Dubbed as the ‘King of open to close sets’, Trance titan Menno de Jong has just arrived in Sydney for his massive gig at Space Nightclub this Friday.

To say he is the World’s Tallest DJ wouldn’t be far from the truth when it comes to Menno de Jong who clocks in at a whopping 6 foot 8 inches tall. The Trance titan is about to hit Sydney, bringing his far-famed Menno Solo show to the harbour city and performing a massive 6-hour set on the decks at Space Nightclub.

Menno Solo will see a night filled with all spectrums of Trance, from Progressive to Uplifting and plenty of classics, Menno de Jong will take Sydney on a breathtaking musical journey.

We caught up with the Trance hero this week to talk all things Trance, see the full interview below and get your tickets to Menno Solo Sydney here.

We’re thrilled to see you back in Australia for your huge Menno Solo tour, what do you love most about Australia’s Trance scene?

I’m thrilled to be back! I love playing in Australia because you’ll find some of the most dedicated, enthusiastic Trance fans in the world out there. People really know their tunes and classics.

You really are the ‘King of open to close sets’ and you truly do take music lovers on a mind-blowing journey through your marathon DJ performances. How do you prepare for sets like these?

It’s a continuous process really, it would be very hard to collect all the good music required for an extended set in a single day – it’s a culmination of months of searching for the right tracks. By keeping my ears open all year round I’ve always got a solid bunch of Psy, Uplifting and Trance that I can use for the prime time part of the night, as well as my latest own productions and stuff signed to In Trance We Trust. I build around that with melodic Progressive for the buildup and an hour of classics at the end.

What’s the best part of playing an open to close set and what’s the secret to keeping the audience with you for over 6 hours?

The best part is that you get full control of the musical spectrum of the night, since you’re essentially the opening, primetime and closing DJ. That means you can create a seamless uninterrupted flow of music that takes the crowd on a real journey.

I guess the secret is a combination of several things: amazing music, enthusiasm behind the decks and a quality audio/visual show.

Is the worst part of playing such a long set when you need to go bathroom?

Fortunately I’ve yet to go to the bathroom during an extended set!

As a producer, DJ and owner of one of the biggest labels in the scene, ‘In Trance We Trust’, what is your take on the current state of Trance music?

I think a lot of good things are happening at the moment, there’s some superb talent out there such as Adam Ellis, Cold Blue, Shugz, Skylex and Australia’s very own Factor B. On the other hand more and more bigger names are making comebacks, or going back to their roots, leaving the EDM stuff behind.

What’s the next move for you production-wise? Are there any big projects you’re working on that you’d like to share with us?

I recently released a track called ‘Ananda’, which was the third in a series of three tracks inspired by yoga and meditation (the others were ‘Abhyasa’ and ‘Ahimsa’). Sean Tyas recently remixed it and both versions are up on my Soundcloud if you would like to listen. The original mix is also featured on the brand new In Trance We Trust mix album to be released end of July.

I’m currently working on two new vocal singles (one of which is a collaboration with another artist) and an instrumental track, so lots to look forward to this year.

Do you have any final words for all your die-hard fans?

Yes, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support! Here’s to many more amazing events with great music. 

Get tickets to Menno Solo Sydney here