Finnish duo Maison and Dragen continue their streak of solid releases (“Rio De Janeiro,” “Hour of the Wold,” “Excalibur”) with the solid electro-houser “Never Gonna Stop.” Enlisting the vocal talents of Jeremy Carr,? the song gains a bit of a gospel feel – not dissimilar to “Ordinary People” and “Messiah.”? Actually, the song is quite reminiscent of theme songs from ’80s action movies -? close your eyes and you can imagine it playing with a film trailers as a building explodes.? I have a feeling that the track will get the same energetic reaction when I drop it in my sets this weekend.
Remember the classic trance track “Anthem” by Filo & Peri ft Eric Lumiere. It was one of those rare tracks where the production, song, and voice were all superior and combined to be even greater than the sum of their parts. Nearly five years later, “Love Will Bring It All Around” is the long-awaited followup. Yes, Eric Lumiere has done several good records since “Anthem,” but his vocals in the hands of Italian trance producer Giuseppe Ottaviani elevates them to the epic place they deserve.? The track is gorgeous, and on its own would be peak time material for any trance/progressive set.? The warmth of the chords lifts your spirits and give it an accessible feel while not going all the way to cheese.? The vocal production is exceptional and the intonation of the title lyrics bears a slight resemblance to the major vocal hook of “Anthem.”? There is, however, one thing which I must mention here – when did it become essential for the majority of vocals to be placed over an extended dropout in the middle of a track??? Seriously, there is a good two minute stretch here with no beat that will easily clear many floors.? Yes, as DJs our job would be to find a click track/drum loops to play behind it, but the overabundance of these big room vocal tracks with massive dropouts is getting tiresome – it’s like the early mid-’90s all over again. Of course, this track will sounds amazing on dance radio and podcasts, but it would also be great to get a version that would work in all kinds of clubs and not just the superstar-led big rooms.? With that being said, “Love Will Bring It All Around” is a massive vocal monster with solid production which will no doubt dominate big rooms throughout the festival season.
Sometimes you ask and you receive.? On original release of “One Thousand Suns” back in September we described it as a Reese?s peanut butter cup ? two great tastes that taste great together. UK producer Chicane has created some of the biggest trance tracks in clubland history (“Strong in Love,” ?Saltwater,? ?Offshore,? ?Don?t Give Up?) and so has Dutch producer/DJ Ferry Corsten (?Out of the Blue,? ?Rock Your Body Rock,? ?Junk/Punk?). Together they have created an absolutely gorgeous balearic track ? it?s not exactly trance, nor is it morning music- but rather a fusion of the two genres. Maybe it?s a response to all the aggressive electro that is out there, but there?s something really soothing to the groovy flow of this track. The pads in the breakdown are nearly emotional with the way they feel, and the extended buildup prolongs excitement. The fact that it doesn?t lead to a harder or louder feel makes the track even more special.?Incredibly strong, the track received massive play around the world and is back again with a vocal from BBMak vocalist turned popular Armada collaborator Christian Burns.? The lyrics are cool and emotional without resorting to the stock cliches often heard on tracks of the nature.? Its also great to hear that the producers were able to place the vocals over beats rather than over a 2 minute beatless dropout in the middle of the track.? Both remixers manage to do this as well with Danny Howard pumping up the energy with a bit of electro and Soundprank taking a more progressive turn.? With this new vocal version, “One Thousand Suns” just might make the leap from the clubs to crossover.
