For over three decades, Marc Dennis and Tony Walker, better known as Trimtone, have been shaping the sound of house music—both in the studio and behind the decks. As the driving force behind Love to be…, their influence stretches far beyond the UK, curating legendary events, championing new talent, and keeping the soul of house alive.
Now, they’re back with a fresh take on a classic, Shine On, a track that seamlessly bridges past and present with its euphoric energy and powerhouse vocal. In this interview, Marc and Tony break down the creative process behind the single, discuss the evolution of vocal house, and share their vision for Love to be…’s next chapter—including an ambitious inner-city festival in Sheffield.
From studio craft to global club culture, Trimtone are keeping the spirit of house music burning bright.
You’ve taken a classic and given it new life. What’s the first thing that clicked for you when working on “Shine On,” and what was the biggest challenge in making it feel fresh?
The track started life as a collab between ourselves and Dan:Ros who has produced some great tunes for our Love to be…recordings record label. He sent a few stem ideas and we liked the uplifting sound from one of the sets. We felt this could be developed into a really dancefloor friendly anthem so we arranged the stems and added a few of our own elements the m1 bass and beats to pump the original sound up. The drops where really good but we felt it needed a vocal so the search began. We remembered the Tony Moran track from back in the day and felt that mirrored the emotion for the track and sure enough it fit like hand in glove with Cindy’s vocal and that became the original demo which smashed it at our festival and shows worldwide.
After being unable to work the deal with Cindy’s management to clear her vocal the challenge then became to find a vocalist on a par and working closely with Armada records we auditioned several vocalists with the standout being Sian – Lee. Its can sometimes be challenging when revocaling a track but in this case Sian did an amazing job and took the vocal to a whole new level. A true professional and we have to thank a friends Phil Sagar and Ollie Johnson at Armada for making this happen. So the balance was definitely aided by a very polished revocal by an artist who really got the feel of the demo. The diva feel vocal and retro-esque elements brought the nostalgia and the trimming of the original verses to fit the more modern shorter mix style gave it that modern feel. We love producing 9 minute tracks but alas the arise of the streaming platforms and the ever declining dj set times emerging from the festival circuit mean that this is something of the past.
Vocal house has this incredible way of cutting through the noise and connecting on a gut level. What was it about Sian-Lee’s voice that made her the right fit for this record?
Her soulful tone and energy were a great fit for the track we felt from the demos of other tracks of hers we auditioned. But honestly her revocal as mentioned before was on a whole new level. An incredible vocalist to work with who really knocked it out of the park!!!
There’s a clear throughline in your sound—soul, groove, a love for the dance floor. How do you make sure your tracks, even when rooted in classic influences, don’t just feel like nostalgia?
Modern production techniques help keep our sound fresh. The emphasis on a strong and what some would be class as a techy beat alongside strong bass and lead hooks sums up our sound. The blend of tough and soul really resonates today so we always aim for this feel. Also the final mix size and maybe less vocals than back in the day lend themselves to the modern landscape.
“Shine On” feels purpose-built for peak-time dance floors. When you’re producing, are you imagining a specific club or crowd, or is it all instinct?
Both being DJs from our teenage years all our music has been aimed at getting a response from a dancefloor. We can easily spot new sounds, styles and techniques and put our own twist on it. The first audience we expect our music to move and get dancing is ourselves in our own studio which happens on a daily occurrence albeit very badly !!
You’ve seen countless musical trends come and go. Right now, there’s a real appetite for house music with warmth and personality again. Do you think soulful house is finally getting the recognition it deserves, or has it just been waiting for the rest of the world to catch up?
Waiting for the world to catch up or more accurately come back round to its energy and vibe. Vocal house music has been around since the birth of house and heavily influenced by the US originators. Still 30+ years on these house producers such as Louis Vega, Steve Silk Hurley, Todd Terry, Kenny Dope, Armand Van Helden, Dj Spen, Timmy Regisford, Kerri Chandler, David Morales, Roger Sanchez… (the list goes on) are still a huge influence on the scene and showing the strength and longevity of that sound.
Love to Be… has been a cornerstone of house culture for 30 years. What’s the secret to staying relevant when the scene moves so fast?
Our connection to the dancefloor is all important. As promoters, DJs, radio presenters and producers ourselves we are immersed in our love of music 24/7. We are constantly searching out new sounds, producers and artists who share our vibe and put their new twist on it. Adelphi Music Factory, Carly Wilford, Wh0, Folkness, Keex, Sinclair, Nicola Bear, Josh Brookes are good example of this. They all have a sound firmly routed in creating energy with their own unique twist. We feel searching out new talent to work alongside the iconic names mentioned previously help us bridge the generations on our dancefloors which is fundamental to what we are aiming for with our brand and key to our progression.
Bringing a full-scale street festival to Sheffield is a bold move. What’s the vision behind this event, and how does it reflect where Love to Be… is headed?
As Trimtone we are fortunate to get booked at many great shows around the world. The one which really caught our attention was Beats For Love in the Czech Republic. 40,000 clubbers spread across many quirky stages within a disused industrial complex. It reminded us very much of the steel works in Sheffield and we hatched the idea to see if we could bring the festival vibe from the fields and into the city which Beats for Love did so well. We have found the perfect home for this in Sheffield utilising club spaces courtyards, work rooms and street spaces to create on of the uks most inner city festival sites. As a brand we are always looking at bringing unique experiences to our fan base and this festival will definitely tick that box.
You’ve taken Love to Be… all over the world, but Sheffield is home turf. What makes the city such a special place for house music, and how does this festival tap into that energy?
Sydney in 2024 was amazing 3 sellout shows with Bassment Jaxx, Armand Van Helden and Shapeshifters really gave us the impetus to search out new territories for the brand. House truly is a universal language and Love to be is the perfect messenger as we bring our sound to East Asia, Miami, Ibiza, Amsterdam, Poland and many more TBC. But roots are never forgottent and we hope to bring all the new experiences back home to our loyal fanbase for some amazing shows, the inner city festival being just the tip of the iceberg. Sheffield has always been at the forefront of music and culture and hopefully we can continue in our way to build upon that legacy.
The lineup is stacked with house music royalty—Sam Divine, Todd Terry, The Shapeshifters, Barbara Tucker. How do you go about curating a lineup that feels both legendary and forward-thinking?
We look for artists that share our vision of playing and performing top quality house music with energy deigned to move our dancefloors. Whether it be the voted no1 dj in the world – Sam Devine or House icon Barbara Tucker to our resident DJs they will all deliver that sound. We always curate a line up that will include iconic names and emerging talent as we are always looking to bridge the generations on our dancefloors.
With the label expanding and the events getting bigger, what’s the long-term ambition for Love to Be…? Is it about keeping the legacy alive, or is there still new ground you want to break?
We are always looking to move things forward at love to be… Love to be…recordings is undergoing a refresh with the emphasis now on trying to develop artists alongside collaborations with some of the iconic names from our events. Expect to see releases from Todd Terry, Adelphi Music Factory, Marshall Jefferson, Lizzie Curious, Peverell, Josh Brooks and a few tracks from us Trimtone. We now have a new office and studios set up in Leeds so we are on a daily basis working with new talent which is a great feeling to be working with the stars of tomorrow today!!! There is so much going on at Love to be HQ and we are always looking to break new ground from curating new festival opportunities at home and abroad, expanding into new territories, developing talent, relaunching our Funkylove brand which work closely within the LGBTQ+ community, picking back up a Living the stream broadcasts and taking our radio show to all 5 continents. Busy times ahead!!!
For more on Love to be… head to: https://www.lovetobeevents.co.uk
The post “Our connection to the dancefloor is everything” Trimtone interview appeared first on Magnetic Magazine.