Everybody knows ATB, so there's no point in introducing him. If you're older than 10 you surely heard his music.
I'm not the biggest ATB fan, although he had a strong influence on my musical taste in the 90s, when I was just discovering electronic dance music. Back then he was also involved in the Sequential One project (remember "Dreams" and "Angels" :D?), so he was pretty popular back then too, I think a lot of people owe him their introduction to electronic music. Anyway, he has some good tunes under his belt and all his albums are pretty good, considering they are mainly commercially-oriented. But while as a producer he may not excel, he is a very good DJ in my opinion. He's one of my favorites when it comes to track selection, often blending trance with a decent amount of progressive for really entertaining sets. His "ATB The DJ" series of mixalbums is quite strong too.
What I like most about ATB is that he's not afraid of downtempo. On every album he included respectable amounts of downtempo material and all I can say is that I hope he will continue to do so.
From 2004's "No Silence" (my favorite ATB album), I chose "Autumn Leaves" for today's feature, a vocal laid-back tune, reminiscent of Enigma at times. Cheesy stuff, but I like it!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Paradiso (Ian Ritchie) - Solaris
I believe everyone watched at least one episode of "Globe Trekker" (or "Lonely Planet" until a number of years ago) on Discovery Channel. Awesome show. Anyway, I also do believe many have noticed the show's soundtrack, a very interesting knitting of ethnic elements in electronic arrangements.
Composed by British musician Ian Ritchie in 1994-1995, that original soundtrack still runs in today's episodes of "Globe Trekker" (or is it called "Pilot Guides" now?). And to no wonder, it's bloody fantastic! That's not today's feature however, but we have something equally good in store: a jazz track from Ritchie's Paradiso project, entitled "Solaris". A smart blend of acoustic sound and electronic feeling (though it may be possible it was recorded with a live band, I really don't know; nevertheless, the feeling is electronic).
If you like this make sure to also check the soundtrack to "Globe Trekker" and visit www.ian-ritchie.com for a lot of free music from Mr. Ritchie.
Composed by British musician Ian Ritchie in 1994-1995, that original soundtrack still runs in today's episodes of "Globe Trekker" (or is it called "Pilot Guides" now?). And to no wonder, it's bloody fantastic! That's not today's feature however, but we have something equally good in store: a jazz track from Ritchie's Paradiso project, entitled "Solaris". A smart blend of acoustic sound and electronic feeling (though it may be possible it was recorded with a live band, I really don't know; nevertheless, the feeling is electronic).
If you like this make sure to also check the soundtrack to "Globe Trekker" and visit www.ian-ritchie.com for a lot of free music from Mr. Ritchie.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Blank & Jones - Balearic Blue
This track is very special to me on a personal level, but even if it wasn't it would still be great. Hailing from Germany, Blank & Jones are a duo of electronic music producers who scored some pretty big trance hits at the end of the 90s/beginning of the 2000s. In 2003 they released their first chillout album, "Relax", which went on to gather many positive reviews and critiques. Two years later the duo released "Relax: Edition Two", another critically successful album, partly because it followed the same great recipe as the first one. The third installment of the "Relax" series however, failed to garner much praise, a change in style towards vocal tracks not appealing to everybody.
Currently the series is in its 4th volume, released last year. The producers took note of the objections related to the third volume and featured less vocal tunes this time. While not as successful as the first two volumes, Relax: Edition Four moved one step closer to the original Blank & Jones chilled sound, much to the joy of long-time fans such as myself.
From "Relax: Edition Two", we play "Balearic Blue", both Original and Sa Trincha mixes, two truely relaxing songs. Enjoy
Currently the series is in its 4th volume, released last year. The producers took note of the objections related to the third volume and featured less vocal tunes this time. While not as successful as the first two volumes, Relax: Edition Four moved one step closer to the original Blank & Jones chilled sound, much to the joy of long-time fans such as myself.
From "Relax: Edition Two", we play "Balearic Blue", both Original and Sa Trincha mixes, two truely relaxing songs. Enjoy
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Mark Otten - So Serene
As promised in the previous entry, today's feature is "So Serene" by Mark Otten, the follow-up to "Tranquility".
It's also worth listening to Armin van Buuren mash-up between this track and Carrie Skipper's "Time Goes By", which is pretty cool.
It's also worth listening to Armin van Buuren mash-up between this track and Carrie Skipper's "Time Goes By", which is pretty cool.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Mark Otten - Tranquility
I'll start by saying that 2004 was for me the best year in music so far. I won't go into details, but trust me, if you had experienced electronic music back then, you would probably say the same thing. Now that I've made a preamble, let's get on with today's selections.
Mark Otten probably doesn't ring a bell to many of you, but he's a respected trance producer who has released a couple of absolute classics in the mid-2000s. One of them is this track: "Tranquility" (2004, on Armin van Buuren's flagship label, Armind). It's a very original track in both sound and approach, distinguishing itself from pretty much everything else. Instantly recognizable by any seasoned trance aficionado, "Tranquility" is perhaps Otten's best production to date and a landmark (though often overlooked) in progressive trance.
The charming thing about it is that it didn't spawn legions of imitators, as many other successful songs usually do. Instead, it somehow managed to keep its unique character and 6 years later I can say without a shadow of a doubt that there's nothing else quite like it. (well, maybe just Otten's follow-up to "Tranquility", "So Serene", which I will feature tomorrow).
Enjoy! I have selected 2 mixes for you: the Radio Edit of the original track and the Lightscape Lounge Mix. I strongly encourage you to listen to both of them!
Lightscape Lounge Mix:
Original mix:
Mark Otten probably doesn't ring a bell to many of you, but he's a respected trance producer who has released a couple of absolute classics in the mid-2000s. One of them is this track: "Tranquility" (2004, on Armin van Buuren's flagship label, Armind). It's a very original track in both sound and approach, distinguishing itself from pretty much everything else. Instantly recognizable by any seasoned trance aficionado, "Tranquility" is perhaps Otten's best production to date and a landmark (though often overlooked) in progressive trance.
The charming thing about it is that it didn't spawn legions of imitators, as many other successful songs usually do. Instead, it somehow managed to keep its unique character and 6 years later I can say without a shadow of a doubt that there's nothing else quite like it. (well, maybe just Otten's follow-up to "Tranquility", "So Serene", which I will feature tomorrow).
Enjoy! I have selected 2 mixes for you: the Radio Edit of the original track and the Lightscape Lounge Mix. I strongly encourage you to listen to both of them!
Lightscape Lounge Mix:
Original mix:
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
John O'Callaghan feat. Lo-Fi Sugar - Never Fade Away
If you're into the trance scene, it's impossible never to have heard of John O'Callaghan. For the past years he has been very much in demand, both as a producer and as a DJ. 2009 saw the release of his debut artist album, entitled "Never Fade Away", featuring mostly vocal trance tracks.
The first single off the album was, as expected, "Never Fade Away", a collaboration of JOC with Lo-Fi Sugar (singer/songwriter from the US), which was released along with remixes from Giuseppe Ottaviani and Andy Duguid (both received well critically). But it's the album version that makes our interest today, a beatless vocal ballad that, while not extraordinary profound in lyrics, sounds very very good in my opinion.
The first single off the album was, as expected, "Never Fade Away", a collaboration of JOC with Lo-Fi Sugar (singer/songwriter from the US), which was released along with remixes from Giuseppe Ottaviani and Andy Duguid (both received well critically). But it's the album version that makes our interest today, a beatless vocal ballad that, while not extraordinary profound in lyrics, sounds very very good in my opinion.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
CDM - Many Rivers To Cross
"Many rivers to cross, but I can't seem to find my way over." So true in so many ways.
"Many Rivers To Cross" is a track with a long history. Written by Jamaica's own Jimmy Cliff all the way back in 1969, it has been covered and remixed by a plethora of artists like UB40, Cher, Lenny Kravitz or U2. The last notable artist to cover it was Annie Lennox in 2008.
However, my favourite version is (expectedly) this chillout track by CDM. It features the vocals of Jimmy Cliff himself, with Javier Losada as the producer.
From my knowledge you can find this track exclusively on "Cafe del Mar - Volume 9" (2002).
Enjoy!
"Many Rivers To Cross" is a track with a long history. Written by Jamaica's own Jimmy Cliff all the way back in 1969, it has been covered and remixed by a plethora of artists like UB40, Cher, Lenny Kravitz or U2. The last notable artist to cover it was Annie Lennox in 2008.
However, my favourite version is (expectedly) this chillout track by CDM. It features the vocals of Jimmy Cliff himself, with Javier Losada as the producer.
From my knowledge you can find this track exclusively on "Cafe del Mar - Volume 9" (2002).
Enjoy!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Way Out West - Mindcircus / Surrender
Who hasn't heard about "Way Out West"? Since the mid 90s they have been responsible for some of the most memorable genre-blending moments in electronic music history and they were (and still are) so good that they even had some mainstream commercial success at certain points.
Everything started in 1992, when British producers Jody Wisternoff and Nick Warren joined forces in a collaboration under the name Echo. However, it was not long until they decided to change their style and name. In 1994 they released the instant progressive house/breaks classic "Ajare" as "Way Out West". It was both a club hit and a mainstream chart success and skyrocketed the duo to international fame. Since then, the legend added up with every album (4) and single (19) they released, cementing their reputation as game-changers in the industry.
From their second album, 2001's "Intensify", here is "Mindcircus", one of Way Out West's best-known and beloved songs. Also famously remixed by progressive house/trance duo Gabriel & Dresden in 2002.
And from their last album, "We Love Machine" (2009), here's some progressive breaks goodness: "Surrender". ;)
Everything started in 1992, when British producers Jody Wisternoff and Nick Warren joined forces in a collaboration under the name Echo. However, it was not long until they decided to change their style and name. In 1994 they released the instant progressive house/breaks classic "Ajare" as "Way Out West". It was both a club hit and a mainstream chart success and skyrocketed the duo to international fame. Since then, the legend added up with every album (4) and single (19) they released, cementing their reputation as game-changers in the industry.
From their second album, 2001's "Intensify", here is "Mindcircus", one of Way Out West's best-known and beloved songs. Also famously remixed by progressive house/trance duo Gabriel & Dresden in 2002.
And from their last album, "We Love Machine" (2009), here's some progressive breaks goodness: "Surrender". ;)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Parallel - Interstellar
Happy New Year everyone!!!
Following on the (hopefully) awesome NYE party I hope everyone had, let's chill a little today with a beautiful laid-back tune, courtesy of "Interstellar". I honestly confess that I have absolutely no idea on who is behind this project. I looked everywhere, but no luck. I'll probably write an e-mail to the label that released this track (Park Lane Recordings), maybe they will shed some light on this.
Anyway, you can find "Interstellar" on "Cafe Ibiza-The Cream Of Balearic Cuisine" (a VERY good compilation), out 2006 on the aforementioned label.
www.parklanerecordings.com
Following on the (hopefully) awesome NYE party I hope everyone had, let's chill a little today with a beautiful laid-back tune, courtesy of "Interstellar". I honestly confess that I have absolutely no idea on who is behind this project. I looked everywhere, but no luck. I'll probably write an e-mail to the label that released this track (Park Lane Recordings), maybe they will shed some light on this.
Anyway, you can find "Interstellar" on "Cafe Ibiza-The Cream Of Balearic Cuisine" (a VERY good compilation), out 2006 on the aforementioned label.
www.parklanerecordings.com
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