Above and Beyond

Above and Beyond are an internationally successful trance production and DJ trio comprising Jono Grant, Paavo Siljamäki and Tony McGuinness.  Above and Beyond have been producing and remixing since 2001 during which time they have established themselves as one of the biggest names in trance with melodic anthems and remixes for stars such as Madonna & Britney Spears. Releasing under a number of aliases Above and Beyond are best known for their melodic vocal trance anthems such as ‘Can’t Sleep’, ‘Satellite’ and ‘Alone Tonight’.  They are also a headlining DJ act with regular appearances at major festivals and events around the globe. Above and Beyond additionally host a weekly radio show ‘Trance Around The World’.

Early Years: 2001-2005

Jono Grant and Paavo Siljamäki met as students at the University of Westminster in London and by the summer of 1999 they had set up the Anjunabeats record label.  Their first release ‘Anjunabeats Volume 1’ in 1999 was a distinctive underground trance track that soon gained support of top tier DJs including Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong and Paul van Dyk.  The duo transformed into the Above and Beyond trio in 2000 when Tony McGuiness brought Grant and Siljamäki in top work with him on a remix for a re-release of Chakra’s seminal trance anthem ‘Home’. The remix was a highly polished, elegantly structured production that set the blue print Above and Beyond would follow throughout the rest of the decade.  The epic breakdown that teases to the build with a clean and melodic but powerful lead line are now immediately recognizable as hallmarks of Above and Beyond’s sound, but in 2001 it was a huge statement of intent from a trio newcomer producers.  The remix had such an impact that it was chosen as the A side with Rob Searle’s more driving ‘Tweakin’ Mix’ on the flip.

All three members have a strong musical background (Grant and Siljamäki are classically trained pianists and McGuiness was a guitarist in indie band Sad Lovers and Giants). This musical background ensures that all of Above and Beyond’s releases have a strong sense of melody and frequently feature vocals.  Their first release in 2002 followed in the footsteps of their Chakra remix and featured the vocals of Kate Cameron and soon established itself as a trance hit.  Above and Beyond’s increasingly rapid rise to success was underlined when they were commissioned to remix Madonna’s ‘What It Feels Like For A Girl’ which Madonna chose to use for the video for the track.  

Prior to the first Above and Beyond release the trio had teamed up with vocalist Justine Suissa to release the track ‘Clear Blue Water’ under the alias OceanLab and in 2003 they followed up with the vocal trance anthem ‘Sky Fall Down’. The momentum was building and in the same year they started their long running 'Anjunabeats' compilation series, following it a year later with their weekly radio show 'Trance Around The World'

Later Years: 2006 to Present

In 2006 after half a decade of releasing singles and compilations Above and Beyond released their debut artist album Tri-State.  With high production values and a polished sound Tri-State spawned three singles (‘Alone Tonight’, ‘Can’t Sleep’, ‘Air For Life’ and ‘Good For Me’) that propelled Above and Beyond further into the limelight.  Each of the singles were either nominated or received awards. Though the album didn’t necessarily break any boundaries it received 5 star reviews and remains popular among fans.  

In 2008 returned to their OceanLab alias with singer Justine Suissa, releasing the album ‘Sirens of the Sea’, from which numerous singles were released, including ‘Breaking Ties’, ‘Miracle’ and the eponymous title track.  The album was a natural progression of Above and Beyond’s sound, taking it in a less upfront and more commercial direction. 

Whilst Above and Beyond had been prolific producers in the first half of the decade, between 2008 and 2009 most of their releases were singles from the ‘Sirens Of The Sea’ album (five in total).  A key reason for this was that their DJ-ing careers had taken off, with the trio traveling extensively to DJ, a busy global schedule keeping them out of the studio.  The standout performance to date was New Year’s Eve on Barra beach in Rio de Janeiro to an estimated million people.  Their success on the DJ-ing circuit saw them rise from number 39 to number 4 in DJ Magazine’s top DJ poll.  

Though they used the Tranquility Base alias to release more club friendly tracks such as ‘Buzz’, OceanLab remained the key focus of Above and Beyond’s releases right up to 2010, including a remixed version of the ‘Sirens Of The Sea’ album and new singles such as ‘Satellite’.

The chemistry of the Above and Beyond trio combined with genuine musical ability and a strong work ethic has seen them rise to become one of the main forces in the trance scene.  Though they have rarely strayed far from the well trodden path of mainstream trance they have built a loyal global following and have been responsible for some of the big vocal trance anthems of the noughties.  

Tony McGuiness used to be a marketing director at major label Warner Music. He wrote ‘Alone Tonight’ following a relationship breakup. Paavo Siljamäki has a Japanese wife.