Above and Beyond: The 2013 Australian Tour

Above and Beyond are coming to Australia for 2013. In case you don’t know, the British trio is one of the superstars groups of electronic dance music. The trio consists of Jono Grant, Tony McGuiness, and Paavo Siliamki. They perform progressive “trance” music, have their own record label, the Anjunabeats, and they host a weekly radio show as well. Above and Beyond came in at #8 on DJ Magazine’s Top 100 poll in 2012.

Above and Beyond is a unique act in the world of electronic dance music. They blend DJ and remixing skills with old school songwriting abilities that emphasise infectious melodies and hooks. Songwriting is their first priority. Paavo Siljamaki says, “We like to think of ourselves as songwriters first. That’s our approach to music. The most challenging thing is to write a song that really touches the listener.” They are hugely popular around the globe. The performed for an audience of one million people in Rio de Janeiro

The band formed in the 1990s and started the Anjunabeats record label in 1999. They released their first single “Volume One” under the alias the “Anjunabeats. The success of Volume One quickly caught the attention and support of other DJ superstars like Pete Tong, Paul van Dyke and others.

McGuinness, Grant, and Siljamaki have all very experienced musicians who have logged extremely long hours in the recording studio. Grant’s musical background was classical piano and guitar before he fell in love with electronic dance music that he heard on one his brother’s cassettes. The cassette happened to be Paul Oakekfeld’s classic Goa mix. Siljamaki also has a background in classical music. He as trained on the cello. He was already composing electronic music and music for the theatre before forming Above and Beyond

They followed up the success of “Volume One” with singles and releases using the names of “Free State” and “Dirt Devils.” The name “Above and Beyond was inspired by a slogan used by an American motivational trainer. They soon developed the reputation as the UK’s leading vocal –trance mixers. One of their most popular songs was a remix the Madonna’s hit “What It Feels Like for a Girl.”

They have continued working with other artists and remixing their versions of popular songs such as Britney Spear’s “Everytime” and the Dido song, “Sand in My Shoes.” Madonna asked Above and Beyond to remix her song, “Nobody Knows Me.” Trance music fans of the Armin van Buuren show, A State of Trance, vote their single “No One On Earth” tune of the year in 2004. Dates are for a continuation of their globe-trotting tour agenda. They have performed at major festivals all over the world including India, the original home of trance music, South America, Western and Eastern Europe, and the United States.

The 2013 Above and Beyond Australian tour is part of a worldwide tour. In addition to Australia, the tour takes the trio to Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Canada, and the United States. The Australian leg of the tour includes four venues. Visit Adelaide function venues online to find out more information.

Adelaide Entertainment Centre

Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (Sunday, January 27)

Metro City, Perth (Friday, February 1)

Hisense Arena, Melbourne (Saturday, February 2)