ID Spotlight || Sebastian Rusu

Meet EDM Identity Contributor, Sebastian Rusu, in this week’s #IDSpotlight!

Name: Sebastian Rusu
Rave Name: None
Age: 27
Hometown: Close to the real Dracula Castle
Current City: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation: Solution Architect
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What was your first electronic music event?

Paul Van Dyk at the Telus Theatre in Montreal, Canada on February 18th, 2011.

What/who influenced you to attend your first event?

I had been a long time fan of both trance and Paul Van Dyk but I was never into the whole going out to clubs culture. One of my best friends from college, with whom I shared my musical interests, asked if I wanted to go to the event. I figured I might as well attend and enjoy the music that I was passionate about in a live environment instead of just from the comfort of my room. Thinking back on it, it was a great decision as I have attended an increasing amount of shows since :)

What is one moment from an event that was special and why?

Probably the most special moment was hearing Paul Van Dyk play his track For An Angel during the first show I attended. I grew up listening to his albums and live sets from Amnesia and other places around the world. A lot of my musical discovery was done through his music and mixes as I hardly knew anyone that was into electronic, and especially trance music, 10-15 years ago. I’ve always been attached to For An Angel for its simplistic melodic, yet it evoked quite strong sensations every time I would hear at home. Finally having the chance to hear it live, played by the man himself, as the closing track to the first event that I attended, is something that is difficult to put in words. You can’t really ask for a better moment really!

What is your favorite festival or event?

Favorite festival – Dreamstate & Luminosity.

Favorite event – This one’s much harder to choose, but open to close sets usually come out on top regardless of who the DJ is. Top three so far would probably be John Askew OTC in San Diego, Solarstone OTC in Toronto, and Mark Sherry OTC in Montreal.

Favorite rave – Trance Unity in Montreal, Canada. You enter at 9PM, you exit at noon. You’re in a semi dark area with the best sound system in the country and long DJ sets. Can’t get any better than that!

What is your favorite electronic song and why?

Paul Van Dyk – For An Angel (E-Werk club mix) is by far my favorite track. As I have already touched briefly in the previous section, the simplistic nature got me hook the first time I heard it. The track comes from an age when trance was still in it’s infancy and not bound by the structure we have come to know over the years. It doesn’t have many elements: a short vocal sample, a simple riff, a powerful and driving kick, some fantastic percussion and high hats and of course that unforgettable melody! As productions became more and more layered and filled with FXs, I’ve always returned to this track because it shows that it can be extremely powerful with a handful of very well used elements. I believe in the motto that less is more and this track is the perfect example of that philosophy!

Who are your favorite artists?

Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Ferry Corsten, The Thrillseekers, M.I.K.E. Push, Orkidea, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Sean Tyas, Simon Patterson, John Askew, Airwave, Airbase, Andy Moor, The Noble Six, John O’Callaghan, Will Atkinson, The Digital Blonde, John 00 Fleming, Christopher Lawrence, Thomas Datt, Scot Project, Kai Tracid, Astrix, Astral Projection, Ovnimoon, Electric Universe, Liquid Soul, You Are My Salvation, Hydroid, Omauha, Enigma Dubz, Gai Barone, Philthy Chit, Plu-Ton, Dynamic Illusion, Celldweller, Solar Fields. I’ve named a lot but I can go on for at least double that, better to stop now :P

What are your favorite genres?

Classic Trance, Hard Trance, Acid Trance, Tech-Trance, Uplifting Trance, Progressive Trance, Psy-Trance, Goa, Full On, Progressive House, Progressive Breaks, Breakbeat, Liquid Drum’n’Bass, Liquid Dubstep, Ambient, Chillout. I like being very specific about sub-genres :)

What do you feel your “Identity” is in the electronic music community?

I was fortunate to grow up in Eastern Europe and to be exposed to electronic music, and trance in particular, since I was 10. I’ve been an avid follower ever since and over the years I have acquired a lot of knowledge about the history of the genre, artists, sound evolution and sub-genre creation. So you might say I’m somewhat of a trance geek, or elitist, depending on how you take my opinion on certain subjects :)

I think that musical exploration is at the heart of any genre and I absolutely support and encourage artists that do this instead of creating the same track with small variations countless of times. However, after listening to predominantly one genre for so many years, you can’t but become picky to the type of tracks you enjoy. I’ve remained a follower of those that combine old school sounding trance elements and structure with modern production techniques as that was the sound I grew up with.

Is there anything else you would like to add about yourself for the readers?

I mix whenever I have time. I tend to shy away from short mixes. Unless there is a specific request, my mixes are usually 2 hours minimum, with most being 3-6h long. The purpose of my mixes is to expose people who are new to the genre of trance and progressive to a bit of the history of the genre and all its facets.

You can find all the mixes on my Mixcloud page:

Apart from that, I might also be known by some people on the internet as an ID guru, being able to name quite a lot of songs at a moment’s notice of them getting played out :). Kind of goes with the territory I guess haha

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