Trance | Armin van Buuren & Andrew Rayel – EIFORYA
Posted by Middy on March 17, 2014
The king and the prince. The god of trance and the mozart of Moldova. When a trance legend and soon to be one come together on one tune, you know that there is going to be something special created. It has the vintage Andrew Rayel kickdrum and melodically inclined synth work, held together by the masterful handiwork of Armin van Buurn. This is another absolute coup for W&W’s Mainstage Music, after they released Markus Schulz’s massive tune “Remember This”, the highlight from his recent “Scream 2” album. “EIFORYA” will be included in Armin van Buuren’s upcoming A State Of Trance 2014 compilation, set for release on March 28th.
Beatport: Armin van Buuren & Andrew Rayel – EIFORYA
Electro-House, Trance | Armin van Buuren ft. Cindy Alma – Beautiful Life (Protoculture & Mikkas Remixes)
Posted by Middy on September 8, 2013
Armin van Buuren’s second single from his fifth artist album “Intense”, “Beautiful Life” just got a small, but potent remix package from Protoculture and Mikkas. The Mikkas remix will be more popular with a wider audience, but the Protoculture remix brings out the best trance qualities this track has to offer, and then makes it even bigger. Mikkas adds his glitchy, electro-dub that has become quite popular on remixes like “Rewind”, while Protoculture adds a little more uplifting and goes for broke with as big a melody as you can get. Both remixes are very different and will appeal to different fans, but each are very, very good.
Beatport: Armin van Buuren ft. Cindy Alma – Beautiful Life (Protoculture & Mikkas Remixes)
Progressive House, Trance | Armin van Buuren feat. Trevor Guthrie – This Is What It Feels Like (Original + W&W Remix)
Posted by Middy on April 8, 2013
With his fifth studio album “Intense” set for release May 3rd, Armin van Buuren has released the first single “This Is What It Feels Like” from the album with Trevor Guthrie on vocals. Getting its premier on Pete Tong’s Essential Selection, “This Is What It Feels Like” is a departure from the more traditional trance roots that has made Armin van Buuren the beloved figure he is today, but as he has stated time and time again “Don’t be a prisoner to your own style”. I was a little skeptical at first, but the emotion and big melodies won me over and after seeing Trevor Guthrie perform it live at Madison Square Garden, I could’t help but love this tune.
There are few producers hotter than W&W right now. Their bombastic beats have taken the world by storm, becoming staples of mainstage and hard core trance sets alike. Their remix of “This Is What It Feels Like” got its fitting premier on the main stage at Ultra and has been a potent weapon for Armin at all of his shows since. W&W continue to show with this remix that their thunderous bass lines and booming synths are some of the most effective being made right now and show no signs of letting up. In other news, Armin revealed the tracklist for “Intense”, which you can check out after the jump.
Beatport: Armin van Buuren feat. Trevor Guthrie – This Is What It Feels Like (Original + W&W Remix)
Electro-House | Armin van Buuren & W&W – D# Fat
Posted by Spice on February 25, 2013
First things first: Armin van Buuren might have a production credit on “D# Fat,” but it ain’t trance. Nope, this collaboration with Dutch powerhouses W&W is electro to the core; in fact, it takes a leaf out of the book of “The Code” (another W&W special) and delivers a pounding bassline and hard-hitting, crunchy synth leads. Don’t let the piano riffs at the beginning fool you — this track packs a massive wallop and is sure to get dance floors moving as we head into the WMC home stretch. In all, “D# Fat” is a reflection of the next wave of progressive and electro house — it combines the best elements of both genres to great effect.
Beatport: Armin van Buuren vs. W&W – D# Fat
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 | 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.
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)