Eargasm goals: Jes - Imagination with the Will Atkinson touch
Jes - Imagination (Will Atkinson remix) was out on February 22 and now is sitting very nicely as no. 1 in Beatport's Trance Top 100. The remix is out for days, but my soul has finally cooled off to write about it. If I was to write on the release day, you would have read a novel.
Jes's voice will always be through one of my favorites in the trance scene and Will Atkinson is one of the best in the scene. When there is a combination of these 2, you cannot expect anything else than perfection. This remix is a very serious contender for Tune of the Year. And I am not the only one to say it.
This remix is eargasm goals. It has everything it needs to be in every playlist in the world and for us to abuse that repeat button. :) It is love at first listen. It is driving, energetic, magic!
I can tell in your eyes, while listening to this, where you go, 'cause I have been to each state you are in now too. I know it's like a trip, maybe to me, a trip too far, moving forward, faster into my imagination, but let it run away with me.
Imagination is in our hearts since 2008, and it was remixed by Tiesto, Kaskade and others too. But if you ask me, no one did it better than Atkinson.
Letting JES’s ‘Imagination’ run away with him, over nine minutes Will’s rework takes it to any number of new dimensions. Rolling JES’s opening refrains over crisp breaks and then capitalising with 4/4 beats, he brings in a beast of a b-line and an irresistible riptide of surging sub-riffs. Will then deftly clicks it over into a thumping progressive tract, allowing - through pathos-soaked pads, synths and endless FX detail, that emotion to swell.
Finally - right when you think it’s topped out and hasn’t anymore road to run, he stunningly upscales again. With a break picked out by authentic guitars strains and heart-seeking chime, Will finally eclipses all with the kind of mainline uplift your night simply won’t recover from.
Make sure to grab your copy here: https://magikmuzik.choons.at/imaginationremix.
Track also did awesome at ASOT 900 Utrecht the other weeks and Will perfectly illustrates the feels after in his latest video:
---
facebook.com/JESofficial/
officialjes.com
twitter.com/official_jes
soundcloud.com/jes
facebook.com/djwillatkinson/
twitter.com/willatkinsonyes
soundcloud.com/willatkinson
Another dimension: Tim Penner - Radio Silence [ J00F Recordings]
Since his first radar appearance back in 2014, he’s released deeper sided cuts on Slideways, JOOF, Cycles, and a half dozen other prominent labels. Lauded by DJs who themselves enjoy multi-genre appeal, he’s become one of the most discussed music makers in his area. That ‘area’ specifically though depends on who you’re talking to. Some have him down as ‘the deep trance guy’. Others ‘progressive’, ‘deep house’ or to some, anything with ‘tech’ in its title. Tim, himself, doesn’t express. However at the musical crossroads of John Digweed, Guy J, Hernan Cattaneo, John Fleming and Max Graham lies the crux of it.
To date a singles-focussed producer, the onset of 2019 will see the debut of Tim’s first mass body of work. Tightly curated and (by virtue of) a perfectly formed album compact, it’s time for ‘Radio Silence’.
Seeing electronic music in a non-linear/non-binary form, Tim doesn’t address it from the same standpoint as you or I. Thus this is an album not about progression, but dimension (or indeed dimensions plural). ‘Radio Silence’ doesn’t play out in a building ‘mix-comp’ fashion. Anything but. To expect its first track to be its darkest or its last the lightest/clubbiest will quickly false foot you. If one track has a stronger techno bias, the next will have a markedly different composite - and an un-anticipatable one at that. Comparably it’s also never dark for the sake of being ‘moody’ or ‘cool’, or light simply to provide respite. When tonal contrasts occur, they’re incidental - part of the album’s bigger picture/broader experience.
Stepping in, Tim would have you see every track as being largely the same, albeit assembled in a different dimension. The result is a higher thinking, expertly established electronic music trip. Conclusions on it are the individual listeners alone to draw. There’s no predestined path. Be in no doubt though, everyone’s going to be walking away with an opinion.
Using the radio dial as a mechanic (which gives certain sections an ethereally retro futuristic feel) the album station-surfs through its numbers. ‘Radio Silence’s frequencies don’t oscillate wildly, but remain in a constant state of flux. Throughout you’ll find everything from the filmic to the dramatic, the clandestine to the kaleidoscopic and the edgy to the aquiline. Eclectic FX, 303 and industrialism echo in one track, supplanted by galactic & otherworldly sounds/sequences in the next. Some tracks draw notably on sonic references from decades past. Others have no frame of reference other than the here & now.
Of the album’s avant-garde approach, Tim says: “the story I had in mind stems from the concept of reaching new dimensions. The first song depicts static and a vintage radio. This radio ultimately ends up being the vessel to transport the user to new times and places. Each song really represents a different dimension. As the listeners travels to the end of the album, they have potentially reached a place of awakening and rebirth (its closing tracks)”. Tim goes further into its mechanics on the album’s creation on ‘Radio Silence’s trailer video, which you can watch here (https://youtu.be/uZm2iEiSVdU)
Tim Penner’s against-the-grain album debut ‘Radio Silence’ is released through JOOF Recordings on February 11 (pre-orderable through Beatport here https://www.beatport.com/release/radio-silence/2489695). Life may one day be the same again. Won’t be anytime soon though.
Tim Penner – ‘Radio Silence’ Tracklist
01 Radio Silence
02 Transilient
03 Let’s Go
04 New Technologies
05 Into The Rift
06 Force Density
07 Awakening (Club Mix)
08 Awakening (Album Mix)
09 Rebirth (Club Mix)
10 Rebirth (Album Outro Mix)
New track: Roger Shah & JES - 'Star-Crossed' [Magic Island]
Beating the drum for the advance his new artist album, today Roger Shah gives audiences a singles-taste of what’s album-in-store come May.
‘Star-crossed’ reteams him with the expressive voice and every bit as illustrative songwriting of JES. Already a collaborative force to be reckoned with, the single picks up the partnership where ‘Higher Than The Sun’ and ‘Glitter & Gold’ left off.
Optimistic lift cautioned by emotional lament, ‘Star-crossed’ sees the awarding winning JES portray a love confronting some real world realities. Lyrical poignancies and vocal nuance cross on a tale as lyrically affecting as it is vocally touching.
Ranged across a rich span of mixes, each of Roger’s five versions has a different time of day or night play in mind. Through its Original, Extended and Coconuts & Pineapples interpretations, Roger’s music sets its story to ever-increasing degrees of shift and samba-ish sway. Adding to its strikingly bittersweet nature, beach-oriented tempos and trop-house styles/rhythms are spun elegantly into its production.
Passaging the track to the dancefloor, Roger skilfully translates these sonic ethics into its purpose-filled Club Mix. The package’s arc reaches its natural conclusion with ‘Star-crossed’s Extended Uplifting Mix, which delivers an irresistibly aerodynamic peak-of-the-night option.
Pick up/stream the amazing Star-crossed through this link
Tracklist:
01. Roger Shah & JES – Star-crossed (Original Mix)
02. Roger Shah & JES – Star-crossed (Club Mix)
03. Roger Shah & JES – Star-crossed (Coconuts & Pineapples Remix)
04. Roger Shah & JES – Star-crossed (Extended Mix)
05. Roger Shah & JES – Star-crossed (Extended Uplifting Mix)
rogershah.net
facebook.com/rogershah
twitter.com/roger_shah
instagram.com/rogerpshah
New track: ALEX M.O.R.P.H. & MARK SHERRY – MAGNETAR [Vandit]
Whenever you see these two names in a track's title, you know it is huge! Alex M.O.R.P.H.'s uplift and Mark Sherry's tech madness combined will always turn into a proper choon! The 2 trance minds are insanely great and it kinda makes you wonder, why this didn't happen earlier. Why Magnetar didn't appear into our lives a couple of years ago.
Wasting zero time, the pair’s first studio union rolls out at pace with drum punch, metal-on-metal percussion and crowd-infecting vocal whoops & loops. Techy FX and bleepy, beamed-from-the-heavens sub-riffs are dispensed from Mr Sherry’s soundbanks. That leaves Alex to hardwire a mainline so galactic in scope & effect, a return from ‘Magnetar‘ may be beyond us all!
Magnetar is exactly what you would expect from a M.O.R.P.H. and Sherry mix. A very nice melody, dreamy, uplifting but also playful combined with a strong and driving upbeat. Good track to listen to at the office and drive your rocker colleagues mad with having it on repeat. Good to start the day with too. It definitely kicks in the energy!
The mindboggling properties of their debut union are available now here beatport.com/release/magnetar-extended/2224170 through Beatport. Or you can feel its cosmic blast via VANDIT’s Soundcloud page!
---
alexmorph.com
facebook.com/alexmorph
twitter.com/alexmorph
instagram.com/alexmorph
marksherry.net
facebook.com/marksherry
twitter.com/marksherry
soundcloud.com/marksherry
vandit.com
soundcloud.com/vanditrecords
John OO Fleming confirms first JOOF Editions vol. 4 details, inc. Ministry of Sound weekend Party News
Master of the deeper/darker/cooler trance arts, John 00 Fleming began the New Year with news of his first early ‘18 operations. Top of the info-drop was confirmation of a fourth volume in his eminent ‘Editions’ compilation series. With the first three each having posted top #1 positions on Beatport’s all-genres album chart, the expectation x anticipation axis for 4 is substantial. With a mid-Feb release date locked, bet on another ground/rule-breaking four-hour-plus safari through 2018’s progressive, tribal, deeper trance and melodic soundfields.
To give ‘Editions 4’ the reception it deserves, John has lined up a singular night of clubbing for Friday Feb 16th (release weekend for the album).
‘4’ will go to the floor for a one-off OTC expedition at London’s immortal Ministry Of Sound. Long known for its fulsome weekly DJ line-ups, John will join the very-short-indeed honour roll of spinners offered an all-night-long set in The Box at The Gallery.
Trance vet? Well then you’ll know what to expect! If you’ve never witnessed one DJ hold dominion over a floor for six hours straight, this is rite of clubbing passage you owe yourself to take. One way or another, it will be a trip, and a small moment in clubbing history to boot. Tickets have gone on sale: you can secure yours here.
For those looking to make a JOOF weekend of it, the word only gets better. Pushing the boundaries again, John will headline ASOT’s first ever Progressive-dedicated stage/hall on the 17th (the night after the MoS/Gallery launch). Having picked up the phone and masterminded proceedings with Armin van Buuren (hear more on what he had to say about that here), John will bring the sound he’s championed for the greater part of two decades to central Utrecht’s Jaarbeurs arena.
More info on ‘Editions 4’s tracklist, artwork and release will soon follow!
john00fleming.com
facebook.com/john00fleming
twitter.com/john00fleming
soundcloud.com/john00fleming
joof.co.uk
Interviewing Artists #10: Alessandra Roncone
Every interview is special for me. Every meeting with a trance artist is something I will never forget. And chatting with Alessandra Roncone 2 weekes ago, when we went for FSOE 450 in Manchester, UK was pretty great! She is a really nice person and I had a blast partying with her. Alsooooo, I am grateful she accepted my ”impromptu” invitation for this interview. One minute we were just enjoying a beer and a nice evening out with friends, and the next one I was asking her about the interview and we were planning the whole thing.
As you already know, I am asking every person I talk with for a top 10 trance tracks, a top 10 of their own. Aaaand even if it was difficutl to choose, Alessandra sent me her favorite tracks too. In no particular order, here they are:
- Armin van Buuren Feat. Jan Vayne - Serenity
- Reflekt feat Delline Bass - Need To Feel Loved (The Thrillseekers Remix)
- Tiesto - Elements of Life
- Basic Dawn - Pure Thrust (Nu NRG remix)
- Delerium - Silence ft. Sarah McLachlan (Tiesto Mix)
- Saltwater - The Legacy
- Vincent De Moor - Fly Away
- Robert Miles - Children
- Rank 1 - Airwave
- Cosmic Gate - Exploration of Space
Extra: Talla 2 XLC feat. Skysurfer - Terra Australis
Alex M.O.R.P.H. feat. Sylvia Tosun - An Angel's Love (Vocal Mix)
Quite a top 10 to choose. Full of memories. Full of classics! What do you think about this top? Do you like it? What would you add to it?
I hope you guys enjoyed this interview as much as I did and don't forget to follow Alessandra on Social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Soundcloud, Beatport. She is quite active and sharing a lot of goodies.
Also, huge, but huge thanks go to Copthorne Manchester for allowing me to do the interview there and for helping me with everything I needed.
Thank you guys for watching it and don’t forget to follow Trancers.ro on Facebook, Youtube and Instagram, because lots of awesome things are going to happen. Trance on!
Photo credits: Alan Donaldson