Interviews

On the road & Interviewing artists: Suncatcher (Luminosity 2016 special)

All those who know me, know that I am really excited about this weekend; really excited to finally attend Luminosity this year. I was telling you some of my excitement a couple of weeks ago, when I started the ”On the road” series, and I am repeating my self since then. Can't wait to land in Amsterdam, to finally meet in real life all the people I met online and enjoy 3 days of pure trance.

Well, I am writing on 2 blogs, and sometimes it is a bit difficult to separate them, since trance is one of those things that defines me the most. A couple of months ago I started a Interviewing artists series on blagaoana.com and I am really happy I got the chance to talk with artists like Anske, Simon O Shine, Emanuele Congeddu, Biotones, Sundancer, Snatt & Vix.  Since then, I always tried to come with something new and even thought some interviews are on hold, I always tried to support the Romanian Trance Family first. There is no need to say, we have some really awesome trance producers and I will try to tell you all about them in the next episodes.

For today, I am combining ”On the Road” with ”Interviewing artists” and doing something really special for me, for the artist, for the Romanian Trance Family. Since this year at Luminosity we'll have again a Romanian artist in the line-up, this post comes naturally: Interview with the one and only Suncatcher, Romanian uplifting trance producer; amazing artist and nice man. I am hyped he accepted to do this interview and took the time to answer to all of my questions. Just hit the play button, listen to one of his latest tracks and enjoy the interview!

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/251015739" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

Hi Bogdan! How are you? Where are you reading this interview? 

Hi there. Fine, home for now. Just sitting in front of the computer. I had to go to the office today, but I decided to work from home. I am still a bit nostalgic, after the Coldplay concert I attended on Wednesday in London.

Nice! Let's start with the beginning: Who is Suncatcher and when the idea of producing music first occur? 

Suncathcer is Bogdan Cupcea from a small town (Targu Lapus) in Romania. Everything began with a very good friend, who introduced me to the secrets of music producing. At the beginning I tried eJay, then FL Studio (back then known as Fruity Loops). I fell in love instantly with the program. The name SUNCATCHER is inspired by an old photo: a fisherman throwing a fish nest towards the sun. The title was Sun Catcher. Everything I did was to delete that blank space and unite the words (it was a time when uniting words was kinda cool). 

What are you doing beside music? How is your day by day life? 

I am full time developer. Beside that, I like very much astronomy ( I have my own telescope), photography (even though I am still an amateur) and lately just going out, enjoying summer. 

Why trance? Why did you chose this music genre? 

I inherited the love for electronic music from my brother, whom I am very close to. What drove me to uplifting trance was the fact that you can  literally put your heart into this music. It's all that matters: the music. the goosebumps. I found it extraordinary how nothing and no one else matters while listening to a track; how I disconnect myself from the world. Sadly, these days, there is a particular  focus on how aggressive a track sounds, on how powerful the drop is. But these are the days we live in... 

What should be your biggest musical accomplishment when you look back in the past till now?

The fact that I was invited to play at Luminosity Beach Festival. It is amazing to see thousands of people that dance and sing along your tracks. Other important accomplishments would be my collaboration with Ferry Tale (one of my favorite artists) and the remix I did for Tiesto with Paul Miller. Also, there is no need to mention all the times Armin played my tracks in his radio show, or the fact that he ended his set at ASOT500 Buenos Aires with my remix for Agulo feat. David Berkeley - Fire sign. 

Which single track that you’ve produced has had the greatest impact on your career?

It is hard to choose. There are a couple that won Tune of The Week or Future Favorite in ASOT, or Webvote winner in TATW. I think these wins helped me the most. Another very important win was the fact that Above & Beyond played my track Epic, 3 times in a row at TATW. I will forever be grateful for that. 

How do you find inspiration for your tracks?

Honestly, I have no specific sources. Ideas just pop out in my head, or sometimes I just open FL Studio to see what I can do. Sometimes I develop the idea into a track, sometimes I don't. 

I was pretty excited to see you in the lineup for Luminosity this year. How much can you tell us about how it all happen'?

It is very simple actually. I played at Luminosity 3 years ago. Kept in touch with Bo, one of the Luminosity masterminds. This year he proposed to come back and I instantly accepted. 

How is it for you, to open the best trance festival ever? 

We'll see. Last time I wasn't opening it, but I think it will be epic. I know the expectations and I hope to meet  them all. 

What should we expect from you set? 

Opening the festival, opening the day I will start with a bit of progressive trance, but quickly going in full Suncatcher style. Goosebumps, tears, all inclusive ;)) . I will also play some of my newest tracks, un-released yet. So, it will be everything it has to be.

Your favorite trance subgenre is...

Uplifting, of course. But lately I started to like a lot progressive too; the Anjuna one.

Why uplifting?

Because of my dreamy personality. I think this is the best genre to express exactly what I feel. 

Hardest question of all: What are your current top ten biggest trance tracks of all times?

You're killin' me. I'll tell you ten tracks, but there is no particular order. A top 10 is not enough to tell them all, but I'll try.

1. Sunny Lax – Blue Bird 
2. Cold Blue & Del Mar – 11 Days (Sebastian Brandt Remix) 
3. Sebastian Brandt – Mana 
4. Above & Beyond – Good For Me (Club Mix) 
5. BT feat. Jes – Every Other Way (Armin van Buuren Remix) 
6. Armin van Buuren ft. Susana  – Shivers 
7. Super8 & Tab – Suru 
8. Paul van Dyk – Nothing But You (Super8 & Tab Remix) 
9. Daniel Kandi & Neumann  – Lovin' Feeling 
10. Luke Warner & Mat Lock - Deep Psychosis (Daniel Kandi's Cure Mix)  

With which artist, would you like to swap the places for one day if you could?

Chris Martin, from Coldplay. Of course, having his singing talent will help too. ;)) I just went to a Coldplay concert the other days, on Wembely and it was amazing. I am curious to find out how they feel when a whole stadium is singing your songs.

What do you think about the trance community?

Here, in Romania we are fewer trancers than in other countries, but I find the ”Trance family” term to perfectly describe the community. Even though it may sound cheesy sometimes. Everywhere I played, I met amazing people with whom I could talk for hours and never get bored.

What upcoming talents do you know, appreciate and support? 

I have a coworker with whom I started to work on some tracks. Be sure, you'll hear more about him soon. ;)

We're reaching the end of this interview; do you have a message to our readers? 

I am not good with this. Just: TRANCE ON! 

PS. Everyone’s got a hidden talent. What’s yours?

Annoying people. Some may say this is a flaw, but I am kinda proud of this. Haha :)  

Thank you, Bogdan for accepting the interview. Can't wait to see you in a couple of days! 

I hope you guys, enjoyed this interview and see you at Luminosity! Suncacther will open the day, the festival - Friday at 12:00. And, if you wanna meet, just look for the small brunette with the Romanian Flag and a trancers.ro / Trancers gonna trance  T shirt , say hi and give her a hug. I always said Trance is connecting awesome people and I am sure my trance family will become even bigger after Lumi. I will try to write every week till the event and daily from there. Also, the plan is to show you the full experience with videos and photos , so follow me on Trancers.ro. Trance on and see you there!

Also, don't forget to follow Suncatcher on social media: Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter.

by Oana Blaga