With a career spanning more than three decades, the Scottish producer and DJ David Forbes has become a respected name in the global trance scene, known for his powerful productions, energetic sets, and aliases like Hal Stucker, DBF to name a few.

As A State of Trance celebrates its 25th year anniversary, Forbes continues to prove that experience and innovation can go hand in hand. From early days building a studio piece by piece to embracing modern production tools and even AI-assisted workflows, his journey reflects the evolution of electronic music itself.

Just before his set at ASOT 2026 Rotterdam, we got chance to sit down with this legend in person where he talks about his busy start to 2026, returning to A State of Trance, the changing landscape of music production, and the passion that still keeps him spending countless hours in the studio.

Hi David, how are you? And how’s 2026 going so far?

2026 has been incredible so far. January was extremely busy, I was in Hollywood in Los Angeles then in Berlin doing the Paul van Dyk show. It was my debut at Avalon, which is an incredible club. After that went to Thailand for the Unconscious Festival. It’s been a really busy start to the year, and February has been great as well, so it’s shaping up to be a very good year.

How does it feel to be back at A State of Trance?

I think anybody who gets the opportunity to play at ASOT is extremely privileged. I feel really humbled and honored to play such a prestigious gig. I do get nervous at gigs, but at the same time I seem to get even more nervous at A State of Trance. This is the fourth time I’ve played there, and the nerves are just the same as the first time. It’s incredible to be back, especially for the 25th anniversary.

You’ve been in the Trance scene for many years. How has music production evolved over time?

At the beginning, you really needed a lot of money to buy studio equipment. I started off with just a keyboard, a mixing deck, and a sampler. Even then, in the early 90s, it still cost a couple of thousand pounds, which today might be equivalent to around 10,000. I bought most of my equipment gradually using birthday money and saving up. Nowadays, production is much more accessible. All you need is a laptop, DAW  and start making music straight away. If you have talent, it’s much easier to create music. There are so many tools available now, which makes production easier than ever especially with AI entering the space.

Speaking of AI, how do you see its impact on upcoming productions?

If AI is used in the right way, it can be very beneficial. Some AI programs have completely blown my mind, you can already use them to enhance your productions. The key is not to rely solely on AI, as someone who has been producing for the last 30 years, I think these tools are great for adding the final touches to a track. At the same time, if you don’t embrace new technology, you risk being left behind.

What is one thing that has never changed for you over the years?

My passion for writing music for Trance, it has been my whole life and career for so many years. People often ask me how much time I spend in the studio, and sometimes I tell them it would be easier to ask how many hours I spend in the house because I spend so much time in the studio. I’m absolutely obsessed with writing music.

Tracks like Contemplation and Drift always bring a fresh, energetic feeling. How do you come up with ideas like that?

Usually I just go into the studio, sit down, and start working. If I feel like writing an uplifting track, I’ll do that. Over the last four or five years, my sound has leaned a bit more towards tech trance and harder styles. But I’ve also got an uplifting track with Sue McLaren coming out on Armada and I loved working on that. I’m still very much in love with writing all types of music.

Do you listen to other genres to get inspiration or creative ideas?

When I was doing a lot of Hal Stucker material, I listened to a lot of melodic music, there’s an artist called Tycho from San Francisco, his melodies are incredible. I often go back to his music for melodic inspiration, his sound has been a huge influence on my own music.

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