Again! Dash Berlin + Jonathan Mendelsohn = Beautiful Music

At this point, I’m thinking what else can Dash Berlin accomplish to prove his rightful place on top of the list of trance DJ’s? After dropping a solid string of #1 trance hits including Waiting and Disarm Yourself featuring the phenomenal Emma Hewitt followed by Better Half of Me featuring the powerfully emotional vocals of Jonathan Mendelsohn, Dash Berlin now delivers a trance tour de force with World Falls Apart. World Falls Apart grabs you from the first beats with a speedy take-off that jumps right into grittier, but no less emotional vocals once again provided by the talented Jonathan Mendelsohn. From that point onward, you are taken on an up and down, back and forth thrill ride that leaves you breathless. Interplaying and seductive uplifting melodies rise up from underneath the bass beats at just the right moments, giving Mendelsohn’s beautiful vocals a chance to shine and you a chance to catch a breath before the momentum builds back in to spin you around and around in joyous delirium. Make no mistake; this is one track that grabs you firmly and doesn’t let go from beginning to end. World Falls Apart is a powerful, spring-loaded trampoline of a song that forces you to confidently jump higher and higher off the dance floor with every successive beat. I guarantee, you’ll be surprised at how high you can jump and will want to just keep on jumping.   
 

Dash Berlin feat. Jonathan Mendelsohn –World Falls Apart – Aropa (Armada Music)

Currently #19 on the Beatport Trance Top 100 Chart

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