Everybody knows that the early to mid 2000s were the pinnacle of progressive trance. And Swedish producer Rikard Fredriksson, otherwise known as Probspot and Rico Soarez was at the pinnacle of the pinnacle. With releases such as "Foreplay EP", "Blueberry" or "TV Dinner/Timeless" it's easy to understand why. Held in high regard for his unique and multivalent style, Probspot has maintained a strong reputation throughout the years, both through original productions and also with some great remixes for acts like Insignia, Solarstone, Mike Shiver etc. Also, starting with 2007 Rikard has started releasing music under a third alias, Zinfandel, following the same progressive recipe, only with a slightly more electro-ish vibe.
A pleasantly convincing crossover between Trance, Drum n Bass and Breakbeat, "Obsession" comes from his 2005 album "Organic Waveforms" (as Probspot), released on the seminal (at that time) Lost Language label.
And from the same album, featuring Craig Evans on vocals, "God Shaped Hole":
Showing posts with label progressive trance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label progressive trance. Show all posts
Friday, April 30, 2010
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:
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