Steve has enthralled crowds the world over with both his Thrillseekers Live and DJ sets. The Ministry, Gallery, Gatecrasher and Godskitchen have all born witness to his fluid mixing, unique style and highly energetic performances. It's these sets that saw him crack the DJ Magazine's ‘Top 100 DJs’ chart for the first time in 2004, and more recently break the top 50, coming in at no. 45, in Oct 2006.
Steve started out making electronic music while working for the computer games developer, Manic Media. Whilst living in Chipping Norton, on the Oxfordshire border, with a relatively basic home studio he constructed the trance milestone "Synaesthesia". Signed and released by Neo Records in 1999, at the height of the trance boom, it went on to sell over 12,000 copies on its initial UK release.
With its vibe on the subtler side of the genre it took more than a year to fully realise its own potential however. Its road to full-blown chart success was assisted in no small part by Paul van Dyk. He took the record and gave it a six month long, gig in, gig out battering. 2000 saw PVD sign it to his own Vandit label, remix it and with the inclusion of a vocal from Sheryl Dean it entered the UK top twenty in Feb 2001. As a standalone track it has rocked a million clubbers hearts across hundreds of countries. It still appears in a huge cross-section of DJ's all time top tens today.
Whilst still closeted in Chipping Norton, Steve took it upon himself to learn the art of DJing. It was initially born purely out of a desire to see how his records worked in the mix with other tracks, and as a tool with which to improve their properties for the DJ. This quickly turned into a desire to see them, first hand, fire up a floor. Realising how, in the ever changing world of dance music, DJ'ing was starting to go hand in hand with production, Steve began to apply even more energy to perfecting the skill. It was around this time that he was approached by Neil Stacey who had just opened his Connected DJs Agency. Neil was also more than aware of the rapidly expanding desire from punters to see their production heroes DJing. Within six short months Neil had Steve playing at the biggest and most influential clubs on the planet. From Gatecrasher to the Gallery, on to Passion and the Ministry, he has delighted clubbers with his pinpoint mixing and passionate performances.
Steve was always one for quality over quantity and whilst other trance producers belted out one sound-a-like track after another, he focused on creating a catalogue he would still be happy with in 20 years time. Following "Synaesthesia" came "Dreaming of You" which was released on Ministry of Sound's Data label and in the UK alone, featured on 14 compilations. From there it would be over a year before Steve produced another Thrillseekers track.
'NewLife' was originally passed to Ferry Corsten in December of 2003 when Steve went over to The Netherlands to co-produce 'Sublime' – the opening track on Corsten's Grammy Nominated ‘Right Of Way’ album. Ferry smashed it as an exclusive for six months driving demand through the roof. It was around this time that Steve decided to add another string to his bow with the opening of his own label, Adjusted Music. 'NewLife' was the first release and to date it has been compiled on to 15 compilations worldwide. Adjusted's second and forth outings were the in-demand re-releases of 'Synaesthesia' and ‘Affinity’ (which was originally released under his Hydra moniker). As well as releasing his own tracks, Steve focused on bringing in new talent to the label. He inked both Evolve’s ‘Safe to Dream’ (ADJ003) and Deep Voices ‘Alone Again’ (ADJ005) to Adjusted. His remix of the former showcasing for the first time a deeper, more housey slant to his production. This musical shift ignited fully with the release of his forth single ‘By Your Side’ in 2006. Featuring the vocals of Gina Dootson, it brought with them a more thought-provoking, lamenting edge to Steve’s music.
Any biography of The Thrillseekers would be far from complete without mentioning his side-projects and collaborations. Immediately following the success of ‘Synaesthesia’ Steve went on to launch a new moniker for MOS subsidiary, Incentive. En-Motion was born and with it came "Truth" in 2000 and "Getting Away with It" in 2002. In the adjoining years he also pushed forward partnering in collaborations with Andy "Pulser" Perring as Insigma ("Insigma’/’Open Our Eyes"/"Avalon") and with ATCR owner Tim Stark under the name Rapid Eye ('Never Going Back'/"Circa-Forever"/"Stealing Beauty"/'Santa Cruz'/'Absolut').
Steve's remix career started pretty much the same day as "Synaesthesia" was promoed. Since then he has revamped, remapped and reshaped in excess of thirty other artist's tracks. From Sonique to Sholan, from Tiesto to Timo Maas (twice!) and from Chicane to Cequenza, he has lent them all his awesomely melodic, electronic touch.
By Your Side
The Thrillseekers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blaze, from the sunshine
Standing, skin on skin
Hands dancing over me
Here, where love can grow
Clear, still waters
Blue, from a summer sky
Gazing at a perfect sky
Close my eyes, and I'll be there by your side
Dreaming of the days gone by
Take me back to when I was by your side,
By your side
Breathing in and breathing out
This is what life's all about
Lost inside my inner mind
Leaving all the haze behind
Gazing at a perfect sky,
Close my eyes, and I'll be there by your side
Dreaming of the days gone by,
Take be back to when I was by your side,
By your side
The lyrics of The Thrillseekers feat. Gina Dootson's song 'By Your Side' describe a feeling of being lost in one's own thoughts and emotions, with the haze representing a sort of mental fog that is hard to escape from. The blaze from the sunshine and the skin-on-skin contact suggest a feeling of being alive and present in the moment, despite the internal struggle.
The chorus of the song focuses on a desire to go back to a time when things were simpler and the singer felt more connected to someone else. The perfect sky represents a moment of clarity and hope, where the singer can close their eyes and imagine themselves back in a time when they were happy and content. The idea of breathing in and breathing out, and leaving the haze behind, suggests a journey towards emotional healing and growth.
Overall, the song is a powerful representation of the complex emotional struggles that many people face, and the desire to find inner peace and happiness. The vivid imagery and haunting melody make this a memorable and emotional song that many listeners can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
Haze, with no air to breathe
Feeling suffocated and lost, without any clarity or fresh perspective
Blaze, from the sunshine
Overwhelmed by the intensity and brightness of a new love
Standing, skin on skin
Being physically close and intimate with another person
Hands dancing over me
Being touched and caressed in a way that feels playful and joyous
Here, where love can grow
Being in a place where love is possible and can flourish
Clear, still waters
A peaceful and unobstructed emotional state
Blue, from a summer sky
A vibrant and uplifting emotional state
True words never die
The power of honesty and authenticity in a relationship
Gazing at a perfect sky
Being in awe of the beauty and wonder of the world around you
Close my eyes, and I'll be there by your side
Remembering the past and feeling connected to a lost love
Dreaming of the days gone by
Longing for the moments of happiness and closeness that have passed
Take me back to when I was by your side,
Yearning to relive the past and be with a loved one once again
Breathing in and breathing out
Focusing on the present moment and being mindful of one's own breathing
This is what life's all about
Recognizing the importance of living in the moment and being present
Lost inside my inner mind
Feeling distracted and overwhelmed by one's own thoughts and emotions
Leaving all the haze behind
Moving past confusion and uncertainty to find clarity and peace
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RENEE ANDREA NEUFVILLE, JEAN EVALYN NORRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheGianluccas
Haze, with no air to breathe
Blaze, from the sunshine
Standing, skin on skin
Hands dancing over me
Here, where love can grow
Clear, still waters
Blue, from a summer sky
True words never die
Gazing at a perfect sky
Close my eyes, and I’ll be there by your side
Dreaming of the days gone by
Take me back to when I was by your side,
by your side
Breathing in and breathing out
This is what life’s all about
Lost inside my inner mind
Leaving all the haze behind
Gazing at a perfect sky,
Close my eyes, and I’ll be there by your side
Dreaming of the days gone by,
Take be back to when I was by your side,
by your side
@fryydcamel
Every time I hear this song now I have a very specific moment in my head when I first heard the song. I was in clay class in high school. Funny how music can bring you back to certain places in time in your memory.
Anyway, beautiful track ✌️
@thomasconway6843
Fast paced and excellent......
@TheGianluccas
Haze, with no air to breathe
Blaze, from the sunshine
Standing, skin on skin
Hands dancing over me
Here, where love can grow
Clear, still waters
Blue, from a summer sky
True words never die
Gazing at a perfect sky
Close my eyes, and I’ll be there by your side
Dreaming of the days gone by
Take me back to when I was by your side,
by your side
Breathing in and breathing out
This is what life’s all about
Lost inside my inner mind
Leaving all the haze behind
Gazing at a perfect sky,
Close my eyes, and I’ll be there by your side
Dreaming of the days gone by,
Take be back to when I was by your side,
by your side
@KultAnarchist
I can't believe it's a 18 years old song. Still fresh and beautiful.
@Rostodon
Im so pleased Gina is heard by a wider audience - I saw her perform Crippled back in the 80s - one of the best songs I have ever heard - to this day
@doodlecharmz
😍 still gives me the feels years later
@Snikern
so nice track, thrillseekers rly nailed this one. the break and atmo in the middle of the track with all the pads and guitars strings..... is simply pro
@robertbodnar8745
Steve Helstrip is so underrated dj/producer... As Darren Tate too...
@tyler951
Beautiful opening track to a mix that I still regularly listen to. Timeless.
@Gergo1321
No, There's no problem! Thanks for upload this good Trance song! I heard a alot of remix version, but I realized the original is much better. Trance will never die.