[Flyer credit: Afterhours.fm]
Showing posts with label Daniel Kandi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel Kandi. Show all posts
Friday, August 6, 2010
Exchange of Sound Festival to be broadcast tomorrow on AH.fm
Afterhours.fm will be broadcasting another live event tomorrow: the Exchange of Sound Festival in Poland.
The music starts at 3pm (CET) and 9am (EST).
[Flyer credit: Afterhours.fm]
[Flyer credit: Afterhours.fm]
Monday, January 25, 2010
Track Reviews: Anjunabeats Grab Bag Edition
It took two days, a couple gigabytes of software updates, and installations of McAfee's security suite and some petty Windows anti-virus program for me to get back on the internet. My bane- a silly application wanting to scan my laptop to access to my campus internet (they think I might have a virus...right). Anyway, on to the good stuff:
1. Boom Jinx & Jaytech - Milano [Anjunadeep]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
Boom Jinx & Jaytech's latest progressive house hit sounds like it fell through a time warp- it oozes this 70's disco vibe that makes you want to put on an afro wig and bob your head to the music.
Finger-snaps, bass distortion effects, and odd female vocalizations accompany the main melody, which is a tremendous amount of fun.
However, the song loses quite a bit of steam during a short breakdown where the duo can't seem to figure out what to do.
Rating: 8 out of 10 [Great]
2. Evbointh - One Wish (Daniel Kandi & Mark Andrez Remix) [Anjunabeats]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
Polish 17-year-old Evbointh wrote "One Wish" in 2007, a pair of remixes in 2008, and another song in 2009 before vanishing off the radar. He isn't releasing material on another alias and I don't know why he's fallen out of the production game, but I wish he didn't.
Daniel Kandi and Mark Andrez's remake of his trance classic is nothing short of spectacular. The song gets off to a slow start (my pet peeve- boring, beatmatch-friendly intros), but once that epic melody comes out of the breakdown, Kandi and Andrez hold nothing back.
A warm-pitched, soft-edged synth blares through the back half of the song for an awesome few minutes of uplifting trance.
The end of the song is just as dull as the beginning, but the breakdown and minutes following it warrant the high score.
Rating: 9 out of 10 [Choon]
3. OceanLab - Sirens Of The Sea (Above & Beyond Club Mix) [Anjunabeats]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
Everything you need to know about this song is in the title- it's a club mix of a song with lyrics containing imagery of the world's seas and oceans. Only in trance, folks:
"Out beyond the water's edge,
far out past the coral ledge,
underneath the diamond and sunlight.
Chase the world from far below,
silent, sleeping indigo,
drifting down into the endless light"
sings Justine Suissa, the vocalist of this Above & Beyond collaboration. Her voice floats effortlessly (no pun intended) over an atmospheric sound accented by subtle piano notes.
Outside of Solarstone's "Seven Cities", this is one of the better underwater-themed trance songs, and another OceanLab remix that sounds better than the original version.
Rating: 8 out of 10 [Great]
[Image credit: Junodownload.com]
1. Boom Jinx & Jaytech - Milano [Anjunadeep]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
Boom Jinx & Jaytech's latest progressive house hit sounds like it fell through a time warp- it oozes this 70's disco vibe that makes you want to put on an afro wig and bob your head to the music.
Finger-snaps, bass distortion effects, and odd female vocalizations accompany the main melody, which is a tremendous amount of fun.
However, the song loses quite a bit of steam during a short breakdown where the duo can't seem to figure out what to do.
Rating: 8 out of 10 [Great]
2. Evbointh - One Wish (Daniel Kandi & Mark Andrez Remix) [Anjunabeats]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
Polish 17-year-old Evbointh wrote "One Wish" in 2007, a pair of remixes in 2008, and another song in 2009 before vanishing off the radar. He isn't releasing material on another alias and I don't know why he's fallen out of the production game, but I wish he didn't.
Daniel Kandi and Mark Andrez's remake of his trance classic is nothing short of spectacular. The song gets off to a slow start (my pet peeve- boring, beatmatch-friendly intros), but once that epic melody comes out of the breakdown, Kandi and Andrez hold nothing back.
A warm-pitched, soft-edged synth blares through the back half of the song for an awesome few minutes of uplifting trance.
The end of the song is just as dull as the beginning, but the breakdown and minutes following it warrant the high score.
Rating: 9 out of 10 [Choon]
3. OceanLab - Sirens Of The Sea (Above & Beyond Club Mix) [Anjunabeats]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
Everything you need to know about this song is in the title- it's a club mix of a song with lyrics containing imagery of the world's seas and oceans. Only in trance, folks:
"Out beyond the water's edge,
far out past the coral ledge,
underneath the diamond and sunlight.
Chase the world from far below,
silent, sleeping indigo,
drifting down into the endless light"
sings Justine Suissa, the vocalist of this Above & Beyond collaboration. Her voice floats effortlessly (no pun intended) over an atmospheric sound accented by subtle piano notes.
Outside of Solarstone's "Seven Cities", this is one of the better underwater-themed trance songs, and another OceanLab remix that sounds better than the original version.
Rating: 8 out of 10 [Great]
[Image credit: Junodownload.com]
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Track reviews: Arctic Moon's remixes of "Dream Way" and "Rock Guitar"
Over the weekend I picked up a pair of 2009 tracks from Arctic Moon, one of my favorite uplifting trance producers. Here are my thoughts on each:
1. Dereck Recay - Dream Way (Arctic Moon Remix) [Redux]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
One of Arctic Moon's talents is taking something that sounds simple and making it effective, whether it's in a melody or breakdown.
The chord progression in the back half of his remix of "Dream Way" really shines- it's only four notes moving upward in a scale, but it's incredibly catchy and it makes the song.
His main melody- a soft and warm synth pattern originating from the breakdown, eventually finds its way in between these scales for a fun two minutes before the track closes.
[The song title and the artist name also rhyme- Dereck Recay...Dream Way]
Why not a higher score? The beginning of the track is pretty standard and includes a simplified version of the main melody that fails to go anywhere.
Rating: 8 out of 10 [Great]
2. Corderoy - Rock Guitar (Arctic Moon Remix) [Insight]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
After hearing a sample of the breakdown on this song on Beatport, I decided to give this track a try.
I like when producers add instruments into their songs that aren't electronic (ex. piano, violin). Arctic Moon's remix of this song has an electric guitar solo going for it, plus a little bass and snare drum hits on a drum set.
But speaking of the guitar solo, which has that squealing 80's vibe, it's not complex or interesting enough to hold your attention for a long time. When I first heard it I thought it was pretty cool, but the more I listen to this track, the more I wish Arctic Moon took the original solo and spiced it up a bit.
Here's an example of a guitar solo in trance done right- "Liberate" by Robert Nickson and Daniel Kandi. If you took away everything from the song besides the solo, you would still have a solid melody. That's not the same story for "Rock Guitar", which is less rock and more trance.
However, the song as a whole is still pretty decent and is relaxing to the ears.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10 [Good]
[Image credit: junodownload.com]
1. Dereck Recay - Dream Way (Arctic Moon Remix) [Redux]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
One of Arctic Moon's talents is taking something that sounds simple and making it effective, whether it's in a melody or breakdown.
The chord progression in the back half of his remix of "Dream Way" really shines- it's only four notes moving upward in a scale, but it's incredibly catchy and it makes the song.
His main melody- a soft and warm synth pattern originating from the breakdown, eventually finds its way in between these scales for a fun two minutes before the track closes.
[The song title and the artist name also rhyme- Dereck Recay...Dream Way]
Why not a higher score? The beginning of the track is pretty standard and includes a simplified version of the main melody that fails to go anywhere.
Rating: 8 out of 10 [Great]
2. Corderoy - Rock Guitar (Arctic Moon Remix) [Insight]
@Beatport // @YouTube // @Discogs
After hearing a sample of the breakdown on this song on Beatport, I decided to give this track a try.
I like when producers add instruments into their songs that aren't electronic (ex. piano, violin). Arctic Moon's remix of this song has an electric guitar solo going for it, plus a little bass and snare drum hits on a drum set.
But speaking of the guitar solo, which has that squealing 80's vibe, it's not complex or interesting enough to hold your attention for a long time. When I first heard it I thought it was pretty cool, but the more I listen to this track, the more I wish Arctic Moon took the original solo and spiced it up a bit.
Here's an example of a guitar solo in trance done right- "Liberate" by Robert Nickson and Daniel Kandi. If you took away everything from the song besides the solo, you would still have a solid melody. That's not the same story for "Rock Guitar", which is less rock and more trance.
However, the song as a whole is still pretty decent and is relaxing to the ears.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10 [Good]
[Image credit: junodownload.com]
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Unofficial list for ASOT 450 shows
Armin Van Buuren is hosting three North American shows and two European shows for A State Of Trance 450 this coming April.
4/1 - Toronto
4/2 - NYC
4/3 - NYC
4/9 - Bratislava, Slovakia
4/10 - Wroclaw, Poland
During his ASOT 439 show today, he announced a list of special guest DJ's slated to perform at the upcoming shows.
Here's the unofficial list of who he mentioned that will be playing with him for those five nights, but not the location of each:
Alex M.O.R.P.H
Aly & Fila
Arnej
Ashely Wallbridge
Blake Jarell
Cosmic Gate
DJ Eco
Filo & Peri
Gareth Emery
Giuseppe Ottaviani
Markus Schulz
Myon & Shane 54
M.I.K.E
Nitrous Oxide
Sean Tyas
Sied Van Riel
Signum
Simon Patterson
Super8 & Tab
W&W
JOC
We do know however that the following names can't play the 4/3 NYC show since they're booked for Trance Energy in the Netherlands on the same night:
Markus Schulz
W&W
Super8 & Tab
Arnej
Gareth Emery
Sean Tyas
Cosmic Gate
Stay tuned for updates.
4/1 - Toronto
4/2 - NYC
4/3 - NYC
4/9 - Bratislava, Slovakia
4/10 - Wroclaw, Poland
During his ASOT 439 show today, he announced a list of special guest DJ's slated to perform at the upcoming shows.
Here's the unofficial list of who he mentioned that will be playing with him for those five nights, but not the location of each:
Alex M.O.R.P.H
Aly & Fila
Arnej
Ashely Wallbridge
Blake Jarell
Cosmic Gate
DJ Eco
Filo & Peri
Gareth Emery
Giuseppe Ottaviani
Markus Schulz
Myon & Shane 54
M.I.K.E
Nitrous Oxide
Sean Tyas
Sied Van Riel
Signum
Simon Patterson
Super8 & Tab
W&W
JOC
We do know however that the following names can't play the 4/3 NYC show since they're booked for Trance Energy in the Netherlands on the same night:
Markus Schulz
W&W
Super8 & Tab
Arnej
Gareth Emery
Sean Tyas
Cosmic Gate
Stay tuned for updates.
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