Dash Berlin is now an established regular in the upper echelons of the Top 100 and the man behind the music, Jeffrey Sutorious, has spent 2013 doing all he can to cement that position. With last year’s ‘#musicislife’ album reissued with a full set of remixes, a steady flow of single releases like sunshine trancer ‘Steal You Away’ and the gently melancholic yet anthemic ‘Jar of Hearts’, remixes for Krewella, Hardwell and One Republic and a world tour in the bag, he’s certainly been a busy man.
“The music is my fundament, so it's just really cool when it's received that well in so many different countries around the world,” says Dash. “The #musicislife world tour has been hugely successful as well. Teaming up on stage with Emma Hewitt, Christina Novelli and Jonathan Mendelsohn was memorable.
“The festivals were booming as well this year, Ultra in Miami, Global Gathering in the UK, Digital Dreams in Canada and Nocturnal Wonderland in the US were all spectacular and of course closing the huge EDC main stage in Las Vegas was insane. My residency in Marquee has become one of the biggest nights in Vegas, of which I am really proud.”
He’s also made time to do a charity gig. “My charity stadium concert in Mexico was an emotional highlight,” explains Dash. “It felt great giving back to a country that has been supporting me from the very beginning. Visiting and helping the Mixteca communities in Mexico has made a deep and lasting impression on me.”
The highlights kept coming with another IDMA award nomination, this time for best trance track for ‘When You Were Around’, and the launch of Dash Berlin Radio on Spotify, and Dash also formed a key part of Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance 600 tour.
“What Armin and his crew are creating with ASOT is unique in the world,” he says. “There is so much positive energy during these events. If you can't make it to an event you can be a part of it online. It's even uniting countries that are normally not easily connected. It's really special, it's like a movement. I always prepare a lot of new music for my ASOT sets; people listen to these sets as if they were albums.”
Add to this his equally well-received ASOT sets at Privilege Ibiza, and Dash is rightfully excited about the future. “There is a whole new generation discovering the magic of trance right now,” he says. “It's super exciting to be a part of it. All-in-all it was a wonderful year that is making me really excited for 2014.”
With the latest edition of his annual ‘United Destination’ mix imminent and high profile collaborations, a remix for Armin van Buuren and a new artist album in the pipeline, there’s little chance of a dip in Dash Berlin’s work rate anytime soon. And seeing that passion reciprocated by his many fans simply drives him on. “Some things have to be lived to be believed,” he says. “Seeing thousands of people sing your tracks word for word is something that I will never get used to.”
