Bio
Recent Highlights:
In 2013 I had my mix Zenoesque hit #3 on the Beatport DJ mix charts, out of over 3000 mixes. In 2012 I tarted an underground summer Psytrance gathering (Pure Psyence). In 2012 I started my corporate DJ service Art of Sound. In 2009 I coordinated the first release on Area709 Records (Anahata- Conduktor), completing a dj mix / compilation release Sea of Vapours for Zenon Records of Australia, contributing the 2008 and 2009 Canada page of the Trancer's Guide to the Galaxy, submitting a featured top-ten chart for the psytrance section on the largest digital download site on the internet: Beatport, and acting as the 2009 BOOM Ambassadors to Canada.
The Short Story:
Nokturnal has been exploring the forest sounds of progressive psytrance for over a decade, he has been a regular for many years of the Shambhala, Motion Notion and Burning Man festivals playing peak time sets alongside international headliners from all over the world. He has represented the renowned Zenon label at international festivals as far away as Boom in Portugal and closer to home at Symbiosis in California. His hit V/A compilation Sea of Vapours on Zenon Records was voted the #2 progressive psytrance compilation release of the year on Isratrance, and recently he had his DJ mix Zenonesque charted at #3 on Beatport.com out of over 3500 mixes.
Nokturnal's sounds cover a very wide range of genres from intelligent psydub and chillstep, to progressive breaks, progressive house and atmospheric drum and bass. His true skills however are shown during the night time hours when he can take a trancefloor from the deep side of funk and the dark side of groovy all the way to the in your face bliss of sonic enlightenment. Nokturnal is a DJ's DJ, and a trance addicts perfect fix.
The Long Story:
Music, all forms and styles, makes me complete. It is a powerful cohesive agent, a moment of escape, a reason to gather and a vehicle for growth. Many of the happiest moments of my life have involved dancing to music surrounded by friends and I could not imagine a future without music in it.
Over the past 14 years I have, as is my nature, totally thrown myself into the culture and music of what I can only sum up as electronica. I have evolved from being the last guy dancing at every party every weekend, to a kick-ass house party host, and then a promoter and a DJ, a club resident DJ, an artist group/promotions group collective member, and now have my energies focused on being a Zenon label DJ and a founding member of the area709 project.
And how do I feel about music? Well, music for me is... intense. There are times when I am dancing or mixing that I can barely stop myself from exploding; my heart races and my throat aches from holding it in. As cheesy as it sounds, I am haunted by my desire to find those moments of auditory enlightenment; like reaching a type of sonic escape velocity in which my spirit breaks free from the gravitational pull of this crazy world. If I can share this with even one other person then I am content.
When it comes to my trackand genere selections, I tend to be more conscious of the sounds in a track than tracks as a whole. The fusion of two tracks which other people have made into something uniquely "more" is for me the essence of great mixing and I am constantly seeking out truly inspired mixes. I have found this especially possible by embracing the digital DJ technology of our modern age, it has allowed me to remix tracks live and to seamlessly add new and unique elements to other peoples music, creatinga much more personalized end result.
My goal when I perform is to offer myself and anyone else listening the chance to explore the more thoughtful side of electronica. While I tend to focus on the genre of psytrance, I also collect and perform many genres of music such as progressive breaks, progressive/tech/minimal house, techno, psydub, downtempo and chill/ambient. When I perform as Nokturnal I do so as a Zenon Records label DJ, with a focus on the Zenon sound: dark, intelligent and most definitely nothing but psytrance. When I perform alone or with a partner as Sons of Aurora , the focus is more on a progressive full-on Psytrance sound perfect for peak time energies. When I perfom as Darvin Knorr I will likely be perfoming house of some sort in a more clubby or art gallery type venue. Regardless of my DJ incarnation, I often try to incorporate a variety of sounds and textures into a set, while still having an ear for the main thematic elements of the set as a whole.
For me a set of contrasting tracks, subtle transitions and long twisting monumental mixes are where it's at. Having a dancer in front of me with their eyes closed and completely lost in the music is an honor and a blessing that I wil never tire of!!!
Peace and Light,
Nokturnal
Affiliations:
Area 709
Zenon Records
Noteworthy Past Events:
Boom Festival – Portugal
Burning Man – Nevada
Symbiosis – California, USA
Oracle Gathering - Seattle
Shambhala (2003-2007, 09) – Canada
Goa Nights – India
Motion Notion (2004 - 2013) - Canada
Eclipse Festival - Montreal
Moov Beachclub - Thailand
Astral Harvest - Canada
Conquest 1 - Australia
Lunarsun – California, USA
Dream Your Own Dream - Portland, USA
Mythic, Magic, Mystery - Portland, USA
Psychic Chakra – Colorado, USA
Artists I Have Performed With:
Psytrance: Atmos, Ace Ventura, Sensient, Tetrameth, Shadow Fx, Ticon, Beat Bizarre, Tetaktys, Motion, Tetrakyts, Solead, Rinkadink, Infected Mushroom, Wizzy Noise, Nystagmus, Human Blue, Eskimo, Astral Projection, Talamasca, Cosmosis, Treavor Moontribe, Brad Moontribe, Pied Piper Paul, Maxx of Biodegradable, Kode IV, Alex Tolstey, Downtempo: Sphongle, Deru, Bluetech, Andrew, Shen, Ott, Felix, Breaks: The Glitch Mob, Bassnectar, Krafty Kuts, Uberzone, Adam F, Tipper, Progressive Trance: John “00” Fleming, Scott Stubbs