Sly One

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!

2. Alexey Selin - White Crystal (D-Air Remix) [Deepblue]

I eschewed the original mix of UK label Deepblue 's latest offering in favour of this very unusual-sounding remix, which shys away from the current vogue for pounding, snappy kick drums in favour of a softer kick and a wet and squidgy bassline which provide plenty of room in the mix to let the beautful melody take the fore.

The melody itself never seems to end and becomes more euphoric with every loop; all credit has to go to Alexey Selin here for producing a melody that still took me by surprise!  

3. G-Spott & Vinyl Sessions - Session 5 [ZZap]

Another excitingly original release, Session 5 fuses a fat, buzzy, electro-tinged bassline with a funky progressive house arrangement which grunts along nicely before unexpectedly breaking down into a crisp uplifting melody and kicking off to a massive euphoric peak.  I am hearing more examples, like this, of trance absorbing from other styles and twisting them into its own image. Inspirational stuff to producers and a cheeky builder on the dancefloor.

4. O'callaghan & Kearney - Exactly [Discover]

I am hearing this getting hammered everywhere at the moment and with good reason - the duo from discover have found a production niche which they are sticking to, and for me this is the best so far.  A driving, typically Discover groove but with even higher energy levels than usual, crashing into one of the most euphoric breakdowns of the year.  Nothing original, but it doesn't need to be.

5. Sequentia - Innuendo (Ian Betts Remix) [Six:Thirty Promo]

Yet another fantastic promo to land on my doormat from Ian Betts' label Six:Thirty.  Predictably, it's the Ian Betts remix that really seems to boil the tune down to its best elements - it adds a big dollop of drive and energy in a Discover-esque fashion that will appeal greatly to the UK trance set.  Another broadly formulaic but bang-on tune of the moment.

6. Jochen Miller - Chromatic (Miller Dub) [High Contrast]

I was originally drawn to the Alex MORPH remix of this track, which takes the awesome and original-sounding melody and takes it to its logical full uplifting trance conclusion, but the Miller Dub has grown and grown on me, and whereas the Alex MORPH remix has made few re-appearances, it is this latter take on the "groovy build, breakdown, slam back into the groove" formula which keeps cropping up in my sets, and I can see it staying there for a long time to come.

7. 4 Strings - Take Me Away 2006 (4 Strings Remix) [Ultra]

4 Strings' early noughties mainstay has been given a rocket up the backside thanks to the latest fad for seriously uplifting and bouncy tech-trance.  A real dancing tune with a bit of fluff, a bit of filth and a dirty big dollop of groove.  Irresistable.

8. Vibrasphere - Floating Free [Tribal Vision]

A nice grower of a progressive track that does a beautiful job of taking on a high energy level and keeping it there.  The perfect starter to a set, it's gone straight onto the new mix for this month.

9. DJ Fire - The Closest Thing to Heaven [Progrez]

Classic morning trance that glides along with a smile on its face.  This trance mix is very similar to the electro mix but lacks the digital artifacts which gives the latter its bite - otherwise there's not much to tell between the two, but I find the trance mix just that little bit more uplifting despite the softer tone.  One of those tunes where you wonder where you've been for nine minutes when it finishes.

10. Frontline - Surface to Air [Flux Delux]

A big fat trance anthem with a fat off-beat bass in much the same vein as Exactly and Innuendo, but with a little more circumspect dynamic and a touch more dirt.  A solid release, set for a good few plays over the next few months.