Welcome one and all,
Here we are at last! With the end of the year fast approaching, this week’s TPHP is the first of two significant parts. Over the course of the next two episodes, I will present to you my favourite 40 trance and progressive tracks of 2011, plus 11 other great tunes from this year as chosen by listeners and friends of this podcast.
Simply put, I have 5 hours of trance music coming up for you, divided neatly down the middle into 2 well-rounded, carefully ordered sets. I’m also going to take the opportunity to use this blog to review the year as fully as I can without boring the arse off everyone. Wish me luck!
As always, if ever you get bored of my ramblings fast-forward straight to the end of his entry where a SoundCloud widget is waiting. Also, if there’s too much info going on in the tracklist below for you to handle, go straight to my SoundCloud page for a more condensed, manageable tracklist.
As I’ve mentioned before, reviewing the musical year is something I’ve done for a number of years now through my last.fm journal. It is one of my favourite parts of the festive period. Initially though, those journals were more about reviewing the best electronic albums of the year and less about trance specifically. But, my musical focus has shifted so much from music collection to DJing in the past 2 years that the days when I was totally up-to-date with the full electronic music spectrum are long gone. And now the ‘review of the year’ concept itself has had to make the jump from Addicted2Melody last.fm journal to Phil-Harmonic blog.
In addition to a journal, I did full Year Mixes for each of the last 3 years. They are my ‘That Was’ series. 2008’s was 25 tracks, 2009’s was a bit longer again. In 2010 I did a full 3 hour set, only to follow it up with an ‘Even More Of 2010’ mix not long after. This is the first year that ‘That Was’ becomes part of my podcast and, straight away, two 2 and a half hour sets seemed like the logical format for it.
But doing a podcast for most of the year has made the process of putting together ‘That Was 2011’ that much easier. Because I’ve included every ‘Tune Of The Episode’ from each regular episode I’ve got a much clearer, more balanced cross-section of the year. And asking for people’s suggestions was a good idea too, because I’ve been able to match those suggestions against the personal lists I already had. In some cases, those suggestions have brought something entirely new to be table and made sure these 2 episodes aren’t just a mindless regurgitation of everything you’ve already heard in this podcast.
THAT WAS 2011
So, what has 2011 been like?
Well, if someone asks me in 10 years time what my abiding memory of 2011 is, I’m sure the answer will be, ‘Ibiza!’ Not just Ibiza but, as I talked about in my review of that holiday, clearing up the unfinished business that was the relative disappointment of Ibiza 2009.
Getting ill out in Ibiza in 2009 and the festering disillusionment that gave rise to did have me questioning whether my clubbing days were coming to an end. The idealism that poured out of my last.fm journal turned to pessimism and vitriolic cynicism. I started to feel like it was about time I was the other side of the DJ booth and that, if that wasn’t likely to happen, maybe I should get my pipe and slippers out. Interestingly, 2009 was actually a truly amazing year for trance music – I just wasn’t in a very good place from a personal perspective and the clubbing disappointments, for whatever reason, were numerous.
But clubbing-wise, 2011 was such a spectacular return to form. And not just Ibiza either. My first night at Ministry in February, Armin at Brixton Academy in April, even Cream’s 19th Birthday in October had its moments. Who knows how long that will continue into 2012, but right now I’ve not been this excited by the world of trance clubbing since my Syndicate days in Bristol.
No doubt, that’s a more personal angle on things, but at the same time I can sense that rising and, in some cases, returning enthusiasm for trance music across the world. A State Of Trance 500 earlier this year was a big eye opener for me. It was a big statement of trance’s current popularity, particularly the speed of its growth over in the US. Trance Around The World 400 replicated that buzz later in the year. It was a year for milestones, and the global trancefamily turned out in force to celebrate.
Yet, as far as I can tell, it still refuses to get fully sucked into the mainstream like it did in the late 90s. There are elements of it that run parallel to the mainstream, which make it accessible and flexible, but it still remains fully outside it. Radio One did briefly latch onto Sander Van Doorn and Above & Beyond for their daytime playlist, but the masses appeared unmoved and these singles made only a modest impact on the nation’s consciousness.
It was also interesting that much later in the year (only very recently, in fact), Radio One decided it would drop Judge Jules as part of its weekend entertainment billing. I’m no fan of Judge Jules personally. In fact, I think he’s an arrogant arsehole who has an open disregard for the audiences he DJs in front of. If you like, trance’s ungrateful ‘rock star’. But the removal of the only specific trance show on the biggest radio station in the UK not only showed that Radio One are grossly out of touch with the fact that trance is rising in popularity globally, but also that, conversely, trance is still considered an ‘unmainstream’ type of music, a cultural side road, by the people that spoon-feed the UK masses.
Which again, for me, is only a good thing. There’s a reinvention going on here that was as evident in 2011 as it ever has been. A reinvention of trance music, and in some cases certain branches of house music, as a benevolent counter-cultural force with inclusive and not exclusive values. Its values are separate from the mainstream, but the scene itself is not a closed shop and not tearing itself apart from the inside. It’s fluid, it’s flexible, and it’s open-minded. This is an idealistic view, but one that has been reinforced in me during 2011.
And the idea that these values are inclusive, as opposed to looking to pigeonhole people for being or looking a certain way, is backed up by the way in which trance and house have moved closer and closer to each other in 2011. There is a recurring theme in dance music (and it occurs in all music scenes) that one style is meant to hate another and that one genre or sub-genre is aimed specifically at a certain type of person.
Yet, the way in which trance has generally slowed in pace and become more ‘bassline-driven, while house music slowly becomes more and more melodic in the breakdown, shows that there is a conscious desire to make both styles of music more interchangeable and versatile, to not be pigeonholed and tied to a sub-genre. Marco V, Sander Van Doorn and, to an extent, Gareth Emery are all playing (and even producing) house music and it isn’t harming their stature within trance music like it might have done in the past.
Many DJs in their DJ Mag Poll interviews, including Above & Beyond, lorded the continued demise of sub-genre boundaries and that in itself is testament to the growing sense of inclusivity and family spirit in dance music across the board.
David Guetta summed it up himself this year when receiving his No. 1 DJ crown:
“I think it’s a very positive moment for music. Everything is kind of getting mixed. Trance sounds into house music, house music into trance….Our music, doesn’t matter if its techno, trance, electro or house, we’ve never been as strong, EVER in history.”
Now, I wasn’t particularly impressed with Guetta being voted number No. 1 DJ and I gave my two cents about it in this very blog. Guetta, being a bit of a whore to the mainstream himself, got that award for reasons other than his DJing ability. But, that said, he’s absolutely right about the state of dance music in 2011.
The secret, David, is opening it up as much as possible without letting the masses take it over and ruin it - to make the music accessible without diluting it or pandering to sections of the public’s laziness and lack of individualism. As I mentioned in my ‘Stocking Filler’ blog, house music did make one of its cyclical moves towards the mainstream in 2011; time with tell whether trance’s borrowing from house music will drag it fully into the spotlight.
There is another way to look at this blending of genres though. It did cross my mind that rather than smashing down those genre boundaries we have just created a new sub-genre - Electro Trouse. Although trance can boast a very wide spectrum these days, it’s this very specific fusion of trance, house and electro that is ruling the roost. When it’s done well it certainly is amazing and it’s really enhanced trance as a type of clubbing music in my opinion. Big rhythmic drops are what we need on a dancefloor.
But I’m also wary that a good number of these tunes are relying too heavily on the electro elements and not enough on the melodic trance ones. I’ve just heard too many tracks this year that at the initial bassline drop have you thinking ‘this is gonna be amazing!’, only to fade into complete mediocrity by the breakdown. Simple melodic structures can of course work, but sometimes they just haven’t been executed as well as the basslines or percussion elements. Some of these tunes are just too forgettable and they don’t help the already short shelf-life of releases.
I really hope that I’ve managed to steer clear of these ‘hero-to-zero’ type tunes when putting together my own podcast in 2011. Obviously, only you can be the judge. And I hope the two Year Mixes that follow here (first now and next on Xmas Eve), do justice to the incredible year that was 2011.
And with that, I give you the first part of my Year Mixes…. Ladies and gentlemen, this was 2011!
THE PHIL-HARMONIC PODCAST 022 – THAT WAS 2011 – PART 1
[June / High Contrast Recordings]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 11 (Tune Of The Episode)
Position in Top 40: #29
2011 was a very mixed year for one of my absolute favourite producers, but this went back to Jochen Miller basics, delivering a riff and an usual vocal cut that really hit the spot.
2. Kenneth Thomas feat. Roberta Harrison & Steven Taetz - Drive (Save The Robot Remix)
[March / Perfecto]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 10
Position in Top 40: #35
A superb, if slightly cheesy duet vocal, makes this track. The Ryan Mendoza remix was also fantastic, but the chunky tribal rhythms of the Save The Robot remix were better designed for dancefloor destruction.
3. Stoneface & Terminal – Here To Stay
[February / Euphonic]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 3
Position in Top 40: #7
Already being a big fan of Moment and Don’t Give A F*ck, it didn’t take long for this huge electrified monster to make an impression on me. The breakdown is the perfect serene contrast to the massive kick back that follows.
4. Shogun feat. Melissa Loretta – Skyfire
[August / Armind]
Chosen By: Banys Giedrius
A track hugely typical of the kind of sound that is popular at the moment – a cracking riff and kick back accompanied by a big electro bassline either side of that. A big club tune!
5. Tritonal feat. Meredith Call - Broken Down (Shogun Remix)
[April / Air Up There Recordings]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 7
Position in Top 40: #8
In my humble opinion, the best individual vocal of 2011, one that lyrically I think anybody can relate to. Shogun’s remix, like his reworking of Another World, proved that a tune can be hugely euphoric without going for the proverbial jugular.
6. Sander Van Doorn - Koko
[April / Doorn Records]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 7
Chosen By: Will Hoad & Simone B
Less ‘chosen by’ and more ‘chosen for’ this one, as nothing gets a party started for Will and Simone like this tune. Every clubbing holiday has a soundtrack and, thanks to them, our constant whistling, humming and singing of this tune made this our Ibiza anthem of 2011, hands down!
7. Creep feat. Romy – The Days (Super8 & Tab Remix)
[August / Young Turks]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 16
Position in Top 40: #40
Chosen By: Ally Auld
Trust Super8 & Tab to take just about any vocal and make it into an absolute bomb. Not a vocal you would normally expect to hear in a trance song, but here it really works.
8. Protoculture feat. Shannon Hurley – Sun Gone Down
[July / Re*Brand]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 15
Position in Top 40: #17
Had this vocal stuck in my head for days and days when I first started hearing it on other podcasts. And the psychedelic bassline in this one makes a very refreshing change from the generic stuff we are used to.
9. Orjan Nilsen – Between The Rays
[July / Armind]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 15
Position in Top 40: #9
Chosen By: Banys Giedrius & Thanasis T
Orjan was a man on fire in 2011 and this was undisputedly his best work from the album, In My Opinion. Putting a very fresh, more modestly paced twist on his euphoric material of yester year, this was one that got everybody going.
10. Gareth Emery – Citadel (Super8 & Tab Remix)
[March / Garuda]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 7
Position in Top 40: #27
Super8 & Tab worked their remix magic once again and turned what was already a pretty solid Gareth Emery track into something not far off a softer, euphoric Elektra reworking. The Finish duo absolutely made this track their own.
11. Andy Moor vs. M.I.K.E. - Spirit's Pulse
[April / AVA Recordings]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 7
Position in Top 40: #10
When we say a track is ‘bassline driven’, this is what we mean. A stunning, if slightly unexpected, collaboration between two of trance’s hottest properties, threw out this prog-electro masterpiece.
12. Andrew Bayer – From The Earth (Breakfast Remix)
[October / Anjunabeats]
Chosen By: Chris Newell [The Chris Newell Podcast] & & Ally Auld
Featuring on Anjunabeats Vol. 8 in 2010, this seemed to take forever to come out yet finally made its mark in 2011. Fellow podcaster, Chris Newell, said this contained many memories for him, well, since Above & Beyond played it at Cream’s birthday celebrations in tribute to Steve Jobs, it holds a few for me too.
13. Dennis Sheperd - Cocoon
[May / Enhanced Progressive]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 9
Position in Top 40: #30
Dennis Sheperd was another man making big waves in 2011, releasing an artist album and countless great remixes. Despite not featuring on A Tribute To Life, this was my favourite Sheperd production of the year and it’s everything a great prog-trance record should be.
14. Bobina & Betsie Larkin – You Belong To Me
[February / Maelstrom Records]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 3 (Tune Of The Episode)
Position in Top 40: #3
Being fully captivated by this Betsie Larkin vocal from the very start of the year, I played just about every version there was to play of this on The Phil-Harmonic Podcast. The original though has chords in the breakdown that are nothing short of a mind-fuck.
15. DJ Governor - Pale Memories
[January / Armind]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 1 (Tune Of The Episode)
Position in Top 40: #6
Sneaking into 2011 on the 3rd of Jan, this was a criminally underrated and quickly forgotten return for Orjan Nilsen’s DJ Governor moniker. Very reminiscent of personal all-time favourite, Arctic Globe, and a definite precursor to Between The Rays later in the year.
16. Paul Oakenfold – Full Moon Party
[August / Perfecto Fluoro]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 16 (Tune Of The Episode)
Position in Top 40: #25
Chosen By: Sam Hind [Underground Selections]
A real full-blooded tune that gave more than a nod to the Oakenfold of old. The powerful psychedelic bassline and uplifting riff was a great smelting of old trance ideas and the more up-to-date, crisp and rounded production styles.
17. John Waver - Athene (Newton Remix)
[April / Trance All-Stars Records]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 8
Position in Top 40: #13
One of those rare beasts that makes every single hair on the back of your neck stand on end. Haunting, melancholic yet do damn uplifting; a perfect example of how trance is supposed to work its magic.
18. Michael Dow – Desert Storm
[July / Slinky Digital]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 16
Chosen By: Asko Huuki [Quethas]
Very similar in style and sound to Oakenfold’s Full Moon Party, this brought an added Arabian feel to the table. This has a hugely effective breakdown where the riff first bubbles and then bursts.
19. Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford – A Thing Called Love (Club Mix)
[June / Anjunabeats]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 8
Position in Top 40: #21
Having already spent the second half of last year listening to Anjunabeats Vol. 8 and absolutely rinsing this record on the iPod, I was hoping to put this in my That Was 2010 mix. It FINALLY came out in the summer of 2011 and hearing it in countless sets in Ibiza reignited this track for me.
20. Running Man – Eastern Sun (Sean Truby Remix)
[May / Infrasonic Future]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 10 (Tune Of The Episode)
Position in Top 40: #16
Running Man was an emerging star of the uplifting branch in 2011 and Sean Truby gave this excellent riff the once over to produce this euphoria-fest. Very big!
21. Sunny Lax – Always (Matt Skyer Remix)
[May / Monster Digital]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 9 (Tune Of The Episode)
Position in Top 40: #20
A typically gorgeous piano line from Sunny Lax turns into a driving, powerful melody in this excellent Matt Skyer rework.
22. Daniel Kandi & Phillip Alpha - If It Ain't Broke
[March / Enhanced Recordings]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 7
Position in Top 40: #12
'If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ is the adage and this track proved without doubt that the Daniel Kandi formula needs no fixing. A bittersweet melody that just rolls along blissfully, accompanied by angelic pianos – close to perfect uplifting trance music.
23. Agulo feat. David Berkeley - Fire Sign (Suncatcher Remix)
[March / Enhanced Recordings]
Chosen By: Ben Collier [Room 1ne Sessions] & Ally Auld
A very distinctive vocal and the usual solid remixing skills of Romanian producer, Suncatcher, this was a very big favourite of both Ben and Ally. It seemed only right to include it.
24. Ben Nicky feat. Cassandra Fox – The One (Daniel Kandi Remix)
[September / Monster Tunes]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 18
Chosen By: Ally Auld
Another very popular record from 2011, a Cassandra Fox vocal that made a big impact. This could quite easily have made my own Top 40 – so, into the Year Mix it went.
25. Ben Gold – Pandemic
[May / Garuda]
Chosen By: Dušan Polek
A very full sounding bassline (a la his remix of Brace Yourself) and one of those catchy, looping riffs. Another solid big room tune from the London-based prodigy.
26. Gareth Emery Feat. Mark Frisch – Into The Light (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix)
[November / Garuda]
Featured In TPHP: Episode 20
This mix appeared to be running slightly short of the 2 and half hour mark so, for good measure, I threw on this version of Into The Light and, in retrospect, it’s a much better way to end the Year Mix. M.O.R.P.H. just seems to have a habit of making decent tunes into goddamn epic ones and this is no exception.
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Well, that’s it for now. Part 2 swings your way in less than a week – on Xmas Eve. Catch your breath and I’ll see you then!
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