In trance we know Aly & Fila, Future Sound of Egypt…

….and every great artist under that brand; however, there is an extraordinary team working their tails off behind the curtain. To most partiers, they go unseen or unknown, but they are the back bone that holds it together and Stuart Roberts is that person. A trance lover since 1998, he is one of the directors at Future Sound of Egypt and while many would not be able to pick him out from a crowd, you would want to thank him if you have attended an FSOE event.

Step Behind The Trance to learn more about a very intricate part of the scene.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview and I know you are a busy man.  First of all, how are you doing during these crazy times? Are you getting by ok?

Hi guys, thanks for the interview today. Firstly to all the readers and trance fans worldwide and everyone in general we hope you are all safe and well. I never thought I would experience the times we are in at the moment, it is a very strange time. Hopefully we will see a change as soon as possible, but like the rest of world it’s a uncertain time, but we are all to follow our government’s advice and when this is all over will be great to see everyone again on the clubbing circuit. I think this situation will bring everyone closer together.

You are one of the directors at Future Sound of Egypt. What exactly does that mean, and what does your job entail?

There is a team of us at Future Sound of Egypt with different roles, and we come together to make final decisions. One of my main job roles within the company is working on the Future Sound of Egypt Events that we have done for the last 8 years +, and stage hosting we have done over the years also in terms of covering all aspects of the events from budgets to the DJ Line Ups etc. We are very proud of the events we have put on over the years and huge thanks to everyone involved in our FSOE Events and festivals that we have stage hosted at.

Going behind the scenes, you see a different aspect of the music industry. What drew you into this side of the stage? There are a lot of people who are interested in getting their feet wet being more involved in the scene, what advice would you give and what would you recommend for someone who wants to work in the scene?

I grew my love of trance music from around 1998 period and that was it, I was hooked. Going to club events weekly from Cream, Godskitchen, Gatecrasher, Passion to name but a few. Back in that era we were spoilt in the UK, these super club brands operated weekly back then, so there was always so much choice to choose from, but being from the north of UK, Cream was closest to me than Godskitchen. Amazing memories.

I decided early 2000s to start my own parties called Slide which I hosted once a month in Wales and then in Liverpool with acts such as Above & Beyond , Eddie Halliwell, Scott Bond, The Thrillseekers , Simon Patterson and many other performing for me from 2001 – 2006. Was then I moved to London to work for Most Wanted DJ Management and the first DJ we signed when I went there was Aly & Fila 🙂 and I have managed them ever since to this day.

Becoming a part of FSOE was a natural progression as Aly & Fila and Future Sound of Egypt come hand in hand, am very proud I have played a part in the growth of the brands. As we stand in 2020 we have 6 record labels under the FSOE umbrella and FSOE 650 tour to come when it is safe to do so.

My advice would be to be prepared to work extremely hard and dedicate yourself to the brand you believe in and also take any advice in, it takes a lot of sacrifices, but it is so worth it, it’s a great scene to be involved in.

When it comes for upcoming producers and DJs, what advice can you give? What is it that you look forward for the FSOE brand?

We are fortunate to have great A&R’s for the labels who make the decisions on which tracks are signed to the labels under FSOE. My advice is to keep going and working hard in the studio, not every label will accept every track, if they do not then keep going and keep sending them in.

The Future Sound of Egypt is a strong brand. Being one of the directors, how important is the brand reputation for you? Over the next couple of years, what direction do you see the brand headed?

Massively important. It’s essential that the world perceives the brand in the right way. We would like to think we have a really good group of people on our team, we love music that is the key along with the everyday business aspect of running the companies, brands. Our goal is to keep delivering quality music across all of our labels and to keep growing the brand events wise also, and always try to be innovative.

There are many rumblings that the trance scene is at a weird place in time currently. What are your thoughts on the current trance scene? Any predictions for the future?

Every year people say the same but I see it being strong worldwide still, genres can come and go but trance is always there and a huge respect to trance communicates and families like yourselves, but also all over the world that contribute massively to the trance scene and genre.

My prediction is it will keep growing, there are many great trance brands worldwide that always keep the genre in people’s eyes and ears

Finally, if you could only live by one motto, what would it be?

Work hard and enjoy life