I like Ali Wilson, and normally I hate ‘tribal’ trance tracks involving ethnic sounds. But Pandora is an exception to my normally strict rule that anything tribal is shit. This is actually rather good.
On a more general blog note, I’m going to reduce my word count and increase my post rate, we’ll see how it goes.
It’s very very rare that a label releases a track with a commercially viable vocal version and a dancefloor friendly dub where both are actually reasonable tracks. You tend to get one or t’other. However in this case hats off to the people at Anjunabeats as they seem to have pulled it off reasonably well.
In terms of the commerically viable version I think that both the original and the Rank 1 version do the job nicely. I particularly like the snappy orchestrals in the Original. But I’m not here to write about tracks which chart or I’d have far more traffic and no soul.
The track which really gets me moist is the Ian Flux and Thomas Blofeld Dub mix. When I first heard this track the breakdown really reminds of Nitrous Oxide Morning Light, no shocks there they are on the same label. The Ian Flux and Thomas Bloefold mix has a dirty and driving bassline, which gives away to an amazingly euphoric and orchestral break, which starts with a plucked guitar sound gradually adding the orchestrals and effects before a slight pause wallops you into a big old arms-in-the-air break. My only slight criticism is the added crowd noise in the background at the end of the break. I think this record will elicit its own noise without having to sample it!
I’ve also just noticed that this the first time I’ve blogged a track before it’s three months old. Go me.
Tomcraft’s original was just the right side of cheesy and as a result has been a firm staple on the festival, club and horrid club-bar circuit for years so I’ve often wondered how a re-work of this track would end up. Actually I’m rather pleasantly surprised by both the Niels Van Gough and the Adam K & Soha’s Shadow remix
The former is a more proggy outing with a well filtered use of the vocal with an excellent bassline a minimal breakdown and is a really driving track
On balance I think the Adam K & Soha’s Shadow Remix has it for me, and I think this’ll be the one that gets the airplay. It’s a muchwarmer and more upbeat track suited to a mid-set prog or house set and would probably lift the bloody lid of a party. I’m a particular fan of the break in this track which builds to a wicked crescendo, in fact it keeps building for nearly two whole minutes.
It’s certainly got me bopping at my desk.
Stay Gold was one of the first pieces of Vinyl I bought and thought ‘this is going to be a goodun’. I’ve spun Stay Gold in many sets for the last 11 years and it always gets a good response, (not that I’ve spun for a while). My version is so old now that the sound’s really degraded it’s been played that often.
To be really honest one of the reasons this tune first appealed to me was because it’s a bloody easy tune to mix and always gets a good reaction. The vocal is provided by Everything But The Girl’s Tracy Thorn. Not much more to say on this tune, EPIC….
After falling in love with Stay Gold I was lucky enough to get myself on the Decon and Virgin Records promo lists which was a bit of a win. As a result the EBTG records rolled in. I remember one of my faves in 1996 was Walking Wounded which I embarrassingly used to play on student radio at 10.00 am, as I thought chilled Drum and Bass was the perfect breakfast music. Worryingly I still do.
Because EMI are complete paranoid twats, I can only link to Walking Wounded.
Underworld have never been afraid to blaze a trail which is one of the many reasons I like them. In addition to floor filling anthems they have consistently produced more chilled and complex electronica, of which Beautiful Burnout is one of the best examples.
It was one of the better tracks on their Oblivion With Bells album. The album itself was very much of a time when I think Underworld were being a lot more experimental and their tracks where starting to get picked up by movie and game producers. Glam Bucket appeared in the game Need For Speed Undercover for example.
Beautiful Burnout is nothing short of an epic track, great build ups, excellent filtered vocal and strong pace. It’s only just danceable but certainly my first choice of crack on tune.
Out of the cold winter and dance music hibernation, we finally emerge to the thaw, and some decent records. Thank feck for that I was starting to get really bored.
I love Binary Finary, and in a self congratulatory moment of geekiness I can say that I bought the first ever double A side release of 1998 on Aquarius in 1997 and it’s still one of my most prized pieces of Vinyl. This tune was a really genre-changing track in its time and various re-releases and tweaks over the years have stayed true to the original.
The DJ Kharma & Mighty Atom mix is true to the tradition of giving this tune the lightest possible of touches, bringing it up to date without killing it. The original of this track is VERY fast so like all subsequent remixes it’s needed a bit of a down-shift in BPM.
A great upgrade of the original bassline and a slowing of the tempo gives this track great prog, or main set house potential. I feel that they could have taken the breakdown further along the lines of the PVD version which would have worked really well in a proggy track such as this.
Either way, it’s a great track which I’m certainly going to download and play a lot!
One of the simplest, tranciest and most melodic tunes of the summer, but then again that’s what Anjunadeep does.
What got me about this track and caused me to buy it was a breakdown that would heat up any dancefloor. This track is a perfect mid-set pace changer, which throttled up a bit would work in a trance set perfectly. At 0% pitch this tune bubbles along perfectly in a progressive set. With a bass line which just lends itself to a club system this tune evokes summer vibes on the coldest of days.
Original mix
Vadim Soloviev remix – bugger me this is good.
Only after buying and playing the original a lot did I happen upon the B side. I have to say that this is the thing that the nubreed are going to miss on the most. Old vinyl junkies like me have discovered some of the best tunes in our boxes to be a B side or a double A that we woudln’t have bought at the time, but actually, a few months later, the freebie knocks the shit out of the original.
Well that’s how I feel about the Vadim Soloviev remix of Deep Orange. Okay the breakdown isn’t quite as simple or effective in my view, but other than that, this dirtier, bassier track ticks all the boxes. The intro to the track is melodic with a threatening hint of big beats to come, bassline kicks in at around the minute mark and it’s hold on to your hats time.
A great DJ tool of a track thanks to the intro, I’m a big fan.
Originally hailing from South Africa, Kr00ton is a throughly affable chap. I first ran into him in the Hard Trance scene in London about four years ago. What I really like about this bloke is that he’s not a glory hunter. His mixing is excellent and he could have played all over the place, but instead, he just plays now and again at smaller promotions. I’ve seen him a couple of times and seem to remember him rocking the place.
Like many people who used to knock around the hard trance scene, Kr00ton’s got into Psy Trance, now let’s not hold that against him, he used to like hard house after all. That said he’s a jack of all trades and can turn his hand to trance and prog just as well has he can bang out the 180BPM mixes.
Here’s Autumn Lights, enjoy.
There are lots of great tracks on this mix and I have to confess to buying a few of them as soon as I heard it. Izu, Snow Drift; Paul Keeley – Doormatica; and, Oceanlab – Lonely Girl, are all excellent tunes.
And the tracklist
1. Izu – Snow Drift
2. Paul Keeley – Doormatica
3. Ashley Wallbridge – Spiritual Return
4. Arno Cost – Cyan
5. Dark Providers – Nasicilia (Ben Preston)
6. Oceanlab – Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery)
7. Dinka – Canonball (Claes Rosen)
8. Romi – Soothsayer (Michael De Kooker)
9. Rishab & Prayag – Starlight (Lost Stories)
10. Andy Moor & Ashley Wallbridge – Faces (Ben Gold)
11. Andre Glensk – Monday Reflections
12. Ferry Corsten – We Belong
13. Solar Movement – Eclipse (Mat Zo)
A track that’s so like an Underworld track I fully expect to hear Karl Hyde shout something over the top of of it. It’s been knocking around since May getting lots of dancefloor play from the big prog DJ’s and whenever I listen to it I’m transported back to 1999. This is no bad thing, with excellent tight production, this track is completely up to date, especially with the thoroughly modern, and bang-on prog mid range, it just warms your heart on a cold autumn morning.
What really gets me tingling is the choral stab, which just reminds me of Dark Train, by Underworld.
Despite it’s simplicity don’t underestimate the love that’s gone into this track, the production is excellent, and there’s nothing in there for the sake of it, every sample, sound and tweak is there for a reason, and that’s to build atmosphere. I’ve been aware of, but never really closely followed 16 Bit Lolitas, but I’m going to watch them more closely now.
This is a simple, no nonsense record, but my god it’s good.
Another great bootleg, it’s really the season for it.
The original Ruff Driverz track was a pretty cheesy house track with it’s Spannish Vocal and faux flamenco guitar, yet it’s had staying power as a commerical cross over tune. Any treatment is going to have to be tongue in cheek to not get the DJ laughed off the floor.
Aptly named, the Hoxton Whores give it a great, camp, re-work which won’t be heard on the coolest dancefloors, did bring a smile to my face. I could see the track actually getting some hands in the air at a more commercial venue or perhaps at an Nu Rave type affair.
Keeping the cheesy tribute vibe alive and at a slightly more trancey BPM comes the Beltek remix complete with bikini-clad bird on the video. Not the sort of thing I’d blog about normally but we all need a light-hearted comedy tune now and again don’t we.