Heading deep into the winter season and there's been no shortage of quality trance nights in the UK. Armin Van Buuren at The Warehouse Project in Manchester two weekends ago is soon to be followed by a great line up of Trance at Ministry of Sound in London, including Dash Berlin and Eddie Bitar tomorrow night, Ferry Corsten coming up on the 1st of November and an array of other talents at later dates including John O'Callaghan, Jorn van Deynhoven, Simon Patterson and Chicane. We're also looking forward to Above & Beyond's Group Therapy 50 celebration in London which we'll be reporting on. This is definitely no shortage of absolute talent for London's winter months, and we can't wait to get stuck in. On the release circuit things are looking great too with some bombs coming out on the purer Trance side of things.
After seeing Markus Schulz at Ministry of Sound back in June our appreciation for him rose and delving deeper into his music we discovered what a trance genius he was. 'Remember This' is a track off his recent Buenas Aires compilation, which each year, he names after an influential city in his work. Featuring an incredible melody and a simple typical Schulz uplifting yet brooding sound, this track is a gem.
One Dj that is definitely worth keeping an eye on is Andrew Bayer, one of the few who sits on the line between Trance and Progressive House without it compromising the quality of his releases. His latest album showcased his ability to produce in any style he wants, but recently he's returned to his Progressive sound with stellar releases. This effort showcases big room synths that would be apt for the opening of a big room set, building into the explosive groove that brings to mind visions of a crowd jumping up and down as the energy is released on the night. Definitely worth a listen!
We talked of Adam Ellis' relentless uplifting sound in our last Trance package, and now he's back with more blistering beats. His latest monthly mix teases some of his forthcoming releases, including a new remix by him of John O' Callaghan's 'Big Sky', a personal favourite of mine that takes a melodic journey before cutting the vocals cleverly, shortly before unleashing acid line mayhem. Keep your ears to the ground for his releases as he propels into the public eye for huge trance.
Bursting with Euphoria, here we have an absolutely huge track from Dutch native Mark Sixma. Featured on Armin Van Buuren's latest Universal Religion compilation, this one combines big room sounds with old school melody to produce what can only be described as an absolute must listen!
A flashback here, to one of the first 'superstar' DJs, 41 year old German Grammy Award winning producer Paul Van Dyk has been on top of the game for the last 19 years and with his sound constantly developing there is certainly much more to come. Probably one of the most influential and greatest trance tracks of all time, 'For An Angel' was originally released in 1994, however was later reworked and re-released in 1998 by Van Dyk himself. This track has everything, from the famous melodic synths to hard uplifting deep progressive trance vibes.
Finally a big track to celebrate Armin Van Buuren's ASOT650 tour, picked through Armin's Anthem contest, Jorn van Deynhoven fills the speakers with another healthy dose of euphoria for everyone to enjoy! Fitting a similar form to Armin and Markus Schulz's previous anthem 'The Expedition', strings make way to soaring synths that crash into a frenzy of brilliance. Give this one a listen too. Enjoy!
