Tag Archives: trance

Scott Bond’s REBOOTED Label Needs Your Attention. Classic Trance Perfection!

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This is the type of sound I’ve been waiting for. This new REBOOTED record label is kind of everything I want in a trance label. Scott Bond has collected some great talent for this & the remixes on this release are exquisite. I hope you listen to each one.

The original mix hits all of the right classic UK trance sounds in under a minute. It reminds that there’s a place for this type of synth-led chord line that I’ve been listening to since I was in high school. This combined with Jan Johnston’s perfect vocal work results in one of these old school tunes that I would flip my shit if I heard played out live. The track is long, the builds are exactly what they need to be and there isn’t a stupid EDM “drop” for miles. Obsidian Radio is a name to watch out for, I know that much for sure.

The Allen & Envy remix is a pulsing, potent force that shimmers as it drives along. This is the harder end of trance, this 138bpm remix does the original justice while pushing the energy even higher. The vocal pull down is exactly what dancers need about three minutes in, giving a respite while glimmering in its build-up. This is one of the sounds that I think needs to be heard from coast-to-coast here in the USA, and with tracks like this, I know it’s going to happen.

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Midnight Music: Armin Van Buuren – Ping Pong Education (Revolvr Bootleg) [The Best Ping Pong Remix. Period.]

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For Throwback Thursday, you’ve got a familiar tune with a radical twist on it. If you’re an oldster like myself, you’ll probably recognize the Pink Floyd before the Armin Van Buuren. If you’re under 25, you’re probably wondering who the hell is yelling over your anthem trance. This is what party music used to sound like kids, except with guitars instead of decks & fistfuls of acid instead of fistfuls of molly. Revolvr pushes out a massive bootleg of Armin Van Buuren’s Ping Pong, adding a fantastic layer of counter-culture and a serious rock aspect to the tune. I frankly prefer this remix to Armin’s original, and I’ll be jamming out to this for a while I wager. #tbt

Midnight Music: Flexstyle Drops 2 RaveCon Mixes Which Need To Be Heard!

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Flexstyle, a little known OCRemix DJ/contributor, was let loose at Saboten Con a little bit ago, and we’re all better for it. Opening the live party mix with a PrototypeRaptor electrohouse banger, this guy immediately declared he was not fucking around. Mixing into a remix of my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE level music ever, really could not win more points in my book. The Ben Briggs remix does the Flying Battery Zone (Sonic & Knuckles was a damn triumph) justice and then, there’s Bloody Beetroots! I don’t know where this kid came from, but this is the first time I’ve been convinced I wanted to go to a con in years. If the tunes sounded like this? I’d be 100% down. A particularly wonderful Green Day remix helps transition the mix into original music (but not without dropping a sweet Chemical Zone Remix, with a taunting DDR sample if I’m not mistaken) half of the mix. This is another area where Flexstyle shines. The tunes are expertly produced and pushed together. I can’t wait to hear when he starts integrating his trance & bass tracks into his live mix.

Bonus set! They let him back on the decks, which is a decision I couldn’t support more. I’m not sure how to describe this. This is Nerd Rave music. This is what I wished every chiptune show was ever. Frankly, I’d just listen to 4 hours of electro, deep house, trance & glitch remixes of video game music. If you want to play synthed out West Coast bootlegs of Sonic 3 music, I really would pay you money to do that. Is that possible? This mix even brings in electro swing, which is wonderful. I think this kind of stuff can bring a lot of introverts out of their shell. It’s easy to hear something you recognize and it’s complicated enough that it’s not doofy big room anthem shit. If Big Room is the frat in the EDM scene, this is the Anime club. And man, they look like they’re having a lot of fun.

Midnight Music: Gladiator – Now We Are Free (Darren Tate Remix) [Classic Trance]

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For Throwback Thursday this week, I was reminded of this amazing tune by Trance Emotions, a lovely trance outfit from Egypt. They do a great podcast every week, besides posting track after quality track. This tune takes me back all the way to 2004, when I was living outside of NYC, jamming on dance music in isolation. One of those tracks that gets you through. The Hans Zimmer soundtrack from Gladiator just screamed to be remixed and there was a lot of success around the attempts. Darren Tate’s one of the best UK trance producers out there and his talents were not wasted on this. Take a listen and let it take you away, then check out the Trance Emotions soundcloud for even more delicious trance.

Midnight Music: John Lennon – Imagine (Scott Bond & Charlie Walker REBOOTED Remix, AvB Edit) [Classic Trance]

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(Update: It has been confirmed that this bootleg has been produced by Scott Bond & Charlie Walker with Armin making an edit of the track. Scott Bond & Charlie Walker have some amazing work here in the REBOOTED remix. You’re going to see some more of Scott Bond’s tracks here in the coming weeks. If you don’t know who Scott Bond is, just read about the nightclub he used to rock called Gatecrasher!)

If you’re a regular ASOT listener, you know that it’s the best place to find new tracks first, especially in trance & progressive. ASOT 678 was no exception. This remix of Imagine is one of the most euphoric tracks I’ve heard in years. This is the kind of stuff that festival kids eat up, but it’s still got enough legit trance elements that even the old people will sit up and pay attention. Listen to it before it gets taken down it just might. Interestingly, there is a track off of Imagine by the name of “Imagine” as well, which has a crazy good progressive build, clocking in at almost 10min. This is what trance was meant to be, and because I’m such a nice guy, it’s linked below. That’s right, a trance twofer! Enjoy the long weekend! Show the DJ & label some love on Fbook!

https://www.facebook.com/MusicRebooted
https://www.facebook.com/scottbonddj

Midnight Music: Vadim Zhukov – Moscow Night [Trance & Breaks]

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Gotta give it up to r/Trance, as they’re responsible for introducing me to this Russian hotness. I didn’t know you could combine Breaks & Trance, but it seems if you live in Russia, you totally can. Vadim Zhukov did this like a decade ago, but it’s still jaw-droppingly good. The build that picks up at 3:30 and pushes all the way past 5ish min is pure, classic & hard trance. This old school vibe is something you can’t hear in any Trance on either side of the pond these days. Check out the r/Trance link to listen to the rest of the CD because this dude is freaking talented, and it’s totally not something you’d expect to ever work. I hope Alexander Popox and other Russian trance artists get a listen to this, because 138 trance + breaks would be amazing. Can’t wait to see what those Eastern European kids are going to come up with next!

Mix Of The Weekend: Sundale Sessions Summer 2014 – Jorn Van Deynhoven [Summer Trance]

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I’ve got a real treat for y’all this weekend. Jorn van Deynhoven is back with a gorgeous summer mix of trance & progressive. It’s a potent shift from some of the more classic & hard trance sounds I’ve grown accustomed to hearing from his sets, but totally welcome. The hour is filled with lush, driving beats, mixed seamlessly. This has all the hallmarks of a top tier set, anywhere from Ibiza to Miami to LA to Amsterdam. The mix even seems to dip into deep house at times, but it pushes back into progressive & gorgeous trance, especially in the second half of the mix. Take a listen while you wind down the rest of your weekend.

Earworm Of The Month: Alexander Popov – Elegia [Actual Trance]

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I’ve listened to this daily for weeks. It figures into my commute at some point during the day. Sometimes to amp up, sometimes to recharge after the day, but unless a long set has my attention, this is THE track. I’ve been watching the rise of the new splinter factions in Trance (illustrated superbly by my boy Matt @ EDMTunes), and one of the guys who came out of nowhere is Alexander Popov. Amrada picked this kid up and he just spun at Sensation in Russia. There’s a punch to the bassline I’ve not heard in a while and the chords are classic trance perfection. The build is, even for a retail track, long and drawn into a gorgeous throbbing break with a transition that doesn’t include some obnoxious drop. That’s right, it’s not anthem trance, it’s just that deep, flowing Trance sound that you love. I love it, maybe you need to listen to it a few times to see where I’m coming from. Or possibly blast it while driving/exercising/riding dolphins. What’s that you say? You’d love a mix of this and a bunch of other Alexander Popov tracks so you can just dig into this trance sound? Check out below and thank me later.

Midnight Music: Andrew Rayel’s Minimix Showcasing Find Your Harmony [The Future Of Trance]

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It’s Monday night. Congratulations, you made it. It’s all downhill to Friday from here. To help recharge you, I give you this sick minimix the great new hope of Trance, Andrew Rayel, put together to get you excited for his new album. That’s right, the guy who you’ve been hearing on ASOT podcasts and seeing at Trance shows hadn’t put out an album until now. This guy is responsible for so many of my favorite Trance tracks over the last couple of years. The minimix gives me hope for Trance. The vibe is unmistakably hopeful and full of the shimmering positivity that I demand from my Trance. It’s mixed in a tantalizing way, which means I’m totally hitting this album hard. Each track looks to be fun and if you’ve listened to Trance podcasts over the last few months you’ve already heard a few of these. Preorder the thing on iTunes and swim around the puddle of serotonin this album is eventually gonna bring out. (h/t to EDMTunes for the minimix tip off)

Mix Of The Weekend: Full On Fluoro By Paul Oakenfold! (Three Years!)

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I remember the first Full On Fluoro posting when this started in 2011. I was actually on a random Oakenfold binge, having been obsessed with Gamemaster by Lost Tribe off tranceport for a few weeks. The idea that Oakenfold was showing back up, on Soundcloud (which was relatively tiny compared to its size now) of all places, made me so happy. I’ve listened to most, and I’ll probably go back and listen to the rest of them over the coming months. This is proper trance. It’s a super important counter-weight to the ASOT podcasts. While Armin is the shimmering, euphoric & glittery end of Trance at times, Oakenfold’s sound bleeds psychedelic, while maintaining the driving, spectral, global feel that has been lost on some of our more recent trancelectro DJ offerings at festivals independent of Mr. Van Buuren’s amazing work (I’m looking at you W&W). This sound is no joke and I’m so glad it continues to exist to this day. Rock out your weekend & dance in the sun if you can.