You should be familiar with the Russian trance duo, Eximinds, who have had a plethora of successful singles and remixes. Well, they aren’t done quite yet with another track coming out on Gareth Emery’s Garuda Music on June 24th. We got the chance to ask the Russian talents some questions about everything from how they met, to the current state of trance music to how they define their sound.
You guys met on an online forum in 2009 and then signed with Enhanced Music just a year later. Why do you think you became so successful so quickly? 
We work hard on trying to have a distinct sound. It’s challenging to “stick out from the crowd,” but that is one of our main goals, and from there we’ve been fortunate to release on Enhanced, Garuda, and Anjunabeats, whose platforms we’ve been able to utilise to grow our fan base.
Congratulations on being asked to play as a part of the ASOT 600 celebrations! How big was this for you?
Of course it was amazing. We got to meet Leon Bolier and got to see Armin again. It was a bit hectic, but the energy of the crowd was unreal and unlike anything we’ve experienced before. It was definitely the highlight of our career so far! We stayed in the area for a couple of days afterwards, so it was a nice break from the cold Russian winter!
You have a very unique sound, how did you develop it and how would you define it?
That’s a good question. We like to have a driving bass line, and have our own kicks and big snares that we use. We also like to add a lot of percussion. I guess we would define it as the “Eximinds sound!”
What do you think about the global Trance scene right now?
It has definitely evolved. It is continuously evolving, actually. There is that “2.0” style and the more “traditional trance” route. We like to try new things, but ultimately we try to incorporate the sounds that define what trance was built upon.
Do you have a favorite place to play?
Hopefully that place will be in America. We have not played there yet, but are anxious to make our debut there.
Who do you most want to collaborate with and why?
Armin van Buuren and Gareth Emery. One of the most famous and our favorite DJs. We did a remix for Armin, but to do a collab with him would be on another level. He & Gareth—we would be honored to do collaborations with them.
Where do you see yourselves in five years?
Hopefully somewhere on the DJ Mag Top 100 list, doing what we are doing now, but on a larger platform, and touring the world.
What are your goals as DJ/Producers?
To deliver strong, memorable tracks—both with instrumentals and vocal tracks, and to tour the world and meet all of our fans!
