Let us introduce Siege, a rising star in the trance scene from New Zealand who has been making waves with his phenomenal reworks and remixes. Despite never having released an original track before with any label, Siege’s talent caught the eye of our Reason II Rise scouts who discovered him on SoundCloud. Impressed by his exceptional productions, they reached out to him with an invitation to submit demos. Siege delivered beyond expectations, and we are proud to announce that we’ve signed a number of his original works, including his latest release on Reason II Rise: Uplift, "Coming Back to Life."
This is the essence of what we do — celebrating great music and supporting emerging producers. Dive into this interview to learn more about Siege’s journey, his creative process, and what’s next for him in the world of trance.
Tell us about yourself and how you got into music?
"My family was involved in nightclubs when I was growing up, and I started working as a glassie at one of them at a young age. I observed and learned from the DJs there, and occasionally, they would let me play when they wanted a break or to chat with someone (back when DJs did whole night sets from 8 pm to 3 am). One night, a DJ couldn't make it, so I filled in, and that kickstarted my DJ career. From there, I spent a long time as an open-format DJ at most of the popular clubs in Auckland (NZ), working 6-7 nights a week at various venues from open until close. As music evolved in the mid to late 90s towards more dance styles, I started focusing on that. I created promo CDs and handed them out to clubs, customers, promoters, and other DJs. I began spending time at record stores, notably ended up working for Nick Collings at Criminal Records. I eventually got asked to do the late set at The Angle Bar, a club on K' Road, Auckland's infamous nightclub strip back then. I would DJ from 9 pm to 3 am at a "commercial club" downtown, then start at Angle around 3:30 am. Angle was a "feeder club" to K' Road, focusing on newer house and dance music. I really got into the new trance and harder styles emerging at the time (Hard House, Hard Trance). I played multiple venues and styles each night and most days of the week, holding residencies at Kiss, Bed, Jones, and Angle Bar—all on one street. These residencies gave me the exposure to land gigs at major events visiting NZ like GateCrasher, Slinky, Gods Kitchen, MOS, Sundissential,Tidy, Masif, Transmission, Along with a lot of our homegrown events and Festivals Most Recently New Years Eve at AUM midnight til 3am. Working at Criminal Records was incredibly helpful, as we received new tracks weekly and got to listen first, ensuring we had the freshest tracks. This led to long running radio shows on George FM and UP FM. The next step was music production, which I initially didn't stick with, but now I have more time to focus on it. I'm glad people have enjoyed my remixes and the originals that are coming out now."
What is your creative process like?
"It all starts with something simple. For remixes / Bootlegs It could be a song i hear that i think people would enjoy in a different genre or an old song that needs a bit of an update. people like the nostalgia of older songs its nice to play a track that people aren't expecting. For Originals i'll look around for a nice vocal that is catchy and has memorable moments to it, I'll imagine playing it to a crowd of people and what i think would make them sing along, smile or have a connection, then you have to have that riff. the one that isn't too complicated and compliments the vocals. hopefully from there everything else starts to fall in place.
(unless you spend ages picking a kick or hat)"
What is your favorite track that you've produced and why?
"Strawpeople - Taller than god. It's an iconic NZ song from 1996 and deserves a second life, it might not mean much to people who aren't from NZ but as soon as a kiwi hears it, they know."
What do you hope to achieve with your music?
"I just want people to enjoy it."
"I believe all artists are putting out music because they're passionate about it. I don't think any of us are intentionally trying to set ourselves apart from each other. Instead, I like to think my sound compliments many others in the same genre." - Siege
How do you handle creative blocks or challenges in the production process?
"Save and close. don't force it. there is no deadline to meet, go do something and take your mind off it, come back to it later on and re listen from the start of the track. If its something that you are trying to make, like a specific sound or effect
google it, watch a tutorial, maybe that will help or if someone else has made that sound and you are trying to replicate it, message them, a lot of producers are super helpful and share how they do things."
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
"Patience. It's not easy to learn everything and you will need help along the way, ask for help, watch tutorials but most importantly start! If you get frustrated save and close the project and come back to it another day. I think its safe to say all producers have folders of stuff they never finished."
What is your favorite venue or festival that you've performed at and why?
"So hard to pick a single venue or event, all of them are memorable for their own reasons. But... Getting told off by the Promoter for going over time on my closing set to an absolutely packed venue at 5am for Slinky rates pretty high (sorry Steve, it was just an encore)"
Can you give us a tip for the studio?
"Get a comfy chair, you will be there a while."
What do you think makes Reason II Rise music unique?
"I've found their releases are based on the track itself, good music gets signed and they provide solid feedback. They are excited about the genre(s) they support."
What are you most excited about releasing your music on Reason II Rise?
"I'm most excited about releasing my music on Reason II Rise because it gives me the chance to reach a wider audience and connect with listeners who appreciate trance music. The support and resources from Reason II Rise allow me to fully realize my creative vision of my music. I'm looking forward to collaborating with other talented artists on the label and growing as a musician through this experience."
"I think the future of trance music is incredibly bright, with many talented artists making significant contributions to the genre. There are so many producers and DJs who are constantly pushing the boundaries and bringing fresh, innovative sounds to the scene. It's exciting to see how the genre is evolving and how new artists are blending different influences to create something unique. I believe the future of trance will be shaped by a diverse group of artists who are passionate about their craft and dedicated to connecting with their audiences." - Siege
What are your upcoming releases?
Siege - Coming Back to Life [Reason II Rise: Uplift]
Siege - Leave Me Again [Reason II Rise: Uplift] Siege - I Don't Know (Without You) [Reason II Rise: Uplift]
Rex The Dog - Change This Pain For Ecstasy (Siege Remix) [Kompakt / PIAS]
As we wrap up this interview with Siege, we’re thrilled to share that he’s just one of many emerging talents we’re bringing into the Reason II Rise family. Our team is committed to discovering and nurturing artists with little or no original releases, and Siege’s story is just one of many emerging artists we see in these fresh productions. If you’re eager to hear more from exciting new artists, follow us for the latest updates and be the first to experience our releases.
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