Astrix
 | This article contains promotional content. (January 2018) |
Astrix | |
|---|---|
 Astrix performing in Moscow in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Avi Shmailov |
| Born | December 5, 1981 USSR, Caucasus |
| Genres | Psychedelic trance |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, DJ, record producer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | HOM-Mega Productions, Spiraltrax Label Group, Tokyo Productions, Plastik Park, Shamanic Tales |
Avi Shmailov (Hebrew: אבי שמיילוב) under his stage name Astrix, is an Israeli trance music DJ and producer specializing in the subgenre of Progressive psychedelic trance.
In 2006 Astrix reached #41 (+34 rise) in DJMag's "Top 100 DJs" yearly rank along with a rise of several other Israeli musicians (the highest being Infected Mushroom at #9),[1] marking a significant proportion of the Israeli electronic music scene. In 2007, Astrix reached #18 on the list.[2]
Early career
Astrix was born in the USSR, to a Mountain Jewish family in the Caucasus and grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel. He began recording music under the name Astrix in 1997, sometimes misconceived to be taken from the Asterix comic books. An interview on UK clubbing website Harderfaster.net revealed the name was chosen for simply sounding good, and not directly influenced by anything in particular.
1995–2002
Astrix started as a DJ in 1995 playing alternative and 1980s music. It was during this time that he learned about electronic music. In 1997 he began his first in-house studio recordings using a personal computer. He discovered trance in 1997 after being invited to a trance party. "At first it was a very new and strange experience for me and I couldn't find myself, but I was impressed by the energy and the impact that the music had made on the people at the party."[3] At the beginning of his career in the late 1990s he produced tracks in the "nitzhonot" style of trance, an anthemic offshoot of Goa trance. His first tracks were "In Peace" and "Eakhis World," which both appeared on the nitzhonot compilation Ptzatzot 3.[citation needed]
2002–2010
In 2002, Astrix signed to the EDM label HOM-Mega productions with his debut album Eye to Eye.[citation needed] In a 2003 interview Astrix said that he worked on three albums by Alien Project, but its maintainer Ari Linker did not give him credit.[4] Touring after the Eye to Eye album release and working on other projects did not leave much studio time for Astrix and it took two years to write his second album, Artcore, which came out in 2004.[citation needed] He also produced the albums Nu-clear Visions of Israel (TIP.World, 2003), Psychedelic Academy (Hit Mania, 2005) and Astrix & Friends (DJ mag, 2007).[5] In 2009, Astrix's label, HOM-Mega Productions, was the first to release a digital album from Astrix on a USB flash drive, One Step Ahead (HOM-Mega Productions, 2009). Astrix then undertook an almost nonstop worldwide tour.[6]
Festivals included Dance Valley, SW4, Creamfields, Love Parade, UAF, Planeta Atlantida and headlined nights in the best clubs and venues such as Alexandra Palace, Brixton Academy, Pacha, Ministry of Sound, The City, Volume and Nox.[citation needed]
2010–present
Over the last couple of years, studio time was a rare commodity for Astrix, but nevertheless he managed to find the extra hours to work on his third studio album for HOM-Mega productions. Red Means Distortion is the result of some very late night sessions.[citation needed]
The Acid Rocker EP, which was released in August 2010,[7] was the first release from the next studio album, Red Means Distortion. As bonus material, it included a remix by trance artist Pixel of "Closer to Heaven" featured vocalist Michele Adamson, and a fresh new GMS 2010 remix to Astrix's "Eye to Eye". In September, a month after the Acid rocker EP was released, the third album Red means distortion was released.[8] Starting in August 2010, Astrix has been creating mix sessions titled Trance for Nations.
Musical style
Astrix says his music has solid, driving basslines and ascending melodies.[9] Many would consider his style to be a crossover between "full-on" and the "clubbier" end of Trance, exemplified by his Psychedelic Academy Mix.[10]
Author Graham St John, of the book The Local Scenes and Global Culture of Psytrance, noted about Astrix's sound, "crisp spacious acoustics".[11]
Influences
Astrix has been cited as being musically influenced by Infected Mushroom. "I look up to them for inspiration and for some kind of spiritual fuel as it were." Other influences include Linkin Park and Paul Van Dyk. "I also have a love for alternative bands like Linkin Park, and as electronic producer I like Paul Van Dyk, he inspires me very much to see how well you can mix business with music and how big you can become from something that was so small in the beginning."[12]
Discography
Albums
Astrix released five full-length studio albums at the record label HOM-Mega Productions, based in Israel.
In his albums Astrix collaborated with artists who were also involved in the psytrance scene, such as Infected Mushroom, Atomic Pulse, Domestic, Sub6, Psycraft, Xerox and Illumination.[citation needed]
Eye to Eye
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Life System | 07:29 |
| #2 | Crystal Sequence (feat. Atomic Pulse) | 08:13 |
| #3 | Infected Mushroom - Wider (Remix) | 07:23 |
| #4 | Massive Activity (feat. Domestic) | 08:23 |
| #5 | Eye to Eye | 06:38 |
| #6 | Side Effect (feat. Atomic Pulse) | 07:04 |
| #7 | Scientific Reality (feat. Atomic Pulse) | 08:51 |
| #8 | FeeL.S.D | 07:05 |
| #9 | Valirus (feat. Atomic Pulse) | 07:38 |
| #10 | Freestyle Cafe | 07:49 |
Artcore
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Poison | 07:32 |
| #2 | Monster Remix (feat Infected Mushroom | 07:40 |
| #3 | Tweaky | 06:54 |
| #4 | Techno Widows | 07:33 |
| #5 | Artcore | 07:05 |
| #6 | On Fire | 06:24 |
| #7 | Underbeat | 06:47 |
| #8 | Sex Style | 06:50 |
| #9 | Beyond The Senses | 07:45 |
One Step Ahead
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | I Scream | 07:00 |
| #2 | Lost Inside | 08:06 |
| #3 | Control Me (XI Remix) | 07:18 |
| #4 | Future Music & 3rd Time Lucky (Live Mix) | 08:14 |
| #5 | Just in Time | 09:54 |
| #6 | Touched | 06:04 |
| #7 | Sex Style (Krunch Remix) | 07:53 |
| #8 | Sex Style (XSI Remix) | 08:30 |
| #9 | Sex Style (Analyser Remix) | 08:03 |
| #10 | Sex Style (Rewind Evolution Remix) | 06:17 |
| #11 | Sex Style (4-Play Remix) | 08:37 |
| #12 | Sex Style (Vogue Remix) | 07:56 |
Red Means Distortion
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Acid Rocker | 07:40 |
| #2 | Mir (written by Guy Salama) | 08:17 |
| #3 | Take A Shot | 07:59 |
| #4 | Shakta - Lepton Head (Astrix Remixed Version) | 07:07 |
| #5 | Antiwar | 07:37 |
| #6 | Dharma | 08:55 |
| #7 | Sparks | 08:31 |
| #8 | Delirious - Silver Sky (Astrix Progressive Edit) | 07:28 |
| #9 | Emok & NDSA - Harbour Candy (Astrix Prog-Psy Edit) | 07:45 |
| #10 | Infected Mushroom feat. Perry Farrell - Killing Time (Astrix EP-Ver. Psy Remix) | 07:13 |
He.art
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Shamanic Tales | 13:01 |
| #2 | Deep Jungle Walk | 09:15 |
| #3 | Alien Turned Human | 08:08 |
| #4 | Valley of Stevie (w/Ace Ventura) | 08:41 |
| #5 | He.art | 08:01 |
| #6 | Agate (w/Ritmo) | 08:43 |
| #7 | Sapana (Album Ver.) | 08:37 |
| #8 | Awake the Snake (W/Tristan) | 08:23 |
| #9 | Conquistador (Astrix Remix) | 09:43 |
EPs / Singles
- Coolio, 2004, HOM-Mega Productions
- Coolio (12"), 2004, Tokyo Dance
- Closer to Heaven (12"), 2005, Tokyo Dance
- Future Music EP, 2007, Spiral Trax
- Acid Rocker EP, 2010, HOMmega HD
- Reunion, 2011, Plastik Park
- Type 1, 2012, HOMmega HD
- Stars on 35, 2012, HOMmega HD
- High on Mel, 2013, HOMmega HD
Compilation and mixes
Nu-Clear Visions Of Israel
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Sub6 - Pounding | 07:04 |
| #2 | Astrix - Disco Valley | 08:07 |
| #3 | Psy Sex - Alien Cop (Goblin Remix) | 08:38 |
| #4 | Hujaboy - Flake | 07:23 |
| #5 | Cosma - Nonstop | 07:25 |
| #6 | Xerox & Illumination - Temporary Insanity (Mix) | 07:05 |
| #7 | Delirious - Dynamic Force | 07:40 |
| #8 | Psy Craft - Top Gun | 07:38 |
| #9 | Astrix & Atomic Pulse - Valirus (Sub6 Remix) | 05:56 |
Psychedelic Academy
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1-01 | Astrix - Follow Me | 08:37 |
| #1-02 | Delirious - Dance Flow | 07:25 |
| #1-03 | Black & White - Geronimo | 05:30 |
| #1-04 | Domestic - Limited Addiction | 05:35 |
| #1-05 | Chakra - Atomic Base | 06:07 |
| #1-06 | Sub6 - Buttersonic (GMS Prog-trance Remix) | 06:04 |
| #1-07 | PsyCraft - Computech | 05:29 |
| #1-08 | Xerox & Illumination - The Vision | 05:37 |
| #1-09 | Psysex - New Wave Hooker (Domestic & Pixel Dynamic Duet Remix) | 06:56 |
| #1-10 | X-Noize - The Sperminator | 06:40 |
| #1-11 | Psysex & DJ Slider - Tribal Dance | 05:55 |
| #1-12 | Dali - Colors Band (Astrix Compilation-based Remix) | 06:09 |
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #2-01 | Astrix & DJ Highguy - Chaos | 07:52 |
| #2-02 | Delirious - Silver Sky | 08:02 |
| #2-03 | Cosma - Nonstop | 07:22 |
| #2-04 | PsyCraft - Memory Flash | 08:49 |
| #2-05 | Xerox & Illumination - Tribal Metal | 07:17 |
| #2-06 | Astrix - Coolio (Infected Mushroom Real-Psy Remix) | 08:17 |
| #2-07 | Dali - Colors Band | 06:53 |
| #2-08 | Sub6 - Ra He'ya (ft. Michele Adamson) | 07:16 |
| #2-09 | Psysex - New Wave Hooker | 07:22 |
DJ Magazine Presents: Astrix & Friends
| Track Number | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | Astrix - Future Music & 3rd Time Lucky (Live Mix Version) | 08:01 |
| #2 | Sub6 - Saved | 05:21 |
| #3 | Domestic & Wrecked Machines - Bloom on Day | 03:09 |
| #4 | Xerox & Illumination - No Way Out | 03:36 |
| #5 | Delirious - Dance Electric | 04:57 |
| #6 | Intelabeam (ft. MC Jah-Natan & Efrat Dahan) - One Minute | 03:29 |
| #7 | PsyCraft (ft. Michele Adamson) - Follow the Line | 03:09 |
| #8 | Pixel & Wrecked Machines - Mother Funker | 05:50 |
| #9 | Astrix - Adventure Mode | 05:11 |
| #10 | Black & White - Dirty Herring | 03:22 |
| #11 | Krunch - Syncopat | 03:43 |
| #12 | Chakra - Montezuma's Revenge | 02:42 |
| #13 | Astrix x Sub6 - Control Me | 05:24 |
| #14 | X-Noize (ft. Tom C.) - Voice Tweaker | 06:50 |
| #15 | Dali - Unconditional Love | 06:26 |
Releases on compilations
- "Chaos: Digital Oracle
- "Poison (Wrecked Machines Remix)" Map of Goa Vol. 3
- "Closer to Heaven" Goa - Neo Full-On
- "Future Music" Goa - Neo Full-On & Progressive Trance Vol. 4
Appearances
DVD videos
- The Gathering, 2002 - 2007, Vision Quest Productions[citation needed]
- X-Mode Vol. 6 Back to the Future, 2004, Tokyo X-Ray Studios Productions[citation needed]
- Supervision - NTSC/PAL, 2006, Tip.World Productions[citation needed]
- Boom Festival 2008 - We Are All - NTSC/PAL, 2009, GoodMood Productions[citation needed]
- The Beach 2009, FinePlay Records Productions[citation needed]
Touring
Astrix has been touring in the US,[18] Europe,[19] Australia and India.[20][21]
- EDC Vegas,[22]
- Burning man[citation needed]
- Beyond Wonderland and Summer Music Festival (USA), [citation needed]
- Summer Stomp Festival,[23]
- SW4 and BoomTown Fair (UK),
- Earthcore (Australia),[24]
- VuuV Festival(Germany),[25]
- Tomorrowland (Belgium),
- Tomorrowland (Brazil),[26]
- OZORA (Hungary),[27]
- Psy Fi and Dance Valley (Netherlands)[citation needed]
- Weekend Festival (Finland & Estonia)[citation needed]
- Airbeat One (Germany)[citation needed]
- Tribe[citation needed]
- XXXperience (Brazil)[citation needed]
- Emmaboda (Sweden)[citation needed]
- Inox (France),
- BAT (Argentina)
- Euforia Festivals (Poland) [28]
And to venues such as Brixton Academy, Ministry of Sound, O2 Arena, Pacha, Privilege, Exchange, Avalon and AgeHa.[29]
References
- ^ "Top 100 DJs".
- ^ "Top 100 DJs".
- ^ Chaishop: Astrix Archived June 2, 2007, at the Wayback Machine — interview and biographical info
- ^ Interview with Astrix at IsraTrance.com, 01/2003
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Astrix". www.mushroom-magazine.com.
- ^ [1] EP information
- ^ [2] Red Means Distortion information
- ^ "Interview with Astrix: Psychedelic Academy 2 preview". 2005. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- ^ "Interview with Astrix". IsraTrance Forum.
- ^ Graham St John (2010). The Local Scenes and Global Culture of Psytrance. ISBN 1136944346.
- ^ 4Clubbers: Interview with Astrix written by Caroline Banx
- ^ http://www.ivibes.nu/index.php?article=1615 ivibes.nu: Albums reviews
- ^ http://www.isratrance.com/cd-reviews/astrix-eye-to-eye-d438.html isratrance.com: Cd-Reviews
- ^ "Astrix - Artcore (HOM-Mega Productions)". forum.isratrance.com.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-05-19. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Interview with Astrix - United States Trance Movement". usatrancemovement.com.
- ^ "Astrix - Exposed Magazine". www.exposedmagazine.co.uk.
- ^ "DJ Astrix -". 8 October 2008.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ https://www.insomniac.com/media/astrix-drives-his-fans-insane
- ^ "ASTRIX SUMMER STOMP FESTIVAL 2015 at Delhi - Events High". Events High.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-03-21. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Triskele Exclusive Interview : ASTRIX @ Vuuv Festival : 7-11 August 2014". www.triskelemanagement.com.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Interview with ASTRIX - 06/12/2014".
- ^ https://euforiafestivals.pl/mevents/euforia-festival-2019-jubileuszowa-15-edycja/
- ^ "Astrix's Upcoming Gigs". gigs.gigatools.com.
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