Miguel Ramirez
The spectacular ‘ABGT150’, the extraordinary celebration event for ‘FSOE400’ and the successful trance concept ‘Atlantis’ are just a few of many achievements Janette Bishara has mastered.
In exclusive interview ahead of the second edition of Atlantis, Janette Bishara reflects and opens up about her career, reveals what goes into planning large scale trance events, and talks all things trance and Atlantis.
First off, could you tell us a bit about your role at Totem OneLove? What are your day-to-day tasks and how did you first get started in the music business.
My role here is to manage the trance events, tours and artist bookings. Anything from club tours like Armada Night, FSOE Club night, to the biggest trance arena events such as Armin Only, ASOT, ABGT150, FSOE400 and also, my baby, Atlantis. I also book the Stereosonic trance arena, and some of the main stage acts. I got into the music scene because I was constantly at events with Marlo. I didn’t really know anyone back then, so I would keep myself busy by taking pictures, doing the guest list on the door, selling tickets etc. That eventually led to me doing a few club tours, including Aly & Fila, which landed me the job at Totem OneLove in 2011.
What’s it like being on MaRLo’s management team? What exactly does your role entail?
At the moment, not that much. I am pretty busy with all the Totem shows we have coming up. I play a support role to Marlo and help him where I can.
With all these different roles, it sounds like you have music on your mind 24/7. Good at multi-tasking or is there a trick to it?
I do not sleep 🙂
Has working in the music industry always been what you’d expected to be doing?
Not at all. I initially did not want to get into the business of music, but now that I am doing it, I can’t imagine doing anything else.
What kind of music did you grow up listening to?
I’m not sure The Trance Project readers would be happy about the type of music I listened to growing up. Let’s just say Marlo introduced me to dance music 11 years ago, and I have not looked back ever since.
Since last year’s success across Australia, Atlantis has expanded this year to All Phones Arena for the Sydney show and it’ll also reach Hisense Arena in Melbourne and Perth for its club show – Where did the ‘Atlantis’ concept come from?
The idea was to create a new Australian born trance event that would stack up on a world scale. I felt that the Australian trance scene was strong enough and that it was time to have something of our own. Marlo came up with “Atlantis” and it was actually just meant to be a temporary name while we brainstormed other ideas, but it stuck, so we kept it. I think it is perfect!
Atlantis has gained a reputation as one of Australia’s best music events. What makes it stand out?
I think it stands out because it was an event born out of demand by trance fans and it is made just for them. We also try to be innovative with the events. Last year we had Roxanne Emery sing a full set live, which was a world premiere, we had Driftmoon play for us as an Australian debut and this year we managed to get Gouryella world premiere!
The hope is that we constantly bring something fresh to Australian trance fans. We are also focusing a lot on production for the events too, we are building a custom stage and everything will come together, the lights, visuals, lasers and sound. We are building a story. We also make a conscious effort to keep ticket price reasonable while still providing an amazing experience.
Any surprises Atlanteans can expect at this year’s event?
The production is going to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen in an arena in Australia. We have hooked up with Matt Chromatic who has won awards for his Defqon 1 stage design and we are planning to bring the artwork to life. I am so excited to see peoples faces when they experience the full show.
How do you choose the line-up for events?
Deciding on a line up is usually a combination of what I want, what people request and what I think the next sound will be. I try to speak to as many promoters and trance fans as possible to get an idea of what people want to see. However, with line ups, you usually start out with a wish list, but by the end of negotiations the line up could look completely different. There is so much that goes into it, artist schedules, artist priorities for the market, set times, budget etc. The only time I got exactly what I first set out to get for a line up was ASOT 700 with Armin, Gaia, MaRLo, Aly & Fila, David Gravell and Bryan Kearney.
Sometimes it takes a while to an act I really want. For example, with Gouryella, by pure coincidence I ended up in a car with Ferry’s manager on the way back to the hotel from Tomorrowland in July last year. I asked him if we could get Ferry to do a Gouryella set the next time we bring him out to Australia and he told me that there was no way it was going to happen… It wasn’t something they were interested in doing anywhere in the world. I told him that I knew the Australian trance fans would love to see that and if they were to change their minds that I should be the first person they call! It wasn’t until October that they told me that they were going to bring Gouryella to the stage for one year, and only on big events, but the show was going to be ready end of March, which would’ve been after Atlantis! Luckily, we managed to work together with Ferry’s amazing team to bring forward the date and score the world premiere for Atlantis. Gouryella is an important booking for me because the Gouryella sound is something that has been missing in the scene and I wanted it for us. Australian trance fans are educated, they know trance very very well, you can’t fool them with average line ups. So the pressure is always on to come up with something special.
What goes into planning larger scale events such as Atlantis, ABGT150 and ASOT?
There is a lot that goes into these events and I am very lucky to have a fantastic team at Totem who are as motivated as I am to strive for the best. We focus on the small details that make a big difference to the overall experience. For example, we put things in place to make sure people can get in to the venue quickly and efficiently because we know that no one likes to stand in line for a long time and miss out on part of the show! In Sydney we negotiated the trains to start early and we paid for them so ticket holders can use their Atlantis ticket to get in and out of the area for no extra cost to them. Just like with any event, things can go wrong that you can’t plan for, however, if that happens we spend a lot of time making sure the same thing doesn’t happen at the next event.
Days before an event, do you get nervous, or mostly excited?
Depends on the event. But mostly excited!
When events finally arrive do you just kick back, relax and watch the DJs or is there still work to be done?
I can’t really kick back and relax until a few weeks after the show when everything is wrapped up. In saying that, we have a very experienced team so show days usually run smoothly. I always try to listen to every DJ, even if it is just 10minutes.
What have been some of the joys and highlights of running events over the years?
There have been so many highlights. Personally, Atlantis is a big one for me as it is our own brand that we have built. Some other highlights are:
- When Gaia took the stage at ASOT Sydney.
- Seeing the full production come to life at FSOE400.
- When A&B dropped new Oceanlab at ABGT150
- The upcoming Above & Beyond acoustic show is going to be a massive highlight.
Most importantly though, I love looking out into a crowd and seeing happy faces. I love the knowledge that new friendships are being made, new relationships formed, memories are being created. That’s really the best thing about putting on these events.
Working closely with Armin van Buuren on massive tours such as Armin Only Intense and ASOT Festival – what have you learnt from the legend throughout the years?
He is the hardest working human I have ever met. He doesn’t have an off switch. You can’t help but be inspired by his work ethic and I have so much respect for him. It’s not hard to see why he is so successful at what he does, he puts in the work and I never hear him complain about it.
What are some of the major music event or festival plans for Totem OneLove in the next few years?
Aside from Atlantis, A&B Acoustic, Armin Only Embrace and Stereosonic, we also have a few more large scale events planned which I cannot tell you about just yet 😉
Which trance artists move you the most?
Above & Beyond. They never fail to evoke emotion.
I think fans of your vocal work under ‘Jano’ are dying to know if you’ll be releasing any new material this year or working on any new collaborations?
I really want to, but at the moment it is hard to find the time to do it. I hope to have at least one song out a year.
What are your hopes for the future of Australia’s trance scene?
We are so lucky in Australia to have one of the best scenes in the world. I have travelled around a lot, I talk to a lot of DJs and other agents and promoters and we are one of the few places in the world with such a thriving scene. We have weekly trance club nights, four or more arena shows a year and a trance stage at the biggest dance music festival in the country. We also have fantastic up and coming Aussie talent which both Marlo and I are always trying to help nurture behind the scenes, whether it is Marlo playing their tracks on some of the biggest stages in the world, or passing on a track to Armin or Above & Beyond to play, getting locals a gig overseas, connecting label A&Rs with locals, or just being someone they can call or text for advice. I am so proud of the scene’s growth over the past 5 years.
I hope it continues to be strong and I am always open to suggestions of what people would like to see come to Australia.
Thank you Janette and see you at Atlantis this March!
Atlantis 2016 complete lineup:
Aly & Fila
David Gravell
Ferry Corsten presents Gouryella (World Premiere)
Giuseppe Ottaviani Live 2.0
MaRLo
Orjan NIlsen
Atlantis 2016 tour dates & cities:
Sydney: Friday March 11 – All Phones Arena
Perth (Club Atlantis): Saturday March 12 – Metro City
Melbourne: Sunday March 13 – Hisense Arena
Atlantis 2016 tickets:
General on-sale: www.ticketek.com.au/Atlantis.
