Beautifully Wrapped, Tritonal Delivered The Future Of Trance Music Today

Note: This post was written late on Sunday, January 8, U.S. Pacific Time

Earlier today ( 8 Jan 2012) a truly memorable event in our trance world occurred. Anjunabeats Worldwide, already massively popular on internet radio, took a ride to universal levels as Tritonal took command of the two hour set. And what happened in those two hours can only be described as a uniquely epic, even historic experience. From the beginning beat to the very final melodic note, Chad and Dave defined the genre of trance music in today’s terms. Even more so, the set mix of melodic and vocal trance, progressive trance, trance vs. house mashups and just plain drive-it-to-the-core house/dance tracks painted a picture of where trance music is headed. With the foresight and immense talent they displayed in today’s set, it’s hard to believe they are only #83 on the DJ top 100 list. Clearly, they “get it” and understand the very soul of the future of trance itself.  Here’s how I know this to be true - With amazing ease, Tritonal delivered a solid two hour set of music that crossed sub-genres and touched the outer boundaries of trance. The brilliant mix of lyrical emotion, musical exhilaration and pure energy came together, flowing out of the speakers and wrapped around me like a welcomed summer breeze. This was clearly in evidence right from the opening track as the debut of the emotionally melodic “Promise You” by Fast Distance and Dimension stacked up seamlessly against Shaun Gregory’s heart-pounding remix of Craig Connelly’s “Manchester AM.” The set also included five amazing mash-ups, not the least of which was an amazing Coldplay vs. Gareth Emery vs. Fedde le Grand triple mashup of “Paradise in Tokyo”. Track after track just worked next to one another and there were even a few other surprises tossed in (which you’ll have to listen out for yourself).  It was the kind of set that I wanted to just keep going on and on, not unlike the massive, totally fulfilling hours-long live sets delivered by the likes of Armin van Buuren and Paul van Dyk in their time as visionary re-definers of trance. In today’s realm, my sense is that very few DJ/producers, such as Dash Berlin, DJ Shogun, tiDy and Cosmic Gate, have so far proven that they have the evolutionary vision to push limits and re-define the future of the trance music genre. Today, Tritonal showed the global audience that they have that same vision, insight and courage.  As I sat astonished and totally exhausted at the end of the two hours, I realized how abundantly clear today’s performance on Anjunabeats Worldwide was not just a beautiful two-hour set of great music, but a memorable and historic marker for the genre of trance itself.  The wonderful reality is this: Today, Tritonal blew open the doors on the future of trance and gave us all the opportunity to see, feel and hear it for ourselves.

The entire two hour set is available for download as a podcast on iTunes. Just search for Air Up There with Tritonal in the Podcast section of the iTunes Store.

 
F.Y.I: I’ll be witness to the future of trance in person when I see Tritonal live at Ruby Skye in San Francisco this coming Thursday night. Look back here next weekend for my review of what is sure to be an epic show.

One Amazing, Blow-The-Roof-Off Night – Dash Berlin at Ruby Skye

OK, I’ll admit it, I love Dash Berlin. When I first saw him live in March of this year, I tweeted out that Dash Berlin “was the future of trance.” I saw him play live again in October at the Lovevolution Afterparty in Oakland where he whipped a crowd of over 20,000 into full frenzy. I voted Dash Berlin as #1 in the world in the DJMag Top 100 poll (where he rose to #8 overall!) and then proclaimed him “amazing and hands-down the most energetic DJ in the genre.” When I prepared to see him live at Ruby Skye in San Francisco on December 21, I thought how could this guy top his previous performances? The answer came that night. As I stood in the mezzanine of the packed-to-the-doors club, the lights went down and the signature intro started, I realized this was going to be an amazing night. I have seen the “greats” of trance live before – Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Above and Beyond – but only one DJ has ever been able to hold a club crowd in his grasp and literally control them from start to finish. That DJ is Dash Berlin. Seeing Dash Berlin live this time went far beyond his previous awesome performances. On this night, Dash Berlin took us on a ride - a ride like no other. The closest analogy I can give is that it was like riding the one, great thrill ride at the amusement park that you just never want to get off of. His mixes, including the chart-topping “Disarm Yourself”, the emotional “Better Half Of Me”, the beautiful “This Night” and the mesmerizing “Sanctuary” blew the roof and walls off of the club. Adding in such new “classics” like DJ Shogun’s “Lotus” and Cosmic Gate’s “Be Your Sound” brought a new, fresh future-forward vibe to the dance floor. By turning down the vocals at points and allowing the crowd to sing-in is not only brilliant, but connects each of us to him and the music itself. For two solid hours, I and everyone else within the walls of Ruby Skye were in synch with every move, every note, every word of what Dash Berlin played – not just “to” us, but “with” us. It is a connection with a DJ that is not only rare, but unique in the realm of trance music today. So, I’ll say it again…Dash Berlin IS the future of trance. If you want to experience more than just hot music in a club, more than a fun night on the dance floor, make seeing Dash Berlin a priority. It is not just an event, it is a mind-blowing, beautiful and memorable journey that you will feel and relate back to for the rest of your life.

Links are to videos by Larry Eiring on my YouTube Channel.

Cosmic Gate Gives Us An Instant Classic

It is a rare occurrence that an album from any artist in any genre can be said to be so exceptionally conceived, so end-to-end complete and so well produced that it is considered an “instant classic”, but such it is with Cosmic Gate’s recent release Wake Your Mind. Not since Armin Van Buuren’s Imagine, has one artist (or in this case a pair of artists) produced a trance classic in which every track can stand on its own yet be played together next to every other track with amazing ease and nonstop flow. Nic and Bossi’s pairing of some of the best vocal talents in trance today, including Emma Hewitt, Alana Aldea and Cathy Burton with perfectly fitting melodies and flowing rhythmic vibes pushes this effort to the very top of the list as best trance album of 2011. Ms. Hewitt’s amazing and seductive voice gives the chart-topping “Be Your Sound” raw emotion and depth like nothing we’ve seen since Audrey Gallagher’s “This Night”. The perfect paced “Never Apart” featuring the beautiful voice of Alana Aldea will not only give you goose bumps, but probably have you shedding a tear or two as you close your eyes and let the melodic riffs carry you to that wonderful place you cherish. On “Calm Down”, the boys pair Ms. Hewitt with the perfect trance beat to once again showcase the incredible vocal range and depth of musical passion that has catapulted her to trance superstardom over the past year. “Drifting Away”, featuring the lovely vocal talents of Cathy Burton is simply melodic-vocal trance honed to perfection. The album’s title track, “Wake Your Mind” supported by the Cary Brothers vocals brings with it an irresistible dance/rock beat that rises with an energy that ultimately will explode the roof off of any club. In summary, if you had been hoping for a totally complete and satisfying trance album that will leave you wanting more, then Wake Your Mind is the one. There's no doubt, this effort shows that the future of trance is very much alive and growing.

For me personally, I can’t wait to hear many of the tracks played live when I see Cosmic Gate on New Year’s Eve at Countdown: NorCal's NYE Massive in Pleasanton, California – just 20 miles from my home!  Who knows, maybe I’ll even get the chance to thank Nic and Bossi in person for giving us a new instant classic!

Top Tracks:

Be Your Sound

Wake Your Mind
Never Apart
Drifting Away
Calm Down

Cosmic Gate – Wake Your Mind – Black Hole Recordings

Release: October 28, 2011
Available on iTunes