TIM
STARKtim@starkprofilespr.co.uk QUICKIES
Boom Jinx & Daniel Kandi Azzura (Juventa vs
Willem de Roo Remix) Enhanced Recordings 7.5
With their chilled and harmonic take on the track, Juventa and Willem de Roo finally come with a version of ‘Azzura’ that works for me.
Ernesto vs Bastian & Kay Wilder
Just In Bibber Audentity 7.0
Shamelessly courting the under-14 crowd (well maybe), ‘Just In Bibber’ is a decent trancer with a tubular main line that hooks the floor well.
KhoMha
The Dark Knight EP Coldharbour Recordings
8.5
The Columbian tech prodigy strikes again. Quality-wise, between ‘Days Gone Bye’,
‘Think About Me’ and the EP’s titular, there’s little to choose between.
Oliver Lang
Coastline Magik Muzik 7.0
In terms of lead sound and note construction, ‘Coastline’ sounds like it’s going to burst into Sasha’s ‘Xpander’ at any second. That, honestly, is no bad thing.
Setrise vs Johann Stone
Icesave ASOT 7.5
A tribute to the long hot summer? Or possibly not! Either way the combination of ‘Icesave’’s rippling, near-overcharged backing track and understated-but- beautiful top end works very well.
tranceREVIEWS
Amex & Basil O’Glue
Rusted Bliss ITWT
9.5
Through a unique channelling of Roxy Music strings and ‘Fade To Grey’ bass (get your history of music out, folks!), this Greco-Italian partnership have pulled off the summer’s first exceptional melodic trancer. Odd, inspired, beautiful and entirely lacking in contrivance, this is lump-in-throat trance that’ll have you hitting ‘loop’ on the media player before your can say “Mind yer Balearics!”
Ali Wilson
Lights Of Aither Armind 6.0
Two minutes into ‘Aither’, you could be struck by a pronounced ‘hang on a second’ moment. Chanting tribal vocals, built up with rapacious strafing synths? We’ve been here before (several times) with Ali and most notably on the massive ‘Pandora’. That was back in 2010 and fine as those tracks were, it might be time to work a new angle.
Aly & Fila vs Jawdan
Coming Home FSOE 8.5
SHOGUN ARMADA MUSIC 01. DASH BERLIN WITH CERF, MITISKA & JAREN VS
SHOGUN ‘MAN ON THE SKYFIRE’ ARMADA MUSIC “TWO OF MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE TRACKS MASHED UP INTO ONE. MUCH REQUESTED FOR MY SETS.”
02. W&W‘SHOTGUN’ MAINSTAGE “CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON W&W FOR A BIG ANTHEM. THIS ONE IS A MONSTER!”
03. MARK LEANINGS VS SPACE ROCKERZ & TANIA
ZYGAR ‘WHATEVER HAPPEND TO PUZZLE PIECE (JOC MASHUP)’ SUBCULTURE “THIS BRILLIANT MASHUP BY JOHN O’CALLAGHAN ALWAYS SENDS THE CROWD WILD, HOT STUFF!”
04. GIUSEPPE OTTAVIANI & BETSIE LARKIN ‘TOYS’ VANDIT RECORDS “A CLASSIC UPLIFTING TRANCE PRODUCTION, MIXED WITH THE TOUCHING
VOCALS OF BETSIE LARKIN.” 05. FERRY CORSTEN FEAT ARUNA ‘LIVE FOREVER (SHOGUN
REMIX)’ ULTRA “I WANTED TO GIVE THIS REMIX A POWERFUL AND ENERGETIC TWIST, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE TRACK DROPS.”
06. UMMET OZCAN ‘THE BOX’ RESET RECORDS “MASSIVE TUNE BY UMMET, THIS ONE GETS DARK AND DIRTY. PERFECT FOR SOME
DANCEFLOOR DAMAGE.”
07. OMNIA & IRA ‘THE FUSION’ COLDHARBOUR RECORDINGS “WHAT A HUGE BASSLINE!”
08. EMMA HEWITT ‘MISS YOU PARADISE’ S107 “A STAPLE IN MY SETS LATELY.”
09. HEATBEAT ‘CHOW MEIN’ CAPTIVATING “CLASSIC HEATBEAT SOUND, ONE OF MY FAVOURITE DUOS FROM THE HEART OF
ARGENTINA. LOVE THEIR TUNES.”
10. ORJAN NILSEN ‘ENDYMION’ ARMIND “ORJAN NILSEN PRODUCTIONS ALWAYS CRUSH THE DANCEFLOOR. THIS ONE
IS BIG!”
A, F & J first assembled on the wilfully daft ‘We Control The Sunlight’. The law of diminishing returns means that ‘Coming Home’ will probably do half as well, which will be a crime because it’s infinitely better. Packing a stellar chorus, swelling synths and super-heated pads into its centre-section, it delivers a flawless, spectacularly executed drop. Hairs stand up, goosebumps pop, hands shoot up and jaws meet floors. A hit!
Andy Duguid feat Lizzie Curious
Music Box Magik Muzik 6.0
I’m sure the idea of a song built around the metaphor of a music box (whose production riffs off the synthesized refrain of an actual music box) sounded like a good idea in principle. Sadly it’s not one that works inside the confines of a trance track. On
the Dub it’s shorn of its trying vocal and is a far better piece. Still nowhere near Andy’s best, though.
John O’Callaghan
Boban/Earth2Self Subculture 8.0
After the likes of ‘Mess Of A Machine’, the rushy, uplifting thrust of ‘Boban’ feels a bit J.O.C.-2008. It does deliver a great breaks-strewn drop, with an ace prowling 303-ish sub-melody though. Superior in style and substance (and title!) is ‘Earth2Self’. Hard grooving bass, hissing hi-hats, spiced tech beats, spot-on tempo and with a great new idea never more than 30 seconds away, it’s first-class earhole candy.
Mark Burton
Violator Borderline 5.5
Ah, the acid bassline. Class of 2005! Given some of the lower- grade offerings these days, you almost miss it. Well, almost. As Mark Burton underlines here, it is often the last refuge of the producer short of solid ideas. ‘Violator’ is a feature-free trancer that shouldn’t really have left the studio. Both he and Borderline have released far better.
Mr Pit It Is What It Is/River Of Hearts
Coldharbour Recordings 8.0
‘It Is What It Is’ is a well- produced, tightly arranged dark trancer. Running on rails through
www.djmag.com 061
many of the sub-genre’s tropes (and a few lesser travelled ones), it’s effective gear. ‘River Of Hearts’ is the headline, though. At the tougher end of progressive, its plethora of arcing synths, original strings (violins, et al) and exhilarating pads airburst above its driving drum underlay.
Sunny Lax
Hattori Hanzo Always Alive 8.0
‘Hattori Hanzo’ - (Kill Bill’s sword maker to save you Googling it) - is a prog-trance thrill-athon. Unloading cool sounds, echoing FX and high-end squelch (paid off against low, low frequency oscillation), it turns heads from the get-go. The long held notes of its lead riff lend it all the atmosphere it needs, and from start to finish this track just works.
Vast Vision feat Fisher
Hurricane Enhanced Recordings 8.0
On their mix Vast Vision mirrors Fisher’s somewhat bleak vocal tone. The sum total is something that becomes ultimately a bit too weighty. The more you listen though, the greater the appreciation for the songwriting itself grows. There’s some very imaginative lyrical phrasing here. On the remix-side, Ost & Meyer provide something more vibrant, well sequenced and idea-filled, and that’s what it takes to make ‘Hurricane’ roar.
MONEYSHOT!
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