Exclusive Interview: Cosmic Gate
Cosmic Gate has been one of the biggest names that have thrived in electronic dance music. With over 16 years of success, they have continuously proved themselves to be true to trance. With no sight of ever stopping, they made their way back to the USA for some shows. We caught up with the guys in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh recently, and EPIC was even fortunate to sit down with the duo, Nic & Bossi and get a scoop on Cosmic Gate’s dynamic.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: You guys have been in the industry for about 16 years now. What were you guys doing before you were DJing?
Bossi: We don’t even remember anymore…school? studying? Before Cosmic Gate, we went right from studying into the business. Lucky us!
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: What do you guys think you’d be doing if you weren’t DJing right now?
Bossi: Still studying? Haha. That’s a good question. We probably would have been studying or maybe a marketing manager somewhere. Maybe we’d still be writing music.
Nic: My father was a doctor. He actually warned me not to go into that business if you don’t really love it. I love music so much it was the only option for me.
Bossi: It’s hard to answer the questions: when, why, how? Fortunately, it worked out. We would need to hop into a time machine to have figured that all out!
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: How do you think your music has evolved over time? What keeps your dynamic so fresh?
Bossi: The easiest thing is to listen to rhythm and drums in 2001 and start to feel now. It’s totally different from the beats to the speed. But the handwriting and the feel of the music is always Cosmic Gate. We have evolved a lot but whatever music we make has a special kind of touch. Maybe that’s why we’re still around.
Nic: It’s exactly what he said. We try to always have the same vibe. We always want to do something new but keeping the same vibe. We have to do that otherwise we would be bored ourselves. It’s our nature to always try something new and evolve.
Bossi: I think we have very different personalities but the chemistry we have when it comes to music sometimes is frightening. There’ll be a remix and we will listen to it a week later. Our management will ask us what we think. We will have a one phrase conversation and high five each other and be like “dude I was thinking the exact same thing.” We think the same in what we want and what fits our brand.
Nic: How we feel about the music is exactly the same.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: It sounds like you guys really understand one another when it comes to the music. Other than the music, do you guys think you’re similar or are you day and night?
Bossi: We’re not day and night but we’re different. You always try to bring in what you’re good in and we bring in our strengths! There are some things like food that we totally agree on and there are other times where I’m here and he’s there. We’re like an old married couple. We spend so much time together that he sometimes realizes earlier than I do when I’m not having a good time.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Have the past 16 years gone quick for you guys?
Bossi: On the one side, yes. It’s like when you’re driving. When you’re pushing the gas, it goes really fast. When you think back, it feels like whoa whoa whoa..an album, an album, an album, years, relationships.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Do you have a favorite album?
Bossi: All of our albums are our babies. It’s something we put a lot of work into but at the end it’s always the last album because we think we are always evolving. We hopefully get better. So from my personal perspective, I think the last album always sounds the most natural and the closest to the current thoughts. When we listen to the first album, we think “oh my god, this sounds like so bad!” But it was simply that time. So there’s no answer to that question.
Nic: You would have to answer that question, our fans would have to answer that!
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Let me rephrase that question quick… What would you say is the track that really set off your career?
Cosmic Gate: Definitely "Exploration of Space", "Firewire", "Falling Back".
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Speaking of "Exploration of Space", what would you do if aliens contacted us because they heard your track "Exploration of Space".
Cosmic Gate: We would ask for some good royalties! Hahaha. That’s funny. Honestly, whoever found us so much smarter and intelligent than we really are. The technology they would have in order to track us is so many lightyears ahead of us. So to not speak to them would be silly!
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: How do you think the trance scene has changed and adapted over the years?
Bossi: We’re not the typical trance act. Trance is for the people that feel the music. An Eric Prydz track for us has trance elements and we play it.
Nic: For me a trance act could have many tempos. For me, it’s about the feeling and the feels. It’s very emotional.
Stefan: It can be pumping too.
Nic: It could be a techno track but if there’s one melody or sequence that goes through and really touches you. With our sets, we try to be open minded with music.
Bossi: There may be things you don’t usually hear or expect from a trance DJ but in general, the genres have been blending and getting mixed up. There can be 5 DJ’s that all have different opinions on EDM on whether something is progressive or house. It doesn’t matter. If it touches you and you like it, that’s all that matters.
EPIC: There’s a lot of young artists who have named the godfathers of electronic dance music as their inspiration. The world has been your oyster since the birth of your music. Who would you consider to be your inspiration?
Cosmic Gate: We had some guys in Germany, WestBam. In Germany, he’s like the godfather of techno and electronic music. It’s hard to say. There were so many influences, labels, and styles.
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AUTHOR CREDIT: KIMBERLY PHAN