BiXX has established himself in the uplifting trance scene with releases on FSOE, Nocturnal Knights and Outburst, alongside collaborations with Christina Novelli, Susana and Natalie Gioia. Following his 17-track debut album The Voice of Reason in 2025, he now launches his own label, EuphoriXX, with a commitment to pushing the genre beyond its established formulas.
The imprint’s first release, ‘Movement’, arrived on last month and draws on themes of personal growth, resilience and embracing change. With EuphoriXX, BiXX hopes to encourage greater experimentation in trance, drawing on orchestral music, unconventional instrumentation and influences from outside electronic music.
We caught up with him to discuss the new label, the changing state of uplifting trance and why he believes the genre still has plenty of room to evolve.
You’ve spoken about wanting EuphoriXX to challenge the conventions of uplifting trance. What do you think has become too predictable about the genre, and where is there the greatest room for change?
I know one of the bigger labels in trance is not signing many if any uplifting tracks. I am also hearing uplifting trance is fading and it does not sell. But I disagree. Cookie cutter tracks that follow the same structure, tracks with common sounds from Splice, Sounds that everyone uses, in other words less innovative tracks that all sound the same are not selling. In my opinion, it is a creativity and innovation problem. How do we keep raising the bar in uplifting trance with more epic sounds and ideas to trigger emotions? There is also a trend with labels to make shorter breakdowns, so you don’t slow down the energy in a club. That is true in terms of too many tracks with long breaks in your set.
But the breakdown in uplifting trance is the heart of the track. It’s an opportunity to bring in different genre’s, different native instruments and other elements of beauty and emotion that have nothing to do with trance. The opportunities for creativity are endless. Lately, with many of my tracks, we create the breakdown first then create a lead melody coming out of the break. The breakdown defines the rest of the track. This is how we can make uplifting trance more uplifting. More epic and more emotional.
Uplifting trance relies heavily on emotional release, often through familiar musical structures. Can those moments lose their impact through repetition? How do you keep them feeling fresh?
Constantly relying on Splice and other search engines to find uplifting, epic and ethereal sounds can saturate tracks with too much of the same. Once epic sounds now can sound common. Searching outside the trance genre and outside the typical plug ins can help find new, fresh and more beautiful sounds. AI can also help using it as a tool. Like decorations in your track, not all the vocals or the entire track in AI. I spend hours searching on Youtube going through different videos like moving soundtracks, space exploration, orchestral music, choirs, chants, Enya, Enigma, different native instruments to come up with ideas. I have a couple of guys on my team with unique production skills I go to expand and perfect the idea. I also create lists. So when I find an idea I just add it to list and come back to it later.
Looking back at the records that first inspired you, particularly those by Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren and Solarstone, is there something about that earlier era of trance that you feel has been lost?
I am not sure anything about the earlier era of trance has been lost. Possibly the purity of the genre has been lost. When I listen to some earlier tracks, many of them sound cheesy to me. Software and Ai has evolved the quality of trance music. And it has also created many more producers and DJ’s. There are many more releases now. 4-6 per year was once considered a steady flow of releases. Now a steady flow is one per month or more. If you look at the Beatport top 100 Trance Main Floor, much of the top 10 is not even trance. I don’t know what it is, and to be honest, much of it hurts my ears. I can give it a name, Cheese Trance. But that seems to be the direction that the masses like. The tracks that DJ’s are buying. I sound like an old guy not embracing change.
‘Movement’ explores the idea that personal progress is rarely straightforward. How much of the track comes from specific experiences in your own life, and what have those experiences taught you?
To come up with the track name, I found an interesting vocal sample where I really liked the message and the sound of the woman’s voice. Sort of like the sound from an old trance track, Gamemaster. And yes, Movement does represent one of my philosophies. Grow or die. I am seeing people who retire from their jobs also retire from their purpose. Basically, they stop moving. I tell alot of young people who don’t know what they want to do in life, just start. Do something. Start moving. Because when you are moving and doing a job, any kind of job, you are learning and other opportunities will come your way. Nothing comes your way with you are sitting doing nothing. The harder I worked, the luckier I got. Lucky in terms of wonderful new opportunities that come my way.
Inspire, Empower, Elevate. They’re the three principles behind EuphoriXX, but what will they actually mean in practice when it comes to signing artists and releasing music?
Inspire, Empower, Elevate. Inspire means there is big emotion at the center of the track. Possibly sweeping orchestral arrangements, cinematic breakdowns, super epic moments with melodies that stay long in your head after the final beat. Empower means EuphoriXX is a home for tracks for artists who believe their music has something meaningful to say. Elevate means chase the goosebumps. Angelic vocals, powerful harmonies, tension giving way to release. Uplifting trance that truly uplifts.
You want EuphoriXX to encourage experimentation with different genres, instrumentation and arrangements. Is there a point where music stops being uplifting trance, and does that distinction really matter anymore?
This is a very good question. We definitely want the track to be trance. The Beatport Top 100 has expanded their meaning of trance so much that I don’t consider most of the top 10 to be trance. They are more mainstream. So in terms of our vision for EuphoriXX, we can bring different genre’s into the breakdown or even different genre sounds, then build a trance track from the breakdown. Another example, is I was a huge Dan Fogelberg fan in the 80’s and 90’s. He wrote and sang a beautiful ballad like track about the Kentucky Derby, Run For the Roses. I am making a trance version cover track. Super creative and definitely taking a risk. Taking creative risks are good on EuphoriXX. The powerful message in this track comes from the lyrics “the chance of a lifetime in a lifetime of chance” is about going for that big opportunity rather than not and regretting it for the rest of your life. It’s very challenging, but fun, to turn a top 40 ballad track into a trance track.
Your debut album The Voice of Reason featured 17 tracks. At a time when electronic music is increasingly driven by singles and short-form consumption, what makes the album format worth defending?
Another great question. After this experience, I would say the album format is not worth defending if you look at it from a stream count in the trance genre perspective. It may be worth defending in pop music for the bigger name stars. Chappel Roan became famous from her first album. She lived with my daughter for 4 years in LA as a relative obscure name in music until the album. An album may be worth doing because it lends itself to an album tour. So that’s a plus. But in terms of stream count and a release strategy, there are not many benefits. For me, it was a life accomplishment. A story and a piece of beautiful artwork with lots of powerful inspirational messages. In summary, the album is more for the artist, than a smart streaming strategy. And for 1 year, I had an easy strategic release schedule planned in advance. I would probably not do the same thing again.
You’ve said that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. What have you personally had to unlearn or leave behind to reach this stage of your career?
I actually study Steve Jobs and his approach to business. In his speech to the graduating class of Stanford University, he talked about his time after getting fired from Apple. He was in a new territory, alone, uncertain and crushed from being fired. But he entered the most creative time of his life. He no longer had the heaviness of being a know it all, he was a student again. He experienced the lightness of learning without the heaviness of knowing too much. The same was true with me entering the music industry. I was a student, knowing very little about the music industry. But I was also armed with business and life principles knowledge that I apply to all businesses and aspects of life. I also entered the most creative period of my life with the maturity and experiences learned from the mistakes of my youth. I really did not have to unlearn anything as going into a business I knew very little about was a bit overwhelming and humbling.
BiXX – Movement is out now
