TIM
STARKtim@starkprofilespr.co.uk
QUICKIES Bluestone
Capetown Anjunabeats 8.5
Been around quite a while now, and showing quite some legs. Matched against Bluestone’s sun-kissed pads and synths, ‘Capetown’’s vocal lick is to die for.
Matt Bukowski
Blissful Time Monster Tunes 8.5
When last issue we said Cold Blue’s ‘Atlantis’ was Monster’s best release, we didn’t count on this. It’s all in the title.
Shogun
UFO Armind 7.0
Anvil-hard beats, warping effects, nicely-pitched tubular sonics, and stabbed riffs are all on the menu
Akira Kayosa & Hugh Tolland feat Stine Grove
for this slice of West Coast-influenced (yet not dominated) trance.
Sunny Lax
Isla Margarita/Naida Anjunabeats 5.5
After two months without hearing one S.H.M-inspired track (and beginning to breathe a sigh of relief), here come two for the price of one. Hashtag as ‘dated’.
Wezz Devall The Great White
Buffalo Captivating Sounds 5.0
Almost wholly comprised of punitive, angular sounds and distortion, this has ‘8am, last-man-standing’ tattooed all over it. Great title, shame about the track.
Muriwai Subculture 7.0
Akira and Hugh’s first together is a predictably thunder-hearted affair. What it loses in top-end originality, it claws back in bottom-end power. There seems to be little these lads can’t achieve sonically with bass, drums and percussion. Max Graham jettisons the paint-stripping synths for a bleepier rendition, which works fine, despite a couple of slightly suspect key changes.
Armin van Buuren feat Jan Vayne
Serenity (Remixes) Armind 7.0
In ascending order of accomplishment, then, Bryan Kearney’s rework of Armin’s eight-year-old release is as muddy a production as I’ve heard this year. Eximinds’ is better, but does little (nothing actually) to hide the ‘Original’’s ageing cornerstones. Contrastingly, Andrew Rayel’s rework does away with them near enough completely. The parts left are mounted on an express train production, delivering something eminently spinnable.
Fisherman & Hawkins Apache
Coldharbour Recordings MOONBEAMMOONBEAM DIGITAL
01. TOMOMI UKUMORI ‘Timeless (Moonbeam Remix)’ Moonbeam Digital “The big Japanese singer with the deep and atmospheric voice.”
02. KOSHEEN ‘Addict’ Kosheen Recordings “They’re back, but this time with a super-dark sound.”
03. MOONBEAM FEAT JACOB B ‘Tell Me’ Black Hole Recordings “Very melodic and danceable track, with a velvetine voice like Craig David.”
04. BENEFIT FEAT JDASHIT ‘Hallucinations (J-Soul Remix)’ Moonbeam
Digital “This track can be played at any time — the result is always amazing.”
05. ERIC PRYDZ ‘Every Day (Fehrplay Remix)’ Pryda Recordings “Quite recently discovered Fehrplay. He manages to combine vintage and
mainstream in one sound.”
06. LOOLACOMA ‘Ooze Away (Julika Remix)’ Moonbeam Digital “Remix from Australian techno guru. Will explode on all dancefloors!”
07. A*S*Y*S ‘Acid Glitch’ Fe-Records “The sound of the legendary TB-303 in our souls forever.”
08. BRODINSKI FEAT LOUISAHHH! ‘Let The Beat Control Your
Body’ Bromance “We always play this at the end of our sets to give maximum techno energy.”
09. MATVEY EMERSON FEAT LEUSIN ‘Fallin’’ Moonbeam Digital “Brilliant vocals from Leusin and super melody from Matvey Emerson.”
10. KEZWIK ‘Let Go (Kairo Kingdom Remix)’ Simplify “We think that Kairo Kingdom is the massive breakthrough of the year. In a
dubstep and glitch-hop style.”
8.0 In the digital age of release-then- promote, advance buzz is all but extinct. When you hear about a track three times before it gets within an inch of YouTube, it’s highly unusual. Such is the case for ‘Apache’. Carved from granite-hard drums, pitch modulated synths, dramatic stabbed notes and a bottled lightning lead riff, it’s not hard to see why. Compelling stuff.
Icone pres Van Gelder
The New World Mondo 4.0
Through some thrusting production, strong supporting parts and a decent lead line, ‘The New World’’s euphoric opening manages to steer just the right side of antediluvian. At the break, though, it begins a spiralling descent into nadir. Cheesy, Sakin-esque panpipes, clichéd bird chirping, messy thunder clapping and overblown orchestral strings — this is the stuff of Morricone’s nightmares.
Markus Schulz feat Ana Diaz
Nothing Without Me Armada 8.0
The latest ‘Scream’-drawn single sees Ana Diaz’s indomitable delivery and
a-woman-wronged lyrics mark the theme of Schulz’s latest. Set against the reverse hit beats and dramatic hard-struck synths of the ‘Extended Mix’, they make a potent combination. Better yet is the ‘Coldharbour Mix’, which initially charts a darker, progressive course, before opening up with some epic head-swim atmospherics come the drop.
Moonbeam feat Aelyn
You Win Me Moonbeam Digital 8.0
The first track to come from ‘The Random’, the Khaleev brothers’ fourth artist album, this is another on-form dose of their inimitable style of trance. Deliciously dark and moody, it’s only the beautifully played occasional harmonic notes that stop this becoming all-out gothic. Aelyn is the perfect foil, bringing thought-provoking lyrics and husked, whispered vocal hues to ‘You Win Me’.
Shawn Mitiska feat Hannah Ray Salt
Enhanced Progressive 7.5
Oozing class with every beat, Shawn and regular Enhanced vocalist Hannah Ray have come up with something pretty special here. ‘Salt’’s bedrock is formed from a smartly-structured production and arrangement, which incorporates multiple subtle melodies
tranceREVIEWS
Walsh & McAuley feat David Berkley
Sail On The Waves Touchstone
9.5
After five years together, this release should see Walsh & McAuley fully established as challengers. Through the combined power of their excellent original elements (thermally rising pads, chords and lump- in-the-throat key changes being of particular note), this goes airborne inside the first minute. The emotion generated by American singer-songwriter David Berkley’s folk-ish vocal and intelligent lyrics, and an afterburning Solarstone remix, make this a masterpiece.
and effects. Onto that go Ray’s fresh- minded, cliché-free lyrics and vocals, which should render the on-offer ‘Dub Mix’ surplus to requirements. Now where are those remixes!?
W&W
Lift Off! Mainstage Music 7.5
The quality of W&W’s music has, of late, been playing fast catch-up with their turntable deeds. The electric guitar thrash of their last single ‘Moscow’ saw imagination levels spike, and ‘Lift Off!’ is not slacking in that regard either. Bathed in a profusion of distortion, squelch, whoops and exuberant titular shouts, at a trim five-minutes runtime and currently ‘Original’-mix-only, it’s a to-the-point release to boot.
djmag.com 051
MONEYSHOT!
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