on this event at the minute.  We have some other things lined up at OTR later in the year but we really can’t say any more than that at the moment. There are a couple of other gigs in the pipeline too (again we can’t share much information).  

One that we can talk about is a booking for Rong! at Venus in Manchester on Friday 1st April alongside Simon Patterson, Claudia Cazacu, Mark Sherry and James Rigby.  There’s also our monthly radio show, ‘Beat Therapy’ on Afterhours.fm which is now entering it’s 2nd year.  We co-host the show with fellow OTR resident Mike Beaumont, so you can catch us on air every other month alongside guest DJs.

It seems you guys have built your careers pretty much on the back of your DJing which is quite a refreshing twist these days.  Saying that though, do Hiddenagenda have any plans to make their way into the studio in the future?
 
It’s funny you should say that as we have already begun the move into the studio.  It’s been something we’ve wanted and needed to do for a long time, but our goal for this year is invest some of our time into working on our production. We’ve a long way to go and a lot to learn but we have already spent a few weekends locked away in the studio teaching ourselves the ropes.  Watch this space…

Lastly, before we let you get back to work, is there any advice you can offer to up-and-coming DJ’s looking to break through?

Danny: The biggest piece of advice I could offer is to work hard and keep pushing yourself.  Obviously in these times producing will go a long way to helping get you recognition.  Try and do something a little bit different to other people but always stay true to yourself.

Rich: From my experience I think one of the most important tips for up and coming DJs would be the way you present yourself and your music to your audience. 

Decide on a good name for yourself, get a website set up, a biography written some press shots taken etc.

There are a lot of up-and-coming DJs around at the minute and you need to stand out from the crowd.

As promoters for OTR we receive a lot of demo mixes through the post, the majority of these are burned on ASDA CDR’s with some handwritten scrawl on the front in permanent marker, no track markers or track name information on them. It’s all about first impressions and such CDs may never even make it to the CD player. 

Get a CD printer and make your CDs stand out from the crowd; all this will improve your chances. 

Build a solid foundation from which to push yourself and work your socks off to get your music into the hands of the people who matter.

Be sure to check out various mixes from Hiddenagenda on their official site...

Download Hiddenagenda Mixes