T

hree is a number of great capabilities and its impact for

symbolic value cannot be disputed. Not only we perceive
our world in three dimensions but three also represents
a fnal chapter in a perfect sequential presentation - trilogy. Tus
being a third of its kind brings a heavy burden of completeness
and necessary self-satisfaction.
As a matter of fact it has been three years since the second edition of
Solarstones highly acclaimed compilation series Electronic Architec-
ture (EA) came out. Te majority of trance<->EDM fans have left a
great feedback on the frst two editions and it wasnt for naught. Te
key feature of EA is not the selection - its the craftsmanship in blend-
ing its components. Even to this day it is hard to forget the unique
radio-tuning-kind-of blend from Peace (Saints & Sinners Remix) to
Wanna Feel What You Feel (Instrumental) and the echoing vocals
from Later Summer Fields (Forerunners Remix) in both neighbour-
ing tracks in EA1. Te skills that Rich has shown in the frst two edi-
tions embodied the idea - the music meets the art.
Electronic Architecture 3 is ade-
quately represented by three mix-
es. While all three have technical-
ly fawless coherent mixing, CD1
outshines the other two with its
perfect progressive course from
Platform Zero to Metal Jaws. In-
cluding the sweetest release on
Anjunadeep in 2014 - Beat Or-
gan, the drone-dark reconstruc-
tion of Seven Sages, the back-to-
oldschool remix of Sin Ojos and
the new work by Rich himself
- out-of-Pure-Trance-movement
Nothing But Chemistry Here.
Te frst mix is loaded with mo-
mentum and two turning points
marking three sections in it - For
What Its Worth ends up the me-
lodic progressive infuences and
pushes the mix towards dark-
er, primal trance cohort. Te
second turnpoint is Youre OK
(EA3 Reconstruction) - playful
synths start dominating again
while maintained on the same
progressive trance base. All in all
the whole 78 minute selection
is what EA3 is about - a perfect
blend of neatly chosen moods,
well sorted and fused together.

CD2 pertains two of the three
points - the fusion and the moods.
Te full-on-trance selection will
soothe the soul for the majority
of trance fans and hopefully the
bigger crowd. Tere are many
splendid tracks included which
sound good on their own already
- an absolutely freshly sounding
refned Lifecycle, so long await-
ed Allendes remix of Phoenix as
well as haunting-vocals threaded
Etheral Glyph and monumental
work by Steve Helstrip - Tis Is
All We Have. For us probably
the biggest work here is the sur-
prising Solarstones rework of
Dedication, Loyalty written by
a German modern-classical pi-
ano composer Nils Frahm. What
once was an intimate piano-only
freestyle - a very typical signa-
ture of the frst albums by Nils -
here gets catalysed towards even
stronger emotion by embedding
it in a same key-progression synth
line. Te frst time we heard it,
the thought crossed our minds
that it must have been a tough
task to handle such a rework.
Te arrangement-wise the mix
lacks in comparison with CD1.
An attentive ear probably caught
the repeated word listen during
Lifecycle and Dedication, Loy-
alty which points towards Richs
attention to details and fuency.
However the issue here is not
about the details - the tracks here
are pretty much on the same level
of tonal-color lowering chances
for a well pronounced progres-
sion. Tere is no clear peak or
direction to point out like we
could have in the frst mix, but
that does not reduce the overall
pleasure of listening, just push-
es us towards desire of a single
track-listening and less repeating
the same mix again.
CD3 is already in a very diferent
dimension. With the exception
of Rainfall, Swansong and Au-
tumn Breeze the rest of the gang
is redefned (majority of them by
Rich himself ) chilled versions of components from the
frst two mixes. Up to the Razorbeam the mix wanders
in the lands of ambient-dominating moods while the
next fve tracks progress in the downtempo/slow-step
moods. Te closure rests on the shoulders of the ambi-
ent return of the Canadian talent Alucard and the time-
less piano work by Nils Frahm - Dedication, Loayalty.
CD3 is indeed a very necessary ballast in what could
have been an overdone trance compilation, making it a
complete work of art rather than tiresome triad of ex-
clusive selections.
While it is hard to judge the mixing skills without having an idea how do individ-
ual tracks sound like it is with no doubts that we see how well-crafted EA3 is. Te
almost OCD like attention to details in this molecular mixing is something quite
unique for Rich considering the plethora of trance artists releasing compilations on
a yearly basis. With no intended eforts to showcase one label based releases, well
manifested high level fusion skills, time invested for individual reworks of most of
the components and exquisitely sequenced tracks, Solarstone and his Electronic
Architecture 3 steps up as our favourite compilation of 2014 and the biggest star of
the summer 2014. An update so needed and so pleasing our ears.

First of all congratulations with the third installment in the highly ap-
praised series of Electronic Architecture. It was a very pleasant surprise
to see the frst hint about the release.
Thanks! I was very nervous about the release of this one, as people clear-
ly had very high expectations of it - also the fact that it is 3 years since
Volume 2 did kind of ramp up the pressure and expectations a bit, but the
response has been really positive and Ive received some great feedback
from people whove bought it.
When did you feel the need for the new edition of EA and when did you
frst start gathering the tracks for this compilation?
Id been thinking about it seriously for the past 12 months, but its always
been in the back of my mind since Vol. 2 and the Ambient Edition were
released in 2011. Ive been focusing solely on the Pure Trance movement
for a couple of years and there simply wasnt the right moment for this
until now. But I wanted to do something else for a little while - I have my
various labels which release varying styles of trance and was receiving a
lot of demos from artists in styles which didnt ft in exactly to the Pure
Trance sound which I play in the clubs - for example the more progres-
sive & deep stuf that I release on Molecule. I love the EA series for a
few diferent reasons - one being the Art + Music angle, another being
the freedom it gives me to do something diferent. The idea for Disc 3
was something Id been thinking about for some time too - a 100BPM
approach to trance music, so when I made the decision to start work on
EA3 I also decided to make it a triple CD with each disc covering a slightly
diferent angle of the music I love.
There are many special EA3 edits and retouches of the tracks on the
compilation. How much time did you have to invest in all the reworks?
I couldnt put an exact fgure on it, but if I spent 6 weeks mixing it then I
spent at least two thirds on that time working on the Retouches, Recon-
structions & Edits - they are an intrinsic part of the process and I think
they are part of what makes the albums a bit special - as opposed to
being end-to-end blends which is the norm with dance compilations (for
various reasons).
Any particular reworks/edits that you had the most fun or trouble with?
I didnt have any particular troubles, although a couple of the artists
might say diferently! For example, I went back & forth with Allende for a
few days asking him to re-key this and remove that - then add it in again
- for his remix of Salt Tank Phoenix - that was because I wanted it to
blend in a particular place - but then I changed my mind... but he was very
patient - thanks God! The Nils Frahm edit was quite hard work, because
the original piano piece was played freestyle and I had to get it in time
but not to sound forced - my edit was actually a complete production.
Lots of the Reconstructions are mainly removing things and working on
the engineering side of the arrangements - a lot of artists really pack their
tracks out - which works great sometimes, but in a mix there needs to
be a bit more space between the notes, so that the mix has consistency
throughout - if that makes sense!
We were surprised twice this summer by seeing Nils Frahm (for the
readers - Nils is a modern-classical piano composer from Germany) fea-
tured on an EDM compilation. First it was a new Fabric mix by Deetron
and now he is also featured on EA3. How did you come across the idea
of featuring him in this edition?
He is incredible - I was actually introduced to him by Paula my manager -
incidentally she is often turning me on to things - and helps out with song
titles sometimes too! I was actually surprised that we got permission
to use Dedication, Loyalty - I also requested another track of his called
Says but didnt use it in the end. Coincidentally I contacted Tapio (Ork-
idea) when I was scouting for material and he also suggested Nils Frahm,
so I guess it was a natural selection. His music is very inspiring and beauti-
ful.
For many listeners EA is not just about the selection, but also about the
mix-ins and transitions between the tracks. Can you share with us an
example or two how the process of this molecular-level mixing work
and what do you use for it?
Yes, thats what it is partly about for me, too. Firstly I request the full stems of each track
from each artist - for anyone who isnt familiar with this term the stems are essentially
each separate track or part of the recording bounced separately, so that I can play them
all simultaneously in my sequencer and then choose which parts I want to change, remove
or edit. This is very time consuming but it means I have limitless creative possibilities with
the tracks. I can do basic things like change the key or the tempo much more naturally that
way, or completely redesign the track so it sounds more how I want it, and ultimately knit
it into the mix perfectly. Often with a mix compilation you get tracks that have one or two
elements that either dont ft or you want to repeat, or tease in & out over another track
- theres no end to what I can do with the stems. The EA albums are more like a musical
collage really.
At this very current moment, do you think we will
see another edition of Electronic Architecture in the
upcoming years?
Ha ha.. Probably, but dont hold your breath, you may
be waiting a while.
One last question outside EA3 topic: Maybe you
could share with our listeners what albums this year
do you fnd the most appealing so far?
Certainly.. well, Orkideas currently work-in-pro-
gress new album is astonishingly brilliant, Konektiv
has an album forthcoming on Molecule (a track of
which Monoposto features on EA3) which is totally
awesome too. All the Nils Frahm albums Ive bought
this year have been fabulous, Daniel Averys album
Drone Logic is weirdly wicked and I also loved Incu-
bation by Function.