Cosmic Gate are one of the most enduring duos in all of electronic music. For over 20 years, they’ve been pushing the boundaries of trance and progressive, and they continue to make incredible tracks to this day.
Trance fans may recognize Cosmic Gate, consisting of members Claus Terhoeven and Stefan Bossems, by their 2001 song “Exploration Of Space” or their remix of “Only Road” by Gabriel & Dresden and Sub Teal. They have an energy unlike any other that has grown and flowed along with the evolution of club music.
We got a chance to interview the German producers right after their performance on the #United We Groove boat tour. They were joined by Kristina Sky, GSP, Orkidea, and several others to celebrate San Diego Pride and spin some progressive sounds.
We talked about their enduring legacy in dance music and how they have remained such a good working relationship as partners in music.
EDM Maniac: You’ve been in the music industry for over 20 years and are one of Germany’s most enduring electronic music duos. What can you say has been the secret to remaining current and modern?
Cosmic Gate: We believe you should follow your intuition, your heart, and your gut more than your brain. We also really just love music. Our taste has always been wide and diverse so we get a lot of influences from other areas. We don’t want to be bored, so we are always pushing ourselves.
EDM Maniac: How have you maintained such a good professional relationship for so long?
Cosmic Gate: The thing is it’s really not professional *both laugh*. It’s two guys hanging out, and even after soon-to-be 25 years, we still feel the same vibes.
When I like something I know he’s most likely going to like it and if I hate it he will too. This chemistry is really rare and we appreciate it and that’s why we have been riding this wave together for such a long time. We know each other very well after all these years and we give ourselves distance when we feel like we need it.
EDM Maniac: In 2010 you were tapped by Atlantic Records to remix James Horner’s “I See You”, the main theme from Blockbuster hit film ‘Avatar’. How did this remix come about?
Cosmic Gate: It wasn’t easy, we didn’t know the movie to start. But once we saw the movie we thought “that’s pretty good” and it became easier.
It’s different from when you get a pop song and you have to make a dance song out of it and try to keep the vibe. We felt we had no chance, but we took it.
EDM Maniac: Your 2018 remix of Gareth Emery’s “Call To Arms” was one of the catalysts to me starting my own personal electronic music journey. How does it feel knowing that your music still personally impacts so many of us Millennial and Gen Z ravers 20 years after beginning producing?
Cosmic Gate: In the end, we always write music for ourselves. When people follow us it’s great, but we don’t have a certain target group or try to sound a specific way.
In this industry we are surrounded by young people and our lifestyle is really extreme and it doesn’t keep us young, *both laugh* but it helps us feel younger than we are.
All photos provided by #United We Groove by Isaiah S. Walter
