Sly One

Since the last monthly update it's all been about making tunes.  My little studio has been playing host to all manner of filthy and beautiful noises!  My production/engineering tune collaboration with Jurrane, Sly One vs Jurrane - Timebomb, has turned into a stomping fusion of the UK / Van Dyk bouncy trance sound with a dollop of hard house mayhem.  We'll both be giving it a hammering in the clubs this month, giving it some final tweaks and then... well... stay tuned!

It's great to be getting inspired in the studio again! 

Those wonderful people at DI.FM, webcast home of Armin's A State Of Trance weekly radio show and the recognised top internet trance radio station in the world, will be premiering my new mix, Euphorasm 4, at around 7PM UK time (GMT) tonight.  As always it's a pleasure and an honour!

For the more tech-savvy types, this site now has an RSS feed so you get the latest Sly One news beamed directly to your inbox or as a desktop alert. We will be launching a newsletter soon for those who find RSS too scary... 

The new mix is ready!  Thankyou for all the kind words about the Euphorasm series from those who have been starved for a year for their next fix!

DJs and collectors - as always, if you enjoy the music and would like to show your appreciation, please show your appreciation to the artists whose work I am showcasing by buying their tracks.  I have tried to make this as easy as possible with quick links to some of my favourite download stores.

Grab it now from the mixes page. 

Here are the tunes which have been making me weep with joy over the last couple of months.  Click the Read More link to read all reviews.

1. TUNE OF THE MONTH - Armin van Buuren feat. Racoon - Love You More (Inst. Mix) [Armada]

This stunning return to form from Armin, naturally on his own all-pervasive Armada label, is a welcome reminder of what trance is meant to do.

It features the kind of thumping bottom end we enjoyed from Tiesto's Urban Train but takes the tinkling, twinkling lead sounds we so often hear on (usually progressive) releases from Armada's child label Electronic Elements - as popularised by the likes of Perry O'Neil and Probspot.

The result is an exhilarating, continuously rising progressive trance monster from the old school.  My undisputed tune of the month when wisely stripped of the out-of-place sounding male vocals on the original mix!

It's been a busy month!  My tune collaboration with Jurrane is coming on a storm - we reckon it'll be finished in the next month or so (time is so short!) and it has the working title Timebomb.  I've got a really good feeling about this one.

I also got confirmation from Six:Thirty records that my anthemic release House of Muzik, completed last year but which has still not seen the light of day (apologies to everyone that's been waiting!) is now definitely coming out on their label in the next few months, featuring some cracking remixes.

This weekend's Planet Angel was another legendary night, and I played a long-awaited 3-hour set, from midnight to 3am, supported on either side by a wicked progressive build from Mike Jackson and a pounding peaker from Vaccine's The Viceroy.  It got one of the best reactions I've ever had - hello to everyone that was there that stopped me to say thankyou - I enjoyed it as much as you did.  I'll be posting a full tracklisting (all 30-odd tracks) along with links to buy the tracks for as many as I can find.

More updates to follow shortly - a new mix CD is on the way along with my August/September chart.  See you all at the next one!

-- Photo By Kate Thornton, © 2006 Planet Angel 

Wow - it's been a while since my last update!

It's all fantastically busy at the moment on the music front, with production and engineering work for soul band OTB and numerous up-and-coming dance producers, my work with rock band Crossfader as synthist, guitarist and producer, and the sheer unproductive tweaking pleasure of my new Access Virus TI synth! My god, that thing really is the dream synth - if only the damn thing would stop glitching and crashing! I live in hope for each new software fix!

The ideas are coming thick and fast for new trance tunes, inspired particularly by my work with Crossfader and the glut of great music around at the moment - particularly amongst the dirty, electro-tinged fun trance stuff which there seems to be more and more of. I'll be showcasing it as usual at this month's Planet Angel - see you all there! If you can't make it, the webcast is back on at the new venue and you will be able to tune into the entire party, from 10pm-6pm GMT, this Friday 11th August.

1. Armin van Buuren feat. Racoon - Love You More (Inst. Mix) [Armada]
   
2. Alexey Selin - White Crystal (D-Air Remix) [Deepblue]
3. G-Spott & Vinyl Sessions - Session 5 [ZZap]
   
4. O'callaghan & Kearney - Exactly [Discover]
   
5. Sequentia - Innuendo (Ian Betts Remix) [Six:Thirty Promo]
6. Jochen Miller - Chromatic (Miller Dub) [High Contrast]
   
7. 4 Strings - Take Me Away 2006 (4 Strings Remix) [Ultra]
8. Vibrasphere - Floating Free [Tribal Vision]
9. DJ Fire - The Closest Thing to Heaven [Progrez]
   
10. Frontline - Surface to Air [Flux Delux]

Click here for full reviews

Time for a quick summary of the best 10 tunes of the last couple of months!

1. Alex Morph pres. Everest - Oree [Monster]
   
2. Filo & Peri - In Your Face [Primal]
   
3. Nitrous Oxide - Frozen Dreams [Anjunabeats]
   
4. Dan Stone - Made in Bahrain (Orkan Remix) [Anjunabeats]
   
5. 303F - Funky Abstract Brother [303F]
   
6. Peter McCowan feat. Amara - Moontribe [Experimental Division]
   
7. Thomas Datt & Robert Nickson - Tablamiza [Flux Delux]
   
8. Flowjob - The Asian Persuation - Denmark [Chaishop]
   
9. Bissen - String Theory [Flux Delux]
   
10. Static Blue - Under the Sea (Ian Betts Remix) [Six:Thirty Promo]
    

1. Edin Bosnjak - Alluring Wishes [FiveAM]
   
2. Sunny Lax - P.U.M.A [Anjunabeats]
   
3. Michael Angelo & Jim - One Step Beyond (Gavyn Mytchel Remix) [Six:Thirty Promo]
4. NEW ENTRY! Union Jack - Two Full Moons and a Trout (Tektonik Remix) [Sly One "Banging" Edit]
   
5. Son Kite - On Air (Lemon 8 Remix) [Digital Structures]
   
6. Motionchild - Paradise [Camouflage]
   
7. Vibrasphere - Landmark [Digital Structures]
   
8. John O'Callaghan -  Chameleon (Thomas Datt Remix) [Discover]
   
9. Gerry Cueto vs Bika - Daydreaming (Gerry Dubs It Remix) [Enhanced]
   
10. Cor Fijneman - Final Round (Sly One Re-edit) [Armind]
    
11. Lady Miami - The Unknown Lady (Big Hook Mix)