He’s the modern-day Mozart — today’s leading talent in the ever-growing electronic dance music scene. He’s the pride of Moldova, known for his unique and very own sound. He is Andrei Rata, better known as Andrew Rayel. Born on July 21st, 1992, his young age never stopped him from taking the lead amongst the next generation of EDM producers. Developing strong musical skills, he studied orchestral music and kicked off his producing career at only 13 years of age. It didn’t take long for the passionate music lover to translate his ideas into sounds. He created a truly unique sonic signature – one of piano power, harmonic balance, and euphoric tales. And so, years later, his originals and remixes are praised by many and loved by more. But, rest assured, the Andrew Rayel story has only just begun. “Trance was the perfect solution, as it is a combination of melody, harmony and energy, elements that I prefer the most”, says Andrew Rayel.
Talking about your label, you have worked on it for so many years! What made you decide that you were ready to fully pursue it?
“I finished my second studio album this year this past May called Moments, I was working on that for the past two years and I was very busy with the album, it was my sole focus at the time. About a month after I finished it I also put together three new tracks. At that point I realized I didn’t want to release straightaway because it would be too much music and confusing for the fans. So I realized I was feeling very productive and good about my work and so I decided this is the moment I would put all that new music on the album and also get new artists and start promoting them and creating the inHarmony music family and growing together.”
If you had the chance to sign any artist to your label, who would it be?
“Of course I would love to have Armin, but since inHarmony is on his label, it cannot be. We are all one big family over there but I respect and enjoy so much more music then just big names. I would love to have David Gravell, William de Roo, ending up with Dash Berlin, W&W, everybody! I have a very wide spectrum of musical tastes and aspirations.”
You have been making music since thirteen years old. Starting from when you released your first single in 2010, how has the trance scene landscape changed? For better or worse?
“Yes, I feel it’s changing completely. It’s constantly moving on and evolving as different sounds are being combined with the trance music. I don’t think it’s for the worst, it’s only for the better because for me personally I get tired of the same sound if I listen to it for a very long time so I need new things. But I still love trance music a lot, so I like that a variety of elements, genres, and sounds have been created. At first there was only trance music, then there was tech trance, uplifting trance, vocal trance, and all these other sub-genres that have spread like a virus. For me, the more music the better and it’s all about those melodies and harmonies.”
Please tell us a bit more about your tremendous collab with Emma Hewitt for “My Reflection” track and also about your album.
“I wanted to work with Emma for years! But somehow it just didn’t happen. Either I was caught up with my own projects, or she was busy and we started the actual collaboration in September, last year.
There were a few tracks that I composed along time, but they just didn’t fit in. We thought they didn’t convey the right message or the right feeling. So, we kept trying until I felt like Emma was giving up a bit so that motivated me to write 7 tracks and sent them all to her.”
She was kind enough to listen to all of them and she picked just the right one, added the vocals and that’s how “My Reflection” was born.
You worked so, so hard for this album and it goes without saying that you put your heart and soul in it. Do you happen to have a favourite track?
Oh, that’s a very difficult question because I like them all, they are all like my babies. It would be strange to just pick one because I have different memories and feelings for each one of them. I just couldn’t choose one.
In 2014, you were releasing your first album “Find your Harmony”. Three years later you enter the marked with another one. What changed between the two and how was the evolution?
“Truth be told “Find your Harmony” wasn’t planned at all, it just didn’t happen on a very organized way. While with “Moments” it was totally different.
My first album was something like: I have these tracks that I composed, let’s put them all together and find a name for the album. That was it. It was all very spontaneous.
While, with “Moments” everything was planned, every track holds a story and a connection with the other ones. The experience I gathered helped a lot in this case.
For “Find your Harmony” I wanted so badly to work with different artists, but unfortunately, I was still “new on the market” so I had to practically ask for their help. With “Moments” it just happened, I announced that I was preparing an album and the artists were sending me demos.
I was now in the position of picking which demo I liked more. Such a different story!”
For our last question, we are dying to know the inspiration behind your inHarmony label logo?
“The first idea behind the logo was to create a superhero character that would bring harmony into the world through music. So there is Superman and then there is my superhero that brings joy and his superpower is to bring harmony to people when they are desperate or sad, and spread happiness into people’s lives through music.”