Hailed by Armin van Buuren as “the future of trance music,” Andrew Rayel (real name: Andrei Rata) is a classically trained electronic dance music DJ and producer from Moldova often referred to as the “modern-day Mozart.” As a DJ, Rayel exudes an unbridled enthusiasm for the music he plays and his onstage performances are electric and filled with physical energy. Drenched in a well-earned sweat after every set, Rayel earns his position as a bandleader, stirring up his crowds’ passion as much with his music selection as with his bodily vigor.
We got the chance to talk to Andrew about his massive success, his inHarmony label, upcoming tours and events and a bunch more. Check out the interview with the man himself below and check out his newest tune with HALIENE, ‘All Of Me' while you read!
EDMSauce: As summer 2019 wraps-up, we take a look back on the festival season. Particularly, EDC Las Vegas was really big for you this year. Last year you were mainstage at EDC Vegas! This year, you got to curate your very own Find Your Harmony Stage with some of the biggest names in trance including Cosmic Gate, Andrew Bayer, & of course yourself. How honored were you when you were told you would be curating your own stage?
ANDREW RAYEL: I was super happy and honored! It was a long way to get there. I’ve played many editions of EDC in Las Vegas on different stages since 2014, including the mainstage and it’s one of my favorite festivals. We came with the idea to host the Find Your Harmony brand on the Quantum Valley stage and I was very happy that Insomniac supported us and gave us this opportunity. The result was mind-blowing, the stage was packed throughout the whole day and we had amazing performances by Ruben de Ronde, Cosmic Gate, Andrew Bayer, David Gravell, MaRLo, Mark Sixma and more. I’m really looking forward to being back soon, maybe with another stage. 😉
EDMSauce: Your label inHarmony Music has been a massive success since its inception last year. Could you talk a bit about how you go about finding the talent for the label as it is very diverse and full of some names you don't see other places?
ANDREW RAYEL: inHarmony Music has been releasing top quality music for almost 2 years now, with more than 50 releases and support from all the top DJs. I never expected that we’re gonna grow so fast and find so much talent. We’re always looking for unique names and sound. Some new artists and releases we found online, some sent their music on our promo email, but there are also known names like Mark Sixma, David Gravell, Husman and others that we approached because we were fans of their sound. At this point, we have a very diverse palette of sound, from uplifting trance all the way to big room.
EDMSauce: I have heard that we might be getting a Find Your Harmony tour in 2020, could we get a little info on that? 😉
ANDREW RAYEL: We’re always working hard on expanding the Find Your Harmony brand on all sides with the radio show, but also with the live events. We’ve already done sold out FYH shows in Chisinau, Los Angeles, Montreal, Amsterdam (during A.D.E.), and we have coming-up Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. I can’t give out too many details but yeah, we are working on something even bigger for 2020 and if everything goes well, we will have some shows in the U.S. as well.
EDMSauce: Your single from earlier this year “Originem” is an absolute festival monster, deserving of the title of FYH 150 anthem. Did you make this track know it would become the anthem of 150, or how did that end up coming about?
ANDREW RAYEL: Thank you! “Originem” is a big track in my live sets and I’m very happy I got such massive feedback on it. Originally, I made it as a club track and I played an early version of it as ID in my sets for more than a year. I never had time to finish it but at the same time, it was working so well in my sets. When we got closer to the FYH 150 celebration, I realized that it could be a good anthem. I’ve changed the breakdown melody to a more epic one, fixed a few other details and now we have “Originem” as you know it now. In a few weeks, there’s also gonna be a massive remix by one of our resident artists on inHarmony, but you’ll find that out soon!
EDMSauce: Your collab with NWYR “The Melody” earlier this year was an absolute instant classic. You can hear the signature sounds from both of you in this track. How long did it take to get this done with both yours and NWYR's schedules being so packed?
ANDREW RAYEL: It took us a while to do it but were very happy with the end result! It all started when I posted a video on my Instagram in the summer of 2018 from my studio in Moldova playing an early version of it. The guys saw that video and really liked the idea of the song and asked if we can do it as a collaboration. It took us more than a half-year of constant work to make it sound perfect and schedule a release in February 2019.
EDMSauce: What does the rest of the summer have in store for Andrew Rayel? Where can we see where you'll be playing? Any releases in the works?
ANDREW RAYEL: As always I’ll be super busy touring, lots of clubs and festivals including Tomorrowland, Ministry Of Sound, Untold Festival, but also FYH Bangkok and FYH Kuala Lumpur! In terms of music, I’ve just released my second collaboration with the beautiful Haliene, “Take All Of Me,” and there is more music to come, so make sure to stay tuned!
Andrew Rayel Socials
Official: www.andrewrayel.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Andrew.Rayel/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/andrewrayel
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Andrew_Rayel
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1UtBjqMZBAmqIPlDrKu7Tr
inHarmony Music: https://www.facebook.com/inharmonymusiclabel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrew_rayel/?hl=en
