wickedlk

Welcome to my journal!

First of all, thank you for clicking on this and having a little look at what I’ve to say. The vast majority of you won’t enjoy much of the music that I will be reviewing/getting excited about but if I can portray just 1% of the energy I feel when I’m listening to music, either in my room or in a club, I’ll be satisfied.

I’ve been a trance-head for over 10 years now since my first compilation CD where I fell in love with club classics such as Robert Miles’ Children and Chicane’s Offshore. These two songs in particular paved the way for my love of the progressive sound, especially piano instrumentals.

The chances are, my reviews won’t be the most technical because well, I know Jack about production and don’t care too much for heart-felt lyrics. Most of my reviews will be about stuff that makes me want bounce!

If I go to any noteworthy gigs I’ll be sure to post it here too. Though don’t count your chickens because at the moment I live a million miles from anywhere.

I’d be grateful for feedback even if it is telling me that the song/artist/album I’ve just hyped is a pile of ****

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FETCHER.

I'm really looking forward to this. Your taste in musical is spot on. I always like reading your views on songs in threads and such, so this should be a good one! No pressure though eh?

Consider me subscribed!

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My Journal.
Last.Fm if your interested...

wickedlk

Since it’s now the end of the year and I have Itunes vouchers burning a hole in my pocket, I will start on safe(ish) ground with the help of Armin Van Buuren.


Tracklist link

My God there’s a lot of music here! If I played this back-to-back I’d be sat here for well over 11 hours. For obvious reasons, I won’t review every song but I’ll select the gems and (if there are any) the WTFs. The songs get a little mashed in the continuous mixes (nice to see a little effort in them) but I’ll review the originals.

This is the best of the year so here goes….

This is good in the continuous mix, it’s voiceover guy like the one from Armin’s Imagine Mix. Even this is uplifting

“These are dark times my friend, no one knows what is waiting around the corner. Wars, made up of beats and rhythms rage across the World and genres splinter into a million fragments constantly creating new signatures….listen, the power is streaming beneath your feet and it’s building day by day….”

A good way to start the mix The first few songs though are a bit ‘meh’, I get the impression the DJ is trying to guide us in until we arrive at Jerome Isma-Ae - Hold That Sucker Down. I originally posted this on the forum accompanied by a smiley. It’s a great instrumental track that is instantly recognisable. I’ve heard a few tracks from this guy during the year and I feel he has a great future ahead of him. There’s no strong emotion or attitude to this song, just a ‘let’s go out and party-hard’ vibe. This mix just got going!

Matt Darey & Urban Astronauts – See the Sun (Aurosonic Remix). Given how Armin likes to have day & night mixes, I’m surprised to see this a little way in, relatively speaking. This is a dreamy trance track produced by a legend of the scene. Its vocals compliment the melody and maybe even elevate the song to greatness. I find this relaxing though and it rather kills the mood after Jerome’s party starter. It’s a reset button :/

Arnej – Dust in the Wind. Armin picks it up again with this track and I love it, especially a couple of BPMs higher. It can really define a set right in the middle of the night. What do I like about it? It’s me against the elements. Take the first breakdown and imagine you are in a desert with only one ruined wall for protection, everything stops but you can hear the wind. One violin, you feel weak, but as the track builds you begin to believe. Your energy builds until you know nothing can beat you. You will see this though to the end

The next few tracks are a little edgier and electro sounding which isn’t really my bag but they’re still very much worth a listen

Nitrous Oxide – Magenta. This one starts off much in the same way as recent tracks in this mix, electro with a thudding bassline. An operatic voice then breaks through and draws you in and makes you want more out of curiosity. Once I get to the drop, I’m instantly satisfied as this song has an excellent progressive sound that justifies it’s place on this album. It’s unique and incredibly uplifting.

That rounds off mix one as it moves into stadium trance and some real feel-good stuff.

M6 – Opus Sectrum. While I sit here, this tune makes me come over all reflective. The breakdown consists of an wonderfully emotive string symphony (? not sure of proper term) that for some reason induces a form of deep thinking. I’m not sure if I’d think too much of it while out clubbing but right now, I feel it deserves a mention.

Oceanlab – Lonely Girl (Gareth Emery Remix). TBH I could’ve picked any one of the four Above & Beyond efforts on here. They really have been that good this year. I suppose I chose this because it’s about the closest I’ll ever come to having a break-up song. The lyrics strike a chord because I’ve done this in the past (except I drove to the sea) and it give me feeling of neutrality/reset/zero/move on. It’s hard to describe.

From here on in it’s getting a little more into the heat of the night.

RAM - Ramsterdam (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix). I think I first heard this early on in the summer when it went by the name of id in my collection. I’ve always had a soft spot for pianos and this fairly common type of female vocal in my House and Trance (I think it reminds me of my rave days) and this builds on them to produce a feel-good progressive tune that has become a firm favourite in my library. When I close my eyes I visualise being above the clouds and feeling like nothing can touch me, for those 6 or so minutes I’m the greatest and this is why I had to include this song in the list.

There are a great deal more tracks that I would’ve liked to have shared but these are just some of my favourites and there are some pleasant surprises on this mix that I wasn’t expecting. There are a few ‘meh’ tracks in my opinion and there are a couple of omissions, most notably tracks from Reeves, Sander van Doorn and Marco V but I’m content with my purchase and I’ll sign off with the final track from this mix.

3rd Moon – Monsun. What an excellent track to finish the mix on. Hugely uplifting and guaranteed to put a smile on your face. The song itself just builds and builds and as each layer is added, my smile grows bigger. It’s almost a celebratory song of the year. 2009 a mini-renaissance for trance

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NumberNineDream

Seems cool, looking forward for more.
Nice journal title btw.

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Dieselboy

Glad you're doing one of these! Nice pick to start off and review also.

I have a few of Armin's yearly CDs that he puts out, but I always end up getting the double discs with the the full songs on them instead of his mix's. I'm not against mix's or anything, but I just always wanted to hear the full songs since that's what I'm used to from his shows I guess. This sounds pretty cool though, after you took out each of those songs individually and described how they fit in and effected the mix. Most of the songs you linked I'd heard before and loved, so I'll probably end up checking this out I think.

Also, I did click on Magenta and listen to it three times, while I was looking at the 1st page and then writing this up.

Looking forward to more as well.

wickedlk

Okay, so I’m thinking January isn’t the best month to start an electronica journal because decent LP releases tend to be in short supply around this time of year. Either way, I’ll probably do this kind of journal entry to plug the gaps.

Let me give you the lowdown on how this will work. My nights are generally divided up into seven stages and each stage has a particular genre that is appropriate for it. Essentially, these entries will be a soundtrack to a clubbing experience with yours truly

Let’s get on it then!


You know how it is – You want to get it started but you know you need to pace yourself. This track is a good starting point because it’s chilled, it’s smooth and there’s just enough tribalism in the beat to start winding it up. The vocals are excellent as they are soft and silky which, when combined with the other elements, adds up to an excellent summer vibe.



It’s good to get an early commercial one in so that everyone’s on the same wavelength, always creates a nice atmosphere when everyone is familiar with a track! There’s not much to this Calvin Harris track, nice electro-pop sound, ridiculously simple lyrics and it’s pretty catchy. One for everyone!



Really starting to move through the gears now This is a bit of a mash up really. It begins with a progressive melody that is synonymous with Laidback Luke and in fairness, it’s a pretty good hook… then it drops! This track has a serious split personality as it becomes a grinding, hypnotic electro beat that is pretty chaotic and pretty much messes with whatever you were thinking of before. It’s evil!



Piano solo – check-----Nice vocals – check-----Twisted beat – check-----RAVE ON!



I know next to nothing about the intricacies of Dubstep, all I know is that this is pretty sick. I do like that almost industrial sound in between that insane bassline, it reminds me a little of Kraftwerk.



From Judge Jules and his wife, this is an absolute classic. Okay, so this version’s been touched up a bit but the essence of the original mix is still there. Mrs Judge Jules really does have an enchanting voice and I’m surprised she hasn’t featured on many more tracks; she has a voice that would suit many a progressive trance track in my view. The track is a solid 90’s Ibiza anthem and a great throwback to those days when the scene was at the top of its game.



Time to kick-back and relax. This is a soulful, summery vibe to light up your morning. Just lie down and picture yourself walking on the lushest beaches in the most perfect weather. This song flows but also stops time, nothing else matters right now, just focus on the use of the strings and relax. A great way to end a fun night…

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jackhammer

It's not a pre requisite but posting a ton of you tube vids in a post puts many people off. short and sweet sometimes is the best way.

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Dieselboy

This is a pretty cool idea man. I like how you set it up. ><

^that song up there is just sick. Was feeling it the whole time, but then at like 3:15 when the live sounding drums just came in outta nowhere it just took it to another level. Liked that part. The 5th - 7th songs were all really solid as well.

I mean, it really does sound like a pretty awesome night picturing myself in the places as you described for each song.

wickedlk

Okay, so it's mid-January and you're pretty skint after the festive period. Let's go and blag our way into some VIP areas tonight....


This is such a laidback, chilled groove that is perfect for wiling away those long summer afternoons with a beverage of some description. When I listen to this, I feel there is a touch of arrogance about it, a pretentious sound if you like, caused by the piano which reminds me of being in a restaurant where everyone has too much money for their own good. Thankfully the beat is sound and gets me nodding away.


Everyone I know loves a bit of Biffy and I’m no different. This is a well produced mix that is an interesting progressive take on the closing track from Puzzle. Definitely a crowd pleaser with a little hint of 1998 if I’m not mistaken, this just adds to the feel-good vibe.


I can’t decide whether this is a little bit of a rip of Deadmau5’s This Is Also The Hook or just a coincidence. The vocals sound pretty much the same in their computer generated way and both tracks are electro by nature. Either way, the bassline is incredibly infectious and whets my appetite for the harder stuff to come. I’m not entirely sure what the vocals are about but hey, I don’t want karaoke, I want to rave!


Damn it I’m back here again! I don’t return to many tunes for a while once I’ve hyped them once, but this is too good. For me it’s got all the makings of an anthem; it’s got enough ‘feel good’ about it, it’s got ‘energy’, and it’s very ‘distinctive’. The simple vibe (9 notes) gets into your head, ingrained into your memory once you hear it and it invokes feelings of happiness and excitement. ^hands^


Time to bounce. This is a great track and doesn’t really take itself too seriously. I think I like this because there’s lots of variation throughout; the artist never really lets you settle and get into a rhythm. It’s all about keeping you on your toes and keeping you interested. Yeah the voices could grate a little but IMO they just add to the fun


From one of my favourite DnB producers, this is definitely one of his greatest IMO. The intro is epic and incredibly iconic which creates a great signature for this anthem. It’s just so simple and as the track builds, I begin to feel a buzz that seriously overcomes me when it drops. The vocals are a nice touch and not overpowering, they rather add to a sense of occasion…


This is so relaxing for me it’s untrue. I just want lay down and think right now. When I close my eyes I see change, like something remarkable is coming to an end but being replaced by something just as beautiful and unique. Put into context it could be the end of winter with the ice melting and the remarkable natural sculptures disappearing, to be replaced with green life and energy as animals come out of hibernation. Maybe it could be called a transition track for me, after all, my night is over and the day is only just beginning.

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wickedlk

It's been a long weekend! No club night from me this week but a quick spin of the new release from some proper old-timers on the scene!


These guys have been around since the early 90's and have had some serious club smashes along the way. As the title suggests, this album is a fusion of the old and new and while I'm excited by the prospect of new material, it's also a little comforting to see some of those said 'smashes' in there too....


So we start with My Love feat. JES and it's a solid start. This is a dreamy little progressive number and those familiar with JES will instantly recognise her influence on the track. It's one of the new tacks from Airscape and was released last year as a pre-cursor to the main event, I like it and it is certainly well produced with plenty of layers and little off-cuts to keep the listener interested.

L'esperanza should require no introduction because it's an amazing old-schooler! The BPM is now on the roof and Euphoria is high so I'm not really sure about the placement of the next track Faith. I've had to listen to this album a few times and I just don't get this, it disrupts the flow somewhat, the BPM drops and this is a track that while promising much, never really gets going. I think it lacks a little identity but then this could be because of the track preceding it as when listened to as a stand-alone tune, it certainly holds it's own.

Pacific Melody just needs to be checked out....


Feel Alive Like I Do Feat. Jennifer Hershman is a dog of a track. Highly disappointing new material from producers who create such great instrumentals. The vocals dominate and take over and as her voice annoys me somewhat, this is definitely a skipper. There really isn't much underneath the vocals, nothing to move to, no real melody, just boring.

At least Cruising restores the listener's faith once more and gives you something positive to focus on. Pretty old school in its sound, it conveys a sense of urgency. Not really a club tune in my view but more trippy and a one to enjoy by yourself. I really like Not Today Maybe Tomorrow, it has a really relaxing and uplifting vibe. Again I feel that its placement is a little bizarre as it isn't really in keeping with any other track on the album. Drops me down into dreamy state which isn't really where I want to be when Sosei drops. My favourite Airscape track ever! It's uplifting and has a good hook to it, perfect when delivered to an excitable bunch of clubbers.


I have to admit that the last few tracks carry on in the same vein. By that I mean an old track (in this case the excellent, uplifting Amazon Chant) flanked by two new efforts that flatter to deceive and never really get going. I think Saints Ltd illustrates my point. It begins, there's no real variation, no urgency, it just kind of grinds through without ever really capturing my imagination.

Overall, the album is a bit of a disappointment. Yeah, the old tracks still sound amazing but the layout is poor. I think it might have been better to have had two separate discs to split the new and old as the classics really do stand out and put the new tunes in the shade...

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