Electronic, House, Techno | Spice’s Top 10 Tracks of 2013
Posted by Spice on December 22, 2013
2013 was a year of many momentous things. Including the insanely awesome above shot, which was taken by yours truly with a cracked iPhone (and it’s frankly still a mystery as to how I managed to pull it off. I mean, look at that thing. That thing is next level. Eat your heart out, Rukes). In keeping with all the seasonal nostalgia, here are my picks for the best tracks of the year.
Progressive House, Trance | Artificial – Prototype
Posted by Middy on December 9, 2013
Andrew Bayer, the maker of my favorite album of the year, “If It Were You, We’d Never Leave” has teamed up with fellow Anjunabeats members, Norin & Rad to form the duo Artificial. The US branch of the Anjunabeats family, the three of these producers have always looked to push the traditional boundaries of genre, and they continue that trend here. The track combines the upbeat complexity we see in Andrew Bayer’s clubbier selections, with the melodic abilities seen in Norin & Rad’s tunes. It is the perfect storm of their talents.
Beatport: Artificial – Prototype
Electronic, Videos | Andrew Bayer – Need Your Love (Music Video)
Posted by Middy on September 12, 2013
A little throwback Thursday (kind of) here with this video from Andrew Bayer and Anjunabeats. His album “If It Were You, We’d Never Leave” has been my favorite dance music album since “Group Therapy”. “Need Your Love” was just released in a club mix form, making it amenable to the club or festival setting, as Above & Beyond showed at Electric Zoo. The video takes us on a journey through the stunning forests of Southern Poland in the Tatra Mountains. The scenery fits the beauty of the track to a t. If you don’t have the album, check our review here.
Trance | Andy Duguid & Audrey Gallagher – In This Moment
Posted by Middy on July 24, 2013
While other labels like Armada and Anjunabeats have evolved and expanded their sounds to include the many variations of trance, Black Hole Recordings has been one of the few label strongholds for the traditional trance sound. The latest offering from the label comes from Scotsman Andy Duguid, who tabs noted trance vocalist Audrey Gallagher to provide an etheral top line for this track. The BPM is not going to crush you into a wall like a John O’Callahan track, but the uplifting qualities are more than present with fast moving key play, a euphoric melody and matching vocals. Yes there is the opening cymbal from “Levels” in there, so don’t despair, but rather just listen to the whole track and you will see why.
Trance | ilan Bluestone & Jerome Isma-Ae – Under My Skin
Posted by Middy on June 24, 2013
As Anjunabeats moves on from its well-documented landmark 10th compilation released in March, first with Norin & Rad‘s “Bird Is The Word“ last week, they look to another label favorite in ilan Bluestone, who teams up with Jerome Isma-Ae to give us the hauntingly beautiful “Under My Skin“. First capturing the imagination of trance fans in Miami as the most saught after ID in Above & Beyond‘s UMF set, “Under My Skin” combines soothing, emotive strings and piano, with a pulsing, yet melodic synth driven drop, that makes this one of the standout releases on Above & Beyond’s label thus far this year. ilan Bluestone has been a steady riser on scene in the past year or two with a bevy or remixes and originals on Anjunabeats and Armada, including his heavily supported remix for BT‘s “Skylarking“, while Jerome Isma-Ae has long cemented himself as one of the stable forces in trance and progressive. This is a dynamite release from Anjunabeats so do not skip this one.
Trance | BT – Skylarking (ilan Bluestone Remix)
Posted by Middy on June 11, 2013
BT is known for his cinematic, orchestral arrangements that stem from not only his scoring of movies, or his live “laptop symphonies”, or how he writes out songs freehand on paper, like an old-fashioned classical composer, but also how he molds melodies and harmonies over long periods of time.
BT recruits two of Anjunabeats‘ finest over to fellow trance label, Armada Music to give him two remixes for his recent single “Skylarking” off of his upcoming artist album “A Song Across Wires“, set for release August 16th. ilan Bluestone has been a name on the rise with singles like “Sinai” and “Capetown” both receiving high praise, while his upcoming single with Jerome Isma-Ae “Under My Skin” has already received support from the rank and file top trance DJs. ilan Bluestone does not mess with the winning formula presented by BT, simply adding his own melodic charm to the track with a churning low-end and a bigger melody that makes this remix more suitable for the live arena, having been played out by the likes of Armin, Tiesto and more. You can also catch the Maor Levi remix on the package, which goes for a more gritty electro feel, but the ilan Bluestone remix really stands out.
Beatport: BT – Skylarking (ilan Bluestone Remix)
House | Porter Robinson & Mat Zo – Easy (Remixes)
Posted by Middy on May 7, 2013
It was not only an eventful past few weeks for Mat Zo because of the release of the “Easy” remixes, deleting his twitter account, and also the widely publicized battering and stealing done to “Rebound” done by will.i.am and Chris Brown. He was known for not being afraid to speak his mind and saying controversial things, a welcome relief from the “OMG LAST NIGHT WAS AWESOME GUYS” tweets that riddle your newsfeed when you follow DJs, so he will be missed. The original has become an early year anthem and will stand the test of time as one of the great tracks from the two rising superstars. While the original will remain a favorite of mine for a very long time, the remixes assembled by Anjunabeats and Ministry of Sound are outstanding, calling on a wide variety of styles, from the drum n bass veteran Andy C, to the grungy electro remix of Botnek, and the smooth, techy “Bright as Day” remix from Modek. The last remix comes from Frenchman Lemaitre, a name that we have criminally neglected here at FNT (I am sorry), as his funky, french touch gives the track a whole new refreshing sound. Check both of them out on tour in North America at the following dates after the jump.