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DJ Mag Top100 DJs
22
Above & Beyond
29

Tony McGuinness, Paavo Siljamäki and Jono Grant, aka Above & Beyond, have had another monumental year. Much of their main focus has been “touring incessantly, releasing the best music we can make across all our iterations and both our labels”, McGuinness tells DJ Mag.

This is reflected in the continued success of both their imprints Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep, releasing EPs from Gabriel & Dresden, Grum, Moon Boots and Eli & Fur this year, plus their fifth studio album. “Our Yoga/Mindfulness album ‘Flow State’ has been a big one,” McGuinness continues, referring to their latest LP released in July. ‘Flow State’ features 14 new compositions and three remastered ambient tracks, and focuses on creating transformative experiences. “We have always enjoyed shape-shifting — as ‘Acoustic’ [a compilation the trio released in 2014] showed — and with the recent focus on mental fitness and wellbeing, the album’s release has been particularly timely and adds another lovely string to our bow,” Tony says. Archery at its finest, Above & Beyond continue to score their targets well into 2020.

Do you submit your DJ setlists to the relevant royalties collecting society?

“Yes, we do.” 

What more can we do to combat the mental health crisis in our scene?

“We have been highlighting this issue in our comms for some time now, honesty and dialogue seem to be the best policy. We recently released our ‘Flow State’ album to directly help people take better control of their mental fitness through yoga and meditation, and hosted events all over the world in support of it.”

Are you personally doing anything to improve the gender balance of line-ups?

“We always have mixed line-ups on our Anjuna stages where possible. We don’t care what kind of body you’ve been born with, it’s your musical mind we’re after.”

What changes have you made this year to be more environmentally friendly?

“It would be disingenuous of an international DJ to claim to be environmentally friendly, but in our personal lives and our business we have been moving towards sustainability for a long time.”

What was your favourite toy when you were a kid?

“My football.” 

What’s your guilty pleasure?

“Malbec.”