Ran-D on his live act & upcoming album Illuminate: “An experience & something special”

“It will contain a lot of new tracks, of which we will release singles in the coming months,” Ran-D says about his upcoming album, Illuminate, set to be released in September. “The Nightmare Factory,” “Born To Be Free,” Intoxicated,” and the theme track “Illuminate” have already been released, but there is much more to come.

Illuminate is not only the title of the album but also the name of his brand new live act, which made its debut at REBiRTH Festival. “I believe that visitors of dance festivals want to see more than just a DJ set; they want to have an experience and see something special,” explains Ran-D. “That was the whole idea behind the creation of the Illuminate live act. During a part of the show, I wear a special light mask that works with a next-level sync visual show. The visitors are being taken on a journey through light and shadows in search for illumination. The Luminatrix plays a central role in the storyline; it’s an object that’s able to open portals to different dimensions of light and shadows. So every track has its very own unique dimension that matches the vibe of the track.”

Reflecting on the first performance of Illuminate, Ran-D expresses his excitement, saying, “It was great to see that the whole mainstage was packed to see the show. It felt awesome to play a lot of the new tracks after working so hard on this album and show, and it felt really rewarding that the energy in the crowd was super good! We included a lot of live performances from artists like Le Prince, XCEPTION, Ava Silver, and Max Alexander, with whom I’ve worked on some of the tracks on my album. This really made the show extra special. So we can definitely look back on a really good launch of the show. One small downside was the mask not working because of a technical issue, so that was a bit of a bummer. But overall, I couldn’t be happier with the first show.”

Last week marked the release of Illuminate, a track that showcases Ran-D’s vision for his album. When discussing the album’s overall direction and influences from his previous work, Ran-D revealed, “I’ve always enjoyed collaborating with vocalists on my tracks, so naturally, my album will feature more songs like Illuminate. However, as many people may know, I’m a producer who explores a wide range of styles, spanning from euphoric tracks with vocals to raw and even hardcore tracks. This diversity is an integral part of my identity as a producer, and it keeps the Hardstyle genre interesting and challenging for me.”

Ran-D has decided not to include any Gunz For Hire tracks on the album. However, he revealed exciting news about the duo, stating, “We’re currently busy in the studio creating a lot of new music for our Baddest On The Block live act. So, keep an eye out for that!”

Speaking of collabs, Ran-D shared some details about the artists he’s worked with on the album. “After a long time, I’ve collaborated with my good friend B-Front again, along with the talented vocalist Ava Silver. Together, we’ve remixed the Braveheart theme, known from the famous movie, and it really evokes a lot of emotions. I’ve also created a more raw collaboration with one of our most promising Roughstate talents, Invector, titled Intoxicated. Additionally, I have a new collab coming up with my mate Hard Driver, called Legendary Days, which we’ll be premiering at Defqon this year. It’s an energetic and euphoric track, infused with powerful raw drops. Of course, Born To Be Free with The Prophet and LePrince will also be on the album. After all this years it was really cool to this collab, just before Dov goes into retirement. We have a really good click, and together with Le Prince we’ve had an amazing time in the studio, and created a track that really has a lot of meaning to us. “

Notably, the album will also include a Hardcore track. Ran-D excitedly mentioned, “It’s a collaboration with my mate Villain and XCEPTION. The track is called ‘Never Going Home,’ and it captures that euphoric feeling when you’re having the time of your life at a mind-blowing Hardstyle event, never wanting to leave. I’ve already played it a few times, and I can assure you, it hits hard! It’s packed with relentless energy.”

In addition to these collabs Ran-D hinted at remixing a track from a renowned international EDM artist, though he couldn’t disclose the details just yet. He enthusiastically described it as “an energetic banger!” While there are more tracks on the album, Ran-D prefers to keep them under wraps until the official release.

The Hardstyle scene is currently undergoing a sound evolution, prompting us to delve into Ran-D’s perspective on its current state. He shares, “especially in the Netherlands Raw has become increasingly popular like we all know, but for me that’s no reason to completely change my style all of a sudden.  I think it’s important to keep doing what you personally love the most. Like I said I’ve always produced a broad range of styles during my career, and i’ll keep on doing that because it’s just the most fun for me. Sound design wise I will always flow with what’s happening in the scene and include elements of this in my style. I love sound design, and I think if you don’t keep evolving your style with new trends, your will sound outdated. So of course my music will always have my personal taste, and my signature, but I will always include new trends in sound design that I like. 

The album will be released after the festival season in September, digital and physical. “And like I said we already started releasing singles that will be a part of the album. But of course, also some unreleased tracks will be on the album once we launch it into the world.

Photos: MNO Photo