They'll see you

Ahead of their three-city Indian tour, Cosmic Gateu00a0-- the remixers of Avatar's most-loved track, I See You, catch up with THE GUIDE

Not many spinners get lucky enough to play around with the best-selling track of a James Cameroon film. But when it's a Cosmic Gate thrown open, just about anything is possible. Claus Terhoeven-Stefan Bossems, the German trance DJ and producer duo of Cosmic Gate, is behind the spruced up version of I See You, the most popular theme track from Avatar.



"Making your own stuff is always fun, but prestigious projects like this are a reward for the work we have done so far. Fortunately, we don't have to choose between a truck full of sales and a project like Avatar, which could have been tricky."u00a0u00a0

Ruling the charts for over a decade now, the duo has been well-received for their albums Body of Conflict, Not Enough Time, I Feel Wonderful and F.A.V. And the performers have seen electronica and trance grow from infancy to adulthood very closely. "In the Eighties, DJs had to be content being in the corner of a club, but as electronic music got bigger, music mixers, and especially those who were producers, became significant.

Several brands that organise big electronic music events have been instrumental in ensuring that we don't just perform, but perform to a jam-packed hall where fans are going crazy," they say.

But isn't the mad rush of Electronica getting a bit too much? "Of course, not all the music in the market is to our personal taste. But why should this be annoying when we always have the liberty to reject? Plus, diversity inspires," is their argument. Success came knocking for the first time in 2001, when they released their solo album Fire Wire in UK. But back in founding year 1999, it was quite a struggle.

They rolled out Exploration of Space, The Drums, Mental Atmosphere and the 'Somewhere over the Rainbow' remix, where undertones from the popular film The Wizard of Oz were used. They have also remixed artistes like DJ Ti sto, Ferry Corsten, Blank & Jones, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Svenson and Gielen. "We love our job, and even when we were not successful and played in small backdoor clubs, we loved it. When your passion ensures livelihood, success is sweetest," they smile.

The well-travelled pair is, however, not very familiar with the growing electronic music scene in India. "We do not know too many acts or DJs from India, but one act we're familiar with is the one by our colleagues from 'Lost Stories'. They do a great job. We've heard a lot about the electronic music space in India, and hope to get introduced to it during the tour. Television and friends have proved enlightening, though."

Over the years, their sound has transformed from hard trance to bouncy tunes, a shade of which will be seen in their tour starting this Friday in the capital. And they can't wait to begin. "We're thrilled, proud and looking forward to it. We'll put in every bit to make it a night to remember, with fresh and older tracks and remixes, and the newest tracks in our CD wallet."

Cosmic Gate's Smirnoff Experience India Tour
When: May 7,
Timings: 8.30 pm till 1 am
Where: The Grand, Vasant Kunj