iLove Trance MusicRichard Durand | iLove Trance Music

My DJmag Top 100 DJs Poll Selection

Stuart — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:44:38 +0000

Oh yes here they all come, those polite requests of “Vote for me!”

Once again our fantastic trance DJs complete against all comers in dance music genres alongside trance music to earn a place in the DJmag’s Top 100 DJs poll. Voting this year I expect will throw up some new faces for us trance music lovers as we have seen lots of new talent emerge, but there is just no telling until we finally see the results as we all know

Last year saw trance DJs of all sub-genres dominate pretty much half of the poll, which can be attested to with the posts I first made on iLove Trance Music. To recap, I made two lists of the Top Trance DJs based upon their placing in the 2008 DJmag Top 100 DJs poll.

Top 25 Trance DJs

and to round it upto 50…

Top 50 Trance DJs

This year has opened many new avenues for choice of voting and I must say there is more than a few good DJs out there. Picking just five entries was very hard! Anyway here are my 5 that I voted for in the poll…

Above & Beyond
Gareth Emery
Will Atkinson
Ben Gold
Richard Durand

Who did you select or are you still making a shortlist? Hahaha! Please leave a comment below!

Cheers for reading!

Stuart

http://top100djs.djmag.com/

New Trance Tracks 18-05-09

Stuart — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:35:41 +0000

Just like last week I’m really struggling to resist adding more than 5 new tracks, and this week you will be glad to know I have failed! So here are 10 New Trance Tracks that I think you’ll more than like!

The list below is just a small selection of the many great tunes floating around at the moment, but first I’ll start with a progressive tune that I heard played from a DJ’s laptop not so long ago at a house party. It is by no means a new track having being released last year, but I really, really, really do love this track. It is unusual for me to like a progressive tune as much as I do this one, I think the last time I bought a true progressive tune it may have been Holden & Thompson’s ‘Nothing’ to put it in perspective.

So, this maybe a list of New Trance Tracks I try and gather each week, but along the way I may include something that is new to me and old to you. Hopefully it will serve as a reminder of a great track, enjoy!
Also I notice some of the sites I visit release the same track at different times, so I’m sorry if there is confusion if you have seen a release elsewhere earlier. I’m working very hard on getting official release dates from labels and artists directly to avoid this in future.

Mango – Every Sunrise (Original Mix)
Mango Alley Recordings
beatport.com link

I’ve been winding a few of my followers up on Twitter about loving this track, well here it is! It has that perfect summertime feel to it and with the sun shining again I bet this really set the tone last summer for those who heard it – lucky people I say! I know I will be playing it this summer due to its uplifting and euphoric nature.
Thanks to new friend Sydmey for introducing this track into my life! You’ll find the full length track embedded from YouTube on the home page too.

Gareth Emery – Metropolis (Original Mix)
Garuda
TrackItDown.net link

Gareth’s second release ‘Metropolis’, on his new label Garuda, is just as keen as ‘Exposure’ to show why so many people are believing him to be one of the leading figures of trance for the future. Another top notch track!

Maelstrom – Remember Your Inputs (Original Mix)
Iboga Records
DJdownload link

Another progressive tune for you, somewhat deeper and darker here with a lovely rhythm to it. I love the use of percussion and the vocal which really brings the track to a new level. I have never come across this label before even though it has been in existence for many years. I recommend checking out their other releases that are really something different from the norm.
TrackItDown.net as it happens featured this label in a mail out today and count most of its work as house, nice cross over stuff if you ask me though.

Michal Poliak – Carpathia
WA-X Records
TrackItDown.net

Many tracks are doing a fabulous job at infusing tech-trance sounds and feeling to a progressive attitude right now and this is one of them. There are many producers from further east doing a great job representing trance to the world and I must say I’m loving their sound. I’ll be looking at for further releases from Michal Poliak and those of WA-X records, which happens to be a label from CGI Records.

Taylor & Close – Vanity Fair (Neal Thomas Remix)
Abstract Recordings
TrackItDown.net link

The Neal thomas Remix is a TrackItDown.net exclusive and does the business really well, but any one of the other mixes are worthy for your collection I’d say. Abstract Recordings owner Ben Nicky was suggested as my Trance Tuesday a few weeks back, if you didn’t get to grab his mix, then go do so now: Link

Frog & Bugle feat. LeeMac – Seven Days To Eden (East & Young Remix)
RR Recordings
beatport.com link
A nice use of Robert Mile’s ‘Seven Days and One Week’. Another one of those tracks that will get a good reaction from making use of a classic and if you remember I featured RR Recordings previously with Cartouche’s ‘Bitter Sweet’ track. Good stuff coming from this label that is brushing close to commercial but doesn’t quite cross the line to turn me off.

Marcel Woods – Inside Me (Original Mix)
High Contrast Recordings
beatport.com link
I do like a bit of Marcel Woods for his ear piercing synth use and here it as if he has ripped Marco V’s ‘Unprepared’ and made it his own. Suits me fine!

Richard Durand – Always The Sun (Roger Shah Remix)
Magik Muzik
DJdownload.com link
Was disappointed to hear Richard Durand going down the big uplifting vocal route until I heard the Roger Shah Remix. I hope this is not an ongoing trend for producers who have done well doing the tech-trance sound with vocals; John O’Callaghan being another example after his album featuring a load of vocalists and no hard hitting sound in my opinion.

Pascal Feliz – Smack My 2 Core Up
Musical Madness
TrackItDown.net link
An epic breakdown soon makes room for a monster riff that gets the feet moving. Highly recommended listening!

Sunny Lax – Reborn (Original Mix)
Anjunabeats
DJdownload.com link
Lush track that you have heard many a time no doubt, and will hear again and again now everyone can get their hands on it. The remix by Nitrous Oxide ups the pace nicely if you find the original too laid back.

That is the 10 for this week!

Hope you get to enjoy some of them. I’d better start looking for new tracks straight away if I’m to do 10 next week :S Haha!

As a thank you to all my readers I got a freebie sourced for you.
Last week Dave Dresden threw up the following link for all to download on Twitter. I asked him if I could feature it here which he gladly said yes to. It is a remix of Calvin Harris’s I’m Not Alone.

YouSendIt.com Link

You can follow Dave Dresden on Twitter here.

Thank you to all the readers once again and I’ll look forward to writing up tomorrow’s Trance Tuesday now.

Love or hate any of the above tracks please discuss below by leaving comments

Cheers

Stuart

P.S. Look out for the Facebook fanpage coming this week. Is there anywhere else I should be covering to spread the word? Make suggestions below cheers!

Photo credit: kofoed

New Trance Tracks 13-04-09

Stuart — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:38:09 +0000

More euphoric, uplifting, dirty, tech, banging, quality sounds this week as I give you my top 5!

I hope you all had an excellent Easter weekend, I know many of you in Australia would of been enjoying the likes of…well any of the 5 below in fact. To celebrate returning back to work (…Yawn!) I have picked out one of the latest tracks from 5 of the DJs who were featured in the Trance Energy tour!

Marco V – Coma Aid (Original Mix)

In Charge Recordings
TrackItDown Link

Hmmm… Marco V. I’ll be frank, I really didn’t follow what he did after Automanual, as I felt he was going to far down the electro/house route. Coma Aid I really think is a mixture of old and new and he has won me over again. Some may mention Red Blue Purple was also a fantastic track, but I heard it caned in so many commercial which kinda turned me off – just like when a pretty chav clubber opens her mouth and says “Wot u looking at?!”.

Art of Trance – Madagascar (Richard Durand Mix)

Ministry of Sound UK
TrackItDown Link

Every mix I hear Richard Durand work on is just gold! From Skunk Anansie, Way Out West, Armnin van Buuren and Tiesto, he never ever fails to impress! I repeat, he never ever fails to impress! Got that? Got the above track? Good!

Aly & Fila – Dynasty (Original Mix)

Armada
TrackItDown Link

My first time seeing these pair at Peach, London was immense! They really are a duo who perform as well behind the decks as they do in the studio. I’m sure Australia’s trance lovers will agree after hearing them over the Easter weekend.

Mark Sherry & James Allan vs Stuart Trainer – Cabin Fever (Original Mix)

Captivating Sounds
TrackItDown Link

I’m loving the mixes Mark Sherry keeps putting out on his Facebook group. Last year he really dug some great tunes and he looks set to continue with what I’ve seen in 2009.

Marcus Schossow – From My Heart (Original Mix)

Tone Diary
TrackItDown Link

Swedish DJ and producer Marcus Schossow I think has invested in a rocket. His rise to fame has been so sudden and quick in such a large industry, where everyone wants a slice of the pie and many household names hold onto their large portion, there can be no other explanation. Tone Diary is a force to reckon with, even Darth Vader wants in!

Top 50 Trance DJs

Stuart — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:13:34 +0000

I was not entirely happy with compiling the Top 25 for a number of reasons. Mostly because it was made up of known names, many new artists who had broken the scene were missing and I felt it was a bland read because of that. So I went back through the list at DJmag.com and spotted a number of artists who should be noted.

If you did not catch the Top 25 Trance DJs post I made please click here before delving into the second half which includes those from 26-50.

Here I have now compiled the list further to complete the Top 50 Trance DJs as voted by DJmag.com readers!

…26. DJ Feel
27. Yahel
28. DJ Shah
29. John O’Callaghan
30. Blank & Jones
31. Cosmic Gate
32. Simon Patterson
33. Gabriel & Dresden
34. Richard Durand
35. Matt Hardwick
36. Signum
37. Tiddey
38. Greg Downey
39. Marcel Woods
40. Solar System
41. Skazi
42. Mike Koglin
43. Solarstone
44. Astral Projection
45. Leon Bolier
46. Ronski Speed
47. Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Woody van Eyden
48. John ’00′ Fleming
49. Christopher Lawrence
50. Bt

The last three were just outside the official Top 100 list.

DJs in the list I was glad to see…

Artists I was particularly glad to see in this list were Simon Patterson, Richard Durand, Leon Boiler, Marcel Woods, Solarstone and John ’00′ Fleming. Also worth noting the continuation of psy-trance being featured as it continues its popularity across the globe.

As mentioned in the comments for the Top 25 Trance DJs list, there are again a high number of DJs in the list who are well known for their productions, and more so for their productions than their ability as a DJ in many people’s opinion.
My thoughts are that in any part of the music industry you have to be accomplished as an artist releasing music (if your actually writing it is another matter) to be taken seriously and climb the stardom ladder. Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Kings of Leon, Metallica, Madonna, Lilly Allen, none of them would of got anywhere if they had stayed in a pub/club singing covers. For that reason I think it is wise to assume the same goes within the electronic music industry and the top lists reinforce that idea.

My advice if you want to make the Top 100 DJ list is; start learning to produce music with the intention to release some tracks and worry about your DJ skills being polished and refined later

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