MOVE: Atlantis Dance 2009 celebrates the energy and excitement of the world’s largest gay and lesbian tour operator, Atlantis Events. The double-disc album is a follow-up to last year’s phenomenal series debut MOVE: Atlantis Dance 2008, mixed by Manny Lehman. This year’s album is compiled and mixed by DJ Wayne G, a resident spinner for Atlantis Cruises and Resorts. MOVE: Atlantis Dance 2009 is two-and-a-half hours of bumping and thumping party music filled with the latest and greatest names in club culture, including Ultra Naté, Kristine W, Murk, Rosabel, Bimbo Jones, Bob Sinclar, and an exclusive, never-before-released Amber remix. Wayne G contributes five of his own original productions.

Best known for his “Heaven Anthems” – infectious, tribal drum mixes named for his nine-year UK residency – Wayne’s creativity and ear have allowed him to expand his style to encompass new approaches with explosive results. He sat down with the Gay & Lesbian Times to discuss what keeps cruisers moving on and now off the ship!

Gay & Lesbian Times: Congratulations on landing the gig to mix this years’ Atlantis CD.

Wayne G: Thanks! It’s been a thrill ride.

GLT: How does your CD compare with last years’ album mixed by Manny Lehman?

WG: I’m not sure it really can compare. Though the album is the second in the MOVE series, I really didn’t pay much attention to the first. MOVE: Atlantis Dance 2009 definitely has my unique personal stamp on it. A lot of the stuff I play is very UK and European sounding. I mix that up with the sound popular in the US and it seems to flow well.

GLT: Is there pressure following a DJ giant like Manny?

WG: Manny is like my sister. I adore and respect him as a friend and a DJ. I didn’t feel much pressure following him – at least not at first. As time passed and it came closer to release, I started to get a little nervous.

GLT: How did you select the tracks for the new album?

WG: I set about trying to create a fresh sounding CD that brought the sound of Atlantis into fans’ homes. I wanted to mix up the old and new, incorporate Atlantis anthems, and offer something that wouldn’t sound dated in three months – something that would still rock years down the line. So I called in favors – I went into the studio and created some exclusive mixes, and I re-edited and re-hashed songs to give them a little bit of the Wayne G flair.

GLT: You’ve described the CD as a ‘Handbag with a brick in it.’ What exactly do you mean by that?

WG: It was a quote that Boy George used a few years back about my music. He said it wasn’t Handbag but ‘Handbag with a brick in it’– I guess the tougher side of Handbag. ‘Handbag’ is a UK term from the ’90s that described high-energy music.

GLT: Which track on MOVE: Atlantis Dance 2009 best represents today’s Atlantis?

WG: There are so many. ‘Body Rock’ will be huge this year for all the obvious reasons. Manny can do no wrong. ‘Ur the Best Thing’ will be a great T Dance number, as will Kristine W’s ‘Never.’ ‘Drop a House’ will be huge too. I could go on and on.

GLT: How did you manage to acquire the never-before-released Amber remix of “Above the Clouds”?

WG: I wanted to add some bits that had never been used before to the CD, so I searched Tommy Boy Records’ back catalogue. I knew Alexander has just done an updated version of Amber’s ‘Sexual’; a song that has always been a classic on Atlantis. Then I heard Club Junkies had done a private mix of ‘Above the Clouds.’ So I called in a favor. I think it will please the masses.

GLT: You divide MOVE: Atlantis Dance 2009 into two sets: sunset and peak hour.

WG: I wanted a contrast between the two CDs. The sunset is more representative of T Dance’s aboard Atlantis. The Peak Hour is more about the nighttime parties. I think it was a great way to give listeners the opportunity to select which CD to play depending on their mood. You want something a little lighter, a little funkier? Then Sunset is great for that. Peak Hour is for your tougher, darker moments. Although there are still some camp sing-a-long bits thrown in for good measure.

GLT: Are you more of a sunset- or peak-hour DJ?

WG: I don’t like to be pigeon holed. If I am playing a set, you will get a journey through house, funk and chunky, electro, tribal, circuit, progressive. You name it. If I think it will move the floor. I will play it. So I have no preference.

GLT: How is spinning for sea crowds different from spinning for boys on land?

WG: You have to cater for such a broad section of people at sea. The age range can be from 18 to 70. So you try to mix things up a little and make everyone happy. There is nothing worse than a DJ with his or her head up their arse, playing to themselves. If your crowd is on vacation, you have to make sure they are having the time of their lives. At Atlantis, we set out to do that.

GLT: American guys know you best from Atlantis… but across the pond, you’re widely known for your Heaven anthems.

WG: The Heaven Anthem created a great launching pad for me here in the states. In addition to Atlantis, I’ve had the privilege to headline Fire Island Pines’ Dancing On The Bay, Winter Party, White Party Miami and Palm Springs as well as most of the major clubs in the U.S. In 2005, I left Heaven, after nine years, to concentrate on touring. I miss those days, but I go back home now and then to play at Fire, The Fridge and Lo Profile.

GLT: What’s the new infectious sound that will keep dance floors MOVE’n in 2009?

WG: The chunky European house sound is really moving me at the moment, and I will always have a soft spot for the funkier side of house. Moto Blanco and Freemasons never fail to get the dance floor moving.

GLT: Do think Whitney may finally make a comeback in ’09?

WG: I hope so, yes.

GLT: You’ve said in previous interviews that “What happens on Atlantis, stays on Atlantis.” Can you divulge one secret from the cruise? C’mon, we won’t tell…

WG: Erm…nope.