Tag: armin van buuren

SONG OF THE DAY: Danny Dove ft Susie Ledge – “Goodbye”

There’s quickly becoming a huge catalog of progressive/stadium house tracks that all sound pretty much the same – as if the labels told every producer to copy that last one by Avicii/Swedish House Mafia. Thankfully, there are tracks like “Goodbye” that avoid devolving to the just-add-cheese formula. Danny Dove’s progressive house track is anthemic and pretty with sweeping pads, a squelchy synth hook, and an uplifting energy that comes from grooves rather than banging beats.? Singer/songwriter Susie Ledge adds her emotional blue-eyed soul to the somber lyrics, elevating the track even further.? DJs requiring a more aggressive mix will reach for the?Francesco Diaz & Young Rebels take which toughens the track up, teasing with a retro-ish trance pop hook before exploding into progressive electro beats.? Fans of the big vocal records of Armin van Buuren and Markus Schulz should definitely hunt this one down.

Image Courtesy of Wormland Black.

SONG OF THE DAY: Christian Burns, Paul Oakenfold & Jes – “As We Collide (Orjan Nilsen Remix)”

Life after a boy band is always a challenge, yet after the break up of BBMak, singer Christian Burns has done quite well by embracing EDM. He collaborates with some of the best (Armin van Buuren, BT, and Tiesto), and continues his trajectory by working with the legendary Paul Oakenfold. “As We Collide” (Why do I always call this song “As Worlds Collide”?) is an energetic big room club track that acts as the background for a gorgeous and inspired vocal duet by Christian and the much-loved Jes. Vocals in club records are often relegated to the background or simplified and auto tuned to the point of being robotic. On “As We Collide,” both singers shine with emotional performances that show their range and true vocal talent. Somehow I missed this when it was originally released back in October, but Norwegian producer Orjan Nilesen?s remix here really grabs me. He completely reworked the track and added a new melody line similar to Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy” or maybe the interpolated pattern of September?s “Cry for You.? A more lush feel is given to the emotional nature of the song while its energy is increased for the dance floor. If you missed this track the first time around, it would do you well to check it out along with this hot new remix.


Image Courtesy of Armada.

INTERVIEW: Tritonal (2012)

American trance superstars – it has a nice ring, doesn’t it. Tritonal, the duo of Chad Cisneros and Dave Reed, are from Austin, Texas, and have risen quickly in the trance scene.? Early support from big names like Armin van Buuren, Above and Beyond, Ferry Corsten, and Markus Schulz helped propel them in the scene.? Their debut album ‘Piercing the Quiet,’ released in 2011, featured eight top 20 Beatport singles (five of which topped the Trance chart). ?A double-disc set of remixes, ‘Piercing the Quiet: Remixed,’ was released in September with rerubs by Beat Service, Super 8 & Tab, Seven Lions, Maor Levi, and others, as well as remixes by the duo themselves.? Listening to their tracks, it’s easy to see why they’ve developed such a massive legion of fans, who call themselves ‘Tritonians.’
Ron Slomowicz:? Were you guys DJs or producers first?
Chad Cisneros (Tritonal): Obviously producers, still to this day we consider ourselves producers who DJ.

RS: How did the two of you meet each other?
Dave Reed (Tritonal): An online dating service… Just kidding, we met online through forums discussing sound design techniques.

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