THAT WAS 2009 – THE YEAR IN CHARTS
2009 draws to a close and yet again my all-embracing, all-inclusive and all-rambling review of the year’s electronic music returns – wordier than ever before... Slightly earlier than I'd planned, but isn't that always the way.
On a personal level, it’s been a strangely disappointing year, so, this year more than ever, it’s been music and DJing keeping me going and giving life its colour. Trance, in particular, has been truly stunning this year, maybe better than it’s been since the “golden era” of 98-01. And that high standard itself has both kept me sane and yet at times driven me to states of embarrassing over-excitement and needless intoxication – something I’m sure most of my fellow trance addicts, Shpongloids and borderline paranoiacs can relate to. Whether this is my prediction that trance would improve in the final years of the decade coming true or just me looking a lot harder I’m not sure, but I’m still convinced trance fans, from both uplifting and techy ends of the spectrum, have been thoroughly spoilt this year. Anyone out there reading this that’s getting into trance for the first time or coming back to it after many years away, believe me, you couldn’t have picked a better year to join/rejoin the party.
And, for me, albums-wise at least, 2009 will be remembered as the year that some real electronic heavyweights stood up, some after years away from the scene, to deliver their latest offerings - a couple of artists even promised 2 albums.... the question is, who delivered and who impressed?
As always, we begin with the albums in reverse order...
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20.
Planisphere –
Cyborganic
(April / Green Martian)
Arguably more of an extended EP with a few remixes than a “proper” album, but like his 2007 album,
Solarism, Cyborganic was a well-crafted, textured and intelligently delivered progressive trance record, complete with those lush, bright melodies, futuristic touches and flurries of breakbeat – the forgotten middle ground where old progressive meets new progressive.
Favourite Track:
Jarresque
19.
Mahamudra –
Simplicity Of Complexity
(July / Tactic Records)
Sounding strangely reminiscent of
Infected Mushroom’s material from the early 2000s, this album from Israeli psytrance trio Mahamudra dared to be that little bit more psychedelic than most full on albums around at the moment. For that reason alone, it stood out. Something to get your body moving and your brain melting.
Favourite Track:
Sexy Body Move
18.
Between Interval –
The Edge of a Fairytale
(April / Spottled Peccary)
Stefan Strand’s 4th album as space-music project, Between Interval, was as graceful, intelligent and engaging as pure ambient gets, and actually much more diverse in approach too - a vast and compelling soundtrack to the void between stars.
Favourite Track:
Three Years Ago
17.
Richard Durand –
Always The Sun
(May / Magik Muzik)
An album which slightly perplexed to begin with – beyond the final 4 tracks or so (
Silver Key through to
Dr. Gorgo), where was the Richard Durand we remember from the days of
Ledged Up,
Inside My Brain and
Any Time? What I realised pretty quickly was that this is actually a really refreshing and original approach to progressive trance music – rich, melodic and warm, building seamlessly and steadily towards those harder sounds we’ve come to expect from tech trance’s rising star.
Favourite Track:
Into Something
16.
Cosmic Gate –
Sign of The Times
(March / Black Hole Recordings)
Another evolution for German duo, Cosmic Gate – leaving the hard trance of
Rhythm & Drums and
No More Sleep firmly behind them and taking the moodier tech of
Earth Mover in a more progressive/vocal direction, typical of trance’s current trends. A very solid collection of buzzing basslines, simple hooks and plush vocals.
Favourite Track:
F.A.V.
15.
Day.Din –
A Place To Be Real
(February / Spintwist Records)
Hamburg isn’t just home to dance music funsters turned jumpstyle charlatans,
Scooter; thankfully, it’s home to some top notch progressive psy as well. In A Place To Be Real, Deniz Aydin delivered some highly atmospheric and textured trance music alongside some funkier, electro-fused numbers.
Favourite Track:
Dance With Me
14.
Soliquid –
Transportation
(March / Baroque Records)
An outstandingly diverse mixture of progressive material from 24 year old David Biczók, containing some really obvious
Orbital and
Chicane overtones in places. This was a debut album that showed bags of ideas and production flair – this Hungarian really is one to watch in progressive trance music, as he understands his genre down to the very last detail.
Favourite Track:
Mosquito
13.
Gui Boratto –
Take My Breath Away
(March / Kompakt)
Direct from São Paulo, this was an effortless blend of minimal, tech house and chilled moods which had a beautiful balance between shades of darkness and light. Sometimes quite sunny, sometimes moving into the shadows, but consistently calming and restful.
Favourite Track:
Ballroom
12.
Ovnimoon –
Geometric Poetry
(August / Iono Music)
An exceptionally, and I mean exceptionally, deep and cerebral progressive psy record from Chilean, Hector Stuardo. Hypnotic music that just melts into the atmosphere.
Favourite Track:
Sacred Earth
11.
Phony Orphants –
Computer Music
(November / Iboga Records)
A very late entry from my point-of-view, and an album I picked up on by chance when I randomly decided to search on discogs.com for new Iboga releases. And I’m thoroughly glad I did because Iboga have outdone themselves yet again. Carefully straddling that hazy line between straight- down-the-middle progressive and psychedelic progressive, this album is impeccably clean sounding, full of character and incredibly danceable.
Favourite Track:
Party Girl
10.
Zombie Nation –
Zombielicious
(March / UKW)
I feel slightly sorry for Munich-based producer, Florian Senfter. While most artists would be delighted to have had a hit as big as Kernkraft 400, the
DJ Gius remix of that track that went on to become such a huge chart hit has criminally overshadowed the rest of his work ever since. Those less familiar with his discography see the name Zombie Nation as a complete and utter one hit wonder. Funnily enough, apparently, it wasn’t even a remix Senfter fully approved of himself. Way back in 2000, as a musically underdeveloped 13 year old, I bought ZN’s first album,
Leichenschmaus, simply on the strength of Kernkraft 400. In truth, that first record, produced alongside Emanuel Guenther, was far too weird for any 13 year old to fully appreciate. It really is a twisted, gothic trip, like the soundtrack to some fucked up, and deliberately amusing, vampire B-movie. And it took many years of listening to the delicately freakish rhythms of
Abflex User and
Rythm Box, endlessly mulling over the absurd lyrics of
TV Control and reading the sleeve note’s stories of women queuing up to give zombies blowjobs before I began to grasp what it was ZN was offering as a concept. Psychologically, this went way way deeper than Kernkraft's simple, but very effective, Commodore 64 hook.
Since going it solo, Florian has grown a lot. After producing his finest album,
Absorber, which was faintly disturbing but nowhere near as screwed up as Leichenschmaus, at the end of 2006, the project shifted into more “dancefloor-friendly” territory. Still dark, still sinister but something more capable of getting a club crowd moving – the Frankenstein’s monster of electronic music had picked up its glow sticks. But not all of
Black Toys grabbed me in the same way the first two albums had.
This year’s release, Zombielicious, is a clear and unmistakable continuation of Black Toys. Techno-fused house music with a freakishly contorted but playful smile – full of stabs, filters and distortions – and, what’s more, even more conducive to the workings of a dancefloor. And, overall, it’s just a higher quality, more consistent record than Black Toys. It borrows more subtly from Absorber than its predecessor and yet, in the shape of tracks like Worth It and
Forza, goes for the jugular more. So, for long-term followers like myself, Zombielicious is Florian’s most exciting record for a while and the start of Zombie Nation realising its potential as a more dancefloor orientated project; For newcomers, it’s probably his most accessible record to date.
Favourite Track:
Get It
9.
Depeche Mode –
Sounds Of The Universe
(April / Mute Records Ltd.)
I have a strange relationship with
Depeche Mode. For a lot of people they are the pinnacle in electronic music. They were one of the first groups to successfully marry electronic music production with genuine, meaningful song-writing in the traditional sense. But I actually find Depeche Mode a little hit and miss. Their best tracks – let’s say, my favourite 20-30 songs – are incredible, top-of-the-shelf, song writing. Songs I can enjoy again and again and again. The rest of their material, for me, ranges from listenable right through to insipidly forgettable. By the same token, while I can pick out great songs from all their albums, only
Violator,
Some Great Reward and maybe
Construction Time Again really move and shake me from the first to last notes. For that reason, I awaited Sounds Of The Universe more in hope than expectation.
And at first, it did have that hit and miss quality, where half the tracks were amazing and the other half were let down by either weak choruses or disappointing verse parts. But there was something about this record which kept drawing me back and the more I gave it chance the more it revealed itself. And I think that’s the key thing with this album. It’s not an “obvious” album. So, unless the mere sound of Dave Gahan’s voice automatically and instantaneously melts you to your knees, which let’s face it is something reserved for the more fanatical, female echelons of DM’s fan base, then this album was unlikely to have you singing its praises after one listen. But it still contained all of those classic DM trademarks, including that unique sense of rejoicing in cynicism, hidden sadism and confused moral ambivalence which bubbles under the surface - idiosyncrasies that sum up the human condition. And, who knows? Maybe this is the album that will eventually convince me to give some of their older albums more of a chance. Maybe they aren’t so hit and miss after all.
Either way, as I see things now, Sounds Of The Universe was their finest effort since the mighty Violator, an album that will be 20 years old this coming April.... Oh, and I suppose the most puzzling thing about Sounds Of The Universe, something I shouldn’t neglect to mention, was the fact that
Ghost didn’t make it onto the main album. How the fuck it only ended up as a bonus track I will never know!
Favourite Track:
Wrong
8.
Infected Mushroom -
Legend Of The Black Shawarma
(September / HOM-Mega Productions)
Dividing opinion is becoming quite a serious habit for Infected Mushroom. And it seems clear it’s something they enjoy doing.
Vicious Delicious was a record that struck that divide more definitively than any IM album before it. It was an album I had mixed feelings about, both when it was released and now. A number of tracks hit the pleasure points harder than ever before; a couple of tracks were a tad painful to listen to. And, while it has grown on me massively over the course of the last year or so, I've always felt as if there was some magic IM ingredient missing. Strangely, I still can’t quite put my finger on what that ingredient is.
But, even more strangely, IM’s 2009 offering, Legend Of The Black Shawarma both pushes in stylistic directions that I wouldn’t normally welcome yet, at the same time, actually has that mystery ingredient that was missing from Vicious Delicious. More so than ever before, there are strong metal overtones in Infected Mushroom’s material, overtones which go beyond the heavy use of guitars, and it continues to “mess around’ with the accepted rules of trance music, so much so that it almost isn’t psy-trance anymore. But it’s also surprisingly trippy in places, and in a way that is more intelligent and mature than people give them credit for. In other words, it’s trippy in a way that is in keeping with the rest of the album’s style and, in keeping with a trend they set on IM The Supervisor, the most psychedelic sequences are normally saved for the final 2 minutes or so of tracks. And there are parts of the track
Project 100 that almost have something of
Juno Reactor about them, while at the same time showing some of IM’s typically playful touches amongst all the satanic guitar riffs.
Killing time aside, from about
Can’t stop onwards, and even more so from Project 100 onwards, Legend Of The Black Shawarma takes you on more of a journey than Vicious Delicious did. And maybe it’s that combination of tougue-in-cheek playfulness along with that sense of being taken on a psychedelic journey, a psychedelic journey which is of course a million miles away from the kind of psychedelic journey Simon Posford might take you on, that is the main component of the magic that I can’t quite put my finger on in Vicious Delicious.
Many have said it’s getting closer to “pop music”. Well, maybe the lead single
Smashing The Opponent, a collaboration with
KoЯn front man, Jonathan Davis, is a lot more radio friendly than anything they’ve ever produced, but, despite the added accessibility factor that using metal overtones is always going to give, for me, this record is still far too twisted, humorously fucked up and aggressive to be called “pop music”. Not strictly trance, maybe, but still far too weird to be “pop”.
Favourite Track:
Slowly
7.
The Qemists –
Join The Q
(January / Ninja Tune)
2009 had barely kicked off and Brighton trio, The Qemists, landed sharply and explosively with their debut album, Join The Q. I was already a massive fan of the group’s earlier singles on Ninja Tune, the likes of
Stompbox,
Iron Shirt and
Let There Be Light. I’m always in the market for drum & bass with those big, rocky,
Pendulum-esque qualities, so those earlier Qemist singles really wet my appetite. Thinking back, I reckon I must have heard The Qemists were producing an album as early as the summer of 2008, so I’d been digging about on the net looking for information about its released for at least 6 months. But despite the wait, its arrival was still explosive. Admittedly, some tracks like Stompbox, When Ur Lonely and Drop Audio were already very familiar, and it is a disappointingly short album, but still, its high energy fusion of jump up, rock and dancehall really hits the spot.
The comparisons people draw between this album and
Pendulum’s
In Silico are perfectly fair, yet the fact that it features a number of guest vocalists (rather than just the voice of Rob Swire) and its dancehall/hip-hop moments do separate it from In Silico and give it its own distinctive feel. Strangely, these guys, as far as I can see, haven’t managed to attract the same kind of scorn that seems to follow Pendulum around. Maybe Pendulum hitting the limelight first has taken some of the pressure off. Maybe the touches brought by the likes of
Wiley,
MC Navigator and, the human drum machine that is,
BeardyMan make it an album more in keeping with the “London-centric” mainstream trends in the UK. Maybe, as some have suggested, Join The Q is the “real” drum & bass-rock combo that Pendulum failed in producing with In Silico. Personally, I wouldn’t say Pendulum failed. In fact, I probably slightly prefer In Silico over Join The Q, but only slightly, and I still love the latter’s intensity, vigour and full sound. It was everything I expected and more. And at least we can say, if Pendulum do ever dissolve into “just another rock group”, we’ll still have the boys from Brighton.
Favourite Track:
Lost Weekend
6.
Push –
Global Age
(June / Armada Music)
There was once a time in melodic trance music when it was much more fashionable to be delicate and understated. Nowadays, “uplifting” or “melodic” trance music tends to be fairly loud, brash and upfront, with high tempos, pulsing basslines and kickbacks that hit you between the eyes. I don’t mean that as a criticism at all – I myself am a big fan of the likes of
Sean Tyas,
Activa and
JOC. But there is a sense now that everyone making trance music is doing it in that “clean cut” way, with the same formulas, and by being subtle or just more "housey" putting themselves in the progressive camp or by being harder and more upfront putting themselves in that so-called “uplifting” camp. Very few are pursuing older sounds and creating trance music that is both progressively layered and yet highly melodic throughout.
That is why, for me, Push’s Global Age was such a refreshing musical experience. It’s like reliving the “golden era” all over again. Tracks like
Back To The Essence,
Trance Indicator,
Trance-Tastic and, lead single,
Interference are so carefully layered and constructed, building towards fantastic high points of euphoria without frenetically racing to get there. Its trance music that is capable of totally filling a room with rich, full and uplifting sound without pounding away frantically for its entire duration. In fact, the track title Back To The Essence pretty much sums this album up. Global Age really does capture something fundamental about “proper” trance music – if there is such a thing – trance music as it was originally conceived. Simple melodic sequences made extraordinarily moving through the complex layering of those sequences. Interestingly, there is actually a
Sean Tyas remix of Interference on the album which, if you compare to the rest of Push’s original works, clearly marks the difference between what’s going on in trance today and what trance started out as... But, having said that, because it’s a remix of Interference it’s probably as subtle and as layered as we’ve ever heard from a Tyas remix. All in all, an album that those of us who are old enough to remember listening to trance back in 1998/99 were absolutely crying out for, some of us without even realising it.
Favourite Track:
Back To The Essence
5.
Yagya –
Rigning
(January / Sending Orbs)
Few albums have generated as much hype amongst my last.fm friends and neighbours as this record by Icelandic producer Aðalsteinn Guðmundsson. In electronic circles, everyone seemed to be talking about it. And, as it turned out, with good reason. I must admit,
Yagya was a completely new name for me. And looking at Rigning’s bland artwork and strange track titles, counting from one to ten in Icelandic, I was not filled with optimism. But the music itself is truly spell-binding. It reminded me of so many other artists I’ve grown to love over the last few years, like a much more ambient but less dark alternative to
Burial, with touches of
Boards of Canada, some of
Biosphere’s ambient house and even some of
Pete Namlook’s material.
Rigning literally means “rain” in Icelandic, and, without doubt, that is the album’s theme. The sound of soft rainfall moves in and out of earshot, mingling with delicate pads and distant pulsating bass. You know that feeling of comfort you get when you are safe inside a warm house and you look outside a window to see a downpour outside, the puddles forming as anoraked figures, made anonymous by their plastic hoods, walk steadily and aimlessly down the weather-beaten coastline. That, for me, is exactly what Rigning is the soundtrack to. And I think it tackles its subject matter in a pleasantly positive way. Although some of the tracks are strangely haunting, it still gives you a bizarre optimism and confidence, a sense that if you were to go out into the rain and become one of those anonymously anoraked rain-walkers you would remain safe, dry and comforted. Us lot in the UK are always talking about the weather and always moaning about the relentless rain we get. After listening to Rigning, I couldn’t help but think, “Bring on the rain.”
Favourite Track:
Rigning Sex
4.
Marco V –
Propaganda v2
(November / In Charge)
The V-man promised 2 albums of new material in 2009 and the original master of tech trance duly delivered. I didn’t see the point of using up 2 spots in this list to chart them both, so I’ve decided to just choose the better of the two. Part 1 of Propaganda impressed me pretty much straight away and the style of that installment, as well as his two recent collaborations with
Sander van Doorn, had me convinced that he and Van Doorn were now singing pretty much from the same song sheet. Like Sander’s
Supernaturalistic from last year, Part 1 was percussively tight, distinctly groovy and ever so slightly dark. I loved it. But with v2 Marco not only turned up the heat, but gave us a truer reflection of the Big V’s musical world; Ever so slightly less percussively driven, less overtly groovy but even darker, even moodier, even louder, even more of an attack on the senses, loaded with big tech synth lines – raw, aggressive and dancefloor rocking.
Having said that, the differences between parts 1 and 2 shouldn’t be overstated, because overall they aren’t a million miles from each other. They are opposite sides of the same coin, so to speak. But at the same time, specific tracks like
How You Feeling? and
Fantastic Damage are so much more reminiscent of the classic Marco sets which made the Dutchman such a household name in trance music. Part 2 is just that little bit less like Sander and more like himself. And the fact that Marco has not just thrown out 2 albums of mediocrity studded with the occasional single-worthy gem and instead carefully showcased both sides of his versatile musical persona is testament to his hard work and impeccable standards.
To me, it’s interesting how the likes of
Armin van Buuren,
Ferry Corsten and
Markus Schulz, in particular because of their popular radio shows, stay in the consciousness of trance fans week-in-week-out. Whereas with Marco, he tends to slip off our radar... but when he releases an album as epic as
200V or Propaganda, or whenever we see him DJ, we are instantly reminded that he is as much of a heavyweight as any of the other trance dons. With Propaganda v2, Marco V essentially says, “Don’t worry, guys – The V-man’s still here.”
Favourite Track:
How You Feeling?
3.
The Prodigy –
Invaders Must Die
(February / Take Me To The Hospital)
In electronic music, there hasn’t been a more widely anticipated album... maybe ever. Liam Howlett hadn’t released a record since 2004 and hadn’t produced one alongside MCs Maxim and Keith Flint since 1997. I’m actually one of the few electronic music fans out there that appreciated
Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned for what it was; a fresh and different direction for Liam Howlett and an expertly produced electro-fest which gave us “Nu-Rave” sounds before the disgusting phrase had even been coined. But, even the most hardcore Prodigy fans out there had to admit, there was definitely something missing. So, for many it was almost as if this was the first “real” Prodigy album since
The Fat of the Land... we had been waiting over 11 years.
And was it worth the wait? Fuck, yes! I won’t be as bold to say this is the best album The Prodigy have ever produced, but it is by far the most intense. It’s more frantic than ever before, more violent than ever before and, for the most part, nosier than ever before. And, for me, it really is a quite deliberate amalgamation of old and new. It’s the early rave synths of
Experience meets the aggressive coolness of
The Fat of the Land meets the more cutting edge production of
Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned. And I think the main reason a small section of breaks fans shunned this new offering was that the only Prodigy record which cannot really be heard on Invaders Must Die is the much cherished and venerated
Music for the Jilted Generation. So it wasn’t long before the widely predicted criticism of “too much like Pendulum” got wheeled out. But, I suppose, there was only so much you could have squeezed into this “discographical melting-pot” before it started sounding contrived and disjointed – thankfully, this record is neither of those two things. Personally, the only real criticism I could find for Invaders Must Die was ... well, it’s too short. Minus the bonus tracks, it’s barely 46 minutes long – even shorter than The Qemists’ Join The Q. But it’s a high octane 3 quarters of an hour, 3 quarters of an hour that I struggle to sit still for. Once again, testament to the old adage that good things come to those who wait...and great things come to those who wait even longer.
Favourite Track:
Take Me To The Hospital
2.
Solar Fields –
Movements
(January / Ultimae Records)
In 2007, Swedish producer Magnus Birgersson moved out of his comfort zone and produced one of the most surprising records of that year.
Earthshine was very much a progressive trance album, something you don’t necessarily expect from either Magnus or Ultimae Records. But, thankfully, it was a pleasant surprise. It showed the man’s versatility and got some people appreciating a genre they never thought they would. With
Movements, however, Birgersson moved back into his comfort zone, back to his blissful brand of epic chillout. And he, once again, showed why he is one of the most important producers in electronic music today; producing what is, for me, his finest piece of work to date. In fact, it’s head and shoulders above anything he’s ever produced, containing all his usual elements and nuisances but with less of the glitch/IDM and a more obvious dose of idyllic melody. Its melodies are so distinctive and so well executed. By Solar Fields standards, it is a relentlessly positive and uplifting collection of tracks. It ebbs and flows more effortlessly, there’s a greater sense of “progression” and, while it’s still deep, it isn’t quite so dark. And, in a way, that sense of “progression” almost feels like the most important and lasting legacy of EarthShine. It’s almost as if EarthShine, while not being everyone’s cup of tea, has really helped Magnus grow as a producer. And I seriously believe that in 5-10 years time we’ll be talking about Movements as one of the finest out-and-out chillout records ever produced (in the same company as
Substrata,
Dreamtime Return and
76:14), and maybe the finest record ever released on Ultimae… And that’s saying a lot because we all know how life-changing and genre-redefining
Carbon Based Lifeforms,
Asura and
Aes Dana’s releases on Ultimae have been.
Favourite Track:
The Road to Nothingness
1.
Shpongle –
Ineffable Mysteries From Shpongleland
(November / Twisted Records)
After listening to Solar Fields – Movements for the first couple of times way back in January, I knew straight away that it was going to take one almighty album to beat it to my album of the year slot. And looking at the list of albums due for release that year, I also knew that the only man capable of delivering such an album was Simon Posford of Twisted Records. A fresh trip into the fucked up world of Shpongle had been on the cards for a while and we all knew when it arrived it would be worth its weight in gold.
The thing that struck me about this new album was that it seemed to be an album of extremes. In other words, the album seems to drift quite effortlessly between music that is absolutely the most psychedelic Posford has ever produced and passages of music which aren’t particularly psychedelic at all. Some will say that that is the case with all Shpongle albums, but to me it’s even more evident on this album. And I don’t necessarily mean that as a negative – it actually provides a key element of balance. Because, while glitchy openings like the one in
Shpongolese Spoken Here are mind-fuckingly unbelievable, an hour of such intensely psychedelic music could really cause your head to cave in. Posford has continued to push the technological boundaries with Ineffable Mysteries but not pushed them for the sake of pushing them. Shpongle has thus retained its extraordinarily multi-dimensional texture; the juxtaposition of beauty and weirdness, of the subtle and the obvious, of the simple and the complex, of worldliness and otherworldliness. This album also has some surprising shades of
Ott and
Younger Brother, at least surprising in the sense that these shades have never really fully materialised in Shpongle’s previous records. Yet, as always, Raja’s mesmerising flute solos, those familiar ethnic vocal touches and Posford’s insane manipulation of samples make Ineffable Mysteries as Shponglised as ever. And, of course, there is a new sound that reoccurs briefly in tracks 4 to 6 which can only be described as “the Marching Brass Section of the Elves and Goblins”, which feels oh-so fresh, but is oh-so weird and oh-so Shpongle.
Once again, electronic music production in a different stratosphere, on a different planet. Extraordinary, utterly discombobulating music – music that conveys a universe you can’t even begin to vocalise. Psyshop.com rather aptly described it as being “like separating water from its wetness.” Reality has well and truly been ripped at the seams and we’ve been sucked through the resulting cosmic schism into Shpongleland. If that last sentence sounded like anti-scientific, pseudo-religious nonsense to you then clearly... you are yet to be Shpongled.
Favourite Track:
No Turn Un-Stoned
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ALBUMS - THE HONOURABLE MENTIONS
10 albums that deserve a shout... in no particular order:
Marco Torrance –
Dreamland Society
(February / Cardamar Music) (Chillout / Downtempo Trance)
John O'Callaghan –
Never Fade Away
(May / Armada Music) (Trance / Tech Trance / Chillout)
Marcus Schossow –
Outside The Box
(September / Tone Diary Recordings) (Progressive Trance / Tech Trance)
Activa –
This World
(October / Discover) (Trance / Chillout)
Blue Pilots Project –
Reboot
(August / Klik Records) (Chillout / Lounge)
Bio-Tonic –
Music For Animals
(May / Planet B.E.N. Records) (Full-on Psychedelic)
Minoru –
Minoru
(January / Iono Music) (Progressive Trance)
Dash Berlin –
The New Daylight
(October / Armada Music) (Progressive Trance / Trance)
Union Jack –
Pylon Pigs
(September / Platipus) (Progressive Trance / Chillout)
Logistics –
Crash Bang Wallop!
(September / Hospital Records) (Drum & Bass / Dupstep)
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TOP 20 TRANCE, PROGRESSIVE AND TECH TRANCE TUNES OF 2009
1.
Jochen Miller – Brace Yourself
(August / High Contrast Recordings)
2.
Richard Durand – Into Something (Fall Down Mix)
(February / Magik Muzik)
3.
Sander van Doorn presents
Purple Haze – Bliksem
(July / Doorn Records)
4.
Randy Katana – The Hype
(June / Reset Records)
5.
Redd Square – Digital Acoustics (Onova Remix)
(August / Monster Tunes)
6.
Jan Oostdyk – Out Of The Box
(April / High Contrast Nu Breed)
7.
DJ Eco – Lost Angeles (Breakfast Remix)
(February / Lunatique)
8.
Gaia – Tuvan
(October / Armind)
9.
Marcus Schossow – Kaboom
(July / Tone Diary Recordings)
10.
Claudia Cazacu feat. Audrey Gallagher – Freefalling
(June / Armind)
11.
Simon Patterson – Thump
(February / Reset Records)
12.
Karanda – Karanda (Astuni & Manuel Le Saux Remix)
(September / Inov8 Recordings)
13.
Josh Gabriel Presents Winter Kills – Deep Down (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix)
(September / Different Pieces)
14.
Gareth Emery – Exposure
(May / Garuda)
15.
Rex Mundi feat. Susana – Nothing At All
[August / Coldharbour Recordings]
16.
Lange vs.
Andy Moor – Stadium Four
(September / AVA Recordings)
17.
Ron Hagen & Pascal M - Riddles In The Sand
(September / A State Of Trance)
18.
Thomas Bronzwaer - Look Ahead
(July / A State Of Trance)
19.
Tritonal – Cloudbase (Air Up There Remix)
(June / Levare Recordings)
20.
Dr. Willis – What Goes Up (Nick Larson Remix)
(October / Traffic Tunes)
Producer Of The Year 2009:
3.
Tritonal
2.
Jochen Miller
1.
Marco V
Superstar DJ Award 2009:
3.
Jordan Suckley
2.
Sander van Doorn
1.
Armin van Buuren
Label Of The Year 2009: High Contrast Recordings
"One To Watch" for 2010:
Jordan Suckley
N.B. - If you’d like a copy of my “That Was 2009” trance mix, which features the 20 tracks charted above plus more of my trance and progressive favourites from this year, don’t hesitate to drop me a message - either in the comments section of this entry or via PM. I would be happy to upload it for people.
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TOP 20 UK HARD DANCE TUNES OF 2009
1.
Trevor Dans &
The Trance Bunny - Peak Start
(September / Pitch Bend Digital)
2. Sebastien – Implosive State
(October / Electrik Shandy Recordings)
3.
John Ridout &
Adrenaline Dept. – E-motion
(November / Encoded)
4.
david ding – Batter
(February / Electrik Shandy Recordings)
5.
Ben Townsend – Bump In The Night
(July / Vicious Circle)
6.
Rich Resonate - Cydonia Nights
(March / Toolbox Recordings)
7.
LD Concept – Backlash
(January / Inertia Digital)
8.
Louis Fernio – Underground
(June / Toolbox Recordings)
9.
Rednoise - Shining In The Ecstasy
(March / Experimento Digital)
10.
Sambo – Imagination
(April / Electrik Shandy Recordings)
11.
ROCKIN RUSS – Warehouse Party
(March / Toolbox Recordings)
12.
John Ridout & Ross Self - And The Demons Come (Carl Nicholson's Broader Remix)
(January / Ringleader Interplanetary Productions)
13.
Scott Genetik – Hybrid
(October / Pitch Bend Digital)
14.
Emilio – Immense
(August / Audio Hedz Recordings)
15.
Tom Parr – Ladyboys
(November / AWsum)
16.
Sheldon Ives – 4 Letter Word
(July / Impact Recordings)
17.
Elements vs.
Alex Mac & Zeebra Kid - Harmonise (Iridium Remix)
(April / Encoded)
18.
Paul Maddox - Phaserblade
(April / Vicious Circle)
19.
LD Concept – Rise Above
(January / Inertia Digital)
20.
April &
Technikal – Mad Glow
(June / Traffic Records)
Producer Of The Year Award 2009:
3.
Rich Resonate
2.
Iridium
1.
Adrenaline Dept.
Superstar DJ Award 2009:
3.
Karim
2.
Rodi Style
1.
Proteus
Label Of The Year 2009: Electrik Shandy Recordings
"One To Watch" for 2010:
Kye Shand
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TOP 20 FULL-ON PSY TUNES OF 2009
1.
Bio-Tonic – Disco Boss
(May / Planet B.E.N. Records)
2.
Save the Robot – So Real
(March / Farm Records)
3.
Infected Mushroom – Slowly
(September / HOM-Mega Productions)
4.
sick addiction – Cleaning Up The Place
(January / Trance Karma Records)
5.
Mahamudra vs.
White Noise – Sexy Body Move
(July / Tactic Records)
6.
Infected Mushroom – Smashing The Opponent (XI Remix)
(June / HOM-Mega Productions)
7.
War – Low Rider (Save The Robot Remix)
(March / Farm Records)
8.
Soniq Vision – Outer Universe
(June / Utopia Records)
9.
Bio-Tonic – Bufferfly
(May / Planet B.E.N. Records)
10.
Perplex vs.
Intersys – Switchback
(March / Utopia Records)
11.
Bliss - Funksick
(July / Drive Records)
12.
Mahamudra – Logitech
(July / Tactic Records)
13.
Infected Mushroom – Sa’eed
(September / HOM-Mega Productions)
14.
Freaked Frequency – Everything Seems Unreal
(September / Utopia Records)
15.
Soniq Vision – MelodiX
(June / Utopia Records)
16.
Infected Mushroom – Can’t Stop
(September / HOM-Mega Productions)
17.
sick addiction – Monkey Business
(January / Trance Karma Records)
18.
Future Prophecy – Dracula
(January / Phonokol)
19.
Vibe Tribe vs.
Protoculture – Electrified
(April / Com.Pact Records)
20.
DNA vs.
Meital MD – Turn Me Off
(March / Phonokol)
Psy-Trance Compilation of 2009: Genesis
Producer Of The Year 2009:
Infected Mushroom
"One To Watch" for 2010:
Faders
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TOP 20 ELECTRO-HOUSE TUNES OF 2009
1.
X-Press 2 – Lazy (Lazy Rich Remix)
(November / Serious Beats)
2.
Electrixx – Tetris
(June / EXX Records)
3.
Ultra Flirt - The Time Is Now 2009 (Dany Wild Remix)
(March / Mental Madness)
4.
Frederik Olufsen - Ball (Lazy Rich Remix)
(November / Big Fish Recordings)
5.
Funk K - Dirty Cash 2009 (Extended Mix)
(March / Digidance)
6.
Wolfgang Gartner - Wolfgang's 5th Symphony
(September / Kindergarten)
7.
Mike Candys &
Jack Holiday - Push The Feeling On (Electro Vectro Remix)
(October / Wombatmusic)
8.
Dirty Poilitics - Call Of The Wild (Lazy Rich Remix)
(October / Audio Planet Recordings)
9.
Dabruck & Klein feat. Stafford Brothers - Open Up Your Arms
(April / We Play)
10.
Paul van Dyk - For An Angel (Spencer & Hill Remix)
(September / New State Recordings)
11.
Klaas meets
Haddaway – What Is Love 2k9 (Klaas Impact Mix)
(July / Coconut Music)
12.
Che DuBois - Freaky To Me (Soundpusher Remix)
(March / Bugeyed Records)
13.
Stonewash & Fagault - Hey Lady (Miles Dyson Remix)
(July / Plasmapool)
14.
Laurent Wolf - No Stress (Ortega & Gold Remix)
(May / All Around The World)
15.
Kurd Maverick - Blue Monday (Vandalism Remix)
(March / Data Records)
16.
PH Electro - San Francisco
(November / YAWA Recordings)
17.
Rustler – Around The World (Mark Simmons Remix)
(September / Tiger Records)
18.
Comiccon - Luvstruck
(January / Zooland Records)
19.
Stefy De Cicco feat. Tom Stone - Keep It On (Avangarde)
(July / Move Rec.)
20.
Aurum Beats - Square (Electro House Beat Mix)
(March / Sundesire Records)
Producer Of The Year 2009:
Lazy Rich
"One To Watch" for 2010: errrr....
Lazy Rich?
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And that was 2009... A truly blinding year for music, particularly for trance. Not necessarily full of surprises, but, more than ever, diverse and full of quality – Well, the New Years’ Resolutions have been made, review journal and mix done.... Bring on 2010!
Merry Christmas one and all....... See you next year!
Carbon Based Lifeforms
