Today has been quite successful due to the completion of a rather unusual mix, using my favoured Traktor software by Native Instruments. I guess I will start with a quick tracklist below before describing the mix in a little detail.
- Steve Allen & Ben Alonzi feat. Tiff Lacey - Wilfires (Jonathan Martin Remix)
- Sindre Eide Vs Aimar - Alive Again (Original Mix)
- Antheya - High (Store N Forward Dub)
- Oakenfold ft. Onerepublic - Not Over (Nat Monday Remix)
- Leon Boiler - Ocean Drive Boulevard (Original Mix)
- Static Blue ft. Catherine - Closer to You (Deepwide Remix)
- The Gift - Blue Lights (Fei Fei Remix)
- Toltel - Afterglow (R.E.N.O.I.S.E Remix)
- Carl B - Deliverance (Dub Mix)
- Arto Mumanto - Event Horizon (Tempo Gusto Jace Remix)
- Andre Visior & Kay Stone - Something For The Mind (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)
- Lexwood feat. Ferrin & Low - Chimaera (Original Mix)
The first thing to point out is that I did a quick edit after the mix was exported to shorten the frist track. I like keeping my mixes inside the 74min barrier as burned copies over this have problems in some CD players.
The mix starts out at 133BPM and has quite a gentle pulsating feel which slowly builds over the 74mins while throwing various soundscapes and moods around. Also having a mix open with vocals from Tiff Lacey is always going to start things well and Jonathan Martin's remix of Wildfires has a wonderful deep bassline and soft kick which allow the vocals and synths to float on top of everything else. I was a little dissapointed at having to chop of a few minutes from the start of this track but on reflection it lets the mix find it's footing quite quickly.
Another deep throbing tracks follows on from the strong opening and helps keep the feel while also providing a melodic shift with a mesmerizing break which sucks you in and lets you down as gently as it arrived. Wanting to lift things a little I dropped in High by Antheya and choose the Store N Forward Dub as it fitted best with the tempo and mood. This tune has some attitude and redefines the soundscape again with it's dubby effects, twinkly riffs and solemn overtones. This is really good tune actually and has an element of surprise with its very melodic breakdown and the introduction of a really nice little synthline which helps push the track forward while the pads and ambient sounds build the track into an outstanding trance song.
After all the dreamy sounds thrown about at the beginning I brought in another favourite track of mine at the minute Oakenfold ft One Republic - Not Over (Nat Monday Remix) is an essential track in any DJ's record box (or hard drive!). The track has a wonderful melody set to spacious synths beautiful arrangement and a pretty good vocal as well. Nat Monday's remix adds a more enlongated arrangement similar to the style of earlier Belgian trance track, but without all the cheese. This one is packed with a twisted melancholy or subtle strings and riff that never gives up and a relentless bassline.
Things needed a good shake up around now and I introduced Ocean Drive Boulevard by the excellent Leon Boiler. Leon is producing some great stuff at the minute, mostly some nice tech-trance that always catches anyones attention with his production trickery. This track however is one of his more restrained efforts and to that effect the tranciest I have heard from him yet. The classical guitar section during the breakdown and strewn throughout the rest of track is married with a huge dirty synth which fills the whole stereo spectrum, and just when you thought it couldn't get any dirtier he adds the lead synth which has enough distortion on it to make Slipknot jealous. The ironic thing is that the track is so clean and fits well with the ambitous mix that was starting to take shape.
Closer to You. What another outstanding track, I don't know who Catherine is but she has a nice voice and the breathy sound in this track and nice production by Deepwide benefit greatly from her soft deep voice. Another epic song with floating pads, crisp synths and overzealous amounts of reverb however the unusual transitions through the arrangement again make this track stand high above the many other vocal trance tracks doing the rounds at the minute. Never full on, but never standing still this is one track that will probably appear on my Top 10 soon !!!
As a brave soul I decided to try and break away from the extremely uplifting atmosphere that the mix has had up until this point. The Gift - Blue Lights (Fei Fei Remix) is definately a little darker and has more of a techno feel, with quite distinct sounds used for the two main synthlines this combined with a bit of trickery mean it is hard to see which way the track is going to go. Serves to make a "dark" moment in the middle of the mix without ever really losing the soundscape put forth by the preceeding tracks. It is also at this part of the mix that the percussive grooves start to make more impact and change the dynamics. You can tell the mix is building towards something.
Afterglow was another brave choice. You will either love or loathe the lead synth and the entire track hinges on this. Another track based around a big sound flying about with big pads, fat bass and nice sweeping sounds gluing the whole lot together. Again the production quality is outstanding with a beautiful breakdown which certainly brings the whole mix to a stop giving you time to catch your breathe. I think it was at this point I realised this was not a normal mix I had created, as the break builds up again it becomes evident that this mix is quite clearly all about creating an encircling wall of sound for the listener. As another classic trance song passes we move on to something a bit different again from another top remixer & producer at the moment.
Carl B brings us deliverence here, which is a dirty chunky lump of tech-trance. The soft sound of strings is combined with dirty chunky percussion and some nice piano accents before the hwole thing kicks off with what can only be described as a growling riff and heavly locked groove. If this doesn't have you dancing then there is something wrong with you! Lots of nice little varied breaks and before you know it the tracks is gone. This is the kind of track that people will not forget but will find it impossible to remember, it also opens the door for something a little more substanial in terms of driving the mix forward.
Event Horizon is another track that might well make it into my Top 10 as well. This track is a proper trance track with more body to it. A pumping bassline, solid kick and clever synthline all work well to carry the track through a few minutes before leading to a well worked breakdown. The track continues to twist in and out while maintaing a high level of energy throughout.
Staying with the more classic solid kick and pumping bassline I dropped Something For The Mind, which reminds me a lot of Paul van Dyk's "For An Angel", sweeping 303's, tight synth riff and staggered arrangment all reminiscent of that classic track. Giuseppe Ottaviani adds just enough changes to help this track find it's own way. Easily comparable with a classic and this one is nearly as good. I would of loved to hear some vocals on this one however they would have to be used carefully!!!
All this winds the mix up for the last track, which is again a great track with earlier roots. In this case Chimaera basically steals the basic kick/snare loop and vocal sample from the magnificent Slusnik Luna - Sun. However apart from this also being a pounding piece of trance music that is where the similarities end. Chimaera is another track that everyone should have in their record box as this is quite possibly one of the best out and out trance tracks I have heard in 2008. It has a monsterous breakdown, driving main section, a great melody, awesome production values and most of all that little bit of sophisication that makes it truely unique. The track never feels rushed yet by this stage I had made it up to 136.5BPM. A true tribute to the magic of trance music that the atmospheric beginnings continued through the mix and end on a very uplifting note.
Although the mix may not have as much substance as a usual trance mix, this is one for the mind rather than the body.
