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!

Oceanlab – Sirens of the Sea Remixed

CD 1
1. If I Could Fly (Jaytech Remix)
2. Come Home (Michael Cassette Remix)
3. On The Beach (Andy Duguid Remix)
4. Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery Remix)
5. On A Good Day (Above & Beyond Club Mix)
6. I Am What I Am (Lange Remix)
7. Breaking Ties (Above & Beyond Analogue Haven Mix)
8. Miracle (Above & Beyond Club Mix)
9. Ashes (Oliver Smith Remix)
10. Sirens Of The Sea (Above & Beyond Club Mix)

CD2
1. Secret (Andrew Bayer Remix)
2. Just Listen (Myon & Shane 54 Remix)
3. On A Good Day (16 Bit Lolitas Remix)
4. Miracle (Michael Cassette Remix)
5. Sirens Of The Sea (Sonorous Remix)
6. Breaking Ties (Duderstadt Vocal Remix)
7. Satellite (Original Above & Beyond Mix)
8. Sky Falls Down (Armin van Buuren Remix)
9. Clear Blue Water (Ferry Corsten Remix)
10. Beautiful Together (Signum Remix)

The UK’s legendary trio of Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Siljamäki comprise Above & Beyond.  Throw in a timeless vocalist in Justine Suissa and you have Oceanlab, whose productions have more or less all been some of the sickest tracks in the industry.  This new album is not all that new at all, as it is a compilation of “new” remixes of their Sirens of the Sea album by multiple artists.  The worst part is half of the tracks on the remix album aren’t even remixed at all.  For your convenience, new tracks that have debuted on this album are italicized.  As you can see, there’s not that many.  With all that said, new tracks or not what we care about here at TDM is how money they are, and by that yardstick alone this album does not disappoint.  One huge surprise on the tracklist is the lack of Daniel Kandi’s remix of On a Good Day, which arguably has been one of the biggest remixes for any song period on their original album.  It was the most played track in ASOT 400 celebrations throughout all the artists yet failed to find its way onto Oceanlab’s remix album.  Our personal favorite tracks have been bolded once again for your convenience.

From the absolutely awesome relatively recent Signum remake of the original Beautiful Together back to the olden days with Ferry & Armin’s remixes of Clear Blue Water and Sky Falls Down, these tracks bring a sense of nostalgia to a time before these current Dutch powerhouses were a common household name in EDM.  Back then Armin was still quite weak in his own productions, did not have the track selection and mixing skills he has now, and about the only thing he absolutely excelled at was remixing tracks like Sky Falls Down, Seven Cities, etc.  While we did complain a bit about some redundant older tracks, in the end… who can truly argue with putting Satellite on a compilation of top tracks?  If one can swallow the pill of ego (in being old-school) and self-denial that the late 90′s were the best era of trance, it is very apparent that it is one of the top trance tracks of all time.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

A State of Trance 2009

Disc 1 – On the Beach
1. John O’Callaghan feat. Lo-Fi Sugar – Never Fade Away (Andy Duguid Mix – On the Beach Intro Edit)
2. Sunlounger feat. Kyler England – Change Your Mind (Myon and Shane 54 Remix)
3. M6 – Paradise Lost
4. Ron Hagen & Pascal M – Riddles in the Sand
5. Mat Zo – The Fractal Universe
6. The Blizzard with Gåte – Iselilja (Sunn Jellie & The Blizzard Dub Remix)
7. Monogato – Miami Vibe (Omnia Remix)
8. Josh Gabriel presents Winter Kills – Deep Down
9. Myon and Shane 54 feat. Aruna – Helpless (Monster Mix)
10. tyDi feat. Audrey Gallagher – You Walk Away
11. Andy Moor & Ashley Wallbridge feat. Meighan Nealon – Faces
12. Rex Mundi feat. Susana – Nothing At All
13. Jerome Isma-Ae – Shaguar
14. Dash Berlin with Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren – Man on the Run (Nic Chagall Remix)

Disc 2 – In the Club
1. John O’Callaghan feat. Sarah Howells – Find Yourself (Cosmic Gate Remix)
2. Fabio XB & Ronnie Play feat. Gabriel Cage – Inside of You (Cosmic Gate Remix)
3. Gaia – Tuvan
4. Michael Tsukerman – Sivan
5. Cressida – Onyric (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)
6. Claudia Cazacu feat. Audrey Gallagher – Freefalling
7. Aly & Fila – Rosaires
8. Alex M.O.R.P.H. feat. Ana Criado – Sunset Boulevard
9. Signum – Addicted
10. Robert Nickson – Circles (Andy Blueman Remix)
11. Neptune Project – Aztec
12. Thomas Bronzwaer – Look Ahead
13. Phuture Sound feat. Angie – Come to Me (ASOT 2009 Reconstruction)
14. Dreastic – Blade Runner
15. 3rd Moon – Monsun

It’s no secret that the staff here at TDM are fans of Armin’s ASOT yearly compilations.  Armin’s good taste in track selection in his sets and live events carry through to his professional productions.  In general, most CD’s released by artists are 85% fodder and 15% actual content.  Armin’s a State of Trance compilations are generally the best tracks that have come across his plate in the recent year.  This one is no exception.  Then again, being the head of Armada and being the #1 DJ in the world gets a lot of quality tracks passed your way before anyone else.  With artists like DJ Shah as Sunlounger, M6, Robert Nickson, John O’Callaghan, Cosmic Gate, Josh Gabriel, Myon & Shane 54 as the Black Army, Dash Berlin, Andy Moor, Thomas Bronzwaer,  and tyDi, it’s hard to imagine this compilation being anything short of amazing.  In that regard of showcasing each of these artists’ extreme talent in producing, ASOT 2009 does exactly.  Don’t think, just get it today.

Overall Score: 9.5/10