Global Trancendance Episode 05 now on iTunes
August 27th, 2010
Armin Van Buuren – The Sound of Goodbye (Wayne Fontaine 2010 remix)
August 23rd, 2010A New Horizon – New tech trance track, check it out!
July 29th, 2010Low end theory: EQing kicks and bass – Interview
July 25th, 2010
Ever wondered why your favourite producers’ kicks and basslines sound so gratifying? RA’s Jono Buchanan boldly crosses the low frequency minefield to tell you why.
Let’s be honest—at some point in our lives, we’ve all stood in clubs listening to mixes we admire and wondered why our tracks don’t sound the same. Somehow, by comparison, our own tracks sound thinner and less rounded and often, this comes down to the bottom end and how well integrated our kick drum and bass parts are. Through this article, we’re going to look at how easy it is to make a whole series of mistakes when it comes to programming and mixing bass-oriented elements and how we can turn those potential pitfalls into advantages and substantially improve the quality of our mixes, so that when it comes to the point of listening back on big club systems, those disappointments will seem like distant memories. Leaving things like compression aside for the moment, we’ll focus primarily on EQ and other such effect treatments. Follow the link befow for more: RA: Low end theory: EQing kicks and bass – Interview.
Armin van Buuren – Mirage tracklist announced!
July 25th, 2010
Good news for the fans of Armin van Buuren! Today he announced the full tracklisting for his new artist album ‘Mirage’. Expect collaborations with Ferry Corsten, BT, Nadia Ali, Sophie Ellis Bextor and others!
After his previous artist albums ’76′, ‘Shivers’ and ‘Imagine’ The 4th Armin van Buuren artist album ‘Mirage’ will be released soon!
Armin: “Mirage has been the biggest project I’ve ever worked on. There’s so many hours in this. Work started two years ago when I actually built a completely new studio for this project. Many new techniques were used and most of all I had so much fun creating this with the many people that are involved. It was a journey, an epic one!”
As the first single of the album, Armin chose ‘Full Focus’, an instrumental track set to fill arenas, clubs and scorch across the festival terrains set up for the summer of 2010. Armin: “The first track of the album has been a sure shot in my sets for quite a while now. I decided to come back with an instrumental trancer right before summer and all the big festivals. Half of my new album will be instrumental trance, but with the sound of 2010.”
Right after summer, it’s time for the full ‘Mirage’ album to take over. Inspired and influenced by many different types of music, ‘Mirage’ is more diverse than any other Armin album before. His collaboration with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, ‘Not Giving Up On Love’ is a perfect example of that, combining the best of both worlds. Armin: “The Nervo Sisters, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and me met up to write the vocals for ‘Not Giving Up On Love’. I was thrilled to work with them on this. We gave it a more analog feel with some real drums, to give it a pop-rock feel. We also put a piano top line on the track and then the vocals of Sophie, which I think is a win. It’s a lush summer tune with an epic vocal that gets stuck in your head and cheers you up!”
‘Mirage’ is filled with musical fusions and surprising interpretations, from the orchestral masterpiece of title track ‘Mirage’, deep trance track ‘I Don’t Own You’ and housy ‘Feels So Good’ to the eerie ‘Take A Moment’ and feel-good ‘Drowning’. 16 tracks that highlight how Armin has matured as an artist.
You can expect more collaborations on the album with people such as Ferry Corsten, Nadia Ali, BT, Adam Young (Owl City) and others!
Tracklisting:
01. Armin van Buuren feat Susana – Desiderium 207 02. Armin van Buuren – Mirage 03. Armin van Buuren feat Christian Burns – This Light Between Us 04. Armin van Buuren vs Sophie Ellis Bextor – Not Giving Up On Love 05. Armin van Buuren – I Don’t Own You 06. Armin van Buuren – Full Focus 07. Armin van Buuren feat Winter Kills – Take A Moment 08. Armin van Buuren feat Nadia Ali – Feels So Good 09. Armin van Buuren feat Sophie – Virtual Friend 10. Armin van Buuren feat Laura V – Drowning 11. Armin van Buuren feat Ana Criado – Down To Love 12. Armin van Buuren – Coming Home 13. Armin van Buuren feat BT – These Silent Hearts 14. Armin van Buuren – Orbion 15. Armin van Buuren vs Ferry Corsten – Minack 16. Armin van Buuren feat Adam Young – YoutopiaMirage will be in stores September 10th 2010.
via Armin van Buuren – Mirage tracklist announced!
15 killed in mass panic at Germany’s Love Parade Festival
July 25th, 2010
15 killed in mass panic at Germany’s Love Parade Festival
A stampede inside a tunnel crowded with techno music fans crushed 15 people to death and injured dozens at Germany’s famed Love Parade festival on Saturday. Thousands of other revelers keep partying at the event in Duisburg, near Duesseldorf, unaware of the deadly stampede that started when police tried to block thousands more people from entering the already-jammed parade grounds.
Police are still trying to determine exactly what happened, but the situation was “very chaotic,” police commissioner Juergen Kieskemper said. He said police closed off the area where the parade was being held because it was already overcrowded. They told revelers over loudspeakers to turn around and walk back in the other direction before the panic broke out, he said.
German news agency DAPD reported the victims were crushed in the large tunnel leading to the event site and that emergency workers had trouble getting to them.
Duisburg city officials decided at a crisis meeting to let the parade go on to prevent more panic and another stampede, said city spokesman Frank Kopatschek. “The crisis meeting determined not to stop the event because at the moment there are too many people on the grounds,” he said.
The Love Parade was once an institution in Berlin, but has been held in the industrial Ruhr region of western Germany since 2007. The original Berlin Love Parade grew from a 1989 peace demonstration into a huge outdoor celebration of club culture that drew about 1.5 million people at its peak in 1999. But it suffered from financial problems and tensions with city officials in later years, and eventually moved.
via 15 killed in mass panic at Germany’s Love Parade Festival.
Paul van Dyk’s Vandit Records joins forces with Armada Music
July 10th, 2010
Dutch label Armada Music and German based Vandit Records announced the news that both labels will join forces!
VANDIT is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary with a series of releases and a worldwide arena tour, being the home base to artists including Paul van Dyk, Filo & Peri, The Thrillseekers, Kuffdam, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Jon O’Bir and Giuseppe Ottaviani. The first major releases after the joint venture will be the ‘VANDIT 10th Anniversary’ compilation, which includes Paul van Dyk’s ‘We Come Together’ single and Filo & Peri’s ‘This Night’.
VANDIT Records was established by renowned German DJ/producer Paul van Dyk in 2000 and has become a go-to label for electronic music fans. The label has released classics including Paul van Dyk’s ‘For An Angel’, Reflekt’s ‘Need To Feel Loved’ and Ralphie B’s ‘Massive’. 100 VANDIT releases and more than 200 tracks of the VANDIT Digital sub-label back catalogue will be exploited by Armada Music. Fans of the VANDIT sound have more than plenty of good stuff to look forward to.
Paul van Dyk, managing director of VANDIT: “Two power houses of electronic music join forces. The symbiosis of creative power, expertise and market impact by VANDIT and Armada Music will set a new milestone in electronic music”.
Maykel Piron, Managing Director of Armada Music: ”For 10 years, VANDIT has been releasing high quality music. It’s a great honour to continue building up this fantastic brand together with Paul and his team.“
via Paul van Dyk’s Vandit Records joins forces with Armada Music! | trance.nu.
Not sure what’s on in the White Isle this summer? RA’s Grego O’Halloran breaks it down for you day-by-day.
July 7th, 2010
It’s been a tumultuous last few years in Ibiza. Closures, licencing problems, restrictive opening hours: Many clubs and promoters have suffered through the most difficult years in their existence. But any self-criticism and subsequent re-assessment seems to have only served to create positive waves for the 2010 season. In fact, it was in reaction to the ban on daytime parties in 2008 and the pessimism surrounding it that helped create the phenomenon of organised beach parties last year, thanks in no small part to Luciano’s free gatherings at Ushuaia, a venue that had intended to take this further in 2010, with an almost daily schedule of events. But, with the season barely under way, there are already rumblings and Luciano’s party will no longer continue at Ushuaia.By night, the status quo of popular parties looks set to continue and for good reason; the Cocoons and We Loves of this world have spent years building and refining their product, the latter in particular has continually striven for more innovative line-ups while remaining popular, no small feat in the cut and thrust of Ibiza. Those two parties have been instrumental, along with Circo Loco, in popularising the underground sound that now becomes anything but the exception in Ibiza; Space have two new in-house promotions built on essentially German house and techno artists and sounds, new events at Privilege and Amnesia both also looked to this influence as starting points and Luciano has even breached the hallowed walls of Pacha.Quite simply, there has never been so widespread a representation of this music on Ibiza as there is now. Disregarding this is just further peddling of stereotypical urban myths. And, more importantly, you miss the party. To help you sort through the madness of the Ibiza schedule, what follows is a handy guide to what’s going on when in Ibiza this summer.
via RA: Ibiza 2010 preview – Interview.
Lange – Harmonic Motion
July 6th, 2010
Three years after his long-awaited debut album, Lange is back with his second artist album “Harmonic Motion”. 2010 has already been a busy year for Lange with singles on both Lange Recordings and High Contrast and not to mention his well-received “Intercity: Spring 2010″ mix album that came out a month or two ago. “Harmonic Motion” is an unmixed album featuring various concepts from trance to house to orchestral. Lange teams up with a number of vocalists as well, including Emma Hewitt, Betsie Larkin and Sarah Howells.
“Harmonic Motion” starts off with the album-titled track itself. Clean drums, a phat bassline and lots of melody and harmony sum up this cool track. “High Noon” takes the track on a deeper, atmospheric detour, featuring mysterious pads and driving percussion. There are hints of the old Lange flavor amidst this modern-sounding trance track. The massive “Live Forever” (featuring Emma Hewitt) is next, continuing the melodic trend. One of my favorites this year, I am glad it was included.
“Live Forever” is followed by “How Long”, a beautiful orchestral number with lush harmonies and chords. “All Around Me” is next, an uplifting number with gorgeous pads and quality vocals from Betsie Larkin that is perhaps my favorite track off the album. Next in line is “Wie Komme Ich Am Besten Zum Bannhof Bitte” with its techy bassline, hypnotic synths, massive breakdown and gradual builds and releases. A very entrancing and atmospheric track!
The catchy vocal-driven and bassline-packed “Let It All Out” (featuring Sarah Howells) is next. Many are already familiar with this one and due to its success, I can see why it had to be included in the album. “Angel” is a gorgeous pop-sounding downbeat track featuring the sexy vocals of The Hall Of Mirrors. Chunky breakbeats and rich pads create a perfect backdrop for the vocals. Lange joins up with vocalist Sarah Howells again for the next number, “Fireworks”, a triplet-driven techy track with a stacatto bassline and rough synths.
“Sci-Fi Hero” picks up the pace again with its upbeat percussion, driving bassline and melodic hooks. The breakdown is very 2000-Lange, featuring phasing pads and melodic lead. Up next, Lange teams up with his first male vocalist Alexander Klaus in “Strong Believer”. Featuring a stern pulsing bassline, cool plucks, synth sequences, and a nice theme, “Strong Believer” is an all-around solid track. Lange brightens the mood with the following track, “Clouds Across The Sun”, which features Sarah Ozelle on the vocals. One of his few major-keyed tracks, “Clouds Across The Sun” is an uplifting melodic number with warm pads and beautiful vocals. The album ends with the lush reprise of “All Around Me” with Betsie Larkin. A truly beautiful conclusion for a solid album.
If you have been enjoying Lange’s latest works, then this album will be right up your alley. I give it the thumbs up and a rating of 4/5
via Lange – Harmonic Motion | trance.nu.
Soundcloud Meetups Everywhere
July 5th, 2010
SoundCloud Meetups are organised by users and are a great way to meet fellow SoundClouders in real life, exchange ideas, ask questions, give answers, or simply meet new artists and people working with and around audio in your area.
You can use this page to get in touch with other users in your area, and organise a time and place to meet.
For more info: http://bit.ly/scmeetup
Once you have a Meetup planned, why not create a Soundcloud group for attendees to submit their tracks to?
via Soundcloud Meetups Everywhere – Meetup.com.
