Bryan: Tom, thanks for letting us interview you today. How is everything in Tom’s world of Trance?
Tom: Hahah things have been good.. there’s some great new material thats been coming out as of late.
B: How did you first get into the world of DJ’n and Producing?
T: I starting djing around 1996 after seeing a lot of local guys doing it. It was very exciting to me to watch records being played so I went out and bought some turntables and started from there. In late 2004 I decided to go out and buy some equipment to start producing. I had some help from some friends who helped steer me in the right direction as what to buy. From that point I sat there for hours on end learning everything I could using the web, videos etc.. It was alot of hard work which eventually paid off for me.
B: Looking back at it all, what was the greatest moment of your career so far?
T: Playing the Sunrise festival in Poland in July on my birthday. The party brings over 35,000 people and the vibe is simply amazing. I was on stage playing from 4:00-5:30am and the sun was coming up. There were thousands of people there just rocking out and I remember thinking how happy I was at that very moment.
B: How about the worse? There’s gotta be a few of those in there, right?
T: Yeah, well I guess it would be hitting stop on the CDJ 2 times in a row in NYC one night. People were like “WTF man!” lololol woops!
B: What goes on in that head of yours when you are about to start your set infront of a bunch of dance hungry trance fans?
T: Usually excitement!
B: Explain your sets, how do you decide what to play and what not to play?
T: I rarely ever plan my live sets anymore. I kinda feel out what the crowds looking for and go for it. I play alot of my own productions too at this point when I travel so it makes for a smoother set too. It’s all about the crowd!
B: You’ve been consistantley on tour, have you fully adjusted to life on the road?
T: I’m getting better at it, Its alot of hassle sometimes traveling in and out of airports, cabs etc. I had to miss a gig in Amsterdam back in March because shitty Delta airlines had a plane problem and they kept saying we were getting a new plane which never ended up happening. They just walked in and went “Sorry folks flights cancelled” I was crushed because I was playing a Trance Energy pre party called “Before the Energy” and have a lot of fans that were coming, emailing me etc… It was def a bad day for me to say the least. I definitely can say that I travel smarter though when it comes to passport, luggage etc.
B: Where has been your favorite place to play around the world and why?
T: Poland and Argentina.. Both have people who are incredibly into dance music. They are so passionate about it… Ill be going back to Argentina soon and I can’t wait!
B: You know, Philadelphia is a city many Trance/House fans love to put down. What are your thoughts on the scene and Philadelphia?
T: Well obviously things have changed a lot in Philly over the past few years. The parties have become fewer but there still are good ones on a smaller scale than when you could get a thousand people in places like Transit and Shampoo for dance music. I think Philly gets a bad rap because it lacks unity amongst djs and promoters.
B: Do you see Philadelphia making a comeback in the world of Trance any time soon?
T: There will always be a group that enjoys it but it would be unlikely to get it back to the way it was years ago.
B: What do you think has to be done to get interest back to a peak in Philly?
T: We could really use a radio station that supports strictly Dance music which would help introduce new people to the sound. We could also afford having a few less people who don’t contribute anything but negativity \o/.
B: Is there anything you know of coming to Philly anytime soon that is going to be huge?
T: No, I can’t say I do but Atlantic City has some BIG stuff in the works for the summer!
B: What are some DJ’s you’re really into right now?
Marcus Schossow i really ripping it lately. His tracks and sets are great!
B: Are there any young, upcoming dj’s you think are about to become huge on the scene?
T: Heatbeat out of Argentina are about to explode. They have been making some amazing tunes as of late and are both two top notch guys.
B: If you had the chance to collaborate with any DJ /Producer in the world, who would you collaborate with?
T: I remixed a Paul Van Dyk track last year and it was a great moment for me in my career. I would have to say a collab with him would sure be exciting.
B: Is there anything big coming up in your career you can let your fans know about?
T: I have several collabs coming out this year with artists such as John O’Callaghan, Giuseppe Ottaviani and more. I also am in the process of remixing Sean Tyas’ track which is coming out on Doorn records, Sander Van Doorns label. I have just signed with a new management agency called Djlinks (
DJLINKS.COM, Inc. | Artist & Event Management) and with a european agency called Most Wanted Global. We are in the process of setting up some UK dates as well as mexico, south america and Ireland along with some US dates too.
B: Tom, thank you very much for taking a moment to answer these questions. Is there anything you would like to close this interview with and let your Philly fans know?
T: Thanks to everyone for the support!
Special thanks go out to Tom Colontonio for spending some time with us here at philly-edm.com! Be sure to check out Tom Colontonio’s new website
Tom Colontonio!
