Events, Review, Trance | The Expedition’s Trance Takeover of Madison Square Garden
Posted by Middy on April 6, 2013
Wow, Wichita State is crushing Ohio State. This is not even close, who woulda thunk it. The bartender refills my glass as I watch the Shockers do just that, shock the basketball world and everyone’s bracket. Man was mine totally ruined, but at least I wasn’t the guy who picked georgetown to go all the way — dunk city. I look at my phone, 8:10. I am pushing the limit of how long I can stay at the bar because I need to get over to Madison Square Garden and sneak down past some security guards to a seat that isn’t in the obstructed view section. I close out and head over to the Garden to navigate the line and get inside.
The line is nonexistent, so I walk through and head up to the first level to probe the defenses of the seat security like a prized fighter trying to find the weak spot of my enemy. I see some other people dancing the same dance I am and as a group we would like to thank the kid in the teal tank who was escorted out of section 102 and left the entrance unguarded, letting the stream of approximately me and 4 other kids into the section. Thank you, because my seat put me dead center and I could see the entire arena laid out in front of me.
Trance | Omnia – The Light
Posted by Spice on March 27, 2013
At this point, it would appear that Omnia is basically incapable of dropping anything other than insanely catchy bangers. Let’s take a look at his track record — the young Ukrainian producer is responsible for 2012 standouts “Infina,” “No One Home,” “Hearts Connected,” and of course “The Fusion.” His latest is in keeping with this trend, thanks to dramatic, agile chord progressions that are impossible to shake from your head. While “The Light” got a soft release as part of Armin van Buuren’s A State Of Trance 2013 compilation, it officially dropped on Monday via Coldharbour Recordings. Anyone in attendance at ASOT 600 in Miami on Sunday will surely remember hearing it in Markus Schulz’s mindblowing, relentless set — as one of the penultimate tracks, it whipped the crowd into an absolute frenzy.
Beatport: Omnia – The Light
DJ-Set | Ultra Music Festival 2013 Weekend 1 Live Sets
Posted by Middy on March 19, 2013
Ultra always brings some of the best sets from the biggest Djs with a whole host premiers on every stage. Here are the best sets from weekend one that will get you through the week to the second weekend. If you have any requests for more sets, put them in the comments. There were a lot of incomplete sets like Above & Beyond and Tiesto that I did not include, so if you want them just say so, but they are only about 20-30 minutes. Below is Hardwell’s outstanding mainstage set that includes 10 brand new tracks from himself & his label. The rest are after the jump.
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)
Preview, Trance | Ferry Corsten – Kudawudashuda [Preview]
Posted by Spice on January 10, 2013
Ferry Corsten returns to his roots in his latest track — a play on “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda” — which premiered to much fanfare on the New Year’s edition of Corsten’s Countdown. This is solid gold non-vocal trance that features a mesmerizing hook, heavy kicks, and incredible builds; aside from the retrofits of older tracks he’s been working up with Markus Schulz, “Kudawudashuda” is easily one of the best things I’ve heard from Ferry lately. It’s the kind of track that gets dropped at 4:30 a.m. when the club is still packed but things are starting to get weird and you’re moving without thinking and are utterly in the zone.
On a more general note, Ferry is one of the heaviest hitters in the game and a true master of the genre, and I am hopeful that this is an indication of the kind of trance we can expect to see in 2013 (I’m likewise encouraged by Armin’s “Who’s Afraid of 138?” campaign). No word yet on an official release date yet but look it for it to drop soon on Flashover Recordings.
Progressive House, Trance | Armin van Buuren’s 2012 Yearmix
Posted by Spice on January 7, 2013
For some reason I’m only just getting to the magnificent feat of editing and mixing that is Armin van Buuren’s 2012 Yearmix. Armin spent close to a month chopping and refashioning 101 of the year’s top trance tunes into one blissful, continuous two hour mix that aired on A State of Trance at the end of December. Diehards will have already heard this in its entirety, but I’m calling your attention to it now in the event that it got lost in the holiday shuffle because it’s not something to miss. Not only does it provide an excellent and diverse cross section of the year in trance, but Armin’s unparalleled technical mastery is on display to the fullest extent (I cannot stress enough how agile, seamless, and creative his transitions are — if you have any sort of familiarity with these tracks, he’ll have you in total awe in about three minutes). Check it out below and be sure to take a look at the full track list after the jump.
Events | Ultra Music Festival Phase 1 Trailer
Posted by Middy on January 5, 2013
Ready for Miami yet? Well here is the trailer for the complete first lineup announcement after Avicii leaked the original about a week ago. This announcement comes with a few new additions in Rudimental, Disclosure, Major Lazer and Modestep, rounding out what should be an excellent balance of all genres and live performances. The trailer uses “Everyday” so that means that they have to get the melodic master, right…. right? Also something I failed to inlcude last time was that ASOT leaked its ridiculous lineup of Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, ATB, Cosmic Gate, Dash Berlin, Ferry Corsten, Markus Schulz, Norin & Rad, Paul van Dyk, Tritonal, W&W, which makes you wonder, when do you ever leave that tent? Hit the jump for the full lineup.