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

Abstract Vision and Elite Electronics’ Latest, Never Forget, Hits the Mark All Around

The newest release from the duo Abstract Vision and Elite Electronic, Never Forget is not only a great effort, but with three well-done and independent sounding remixes in addition to the Original Mix, there’s  a remix for just about everyone. My personal fav is the Store N Forward Remix. This is the mix for the clubs. The hard-driving bass sound zip-morphs into a nicely melodic flow that is both warming and energetic. The energy builds slowly to several got-to-get-you-moving dance plateaus before rising to a crescendo that just about leaves you breathless, only to slowly drop you down and back up again. The Store N Forward Remix has just the right amount of ups and downs coupled with an amazingly beautiful trance melodic sound to bring the crowds at the club to their feet and still leave them some energy to spare. I predict this one will be very big for Abstract Vision and Elite Electronic.

Abstract Vision and Elite Electronic - Never Forget (Store N Forward Remix), Infrasonic Records.  (Currently #46 on the Beatport Trance Top 100)

Welcome to the Future Of Trance!

First, welcome to my new blog - dedicated to sharing my perspectives on what I think is the best in new trance music. I'll be sharing my views periodically (hopefully at least a couple times each week) with you and hope you'll submit your comments back. I'd certainly welcome that and so would the DJ's and artists who put their all into the music that I love with a passion.

As a matter of introduction, I'm just a regular guy living in Northern California. I "discovered" trance music about seven years ago via the music of Paul Van Dyk. Needless to say, I was hooked. Since then, I have gotten deeper into the scene. In fact, about 80% of the music I listen to is trance and 70% of my large iTunes library consists of trance tracks from many of the top trance DJ's today. I catch my fav DJ's whenever I can here in San Francisco and have seen Armin Van Buuren, Dash Berlin, John O'Callaghan, Markus Schultz, Blake Jarrell, Gareth Emery, Filo & Peri and Paul Van Dyk in 2011 alone. Add to these, I've had the privilege of meeting Giuseppe Ottaviani in person and am friends with the amazing Audrey Gallagher. With all of that under my belt and more to come, I think I'm somewhat qualified to air my views publicly.

I hope you'll find what I have to say informative, interesting and occasionally provocative. I also hope you'll become a follower and subscribe to my new FUTURE OF TRANCE blog! Thanks for participating.

To start things off, here's my favorite trance vocal track and video of 2011: "Disarm Yourself" by Dash Berlin feat. Emma Hewitt > http://dashberlinworld.com/video/dash-berlin-feat-emma-hewitt-disarm-yourself-official-music-vid-1

Here's what I said when the video was released and my view remains the same today:
One of the best trance videos I've seen in a long time for a deceivingly powerful song. By shooting in black and white and alternating the fast-paced exterior scenes with Ms. Hewitt's slow-motion close-ups, the video seductively and emotionally draws you in while visually driving home the song's message. The way the club scenes are shot brilliantly adds to the energy of the song and underscores what trance is all about. Simply, one awesome production!

This track and then seeing Dash Berlin live is what compelled me to enthusiastically state, "Dash Berlin IS the future of trance."

Comments, please!