Born in Belgium but raised in the country that’s the kingdom of the trance music, the Netherlands, Johan Gielen has undeniably marked – and at the same time experienced – all the phases of development and transformation of trance music over the decades through his music and personality; even today, he continues to make us dream. We asked Johan a few questions about his glorious musical past and the latest upcoming news:
Hello Johan, it’s a great pleasure for us to interact with one of the icons of “old school” trance music, but also of modern trance: you are one of the trance artists with the longest career behind you, do you want to remind us of the exact moment you realized that trance was your path ?
Hi Trance History team thanks for having me .
I started producing in 1992 back in the days under various alais to name a few ones Transformer 2 (with Jeff Hype) , Ravecrusader (with Peter Ramsom) and there it was the born of my Airscape project with the verry first track Cruising.
This 2025 is undoubtedly characterized by the return of your legendary alias, Airscape, which you co-produced with Sven Maes between 1997 and 2005, and now you’re doing it solo. In September, you announced the release of a new album: where did the idea to revive this alias come from, and how has the creation of the tracks that have been released so far developed ?
Airscape has always been a studio project along the years i have worked on this with several producers as i started it with Peter Ramson , followed by Sven Maes aka Svenson.
With Sven we created some classics as L’ésperanza , Pacific Melody, Sosei and many more! We did alot of Airscape rmxs together aswell to name a few ones Delerium “Silence”, Scooter, Tiësto, Des Mitchell, Vengaboys and many more.
Other producer i have worked with on the Airscape project true the years are: Cor Fijneman , Peetu S, Virtual Vault.
Untill 2023 my former publishing partner had set up a writters camp form that day on i started to create tracks up un till now with Brad Grobler, Pierre Pienaar, Daniel Wanrooy and last but not least Arkayne witch i did most of the tracks, we had an instant click when we met from day one and after 2 years we fianly have the upcoming album ready.
All details and more about this new album can be finded verry soon on my socials so stay tuned.
A few weeks ago, one of these tracks, ‘Beach Pearl (Robert’s Theme)’, was released: we know that it is a dedication to a dear friend of yours who passed away last year. Would you like to tell us how this melody came to life ?
Yes 1 week after my former tourmanager and best friend pased away i went tot he studio to write off my sorrow and disbelief for this tragic loss.
Me and Kevin (Arkayne) started the track with some basic set up and rest came pure out of emotion , i have tried to reflect the person Robert was.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane: with Sven Maes, in addition to Airscape, you created other legendary projects, including Boccaccio Life, Balearic Bill, and the most popoular Svenson & Gielen: what were the “ingredients” that brought you together ? Have you remained good friends ?
The person who brought us together was Olivier Adams, the producer behind Praga Khan, Lords of Acid, and Channel X, where I also worked in the studio at the time. Sven also worked in that studio, and Olivier introduced me to him. We started working together, and soon after, Svenson & Gielen was born. As you mentioned, we’ve worked on various projects, including co-productions and remixes for third parties. It was a fast train we landed on after making Twisted and Beauty of Silence. We eventually went our ways in 2005, but we’re still friends and regularly talk by phone or discuss our back separate catalog. Sven runs an amazing art gallery in Knokke, Belgium. That’s where his passion lies now. But never say never, who knows what the future holds for Svenson & Gielen.
Clearly, there isn’t just one favorite track in your career, because we remember them all as exceptional, but among our most personal memories are ‘Magnitude’ and ‘Flash’ from the album ‘Revelations’ (2006). Could you remind us how these very different tracks came to be ?
Yes a that time when i worked on Johan Gielen tracks with Jim Hermsen & Jop Van Amersfoort.
I was experimenting a lot, developing unique sounds. I already knew then that trance could become a very broad genre, from darker styles to uplifting vocal tracks . You can clearly hear that on my album revelations.
Your name is often associated with the epic Trance Energy festival in Thialf Heerenveen and the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht, where you and Sven have produced legendary anthems. What can you recall from those years, and which edition stands out the most for you ?
That’s right, I was the resident DJ for Trance Energy and played every edition. The athems we created for Trance Energy actually came from Dick De Groot, the A&R manager at ID&T Records at the time. He steered us in exactly the right direction for what an athem should be, and so it happened. The feeling of energy and togetherness that this party embodied.
The most outstanding edition is hard to choose but the 2003 edition was verry special as we recorded a mix and DVD fort hat set i did that night.
Over the course of your thirty-year career, you have been a protagonist at the major trance music events around the world and have produced and co-produced hundreds of tracks: do you feel there’s still something missing in your career, or are you already completely grateful for everything ?
I actually saw and experienced a lot back then. I was one of the first DJs to fly around the world. It’s a shame we didn’t have mobile phones and social media back then, as we know them today.
But the endless trips and performances worldwide are still fresh in my mind.
And I still enjoy all the gigs ,the new trends, especially now that you can see how everything has developed, such as the technology, the large stages, and the countless new brands and festivals – that was unthinkable back then.
Beyond trance music, you co-produced some tracks with a more Eurodance style, such as ‘The Lonely One’ by the project Alice Deejay in 2000. What other music genres do you enjoy ?
I don’t have a specific preference for a particular style of music and certainly don’t want to be pigeonholed. The reason I can produce more than just trance is that I started my DJ career at 16. Back then, there was no house, no techno, no trance.
But I only had rock, pop, and disco to play.
And over the years, I’ve seen all musical styles develop, from house to all the styles that exist today. The music encyclopedia in my head still helps me create new tracks to this day. So I’m a fan of a very wide range of styles.
There’s a noticeable “warmth” in your social media feed and a great optimism for life: what do you enjoy doing outside of producing and performing ? Where does Johan currently live ?
When I’m not busy with music, I really enjoy cooking; it’s a passion of mine. Spend some time with the family and my dog. Outside of work, I enjoy the little things as much as possible. My motto is: live for today because you never know if tomorrow will come. I live in the central Netherlands, in the Betuwe region, which is known for its fruit growing and beautiful surroundings for walking and cycling.
Thank you for your timeand willingness to talk to us. To conclude, we’d like to ask the classic Trance History question: name one or more trance classics, besides your own historic tracks, that you would have loved to write or that have stayed in your heart and made you fall in love with trance music.
It’s quite difficult to answer this question since I have so many favorites, but to name a few that I find truly special: Robert Miles – Children, Underwold – Dark & Long, The Orb – Little Fluffy Clouds, Faithless – God Is a DJ.
I’d like to thank the whole Trance History team for your support and for making this interview possible. And to my fans, I’m grateful for all the support and hope to continue providing you with new music and performances for a long time to come.
Johan Gielen