Purple Haze – Bliksem

So many of you may be wondering why there’s a picture of lightning to represent the album art for this track.  Well being that we were unable to locate suitable album art for many of the tracks coming up, we figured we’d choose appropriate art based on track titles.  Bliksem means lightning in Dutch, and if you know Purple Haze aka Sander van Doorn, then you will know the nature of this track.  From his earliest ventures with the Purple Haze alias, to mesh, eden, etc., this track has the same flow and muse of SvD.  Amazing piece of work to throw into sets for that darker element, although the purity of the trance label can be debated, the effectiveness can not.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Cosmic Gate feat. Kyler England – Flatline (Kyau & Albert remix)

Pretty standard fare here, new CG sound, fairly melodic, but great vocals and combination of K&A’s remixing talents makes this track worthy of notice on our playlist here.

Overall Score: 8/10

Josh Gabriel pres. Winter Kills – Deep Down

It’s been said that the legendary duo that made tracks like As the Rush Comes, Beautiful Things, etc have gotten back together, albeit under Josh’s new label Different Pieces.  This track is particularly good, with insane breaks and the vocals to go along with it very well.  Josh Gabriel proves once again that his productions are pretty much all nothing short of genius, with the level of complexity in production value yet keeping the adage of a song just straight up sounding good to the casual listening ear.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

Envio – Touched By the Sun (Amir Farhoodi Remix)

This is one of two throwback tracks on this roundup.  Envio was one of the hottest producers when he was making killers like Love Poison etc in the late 2002 era.  As such, we’re not quite sure if it’s purely nostalgia that this remix brings us back to or if it has great standalone remix and production value.  Bottom line: this track is bumping and deserves a spot in the rotation.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Jonas Steur – Silent Waves (Tiddey 2009 Remix)

We here at TDM have been fans of Jonas Steur since his early days of Castamara and Silent Waves.  To hear another of our favorites remixed by high energy producer Tiddey is a double treat.  In the same way Sean Tyas took Mike Foyle’s Shipwrecked and turned it from a chill out song to a high energy mix true to its original form, Tiddey accomplishes the same feat with Steur’s masterpiece.  A true joy to listen to, this one is sure to get you moving.

Overall Score: 9/10

Bissen – Washout (Myon & Shane 54 remix)

Bissen’s been around for some time, from his first major hit exhale and quicksand which were featured on Armin’s ASOT 2007 compilation.  Following in its predecessors’ footsteps, this one is also a treat; featuring the remix from Myon & Shane 54, aka the Black Army .  Check it out if you get a chance, it’s a good track.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Thomas Bronzwaer – Look Ahead

The newest addition to the ASOT label (ASOT128), Thomas Bronzwaer doesn’t change up his style that has brought him critical acclaim, especially from the uplift trance community.  From his last hit Titan to this, it’s more of the same formula that is more addictive than crack cocaine yet only half as bad for you.  When one of Bronzwaer’s songs or remixes come on in the club, you just see the energy explode.  Definitely get this track.

Overall Score: 9/10

Ashley Wallbridge – Shotokan

First glance: Ashley is the chick right?  Wrong, Ashley is actually the guy, and even though he’s still a relatively new producer to the scene, he already has a ton of hits under his belt.  His unique style and sound is displayed prominently in this track, the same talent that has drawn collaborations with producing superstar and legend Andy Moor in their recent single Faces reviewed previously.  Great break, great sounds, great song.  Get it today.

Overall Score: 9/10

Whew that’s all for now, keep posted, as we bring you the upper echelon of trance dance music in the fastest fashion possible.  The management here at TDM have been discussing about bringing more news and goodies from top tier artists from Armada, Anjunabeats, Black Hole, and other labels that have reached out to us.  We will most likely post track-related news and perhaps even some exclusive previews that we receive, so stay tuned, bookmark the page, and subscribe to our RSS to receive your digest in a timely fashion!

Passive Progressive ft. Rachele Warner – Hide Away (7 Skies & Static Blue remix)

The first release from the new label S107, a sublabel of Armada, this track is definitive of what the S107 is aiming for; quality vocal progressive trance.  It showcases the talent of newcomer Rachele Warner, whose voice sounds similar to Smith & Pledger vocalists Carrie Skipper and Melinda Gareh for the classic bangers Forever and Connected respectively.  The original mix is somewhat lackluster, but 7 Skies & Static Blue pick up the slack in their remix for a very catchy synthesis of melody and vocals.

Overall Score: 8/10

Oceanlab – On A Good Day (Daniel Kandi Remix)

Oceanlab’s debut album last summer made some noise with tracks that were released years prior like Sirens of the Sea and their smash hit album debut song Miracle.  Listening to the album, there were a few good tracks on there, but nothing too sensational in and of itself.  It seems like as is the case with many Above & Beyond songs, once mediocre songs find ways to revitalize themselves through remixes either by their own crew or another producer.  From Breaking Ties to On a Good Day to the still unreleased remix of Lonely Girl by Gareth Emery, these once average tracks have found ways to make themselves noteworthy club tracks, and Daniel Kandi’s remix of On a Good Day may be the best out of all of them.  Played by more artists during the festivities in ASOT 400 than any other track, Daniel Kandi shows why he’s one of the premiere movers and shakers in the trance world today.  Get this track today.

Overall Score: 9/10

Re:Locate & Mark Sigma – Piranha (Heatbeat Remix)

Heatbeat may be a relatively new and still unknown name to many people, but he is an Argentinian producer who has a very distinct style of electro sounds & tech-trance.  From his first big hit Nebula to Paradise Garage (which was in ASOT 2008), to his new track Vergatron, they are all club killers that absolutely rock the house.  His most recent remix of Piranha by Mark Sigma aka M6 is dynamate and easily trumps the original.  If you’re a DJ playing live, throw some heatbeat tracks and remixes in your set and see how much people go crazy when the buildup crashes down and the payoff hits in the track.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Will Holland feat. Yana Kay – Tears In The Rain (Orjan Nilsen remix)

It’s no secret that we are a bit partial to Orjan here at TDM, but if he were to stop creating monster tracks, then we would just as quickly disown our partiality.  Will Holland’s Tears in the Rain has been around for some time, but with Orjan’s expert remixing, this track once again has new life.  The original great vocals mix amazingly with Orjan’s distinct style for a track that is awesome to groove to.  Definitely check this one out.

Overall Score: 9/10

Claudia Cazacu feat. Audrey Gallagher – Free Fallin

This is probably the most by the book definition of uplifting trance you can get.  Even so, how much does this track destroy the club when dropped in the middle of a set?  What is there to say, it’s very John O’Callaghan-esque, features the vocals of Audrey Gallagher, and has a life of its own.  Armin has been known to tailor his set style to the individual tastes of the region he’s playing in, but it speaks volumes when this track was consistently a staple of every set for a good month and a half or more.

Overall Score: 9/10

Roger Shah & Chris Jones presents Open Minded – To The Sky (Club Mix)

Although DJ Shah and Chris Jones’ first track together Going Wrong on Armin’s Imagination album didn’t capture our attention as much here on TDM, this track certainly has.  Making its debut on ASOT 400 like so many other new tracks, Roger Shah has arguably topped Going Wrong with Chris Jones with a more visceral and less balaeric track.  Definitely a good combination, and worthy to be checked out.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Ashley Wallbridge & Andy Moor featuring Meighan Nealon – Faces

Meighan Nealon has been doing vocals for Ashley Wallbridge (Ashley is actually a guy) for pretty much all of his tracks.  With their powers combined (in a Captain Planet sort of way), there is really not much to expect except an absolutely massive track.  What is there to be said about Andy Moor that hasn’t already been said?  He is an absolute master and genius of producing and produces more extremely high quality tracks in one year than most big artists will ever create in their lifetime.  The flow and style of the track most definitely favors Moor’s unique pitch and blend.  A masterful haunting piece of work, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t go out and pick up this track right now.  Well, other than the fact that it’s not released yet on vinyl.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

TyDi feat. Audrey Gallagher – You Walk Away

To round up our roundup, is our favorite track of the moment from the #1 Australian up and coming DJ TyDi.  His album just released and also debuting on ASOT 400 is his track with Audrey Gallagher.  The track is the total package in the sense of pretty much every category we care about here at TDM.  Haunting vocals not seen from Audrey since she lent her voice to Agnelli & Nelson’s Holding onto Nothing, beautiful breakbeats, variance of different sounds, amazing buildup, great payoff.  Seriously, just get this track and don’t look back.

Overall Score: 10/10