Preview, Trance | Dash Berlin Ft. Chris Madin – Fool For Life (Dash Berlin 4AM Remix)
Posted by Mach on February 11, 2013
“#musicislife” is by far my favorite album of 2012. Since its release, the question on my mind has been, which track will Dash Berlin create a 4am remix of? I am happy that they chose “Fool For Life.” It is definitely one of my top 5 favorites from the album, but I feel it has more versatility for a remix than the other tracks do. Only having heard this preview of the remix, I have to say I enjoy Dash Berlin’s piano and synth progression much more than the original. The drop is something different than most Trance listeners are use to hearing. It has a little bit of a breakbeat vibe to it but still has that progressive flow anyone can fall in love with. This remix makes me even more excited to soak in ASOT at UMF this year. This remix is set to release on Aropa Records on February 28th.
Trance | Armin van Buuren vs. Arty – Nehalennia
Posted by Spice on February 11, 2013
Up next in this week’s epic batch of releases is Armin van Buuren and Arty’s stunning collaboration (which nobody knew was coming prior to its preview on ASOT 598, amiright). From the melancholic piano riffs to the floaty, chopped vocals, “Nehalennia” is a gorgeous trance journey from start to finish, befitting of the goddess it is named for. Small wonder that it’s slated as the opening track on Armin’s A State of Trance 2013 compilation, which is set to drop on Valentine’s Day.
On a related note: swaggy kicks in that artwork, Armin.
Beatport: Armin van Buuren vs. Arty – Nehalennia
Trance | Ferry Corsten – Kudawudashuda
Posted by Spice on February 11, 2013
Kicking off an absolutely massive week of releases is Ferry Corsten with “Kudawudashuda,” and I couldn’t be more excited. The hook is catchy and dramatic, the vibe is dark and spacey, and the synthwork is top of the line (I’m a huge sucker for those staccato plucks). This is a song to lose your mind to; it’s the song that’s playing at 4 am when you’ve made it to the tail end of a deep set and time has lost all meaning. Ferry will be joining Armin van Buuren and the whole team on several legs of the ASOT 600 world tour (which launches in Madrid this Thursday), so expect to hear much of this track in the coming weeks. It’s out now on Beatport via Ferry’s own Flashover Recordings and is set to drop on iTunes on February 25.
Beatport: Ferry Corsten – Kudawudashuda
Electro-House, Trance | W&W & Ummet Ozcan – The Code
Posted by Middy on February 4, 2013
If you are sitting down, it may be tough to stay there. Coming off of their very poignant single “Lift Off“, W&W tab Ummet Ozcan of recent “The Box” fame to come together on “The Code”, another powerful electro trance track sure to be heard pounding around the arenas as the ASOT 600 circuit commences in under 2 weeks. Opposing big room builds with a heavy kick, electro growls and pulsing synths, the trio masterfully weave together elements of various genres, leaving behind the ideas of what one is expected to do and craft an outstanding track that will have lasting impacts on their discography’s and sets for many months to come.
Beatport: W&W & Ommet Ozcan – The Code
Trance | Armin van Buuren – Communication Part 3 (Remixes)
Posted by Spice on February 4, 2013
Armin van Buuren’s 1999 hit “Communication” is undoubtedly one of the most iconic tracks in trance. Its dark, haunting melody has stood the test of time, and while it certainly has a classic, late 90’s vibe it also still sounds amazing in 2013. Over the years it has seen two major remakes (Part 2 in 2000 and Part 3 in 2007), and now, in what is perhaps a long overdue move from Armada Music, it’s getting the full remix treatment (from four of trance’s brightest stars, no less).
All of these remixes are excellent in their own right. John Askew — a genre purist who recently took to Facebook to decry the amount of electro house currently being passed off as trance (#respek) — puts out a techy and monstrously hard-hitting rework at 140 bpm. Faruk Sabanci’s rendering enhances the airy piano theme and retools the main hook into a big, dramatic, and utterly riveting cascade of synths. Expect to hear a lot of his remix now that we’re getting into ASOT 600 season. James Dymond folds orchestral strings and choral bursts on top of some relentless kicks, while Thomas Heredia gives the track sawtoothy, electro-tinged heft. On the whole, all four producers did an absolutely fantastic job reinterpreting a rather unimpeachable classic. Listen to Armin’s original version at the top, and then check out the finished products below.
Progressive House | Syn Cole – April
Posted by Middy on February 4, 2013
Estonian producer Rene Pais, now known as Syn Cole or in the trance world as DNS Project, having ditched his Clashback moniker, is set to make his single debut on Avicii’s LE7ELS imprint with his track “April”. As one of our 13 to watch in 2013, Syn Cole combines gritty, complex electro, a quick alternating bass line, with strong synth play and pitch lead. The progressive mix takes a little of the edge off with a stripped back second drop for those of you who want a little more of an uplifting sound. Having already shown his prowess on the remix front and trance fans are already quite familiar with the DNS Project name, having played ASOT 550 in addition to numerous releases on Armada, Coldharbour etc, it should be no surprise that the quality will be there from the get go, as we see with “April”.
Beatport: Syn Cole – April
Trance | Armin van Buuren & Markus Schulz – The Expedition (A State of Trance 600 Anthem)
Posted by Spice on January 28, 2013
We’re about two weeks out from the launch of Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance 600 world tour, so it’s only appropriate that the official theme song — which premiered a few weeks ago on ASOT — got a Beatport release earlier today. ASOT theme songs are always a bit of a marketing ploy — by design, they’re meant to drum up excitement for the tour — but they’re also frequently great in their own right. Armin and Markus’s “The Expedition” (which in some ways recalls the ASOT 550 theme, W&W’s “Invasion”) is no exception. A dark and dramatic vibe, punchy synth riffs, and a slightly higher bpm (133) ensure that this is something we’ll be hearing plenty of in the coming weeks. For more details on A State of Trance 600 and to see if Armin and the gang will be coming to a city near you, head to the official website.
In other trance news, look for Armin’s upcoming A State of Trance 2013 compilation to drop on Valentine’s Day. (Note: apparently it will feature a new Gaia track. Goodie!) This compilation is the 10 year anniversary edition and will likely (hopefully) be filled with a lot of great material. He’s also in the process of wrapping his next artist album, so, as always, many things to look forward to in the coming weeks and months.
Beatport: Armin van Buuren & Markus Schulz – The Expedition (A State of Trance 600 Anthem)