Above and Beyond
Representing: London, the UK
Style: Trance (uplifting and vocal)
Best Known For: Getting love from all the big names like Armin, ATB, Oakenfold, PvD, and Tiësto
A trio consisting of Paavo Siljamäki, Tony McGuinness, and Jono Grant, Above and Beyond formed back in the early 2000s in London. They are an amazingly versatile group, with ventures reaching into every corner of electronic music. Their debut album was a blast; “Tri-State” managed to get a “Brilliant” (5/5) rating from DJMag along with a glowing review (which usually is not so generous to trance artists), and became one of iTunes’s Top Ten selling albums of 2006. This group is unique in that its members were all classically trained previously – you can bet that they are good with music, down to its heart.
Above and Beyond also has a stunning number of side projects:
Aalto is a collaboration between Paavo and Miika Eloranta (from Super8) that mainly deals with club material. Their new single, Taurine, will be out soon.
Anjunabeats was the name of Jono’s and Paavo’s first track written together, and later on became the name of their label.
Dirt Devils is another collab, this time between Jono and Paavo, which focuses on “tough & cheeky music.”
Nitromethane is the name of the duo made of Tony and his brother Liam.
Oceanlab is one of their more well-known projects. It is a joint venture with vocalist Justine Suissa. The name was inspired by their first single “Clear Blue Water” and their software of choice, “Wavelab.”
P.O.S. is just Paavo’s solos; It can stand for either Paavo Olavi Siljamäki or “Pissed on Stage”, depending on who you hear it from.
Tongue of God was a one-time thing as a tribute to Jeff Buckley (only new record since his death).
Tranquility Base was an alias to disguise a remix the group reclaimed from a former label boss. It is now a project name for club-only output; listen to the name’s origins in their newest single “Buzz (Buzztalk Mix).”
Of course, with such an impressive resume, Above and Beyond has gotten the notice of DJs around the world. And with supporters like these, it’s hard to doubt their talent. Armin van Buuren’s radio show has been a consistent A&B fan base; listeners have voted their tracks Tune of the Year more than once. Fellow Brit and radio DJ Pete Tong named them “the UK’s new dance superstars.” He played their mix of Chakra’s “Home” over other more famous artists at the time, helping it reache#1 on the UK club charts. Speaking of radio, Above and Beyond’s radio show, “Trance Around the World,” is on its 232nd episode, and its Guest Mix has featured some big DJs.
So how does Above and Beyond do it? Trancesound.net interviewed them about each member’s role within the group, and this is what they’ve revealed:
Jono is the resident music junkie – he can remember chords and sounds from thousands of records, and is an instant source of ideas when they record/mix.
Paavo has the most technical mind in the group, but he is also most in-tune with the emotional side of music.
Tony is the deliveryman of messages, whether with words or musical progression. He has also done marketing before, so he is also the in-house visual mastermind.
They were sixth last year in DJMag’s polls, but this year, A&B has reached new heights by performing to over one million people on New Year’s Eve, celebrated milestones for both its radio show and mix album, won awards left and right, and performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world. All signs point upward for this promising group.
