Artist Spotlight: Gouryella
‘Marama’ (Moon & Stars) marks your first Gouryella release in several years. What inspired you to revive the alias now, and how did this track come to be?
- When it comes to Gouryella, I’m incredibly selective. Not every trance track I produce makes the cut. It has to carry a very specific emotion and quality that’s rare and hard to capture. That’s why there’s only a new Gouryella release every two to three years. The idea for ‘Marama’ (Moon & Stars), a cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, had been on my mind for a few years. Initially, I produced it as a 126 bpm deep house track, but it never felt quite right. Something was missing. Then one day, Markus Schulz visited my studio. I played him the deep house version, and the moment he heard it, his eyes lit up. He said, “Dude, THIS is your next Gouryella. Just bump up the BPM and go with it.” And he was right. It took some time to figure out the right formula, but eventually it all came together, just in time to celebrate 25 years of Gouryella.
After 25 years of starting this project, what does Gouryella mean to you today, and how has your connection to it evolved over time?
- Gouryella began as a collaboration between Tiësto and me. After our third release, Tiësto stepped away from the project, and I continued it as a solo endeavor. From the start, we aimed for an atmospheric yet energetic sound, marked by expansive soundscapes and powerful synth lines. When I came across the word Gouryella, which means ‘heaven’ in an Indigenous Australian language, I immediately felt its weight. It wasn’t just a name; it carried a sense of something greater. That’s why, from the second release onward, I knew each track had to live up to the spirit of that word. The first track, also titled Gouryella, set the tone, and everything that followed needed to honor it. Each Gouryella release since then has carried a title with celestial or spiritual significance: Heaven, Angel, Moon, Stars, and so on. Every new idea must be approached with care and intention. It’s not a process to be rushed. Over time, the music has evolved to explore even deeper emotions, focusing on our connection to the universe and the mysteries that surround us. Gouryella is more than just trance; it’s about wonder, reflection, and the feeling of something beyond.
Beyond ‘Marama’, can fans expect more releases under Gouryella in the near future?
- Yes, there will definitely be more Gouryella releases in the future. You can expect something later this year to mark the 25th anniversary of Gouryella. And after that? Well… let’s see what the universe has in store.