Trimtone on their new single and the Evolution of Love to be…

Trimtone are no strangers to crafting high-energy house music with a soulful core, and their latest single, Shine On, is no exception. A reimagining of Tony Moran and Cindy Mizelle’s classic, the track seamlessly blends nostalgic vocal house warmth with a contemporary edge. Originally sparked by a collaboration with Dan:Ros, Shine On evolved into a peak-time anthem with its driving M1 bass, crisp percussion, and radiant melodies. When clearing Cindy Mizelle’s vocal proved impossible, the duo turned to Armada’s network and discovered the standout talent of Sian-Lee, whose commanding performance brings a fresh intensity to the record.

But Shine On is just one piece of the broader movement Trimtone are spearheading through Love to Be…, the brand that has defined their career over the past three decades. From intimate club nights to sellout shows across the world, Love to Be… has kept its ethos intact while continually pushing boundaries. Now, they’re scaling up again with an ambitious Sheffield street festival, transforming urban spaces into a vibrant, multi-stage celebration of house music.

With new territories on the horizon, a refreshed label, and a growing global presence, Love to Be… is set to cement its status as a powerhouse in vocal-driven, feel-good house music.

Reinterpreting a Tony Moran and Cindy Mizelle classic is no small task. What was it about “Shine On” that felt ripe for reinvention, and how did you approach making it resonate with today’s audience while preserving its original essence?

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

Your take on “Shine On” exudes warmth—driving bass, radiant disco riffs, and Sian-Lee’s commanding vocal presence. How did you balance these elements to create something that feels both nostalgic and distinctly contemporary?

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. Working closely with Armada records we auditioned several voaclists 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.

Your music is rooted in house’s soulful lineage, but the genre itself has evolved in countless directions. Where does “Shine On” fit within today’s landscape of vocal house, and what does it represent in terms of Trimtone’s artistic trajectory?

Originally Beatport had the track listed as Nu Disco which this most definitely is not. As producers and djs we are happy to take be labelled as purveyors of House Music. House has always been a broad spectrum soul, disco, jazz, tech and funk fused to a house beat giving us the room to experiment with new sounds. The energy of our tracks and often tempo would always see us labelled as house and this definitely applys to Shine on.

The single is also a collaboration with DAN:ROS. What drew you to working together, and how did that creative dynamic shape the final version of the track?

As mentioned previously Danillo gave us the bare bones of the idea and passed the baton to us. We then arranged the first demo and kept in close comms to see if it fit with his vision which it did. He is a great producer and it was a pleasure to work with him on this and we look forward to doin so for a follow up

In an era where much of electronic music leans into the hypnotic and stripped-back, “Shine On” is unabashedly uplifting. Do you see this kind of soulful, vocal-driven house making a wider comeback, or has it always been thriving in its own space?

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 which is testament to the scene thriving in its own space

Love to Be… has built an incredible legacy over 30 years. As the driving forces behind it, how have you both kept the brand fresh and relevant in an ever-changing house music scene?

We always blend the huge iconic names mentioned previously with new talent such as Adelphi Music Factory, Carly Wilford, Wh0, Folkness, Keex, Sinclair, Nicolar Bear etc the common thread that all their sets bear the hallmarks of our house sound firmly routed in creating energy. We feel this blend help us bridge the generations on our dancefloors which is fundamental to what we are aiming for with our brand.

The upcoming Sheffield street festival is a major step up in scale. What inspired you to take Love to Be… in this direction, and what can fans expect from this milestone event?

As Trimtone we are fortunate to get booked at many great show around the world. The one which really caught our attention was Beats For Love in th 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.

You’ve taken Love to Be… worldwide, with events from Sydney to Harrogate. What have been some of the standout moments for you both in bringing the brand to new audiences?

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

With the label expanding its releases in 2025, what’s the vision for Love to Be… as a platform for new and established artists, and how does it complement your work as Trimtone?

Love to be…recordings is undergoing a refresh with the emphasis now on trying to develop artists alogsidse collaborations with some of the iconic names from our events. Expect to see releases from Todd Terry, Adelphi Music Factory, Marshal Jefferson, Lizzie Curious, Peverell, Josh Brooks and a few tracks fromus 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!!!

After such a huge 30th-anniversary year, what’s next for Love to Be… beyond this festival? Are there any exciting plans you can share about future events, collaborations, or label projects?

There is so much going on at Love to be HQ 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.

For more info and tickets to all Love to be… events, head to: https://www.lovetobeevents.co.uk/

 

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