Electric Zoo as a whole had its ups and downs, but Armin always puts on a good show.  Although the show was a bit dated in terms of tracks (~circa 3-4 months ago), it is common knowledge that Armin plays to the crowd of wherever he goes.  New York City in general is not as into the newest tracks as it is… other pursuits, but he sneaked a few nice gems in the set nevertheless.  As Sirius XM recorded and broadcasted the entire 2 day festival, you can find the sets all over the internet (Google electric zoo [artist] download).  Some of the download links will be expired or taken down because Sirius is serious (pun intended) about their copyright protection.  As such, we will not host such files here, and leave it to the disposable blogs to do so.  Here is the tracklist for his set:

01. Gaia – Tuvan (Intro Mix)
02. Fabio XB & Ronnie Play feat. Gabriel Cage – Inside Of You (Cosmic Gate Remix)
03. Ali Wilson vs. Armin van Buuren feat. Jacqueline Govaert – Never Say Shakedown (Armin van Buuren Mashup)
04. M6 – Opus Sectrum
05. Rank 1 – Symfo
06. OceanLab vs. Gareth Emery – On A Metropolis Day (Myon & Shane 54 Mashup)
07. Temple One pres. Tu Casa – Betelgeuse (Barnes & Heatcliff Remix)
08. Jochen Miller – Brace Yourself
09. Cosmic Gate vs. Armin van Buuren feat. Cathy Burton – F.A.V. Rain (Armin van Buuren Mashup)
10. Armin van Buuren feat. Jaren – Unforgivable (Stoneface & Terminal Dub)
11. Neptune Project – Aztec
12. Roger Shah & Signum – Healesville Sanctuary (Roger Shah Mix)
13. John O’Callaghan feat. Lo-Fi Sugar – Never Fade Away (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)
14. Ram – Ramsterdam (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix)
15. Alex M.O.R.P.H. feat. Ana Criado – Sunset Boulevard
16. Stoneface & Terminal vs. Rex Mundi feat. Susana – Stardust At All (Armin van Buuren Mashup)
17. Darren Tate vs. Jono Grant – Let The Light Shine In (Filo & Peri 2009 Edit)
18. ID
19. Guy Mearns – Sunbeam
20. Thomas Bronzwaer – Look Ahead
21. Armin van Buuren – Communication (Part 3)
22. Ummet Ozcan – Timewave Zero
23. 3rd Moon – Monsun

Encore:
24. Jochen Miller vs. Armin van Buuren feat. Sharon den Adel – In & Out Of Connection (Armin van Buuren Mashup)

Some things that jump out at us were On a Metropolis Day, Jochen Miller, Healesville Sanctuary, Ramsterdam (although the original mix is better), Look Ahead, and of course Communication Part 3 has always and will always be an amazing live track.

That said, the rest of the set was a bit uninspired and the encore is an absolutely stupid track.  The entire crew had fun in VIP though, big thanks to all parties involved that made it possible for us to cover the event there.

Ferry Corsten was day 2, and on paper, it looked like day 2 was going to kick some major butt compared to day 1.  A few DJs the first day surprised the crew here pleasantly with some good beats and likewise, day 2 was a bit disappointing as well.  Menno de Jong was probably the only other artist worthy of mention aside from Ferry.  Markus is probably the most overrated and boring DJ’s to listen to.  James Holden, Josh Gabriel, etc are all very experimental in live sets, and do not even get us started on ATB; it might as well have been called the cheese mainstream tent while he was spinning.  Although Holden did not (to our knowledge) play his famous track a Break in the Clouds, that was exactly what Ferry was on that second day – A break in the cloud of horrible sets.

Now, looking at the tracklist we’re about to post, you may think to yourself that it looks more like a promo tape than a varied and awesome set.  Make no mistake, I must admit that I find an artist playing 90% his own tracks and remixes in his set to be quite pompous and arrogant indeed.  The only difference with Ferry is that he is that talented that he can string together a set full of his own productions and remixes and have it come off varied, with fluctuations in flow, style, etc.  so that it does not sound like 1 long uplift or generic trance song.  It is quite arrogant, yet the track selection, mixing, and timing of each track was so spot on we couldn’t help but have it make up for the rest of the lackluster Sunday festival.  Here is Mr. Arrogant, in all his glory:

1. Ferry Corsten – Gabriella’s Sky (Original Extended Mix)
2. Ferry Corsten Featuring Betsie Larkin – Made of Love (Original Extended Mix)
3. Breakfast – Air Guitar
4. Ferry Corsten – Beautiful (Original Extended Mix)
5. Ferry Corsten – Twice in a Blue Moon (Festival Edit)
6. Ferry Corsten – Brain Box
7. Ferry Corsten – Shanti
8. Ferry Corsten Featuring Maria Nayler – We Belong (Tritonal Air Up There Remix)
9. Cataracta – Primitus
10. System F – Out of The Blue (Remix)
11. Bobina – Invisible Touch (Ferry Corsten’s Touch)
12. Ferry Corsten – Radio Crash

The last two get cut off with annoying yelling and interviews, but what a great way to end his set
13. Ferry Corsten – L.E.F.
14. Ferry Corsten – Rock Your Body, Rock

While we did not attend his afterparty at Pacha, we heard from multiple credible sources that he absolutely killed it there as well.  Ferry does not disappoint live.  And to give you a hint, our exclusive offer for our readers we worked out with the staff at a club he played at in 2004 is one of the best live events we had been to, and they have allowed us to bring it to you FREE of charge.  Stay tuned, because Friday you will be rocking your body to an amazing yet rare live set.  You won’t even have to download from some shady site like rapidshare or depositfiles.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see the Ferry to Armin, and then Friday for the exclusive thanks for reading gift to you guys for following us so closely.  Keep the comments and feedback coming.

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