Another year has passed it seems, a year filled with tragedies but luckily also sweet sweet melodies. Of all the big things that happened in EDM in 2011, Avicii's career was the biggest. Not that long ago, this Swedish kid was just growing in the hatchery of house, a.k.a. Laidback Luke's forum. I personally didn't experienced that since I was not a member back then, but I did enjoyed his first single "Ryu". Now, 3 years later, Tim Berg has nothing less than 2 million dollars on his bank account for "Levels" alone. To make things clear, I don't like him as an artist. To be even more clear: I think Avicii destroyed house in 2011.
He didn't do this on purpose of course, but accidentally the guy changed the entire scene with a few tracks. Those tracks were such massive hits that waves of young artist began doing the same thing. Before I knew it, there were cheesy piano leads all over the place. Cheesy. Cheesy is the word that fits this year of House music the most. Every track that is labeled as genius, or is being played all over the world right now, is so goddamn pathetic compared to the House I listened to all those years ago. I don't feel like giving examples, but those who feel the same will know what I'm talking about while reading this. Everything has gotten so easy, so goddamn easy to the ears that every track nowadays has a standard radio mix to go with. Nowadays, in fucking talkshows and whatnot, I hear House as an opening track while the hostess is showing a new pair of Kitchen appliances. It's bugging the living hell out of me. House wasn't meant for on the public radio.
So how come it is now? America. America has finally opened up to the EDM scene, and instead of making it flourish, it has been completely demolished by The States. Nothing against America as a country, not at all, but the music scene is so fucking idiotic around there. Avicii got world attention thanks to that Leona whatshername case, where she "stole" his track. It couldn't have been timed any better since "Levels" was on it's way. Boom. Hit.
Now, thanks to the American music industry and the cheese that is House music at the moment, I'll be forced to see my favorite genre slowly die out on the radio and on the television. Marketing has took over the scene for good now, just look at the Ultra festival that is now bigger and more idiotic than ever.
For that very reason, I unknowingly switched to a genre I used to hate immensely: Trance. The sophisticated melodies, passionate community and equally talented artist make this a much more comfortable safe haven for now. Don't get me wrong, I can still always be woken up for good house anytime of the night, but the problem is that that kind of EDM is so goddamn hard to find nowadays.
So in other perspective, the downfall of House has given me a lot of good stuff too. Instead of strictly listening to pumping beats and melodies, I started exploring other genres like Indie or Elektronica like never before! Also, a new label I've discovered this year has completely turned around my life around. The label I'm speaking of is one of the most classiest and fun labels I've ever followed. The artist it has signed are incredibly gifted, and the fanbase is passionate and involved like I've seen never before. The label I'm talking about is "Anjunabeats", together with their daughter label "Anjunadeep". I came across a Solarity track when searching for tracks to go in my 2010 yearmix, and then I suddenly found myself into a completely different world.
I can believe myself for saying it, but in 2012 I'll be attending ASOT 550 in Den Bosch. It's weird to think that musical taste could change so radically in a year, but as I explained before a lot has happened in 2011 to made me convert to a different genre.
To end with on a positive note: There were still some gems, absolutely gems made though. Those tracks have put many smiles on my face and have kept both my love and hope for the house scene very much alive! One of those tracks made me so euphoric, that it has literally made my whole year.
That track and others, have been carefully selected into a list that defined my 2011. Music is my life, so this list has been my year ranked from 100 to a fantastic number 1. I really put much time into this, a year to be exact, because I've been selecting them every month, step by step with my top tens.
Well, enough talk more listing! I proudly present this years gems of the 2011 music scene of me and hopefully many others!
Posts tonen met het label 2011. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label 2011. Alle posts tonen
zondag 1 januari 2012
Natural Selection: Top 10 Labels 2011
01. Anjunabeats - 101200 Points
That the number one spot was going to be for either one of the Anjuna labels wasn't a surprise. Both beats and deep were major factors in my 2011. But in the end, it seems beats made the biggest impression. Where I thought to have heard it all, Anjunabeats completely changed my view on music this year with their legendary way of labelmanagement. Anjunabeats made listening to their label something fun. Their club consist of the most versatile and unique producers around these grey musical days. Guys like Mat Zo, Arty and Andrew bayer have been dominating my top tens and top 100.
Where Axtone delivers an unmatched unique degree of quality into the house scene from time to time, it's Anjunabeats that takes the cake because of their ever so frequent quality releases. They don't overdo it but rather spice things even more up with two or three albums a year and a yearly compilation that are equally spectacular as the "normal" releases.
Their innovative and pleasing take on trance, also dubbed as "Trance 2.0", has turned my world upside down. The combination of strong melodic music with a enjoyable tempo was the perfect solution to the current problem I have with the house scene nowadays. Where the tracks used to be dark, complex and most importantly, sophisticated, the current scenes brings forth nothing but cheap simple carnival music.
"Levels", "Pressure", "calling"...Those are all songs that make my puke.
No, it were glorious singles like "Rebound", rulebreaking remixes like Mat Zo's take on "Thing Called Love" and the entire Group Therapy album for that matter, that have filled my year with happiness and joy.
Thank you, Anjunabeats.
02. Anjunadeep - 91200 Points
Anjunabeats was there to save the day together with the follow up on this list, his little brother Anjunadeep. This number two spot should actually be seen as a shared championship with beats. Both labels were so very much important this year. I thing that the album of A&B gave that extra push to give that little bit of extra quality.
But normally, anjunadeep would have me captivated with their ways of doing things like no other. The gentle, subtle way core of those tracks made by top of the crop of progressive house is unmatched among it's genre. The sound deadmau5 presented me where I fell in love with is back, on a much higher level! Where Beats had the huge amount of brilliant tracks, deep had more concentrated quality.
With the brilliant Solarity as captains, Deep sailed away as near first this year together with a versatile crew into 2012. I can only hope 2012 is going to be as good as this year has been. With Anjunadeep 04 on the way and many much wanted ID's, things are looking very bright for this sister/brother label.
03. Size - 38900 Points
Size records, run by the lately infamous Steve Angello, has managed to do great without a single release of it's head hondcho. Most of it's success came from the two Tim Mason releases. Both "The Moment" and "Anima" set the bar for both Size and Mason awefully high this year.
Where I was hoping for some single releases for the AN21 and Vangeli album, I found out that all will come in 2012. Other surprising news was that Third Party's "Feel" will also come in 2012.
The same party did contributed though, with a brilliant statement to the happy house scene called "Duel". The almost iconic breakdown was one of the highlights of the Size event amsterdam. Futhermore, Swanky Tunes and Hard Rock Sofa managed to actually make a decent tune instead of the bags full of garbage they released earlier.
But the biggest contributed single was ofcourse "Era", placed on number three on the top 100. Kim Fai have been awefully busy lately, but I hope he will continue his domination on Size in 2012.
04. MTA - 21500
MTA thanks this spot to Nero and Nero only. The album was such a thrilling success for me that I almost selected all single releases and album edits for in my top 100. Being my only dubstep artist in the top 100, Nero showed me that a change of genre can be very rewarding.
The album I'm talking about is ofcourse "Welcome Reality". The versatile easy to the ear album got a 80 in a review, and it did it's score proud by lifting MTA directly into the number 5 spot.
"Reaching Out" was number one by far, but "Promises" and "Deparure" succeeded to impress too. MTA seems to feature other dubstep artist too, but I have to say that Nero rises out above them all.
With more single releases from "Welcome Reality" on the way (Must be the feeling will be remixed by a stunning selection of "Flux Pavilion, Funkagenda and Third Party) is seems that MTA is going to run for the top 10 next year too. But what happens after that will remain a mystery since I don't expect Nero to be as active in 2013 too. Intriguing.
05. Balance - 19700 Points
The Balance mix series has been in my heart since James Holden and will always remain there. This attempt by the mighty and intriguing Henry Saiz couldn't defeat the legend, but came very close. The whole assembly of tracks and mixing was utterly superb.
The problem with the mix was that few solo tracks actually stood out on their own, which is a compliment for Henry Saiz if you think about it. But two did and they are both from the mixmaster himself. His collab with Jesse Somefay blew me away after the first play (I believe it also was the first track I heard from the mix album). So did his edit for Elle from Amyn.
Balance did a great job by calling in Henry Saiz on their mixtables, and I hope 2012 will be filled with more brilliant decisions like this.
06. Traum - 17300 Points
Traum also took this place with just two tracks. One of those tracks is Dominik Eulbergs stunning "Der Tanz Der Gluehwurmchen". His album in general was quite brilliant, but evidently just like the Balance mix, few were good enough to stand on their own. The whole bundle was brilliant put together, but alone only this one remained strong. It was the first track I heard from Eulberg and hopefully not the last.
That traum is one of the leaders of sophisticated electronic music, is proved with the signing of Max Cooper. Max is one of the innovators of EDM. This track Ripple made such a scary impact on me that I still hear it when I find myself alone!
I'll follow Traum more intensively this year, with the hope of finding more great tracks from artist like these two. Otherwise I would surely lose out a lot!
07. Axtone - 17600 Points
Axtone should be pictured as a rare tree with slowly growing fruits. The whole label is identical to it's master Axwell: It takes a while before something falls of that particular tree, but when it does it's utter brilliant. The way the tracks are nourished and promoted is examplenary for other labels. The artwork is one of the finest around, and the tracks that are released are top notch.
Ofcourse, the first track that should be notified is "Heart Is King". My official anthem of 2011. Heart Is King stands for everything that's so exciting about House Music. It stands for the things that made me listen to it. This is what I meant with Axtone being a rare tree that requires patience. Axwell releases one single track on his label and it turned out to be the best one of an entire year. The other tracks that caught my attention were also all Axwell related. His collaborated remixes for already brilliant tracks like "Blow Up" and "One Look" ensured my faith in mister hedford for 2012. But that the present and future isn't always the most important is proved by Whelan & Di Scala. The rising duo made a bootleg of one of my personal all time favorite tracks, Axwell's "Feel The Vibe". Being one of the biggest tracks of my childhood, I was of course a bit skeptical. But those hints turned out to be very false, since the duo made a very refreshing and daring update of a classic. The past matters!
Axtone is a class label, that ensures it's goods are nothing but perfect. You'll very
rarily find something unoriginal or boring on the Swedish label. Tracks from Axwell don't follow trends, they set them. Unfortunetaley, the extremely low release frequencies made this year a bit empty for Axtone to stand it's ground. Non the less has Axtone, with the help of Axwell himself, made a big impact this year. But with forthcoming releases such as "Sing2Me" and "Center Of The Universe", axtone will be restored to it's former glory in no time!
08. Mixmash - 15600 Points
I was incredibly curious about the 2011 of Mixmash. Last year, the label dominated my yearmix with incredible melodic innovative signings and releases. This year, Mixmash has released thrice as much as tracks as last year. Yet, the only tracks that I could bare were from Luke himself.
"Natural Disaster" and a remix/edit here and there made enough points for a spot on the top 10 this year, nothing more. It's obvious to mention that I'm deeply dissapointed in this former rising label. Instead of drawing the line further into their innovative label management, they decided to bombard the scene with mediocrity.
Not only the tracks themselves have been damaged. The artwork that I used to love is being completely neglected by artist KOA aswell. I can only hope that Luke will keep a closer eye to the Mixmash management and won't have to save their asses once more!
09. Doorn - 13900 Points
The year started out incredibly promising for Doorn records. I fell in love with the Identity podcast and with Doorn's his productions.
But in the end, only Doorn's own productions made the cut. "Timezone" being a contender for the number one spot at the time, made me very excited for his album "Eleve11". That was the reason I purchased it blindly back in the summer. It was one of the biggest disappointment of the year, with only two new quality tracks (one of them released on Mixmash).
I still enjoy the Identity podcast though. It combines simple easy tracks with new cool tunes making a very pleasurable mix to listen to. It has to be said, Doorn is one of the more pleasant mixers of this time. The current ID's of Sander aren't very promising, so I hope the label at least gets some more nice tracks like the ones played at the identity show.
10. Rejected - 13800 Points
Joris Voorn as said before, is the only Tech House artist I can endure at the moment. His track "Incident Miyagi alone, made to assist Fukushima in their time of need, made by visit him at Queensday and I was not dissapointed! I took a while before another production of Joris saw the light of day, but when it did, it pleasantly surprised me again! Joris his take on Moby's "After", was unmatched compared to the other remixes. I can only hope Joris will make even more tracks in 2012 and get some other artist to color the label.
Where Axtone delivers an unmatched unique degree of quality into the house scene from time to time, it's Anjunabeats that takes the cake because of their ever so frequent quality releases. They don't overdo it but rather spice things even more up with two or three albums a year and a yearly compilation that are equally spectacular as the "normal" releases.
Their innovative and pleasing take on trance, also dubbed as "Trance 2.0", has turned my world upside down. The combination of strong melodic music with a enjoyable tempo was the perfect solution to the current problem I have with the house scene nowadays. Where the tracks used to be dark, complex and most importantly, sophisticated, the current scenes brings forth nothing but cheap simple carnival music.
"Levels", "Pressure", "calling"...Those are all songs that make my puke.
No, it were glorious singles like "Rebound", rulebreaking remixes like Mat Zo's take on "Thing Called Love" and the entire Group Therapy album for that matter, that have filled my year with happiness and joy.
Thank you, Anjunabeats.
02. Anjunadeep - 91200 Points
But normally, anjunadeep would have me captivated with their ways of doing things like no other. The gentle, subtle way core of those tracks made by top of the crop of progressive house is unmatched among it's genre. The sound deadmau5 presented me where I fell in love with is back, on a much higher level! Where Beats had the huge amount of brilliant tracks, deep had more concentrated quality.
With the brilliant Solarity as captains, Deep sailed away as near first this year together with a versatile crew into 2012. I can only hope 2012 is going to be as good as this year has been. With Anjunadeep 04 on the way and many much wanted ID's, things are looking very bright for this sister/brother label.
03. Size - 38900 Points
Where I was hoping for some single releases for the AN21 and Vangeli album, I found out that all will come in 2012. Other surprising news was that Third Party's "Feel" will also come in 2012.
The same party did contributed though, with a brilliant statement to the happy house scene called "Duel". The almost iconic breakdown was one of the highlights of the Size event amsterdam. Futhermore, Swanky Tunes and Hard Rock Sofa managed to actually make a decent tune instead of the bags full of garbage they released earlier.
But the biggest contributed single was ofcourse "Era", placed on number three on the top 100. Kim Fai have been awefully busy lately, but I hope he will continue his domination on Size in 2012.
04. MTA - 21500
The album I'm talking about is ofcourse "Welcome Reality". The versatile easy to the ear album got a 80 in a review, and it did it's score proud by lifting MTA directly into the number 5 spot.
"Reaching Out" was number one by far, but "Promises" and "Deparure" succeeded to impress too. MTA seems to feature other dubstep artist too, but I have to say that Nero rises out above them all.
With more single releases from "Welcome Reality" on the way (Must be the feeling will be remixed by a stunning selection of "Flux Pavilion, Funkagenda and Third Party) is seems that MTA is going to run for the top 10 next year too. But what happens after that will remain a mystery since I don't expect Nero to be as active in 2013 too. Intriguing.
05. Balance - 19700 Points
The problem with the mix was that few solo tracks actually stood out on their own, which is a compliment for Henry Saiz if you think about it. But two did and they are both from the mixmaster himself. His collab with Jesse Somefay blew me away after the first play (I believe it also was the first track I heard from the mix album). So did his edit for Elle from Amyn.
Balance did a great job by calling in Henry Saiz on their mixtables, and I hope 2012 will be filled with more brilliant decisions like this.
06. Traum - 17300 Points
Traum also took this place with just two tracks. One of those tracks is Dominik Eulbergs stunning "Der Tanz Der Gluehwurmchen". His album in general was quite brilliant, but evidently just like the Balance mix, few were good enough to stand on their own. The whole bundle was brilliant put together, but alone only this one remained strong. It was the first track I heard from Eulberg and hopefully not the last.
That traum is one of the leaders of sophisticated electronic music, is proved with the signing of Max Cooper. Max is one of the innovators of EDM. This track Ripple made such a scary impact on me that I still hear it when I find myself alone!
I'll follow Traum more intensively this year, with the hope of finding more great tracks from artist like these two. Otherwise I would surely lose out a lot!
07. Axtone - 17600 Points
Ofcourse, the first track that should be notified is "Heart Is King". My official anthem of 2011. Heart Is King stands for everything that's so exciting about House Music. It stands for the things that made me listen to it. This is what I meant with Axtone being a rare tree that requires patience. Axwell releases one single track on his label and it turned out to be the best one of an entire year. The other tracks that caught my attention were also all Axwell related. His collaborated remixes for already brilliant tracks like "Blow Up" and "One Look" ensured my faith in mister hedford for 2012. But that the present and future isn't always the most important is proved by Whelan & Di Scala. The rising duo made a bootleg of one of my personal all time favorite tracks, Axwell's "Feel The Vibe". Being one of the biggest tracks of my childhood, I was of course a bit skeptical. But those hints turned out to be very false, since the duo made a very refreshing and daring update of a classic. The past matters!
Axtone is a class label, that ensures it's goods are nothing but perfect. You'll very
rarily find something unoriginal or boring on the Swedish label. Tracks from Axwell don't follow trends, they set them. Unfortunetaley, the extremely low release frequencies made this year a bit empty for Axtone to stand it's ground. Non the less has Axtone, with the help of Axwell himself, made a big impact this year. But with forthcoming releases such as "Sing2Me" and "Center Of The Universe", axtone will be restored to it's former glory in no time!
08. Mixmash - 15600 Points
"Natural Disaster" and a remix/edit here and there made enough points for a spot on the top 10 this year, nothing more. It's obvious to mention that I'm deeply dissapointed in this former rising label. Instead of drawing the line further into their innovative label management, they decided to bombard the scene with mediocrity.
Not only the tracks themselves have been damaged. The artwork that I used to love is being completely neglected by artist KOA aswell. I can only hope that Luke will keep a closer eye to the Mixmash management and won't have to save their asses once more!
09. Doorn - 13900 Points
But in the end, only Doorn's own productions made the cut. "Timezone" being a contender for the number one spot at the time, made me very excited for his album "Eleve11". That was the reason I purchased it blindly back in the summer. It was one of the biggest disappointment of the year, with only two new quality tracks (one of them released on Mixmash).
I still enjoy the Identity podcast though. It combines simple easy tracks with new cool tunes making a very pleasurable mix to listen to. It has to be said, Doorn is one of the more pleasant mixers of this time. The current ID's of Sander aren't very promising, so I hope the label at least gets some more nice tracks like the ones played at the identity show.
10. Rejected - 13800 Points
Natural Selection: Top 10 Artist 2011
01. Mat Zo - 36975 Points
That really didn't feel right, and it turned out my feelings were true. I completely forgot about a recently freebie of his that I've been waiting for, for a loooong time: "The Loop"This 0.5 version of "Frequency Flyer" shows again how versatile Zo is, and it couldn't be left out the top 100! But not only this track, but also "Superman", "The Full Frequeny Flyer", "Rebound", his brilliant collab with Arty, and timeless remixes for loads of artist make 2011 the year of Zohar.
And that while his best track's have yet to come! In 2012, Zo will release his debut artist album, and the ID's and previews have been all over the web since that announcement. But that doesn't take away that I have already experienced his unknown versatility as an producer. Samples from a limitless selection of genres (Reggae in Frequency Flyer and a recent Beyonce sample) and the unique way of presenting himself as an artist (I believe the only electronic genre he hasn't proven himself in is dubstep) make it very assumable that Mat Zo is on his way of becoming as timeless as Daft Punk. His tracks have no guide line, which makes him my number one artist of the year. But it sure was a close call, the closest one ever to be in this list I think.
02. Solarity/Dusky - 36725 Points
Alfie Granger-Howell and Nich Harriman hooked my on their fantastic music the moment I heard "DNA" on Anjunabeats 02. I used it instantly in my 2010 yearmix and since that day, I've been watching their every move. It seems my intentions were right, because every release of the duo has been gold till this day. From their stunning remix for "By All Means" till their last release in December called "Tiny Black Circles", they've been intriguing me massively.
But the two absolute highlights of their and my year have to be "Marsch" from Anjunadeep 02 and "Stick By This", released under their moniker Dusky. It has been quite a year from them, and with Anjunadeep 04 on the way, I can only hope it features another series of brilliant Solarity productions.
03. Andrew Bayer - 29425 Points
Andrew is another great new find this year. Andrew Bayer stands for the delicacy that can sometimes be called, electronic music. The first track I came across on, was his fourth track on the ordinary "Distractions EP". Just this EP alone shows that Bayer isn't your everyday artist. On that EP, he took a concept from his workbench, and created four different "movements" (hench the name) with it. Although all the tracks were great, the last one really stood out. "Distractions (Movement 4)" made it clear that Andrew knows how to think outside the current EDM box. Then his remix for "Rift" followed, in collaboration with his partner in crime, Matt Lange. That track really made the summer of 2011 for me. After those two anthems, I just had to check out his album "It's Artificial". Although the album only counted 9 tracks, it was more than satisfying. But "Counting The Points", "A Drink For Calamity Jane" and "Dedicated To Bostons Waste Management System" (love to know the story behind those titles!) were so well produced that I just had to put them in my top 100. Although an new album is far from now, I know that 2012 will be another bright year for Bayer!
04. Arty - 23350 Points
Arty is quite a strange story. I already heard of him when I first started listening. In the beginning of 2010, Laidback Luke played one of his singles called "Hope" in one of his sets, which I quite liked. But since it was Trance, and I was quite narrow minded, I didn't went after it. But when I started listening to Anjunabeats, Arty came back into the picture. I was astounded by what I had missed over the past couple of years. This kid was mental! I liked everything of him! I first began with some of his remixes, and eventually "Zara". But I was really blown away by "Rebound". That collab with Mat Zo shook off my narrow minded view, and truly got me into the state of Trance I am today. Since that release, I've been following Arty closely. "Around The World" followed. Wow, what an anthem! I was speechless! Must have been one of my most positive post on Upcomingsoon when I still did that stuff.
But not knowingly, that single changed the whole game for Arty and his trance roots it seems. As soon as Axwell got his hands on it, he made sure the whole world got to hear it. And boom, Arty was truly born. His next single was "Kate", for his girlfriend. I liked it, but I noticed a difference in his genre. I noticed a lot of complaining to under the video. After that, I haven't heard any real Trance from Arty anymore. With "Mozart" and his remix for Dirty South, it was made clear that he will continue to follow the path of House. I'm really curious what will do that to him and what he will do to the scene. Not long ago, Arty was chosen number 8 of the "DJ's" to follow in 2012 by MTV. It was an confirmation for me, that he will not return to Trance any time soon. I can only hope that he will not choose to go down the same road as many House producers do nowadays, and that he will still create tracks with some soul and heart put into it. The house scene is full of slackers, and I can only hope that Arty will show them the right way to do it!
05. Nero - 21575 Points
Nero, the only commercial dubstep producers I can appreciate. They are no life changers for me. No heroes. No examples. No, they are just Nero, and they were plainly insane this year. Their album Welcome Reality exploded like a bomb this August. One of those albums that you are patiently waiting for. It took me a while to fully listen to it, but when I found the time I was glad I did. This is music that needs to be made. Music that you can just put on without having to feel anything but satisfaction. All of those singles and their remix for Calvin were so enjoyable that I kept returning to them. This was the year of Nero, but I'm not sure if they can top that with the remaining album singles next year.
06. Axwell - 13391 Points
Axwell is still my number one when it comes to producing tracks, at least for now. He has got handfuls of ID's and unreleased shizzle under his name, his label is my favorite in the scene and his only 2011 track "Heart Is King" instantly made it to the number one spot on my Top 100 List.
The reason Ax is not number one though, is because the man takes his time. Like I said earlier, he has only one or two tracks a year, followed by some small remixes for his label and some stuff with Swedish House Mafia. His work is always quite stellar, but few in numbers. But I luckily prefer quality above quantity, so the tracks that he delivers are usually enough for the whole year.
But it can't hurt ofcourse for him to do two tracks this year, or maybe more! There are so many tracks of him that need to see the light of day...
07. Laidback Luke - 17388 Points
I couldn't leave Lucas out of my top ten, just for the principal of the fact that he still is my idol. But I'll be honest with you, this year wasn't great. There were very few good Laidback Luke tracks, and I often felt liking the track because he made it. Without the name of Luke on it, it might have not ended that high on the list. His first single "Turbulence" for instance, didn't felt right at all. Then followed his strange remix for Better Off Alone and some other strange remixes.
The first real good LBL production this year, came out in June. His remix on his own label for "U & I" reminded me of that old fashioned good melodic Laidback Luke again. A month later, he struck again with the brilliant "Natural Disaster", which was the best and loudest Luke track in a long time! But nothing really exciting followed. It was on the very last day of this year that he released his remix for "Sundown", that somehow really worked for me! But when you look at the past few years, the amount of good Laidback Luke tracks is really slimming down.
He will always be my favorite artist, but it's clear that he was not the best this year.
This 2012, he announced to release 6 singles. One of those singles will be "Cambodia", and that single alone will make this year much better I think. Not the best year, but he still managed to squeeze some good productions in. But I'm sure 2012 will be better.
08. Tim Mason - 17600 Points
It took him only two tracks to make it on the list. Both "Anima" and "The Moment" have become anthems to me for this 2011. His mature way of producing music brings a smile on my face! A lot of house producers nowadays, tend to follow the bandwagon of easy happy sounding garbage. I'm glad that there is still a newcomer who refuses to do so, and make his own future. i can still hear the echoes of "The Moment" while jumping and shouting like an idiot to Steve Angello, who played an absolute killer set at the time. Tim Mason will be remembered because he chose to be different in these dark days of House. I salute him!
09. Above & Beyond - 14675 Points
I always wondered what their music would be like when I saw them so high on the DJ Top 100. Now I regret I have always wondered instead of listened. Their music is so soulful. So full of life and meaning. I didn't do a review on their album "Group Therapy", because I would do it short. It's too complex an album, to be doing a review on it. I did liked it incredibly well though, and it's clear in the top 100. I could really relate to their music, both remixed as in the original state. I'm really glad I didn't skipped them and their label. It's because of them I got into Anjuna this year. Maybe with Spotify, I will not make this mistake again and check out the artist in question right away! In many indirect ways, Above & Beyond directed my whole year.
10. Kim Fai - 14300 Points
Just like Tim Mason, Kim Fai needed just two tracks to make it to this list. His "Era" was of epic proportions, and I was waiting eagerly for him since I heard it on his essential mix in 2010. After a long period of waiting, SIZE finally announced the two sided EP! It was even better than I remembered and it ended on the third spot of a total amount of 100 tracks!
I originally never knew he remixed my new found favorite labelbosses, Above & Beyond, but when I heard his incredible take on cult hit "Sun & Moon", I knew that Kim Fai was going to end high. Again, just like Tim Mason, he is one of the few left who still possesses that unique sophisticated house sound.
He is currently busy with his kid, but when he returns to the scene, I hope he will stay true to his fantastic sound.
Natural Selection: Top 100 2011
For months, I've been selecting the most moving, beautiful and revolutionary tracks with endless listing. This top 100 has come together out of all those months of top 10's. This list is the absolute cream of the crop for my music year. Enjoy.
01. Axwell - Heart Is King
Axtone Records
The fact that Axwell's track is on top is not quite a surprise for me. It is quite ordinary though, that the man makes one singular track and instantly hits the number one spot. It's no wonder that when people ask who my favorite artist is, I say Axwell. For years and years and years, Axel was busy formingdecorating my personal hall of classics. Well, not just for me, but for many other enthusiast all over the globe. I've checked the records and I noticed that Ax makes no more than 2 tracks a year, and this and last year just one. And yet, those productions are enough to keep me happy and wanting for more. The time, effort and gentle touch this Swedish legend puts into his work is unique. No wonder that "Heart Is King", is the absolute highlight of 2011.
Axwell - Heart Is King by axwellofficial
See you in 2012, Ax
02. Dusky - Stick By This
Anjunadeep
I did kind off made it look like, that "Heart Of King" was the only rightful throne sitter of this year. But to be honest, I spent hours thinking about this. "Should "Stick By This" be at number one"? The final answer, as you can see, is no. But it was an incredible close call. Dusky, better known as Solarity, made something so truly touching, so pure, that I can't help but take my time for this track. I won't listen this, until I absolutely feel like it. I always like to think that this track, is a track that stands for the reason why music was made: to feel when you need to, any given time of the day or night. I completely lost track about how much I've listened to it, but I won't frown when it's over a 100. And after a hundred plays, it still get's to me. I guess it's the best production of 2011.
The best track still goes to Ax, but he's got a very tough enemy to beat next year.
Dusky - Stick By This by Anjunadeep
Thank you, Dusky, for a wonderful year.
03. Kim Fai - Era
SIZE
I've been waiting for "Era" for so damn long...But it
was surely worth the wait. Kim Fai somehow conquered my heart with his mature sounding productions, without even releasing a particular legendary one. But this year, it finally came to light.
Bigger than this, literally bigger, isn't imaginable. It's damn hard to explain it, and that's why it's so good.
Fai's eye for detail and passion for big big BIG fucking tracks make this is untouchable and unmatched.
Era is the great example of a true anthem.
Kim Fai 'Era' (90 Second Clip) by sizerecords
04. Solarity - Marsch
Anjunadeep
Solarity has really made a great impression on me, as you can see. Their second production on the top 100 is already here.
"Marsch" is so good because it completely warped my vision about Progressive House around. The entire tracks builds up, in the same melodic atmosphere...but it doesn't get boring for even a minute!
I heard it first on Anjunadeep 03, where it closed the long line of already good tracks. It didn't matter how good those other tracks may have been, because "Marsch" blasted them all away with one single play. Someday, I wish I could make gems like this in my room, but until that day I will go back to this one.
Marsh by Solarity
05. Joris Voorn - Incident Miyagi
Rejected
I think everyone with a sensible mind, followed the Fukushima disaster with a horrible feeling. A lot of artist on social media naturally spoke out their reaction, but only a few actually did something. One of those artist is my fellow Dutchman, Joris Voorn. Because of the horrifying events around Tokyo and because he played a gig there at the moment (he got to see the horrifying event in full effect) , he decided to brush up an old classic and send it's earnings to the Red Cross.
The track brought up around 5000 US Dollars, but not only because of it's purpose but certainly also because of it's brilliant production value. A brilliant track with a brilliant intentioned design. Amen to Voorn!
Joris Voorn - Incident (Miyagi) - Short Preview 128 kbps by Joris Voorn
06. Arty & Mat Zo - Rebound
Anjunabeats
As said before, I sortof made the step from House to Trance this year. But that House is still in my heart, is to be seen with the above tracks. It couldn't take any longer though, before the first of many Trance tracks showed itself. The absolute number one track has to be this one. "Rebound" is made by the two artist who lured me into the Anjunabeats scene, with their brilliant collabs and own singles. Both Mat Zo and Arty are clearly incredibly gifted, because I have yet to find a set of young producers who are this profilised. They both have an entirely different musical philosophy, but their combined works are brilliant anyway. I remember hearing this track in the one true summer week of Holland's 2011 summer, and I was in love at the first play.
The incredible "rave" elements that energizes "Rebound" made by Arty, in combination with the heartwarming detailed melodic aspects by Mat Zo, make this track a true classic for me. I sincerly hope that I can still catch this track when I'm on ASOT 550, listening to Arty's set. Year defining record for me this one.
Arty & Mat Zo - Rebound by Anjunabeats
07. Tim Mason - Anima
SIZE
This track is still not done making a solid impact on me, because it was released just seconds before the absolute deadline of '11.
First heard it at the infamous AN21 & Max Vangeli yearmix, and it stuck intensely. I kept coming back to that very average mix, because of just that track.
It's like the Kim Fai one: a true anthem. It's very rare these days when you hear a track that you can only describe as big. Skyscrapers, Oceans, Whales, Air-buses...Anthems. This new Tim Mason single had and has everything you could ask for: a promising young producer, a tasteful label...It may have been called "Spirit", but this track is full of life!
Tim Mason - Anima (Original Mix) by Tim Mason
08. Laidback Luke - Natural Disaster (Instrumental Mix)
Mixmash
My idol simply had to be in the top 10, but not only because it's the Luke but also because it's simply a great great, great listening experience.
An EDM track about a Natural Disaster is quite an interesting production set up. Every time I put Luke's gem on, I have the idea that I'm listening to a beast of a track...literally.
No wonder why KOA choose the above artwork as the cover. The bass is brutal, the melody unforgiving, the synths overwhelming...but it all seems to work, and that deserves a spot in the top 10.
By far the most powerful track of 2011.
Laidback Luke - Natural Disaster (Instrumental Mix) by LaidbackLuke
09. Dominik Eulberg - Der Tanz Der Gluehwuermchen
Traum
Rare, would be the perfect way to describe this ode to nature.
I bought the whole album, "Diorama", mainly because of this track. Looking back now to that fantastic album, I was very right to do so.
I heard it first at one of Jaytech's podcast I believe, and I was immediately in love. Everything about this track is as beautiful as the world it describes.
The highlight of a wondrous album, that inspired fired up my passion for nature once again.
08 - Der Tanz Der Gluehwuermchen by McMell
10. Above & Beyond - Thing Called Love (Mat Zo Remix)
Anjunabeats
In this year between mixed House and Trance, Mat Zo guided me through the perfect middle.
A lot of his singles, but especially this remix balanced slowly lured me into the scene of Anjunabeats. I got to admit, that the insanely fast, vocal, trance "1.0" is a bit too much for me. But Mat Zo has shown me that Trance doesn't necessarily need to blast away your speakers.
Zo gave me a sophisticated yet calm example of how a remix should be. I honestly didn't start listening to Anjuna or A&B, but after his remix I got quite interested. I like to think that because of this, I'm the Anjuna fan I'm today. A great way to end the top 10.
Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford - Thing Called Love (Mat Zo Remix) by aboveandbeyond
11. Electrobios & Liluca ft. Interplay - Depends on You (Electrobios & Liluca Remix) - Anjunadeep
12. Andrew Bayer - Distractions (Movement 4) - Anjunadeep
13. Above & Beyond - Every Little Beat (Myon & Shane 45 "Summer Of Love" Remix) - Anjunabeats
14. Above & Beyond - Prelude (Album Version) - Anjunabeats
15. Henry Saiz & Jesse Somfay - Honey Whine (Extended Balance Mix) - Balance
16. Mike Shiver Vs. Matias Lehtola - Slacker (Maor Levi's Big Room Mix) - Armada
(5 sterren ^)
17. Boys Will Be Boys - We Tell - Musical Freedom
18. Dezza - Allure - Oxygen
19. Tim Mason - The Moment
20. Max Cooper - Ripple - Traum
21. Stephen J Kroos - E-No - Anjunadeep
22. Round Table Knights - Paparussi - Made To Play
23. Sander Van Doorn pres. Purple Haze - Timezone - Doorn
24. Jamie Woon - Night Air (Album Version) - Polydor
25. Sunny Lax - Contrast - Anjunabeats
26. Nero - Reaching Out - MTA
27. Soundprank - Beginnings - Anjunadeep
28. Mat Zo - Frequency Flyer - Anjunabeats
29. Wippenberg - Phoenix - Get Whipped
30. Boom Jinx & Soundprank - Pieces Of The Puzzle (Solarity Remix) - Anjunadeep
31. Laurent Garnier - Flashback (Christian Smith & Wehbba Remix) - Tronic
32. Nero - Promises - MTA
33. Andrew Bayer - Dedicated To Boston's Waste Management (Album Version) - Anjunabeats
34. Funkin Matt - Anywhere - Fjordin
35. Yasmin - On My Own (Burns ESM Remix) - MOS
36. Solarity - Tapepack - Anjunadeep
37. Lykke Li - Sadness Is A Blessing (Gold Panda Remix) - LL
38. Guy J & Henry Saiz - Meridian (Pryda Remix) - Bedrock
39. Mat Zo - Superman - Anjunabeats
40. David Tort - One Look (Axwell vs. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Remix) - Axtone
41. Above & Beyond - Sun & Moon (Kim Fai Remix) - Anjunabeats
42. Andrew Bayer - A Drink For Calamity Jane (Album Version) - Anjunabeats
43. Mat Zo - Synapse Dynamics (Arty Remix) - Anjunabeats
44. Tiësto & Mark Knight - Beautiful World (Club Mix) - Toolroom
45. Arty - Kate - Anjunabeats
46. Matt Lange - Rift (Andrew Bayer Remix) - Anjunadeep
47. Third Party - Duel - SIZE
48. Suspect 44 - Japanese Schoolgirls (PROFF Remix) - Anjunadeep
49. Boom Jinx & Andrew Bayer - By All Means (Solarity Remix) - Anjunadeep
50. Chris Lake - Sundown (Laidback Luke Remix) - Ultra
51. Amyn - Elle (Henry Saiz "Balance" Edit) - Balance
52. Swedish House Mafia - Save The World (Knife Party Remix) - Virgin
53. Benny Benassi - Cinema (Congorock Remix) - Ultra
54. John Dahlbäck - You're In My Heart (Elektrokid, Timofey & Dave Lambert Remix) - Mutants
55. Dinka - Violet (Inpetto Remix) - Unreleased Digital
56. Arty - Around The World - Anjunabeats
57. Axwell - Feel The Vibe (Whelan & Di Scala 2011 Bootleg) - Axtone
58. GTA - U&I (Laidback Luke Remix) - Mixmash
59. Joris Voorn vs. Moby - After The After - Rejected
60. The Whip - Secret Weapon (Alex Metric Remix) - Southern Fried
61. Erick Prydz - 2Night (Maor Levi's "Breaking 2Night Mashup" Mix) - Pryda
62. Nero - Departure (Album Version) - MTA
63. Michael Cassette - Memories (90's Piano Mix) - Anjunadeep
64. Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (Nero Remix) - Fly Eye
65. Filterheadz - Everything Explained - Doorn
66. Jaytech - Overdrive - Anjunadeep
67. Crystal Fighters - Champion Sound - Different
68. Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa - Smolengrad - SIZE
69. Nero - Reaching Out (Booka Shade Remix) - MTA
70. Arty - Zara - Anjunabeats
71. Dirty South & Thomas Gold - Alive - Phazing
72. Polarsets - Sunshine Eyes - Kitsuné
73. Dezza - I Wonder - Oxygen
74. John Dahlbäck - Pour Te - Mutants
75. Kyau & Albert - Be There 4 U (Mat Zo Remix) - Euphonic
76. Sander Van Doorn - Beyond Sound (Godskitchen Urban Wave Extended Mix) - Doorn
77. Andrew Bayer - Counting The Points (Club Mix) - Anjunabeats
78. Exoplanet - Delta III - Proton
79. Sharam Jey pres. Soundz Fresh - Spinnin
80. Mat Zo & Arty - Mozart - Anjunabeats
81. Nari & Milani - Kendo (Steve Angello "Size Matters" Edit) - SIZE
82. Kings Of Tomorrow - Take Me Back (Sandy Rivera's Original Mix) - Defected
83. Moonbeam - Hate Is The Killer (Arty Remix) - Moonbeam
84. The Madison & Simon J - Follow Up - Enhanced Progressive
85. Cosmic Gate - Be Your Sound - Black Hole
86. Hard Rock Sofa & St. Brothers - Blow Up (Axwell vs. Thomas Gold Remix) - Axtone
87. Solarity - Tiny Black Circles - Anjunadeep
88. Niki & The Dove - The Drummer - Mercury
89. D-Mad pres. Yummy - Blaze Away! - Enhanced Progressive
90. D.I.M. & Tai - Glass - Boysnoize
91. Tate & Diamond - Electrified (Mat Zo Remix) - Anjunabeats
92. Avesta & B Valley - Dutchano (Laidback Luke Edit) - Mixmash
93. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike - Generation X - SIZE
94. Mat Zo - Loop - Anjunabeats
95. Laidback Luke & Sander Van Doorn - Who's Wearing The Cap - Mixmash
96. Steve Aoki & Laidback Luke - Turbulence (Sidney Samson Remix) - Mixmash
97. Swedish House Mafia - Save The World (Extended Dub Mix) - Virgin
98. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Laidback Luke 2011 Bootleg) - Sony
99. Angger Dimas - Are You Ready (Mahesa Utara Remix) - Vicious
100. Daniel Kandi - Soul Searchin' (Nitrous Oxide Remix) - Anjunabeats
01. Axwell - Heart Is King
Axtone Records
Axwell - Heart Is King by axwellofficial
See you in 2012, Ax
02. Dusky - Stick By This
Anjunadeep
The best track still goes to Ax, but he's got a very tough enemy to beat next year.
Dusky - Stick By This by Anjunadeep
Thank you, Dusky, for a wonderful year.
03. Kim Fai - Era
SIZE
I've been waiting for "Era" for so damn long...But it
was surely worth the wait. Kim Fai somehow conquered my heart with his mature sounding productions, without even releasing a particular legendary one. But this year, it finally came to light.
Bigger than this, literally bigger, isn't imaginable. It's damn hard to explain it, and that's why it's so good.
Fai's eye for detail and passion for big big BIG fucking tracks make this is untouchable and unmatched.
Era is the great example of a true anthem.
Kim Fai 'Era' (90 Second Clip) by sizerecords
04. Solarity - Marsch
Anjunadeep
"Marsch" is so good because it completely warped my vision about Progressive House around. The entire tracks builds up, in the same melodic atmosphere...but it doesn't get boring for even a minute!
I heard it first on Anjunadeep 03, where it closed the long line of already good tracks. It didn't matter how good those other tracks may have been, because "Marsch" blasted them all away with one single play. Someday, I wish I could make gems like this in my room, but until that day I will go back to this one.
Marsh by Solarity
05. Joris Voorn - Incident Miyagi
Rejected
The track brought up around 5000 US Dollars, but not only because of it's purpose but certainly also because of it's brilliant production value. A brilliant track with a brilliant intentioned design. Amen to Voorn!
Joris Voorn - Incident (Miyagi) - Short Preview 128 kbps by Joris Voorn
06. Arty & Mat Zo - Rebound
Anjunabeats
The incredible "rave" elements that energizes "Rebound" made by Arty, in combination with the heartwarming detailed melodic aspects by Mat Zo, make this track a true classic for me. I sincerly hope that I can still catch this track when I'm on ASOT 550, listening to Arty's set. Year defining record for me this one.
Arty & Mat Zo - Rebound by Anjunabeats
07. Tim Mason - Anima
SIZE
First heard it at the infamous AN21 & Max Vangeli yearmix, and it stuck intensely. I kept coming back to that very average mix, because of just that track.
It's like the Kim Fai one: a true anthem. It's very rare these days when you hear a track that you can only describe as big. Skyscrapers, Oceans, Whales, Air-buses...Anthems. This new Tim Mason single had and has everything you could ask for: a promising young producer, a tasteful label...It may have been called "Spirit", but this track is full of life!
Tim Mason - Anima (Original Mix) by Tim Mason
08. Laidback Luke - Natural Disaster (Instrumental Mix)
Mixmash
An EDM track about a Natural Disaster is quite an interesting production set up. Every time I put Luke's gem on, I have the idea that I'm listening to a beast of a track...literally.
No wonder why KOA choose the above artwork as the cover. The bass is brutal, the melody unforgiving, the synths overwhelming...but it all seems to work, and that deserves a spot in the top 10.
By far the most powerful track of 2011.
Laidback Luke - Natural Disaster (Instrumental Mix) by LaidbackLuke
09. Dominik Eulberg - Der Tanz Der Gluehwuermchen
Traum
I bought the whole album, "Diorama", mainly because of this track. Looking back now to that fantastic album, I was very right to do so.
I heard it first at one of Jaytech's podcast I believe, and I was immediately in love. Everything about this track is as beautiful as the world it describes.
The highlight of a wondrous album, that inspired fired up my passion for nature once again.
08 - Der Tanz Der Gluehwuermchen by McMell
10. Above & Beyond - Thing Called Love (Mat Zo Remix)
Anjunabeats
A lot of his singles, but especially this remix balanced slowly lured me into the scene of Anjunabeats. I got to admit, that the insanely fast, vocal, trance "1.0" is a bit too much for me. But Mat Zo has shown me that Trance doesn't necessarily need to blast away your speakers.
Zo gave me a sophisticated yet calm example of how a remix should be. I honestly didn't start listening to Anjuna or A&B, but after his remix I got quite interested. I like to think that because of this, I'm the Anjuna fan I'm today. A great way to end the top 10.
Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford - Thing Called Love (Mat Zo Remix) by aboveandbeyond
11. Electrobios & Liluca ft. Interplay - Depends on You (Electrobios & Liluca Remix) - Anjunadeep
12. Andrew Bayer - Distractions (Movement 4) - Anjunadeep
13. Above & Beyond - Every Little Beat (Myon & Shane 45 "Summer Of Love" Remix) - Anjunabeats
14. Above & Beyond - Prelude (Album Version) - Anjunabeats
15. Henry Saiz & Jesse Somfay - Honey Whine (Extended Balance Mix) - Balance
16. Mike Shiver Vs. Matias Lehtola - Slacker (Maor Levi's Big Room Mix) - Armada
(5 sterren ^)
17. Boys Will Be Boys - We Tell - Musical Freedom
18. Dezza - Allure - Oxygen
19. Tim Mason - The Moment
20. Max Cooper - Ripple - Traum
21. Stephen J Kroos - E-No - Anjunadeep
22. Round Table Knights - Paparussi - Made To Play
23. Sander Van Doorn pres. Purple Haze - Timezone - Doorn
24. Jamie Woon - Night Air (Album Version) - Polydor
25. Sunny Lax - Contrast - Anjunabeats
26. Nero - Reaching Out - MTA
27. Soundprank - Beginnings - Anjunadeep
28. Mat Zo - Frequency Flyer - Anjunabeats
29. Wippenberg - Phoenix - Get Whipped
30. Boom Jinx & Soundprank - Pieces Of The Puzzle (Solarity Remix) - Anjunadeep
31. Laurent Garnier - Flashback (Christian Smith & Wehbba Remix) - Tronic
32. Nero - Promises - MTA
33. Andrew Bayer - Dedicated To Boston's Waste Management (Album Version) - Anjunabeats
34. Funkin Matt - Anywhere - Fjordin
35. Yasmin - On My Own (Burns ESM Remix) - MOS
36. Solarity - Tapepack - Anjunadeep
37. Lykke Li - Sadness Is A Blessing (Gold Panda Remix) - LL
38. Guy J & Henry Saiz - Meridian (Pryda Remix) - Bedrock
39. Mat Zo - Superman - Anjunabeats
40. David Tort - One Look (Axwell vs. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Remix) - Axtone
41. Above & Beyond - Sun & Moon (Kim Fai Remix) - Anjunabeats
42. Andrew Bayer - A Drink For Calamity Jane (Album Version) - Anjunabeats
43. Mat Zo - Synapse Dynamics (Arty Remix) - Anjunabeats
44. Tiësto & Mark Knight - Beautiful World (Club Mix) - Toolroom
45. Arty - Kate - Anjunabeats
46. Matt Lange - Rift (Andrew Bayer Remix) - Anjunadeep
47. Third Party - Duel - SIZE
48. Suspect 44 - Japanese Schoolgirls (PROFF Remix) - Anjunadeep
49. Boom Jinx & Andrew Bayer - By All Means (Solarity Remix) - Anjunadeep
50. Chris Lake - Sundown (Laidback Luke Remix) - Ultra
51. Amyn - Elle (Henry Saiz "Balance" Edit) - Balance
52. Swedish House Mafia - Save The World (Knife Party Remix) - Virgin
53. Benny Benassi - Cinema (Congorock Remix) - Ultra
54. John Dahlbäck - You're In My Heart (Elektrokid, Timofey & Dave Lambert Remix) - Mutants
55. Dinka - Violet (Inpetto Remix) - Unreleased Digital
56. Arty - Around The World - Anjunabeats
57. Axwell - Feel The Vibe (Whelan & Di Scala 2011 Bootleg) - Axtone
58. GTA - U&I (Laidback Luke Remix) - Mixmash
59. Joris Voorn vs. Moby - After The After - Rejected
60. The Whip - Secret Weapon (Alex Metric Remix) - Southern Fried
61. Erick Prydz - 2Night (Maor Levi's "Breaking 2Night Mashup" Mix) - Pryda
62. Nero - Departure (Album Version) - MTA
63. Michael Cassette - Memories (90's Piano Mix) - Anjunadeep
64. Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (Nero Remix) - Fly Eye
65. Filterheadz - Everything Explained - Doorn
66. Jaytech - Overdrive - Anjunadeep
67. Crystal Fighters - Champion Sound - Different
68. Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa - Smolengrad - SIZE
69. Nero - Reaching Out (Booka Shade Remix) - MTA
70. Arty - Zara - Anjunabeats
71. Dirty South & Thomas Gold - Alive - Phazing
72. Polarsets - Sunshine Eyes - Kitsuné
73. Dezza - I Wonder - Oxygen
74. John Dahlbäck - Pour Te - Mutants
75. Kyau & Albert - Be There 4 U (Mat Zo Remix) - Euphonic
76. Sander Van Doorn - Beyond Sound (Godskitchen Urban Wave Extended Mix) - Doorn
77. Andrew Bayer - Counting The Points (Club Mix) - Anjunabeats
78. Exoplanet - Delta III - Proton
79. Sharam Jey pres. Soundz Fresh - Spinnin
80. Mat Zo & Arty - Mozart - Anjunabeats
81. Nari & Milani - Kendo (Steve Angello "Size Matters" Edit) - SIZE
82. Kings Of Tomorrow - Take Me Back (Sandy Rivera's Original Mix) - Defected
83. Moonbeam - Hate Is The Killer (Arty Remix) - Moonbeam
84. The Madison & Simon J - Follow Up - Enhanced Progressive
85. Cosmic Gate - Be Your Sound - Black Hole
86. Hard Rock Sofa & St. Brothers - Blow Up (Axwell vs. Thomas Gold Remix) - Axtone
87. Solarity - Tiny Black Circles - Anjunadeep
88. Niki & The Dove - The Drummer - Mercury
89. D-Mad pres. Yummy - Blaze Away! - Enhanced Progressive
90. D.I.M. & Tai - Glass - Boysnoize
91. Tate & Diamond - Electrified (Mat Zo Remix) - Anjunabeats
92. Avesta & B Valley - Dutchano (Laidback Luke Edit) - Mixmash
93. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike - Generation X - SIZE
94. Mat Zo - Loop - Anjunabeats
95. Laidback Luke & Sander Van Doorn - Who's Wearing The Cap - Mixmash
96. Steve Aoki & Laidback Luke - Turbulence (Sidney Samson Remix) - Mixmash
97. Swedish House Mafia - Save The World (Extended Dub Mix) - Virgin
98. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Laidback Luke 2011 Bootleg) - Sony
99. Angger Dimas - Are You Ready (Mahesa Utara Remix) - Vicious
100. Daniel Kandi - Soul Searchin' (Nitrous Oxide Remix) - Anjunabeats
Sunday Has Survived l Natural Selection: Top 10 December
The year has gone by so quickly! The last month of the year, and so the last top 10. It was very clear that the music labels decided to hold up their stuff until 2012. Only SIZE wanted to go out with a bang apparently, since they decided to release their monster "Anima" out of the blue on the last day of 2011!
There were still a few other good gems though, like Nero's "Reaching Out", the absolute highlight on the superb Welcome Reality album. The single was released a week ago, along with the brilliant Booka Shade remix which we will also see in this month's list.
Anjunabeats scores again with the single release of "Every Little Beat" from the label bosses themselves. Although the amount of remixes aren't that high numbered this time, one proved to be more than enough!
Another track which I didn't see coming is Joris Voorn's rework of an old Moby track. It seems to be that the only Tech House I can really appreciate is from this man from Rotterdam.
Another big winner is Mat Zo. On the brink of 2011, the already often mentioned London producer delivered two new tracks: A Daft Punk-esque remix of an aweful original track, and his new collaboration with Arty. "Mozart" was already mentioned in my review for Anjunabeats 9 to be one of the catchiest tracks of the year. The track is highly debated on the trance forums because of the name (wordplay of Mat Zo & Arty). Although there are many opinions, I can find myself in the middle. Good track, nothing more.
Finally, Solarity released a new single EP. "Tiny Black Circles" is the headliner for sure Although it's not as great as their other works this year, it couldn't be left out. The track took me back to James Holden's Balance mix, since one of the two openers of that mix has a close similarity with "Tiny Black Circles". I see it as an modern take on a classic track, that should be appreciated by all. The last two tracks, another remix for an ancient classic by Radion 6 and a modern one classic by Laidback Luke complete the list.
But as said in the beginning of this post, "Anima" took the cake!
01. Tim Mason - Anima (Original Mix) - SIZE
This track is so mature, for someone so green to the scene. If you type in "Tim Mason" on beatport, you will get almost only 2011 material. Tim is one of those guys that I proudly put on the table when a discussion about House arises. I honestly believe that this guy will not go quietly. His two SIZE singles already made such an big impact on me that I can't bare the thought of hearing nothing of him anymore. SIZE has done well to give this guy a shot, and I'm sure they will profit from that decision many more times in the future. With this perfectly executed House track, we end a very moving EDM year with a blast. Enjoy
02. Above & Beyond - Every Little Beat (Myon & Shane 54 "Summer Of Love" Remix) - Anjunabeats
03. Nero - Reaching Out (Original Mix) - MTA
04. Joris Voorn vs. Moby - After The After (Original Mix) - Rejected
05. Nero - Reaching Out (Booka Shade Remix) - MTA
06. Mat Zo & Arty - Mozart (Original Mix) - Anjunabeats
07. Tate & Diamond - Electrified (Mat Zo Remix) - Anjunabeats
08. Solarity - Tiny Black Circles (Original Mix) - Anjunadeep
09. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Laidback Luke 2011 Bootleg) - Sony
10. Radion 6 - B U Tiful (Original Mix) - Liquid
Anjunabeats scores again with the single release of "Every Little Beat" from the label bosses themselves. Although the amount of remixes aren't that high numbered this time, one proved to be more than enough!
Another track which I didn't see coming is Joris Voorn's rework of an old Moby track. It seems to be that the only Tech House I can really appreciate is from this man from Rotterdam.
Another big winner is Mat Zo. On the brink of 2011, the already often mentioned London producer delivered two new tracks: A Daft Punk-esque remix of an aweful original track, and his new collaboration with Arty. "Mozart" was already mentioned in my review for Anjunabeats 9 to be one of the catchiest tracks of the year. The track is highly debated on the trance forums because of the name (wordplay of Mat Zo & Arty). Although there are many opinions, I can find myself in the middle. Good track, nothing more.
Finally, Solarity released a new single EP. "Tiny Black Circles" is the headliner for sure Although it's not as great as their other works this year, it couldn't be left out. The track took me back to James Holden's Balance mix, since one of the two openers of that mix has a close similarity with "Tiny Black Circles". I see it as an modern take on a classic track, that should be appreciated by all. The last two tracks, another remix for an ancient classic by Radion 6 and a modern one classic by Laidback Luke complete the list.
But as said in the beginning of this post, "Anima" took the cake!
01. Tim Mason - Anima (Original Mix) - SIZE
This track is so mature, for someone so green to the scene. If you type in "Tim Mason" on beatport, you will get almost only 2011 material. Tim is one of those guys that I proudly put on the table when a discussion about House arises. I honestly believe that this guy will not go quietly. His two SIZE singles already made such an big impact on me that I can't bare the thought of hearing nothing of him anymore. SIZE has done well to give this guy a shot, and I'm sure they will profit from that decision many more times in the future. With this perfectly executed House track, we end a very moving EDM year with a blast. Enjoy
02. Above & Beyond - Every Little Beat (Myon & Shane 54 "Summer Of Love" Remix) - Anjunabeats
03. Nero - Reaching Out (Original Mix) - MTA
04. Joris Voorn vs. Moby - After The After (Original Mix) - Rejected
05. Nero - Reaching Out (Booka Shade Remix) - MTA
06. Mat Zo & Arty - Mozart (Original Mix) - Anjunabeats
07. Tate & Diamond - Electrified (Mat Zo Remix) - Anjunabeats
08. Solarity - Tiny Black Circles (Original Mix) - Anjunadeep
09. Alicia Keys - Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Laidback Luke 2011 Bootleg) - Sony
10. Radion 6 - B U Tiful (Original Mix) - Liquid
maandag 19 december 2011
Winter Has Survived 2011
When you find Santa Claus in your local bus stop, spot houses glowing all the colours of the rainbow, hear the warm cheerful classics on the local radio and feel the cold but cosy weather, you know it's there...
Christmas! Oh yes, Christmas. It's a time that I tend to clinch onto. The overall joyful vibe is something international. Two days of the year, almost all of the world is unified under the assumption of a perfect world. It's a time that us humans have made into something perfect. Something that should always be. Lots of perfect food, loads of perfect music, a sudden undeplete-able source of human kindness...A moment where the majority of us can forget about the reality for a while.
And that is, why I love this time of year. It seems that radio stations, TV-networks, malls, shops are all fully committed to make these days as enjoyable for us as possible. I'm fully aware that all this is done on fully commercial bases, but it's best to forget that and just let it take over.
And so, to enjoy these days to the fullest, I'm officially dub this traditional week of anticipation to "Winter Has Survived 2011".
Merry Christmas!
Jura
The program to get your EDM-christmas/winter-vibe fully going:
Monday: Winter Has Survived 2011
Tuesday: Classic Cold Christmas (The classic things that inspire us/me to get our christmas-vibe going)
Wednesday: Fossilised Christmas (A collection of my personal favorite Christmas classics)
Thursday: Winter Has Survived (A collection of my personal favorite electronic Winter classics)
Friday: Dear Santa... (The sickest wishlist ever!)
Sunday & Monday: CHRISTMAS!!!
woensdag 26 oktober 2011
ADE 2011: DJ Mag Top 100: The Aftermath
So after visiting the DJ Mag Top 100, I knew the list. I predicted 15 DJ's earlier. Let see how I did!
The official top 15 goes as follows:
01.David Guetta
02.Armin van Buuren
03.Tiesto
04.Deadmau5
05.Above & Beyond
06.Avicii
07.Afrojack
08.Dash Berlin
09.Markus Schulz
10.Swedish House Mafia
11.Paul van Dyk
12.Axwell
13.Gareth Emery
14.Fedde le Grand
15.ATB
My Top 15:
01. Armin van Buuren
02. deadmau5
03. David Guetta
04. Tiësto
05. Above & Beyond
06. Ferry Corsten
07. Markus Schulz
08. Axwell
09. Sander Van Doorn
10. Avicii
11. Skrillex
12. Afrojack
13. Steve Angello
14. Sebastian Ingrosso
15. Laidback Luke
As you can see, I did pretty horrible. I didn't thought House would take so much trance-ground already! Of course Avicii, Afrojack and the Swedish House Mafia forced their way into the list, bouncing out most of the earlier consistent trance producers. And of course, Guetta beat Armin in a duel between House and Trance. I blame the EDM blowup in america. With guys like Avicii and Afrojack finally getting house to the american mainstream, an huge turnup in the votes would probably be from Americans. Trance dj's converting to house (Tiesto, Sander Van Doorn) were a prelude to the fall of trance. I think next year, trance is going to suffer an even harder blow as SHM, Tiësto ect. will push their house beats to the main public even more.
But time could only know.
ADE 2011: Survived Events: DJ Mag Top 100 Awards Party
It shouldn't be a surprise that ADE, and especially the DJ Mag Top 100 evening, were both an absolute success! Of course, ADE had nothing to prove anymore and yet again delivered a week-long paradise for EDM-heads!
This happened to be my first ADE. After the top 100 awards party, I know that I have a lot of lost time to catch up to. The other days were filled by workshops, debates, conferences...and of course lineups! Like I said earlier, a EDM paradise...
Just one night. But luckily for me it was the biggest of them all! With a line up of Fedde Le Grand, Schulz, Guetta and 4 times dj of the world, Armin van Buuren, you just know it is going to be a night to remember!
Sidney Samson was a last minute add on to the lineup and he happened to open the night. I originally didn't like his presence all too much, but when I entered the colossal main room of The Amsterdam Cruise Terminal, he pleasantly surprised me!
He performed an absolute splendid warm-up set, varying from his signature electro-house to dubstep and even drum&nass! It got the surprisingly tough crowd a little bit loose for one of the many headliners for this evening: Fedde Le Grand!
The last time I saw Fedde do a set, I was 14 years old. He was gaining a lot of international acclaim for the infamous "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" single. It's quite strange to see a highschool-party dj now headline at such a prestigious event. Since it was so long ago, I really had no clue what to expect. Apart from some of his music, I'd never listened to one of his podcast since I just can't listen to Tech House. And although I was partially right about the Tech-House thing, Fedde showed to be an excellent crowd reader. It must have been one of the more tougher sets I've witnessed in my life, but overall he played beastly. Between the heard Techno and progressive stompers, he ocassionally found some time to play real anthems like this killer remix for Insomnia by Faithless!
Meanwhile, the Top 100 list was begin showning on the big screen behind Fedde, and the countdown began! Sooner than I expected, my personal headliner of the evening arrived: Armin Van Buuren!
I've heard so much about him these last couple of years but experienced so little. Due to the anti-trance period in my life, I know nothing of armin or a trance set until he opened. And let me tell you, it was like witnessing a king! People cheered anf followed and imitated his every move. My earlier prejudgments of trance melted away quickly as his dj-set progresses!
The amount of energy in the set was unbelievable! I was utterly drained after it. Trance has to be one of the most exhausting live music out there. Mesmerizing good melodies and roof trembling loud bass was almost destroying the sound system. My iPhone which I used to record the evening with could barely capture the audio. I loved it!
It was clear that the visitors absolutely loved Armin. And I understand why now. He has to be one of the most sympathetic dj's I've seen. He was constantly smiling and interacting with the public. He even made a picture during his set from all of us! A true dj can make a crowd love him, and not only play the biggest tunes. I think 99% of the people I was sharing the Cruise Terminal with felt he should be #1 again!
Meanwhile, I'd seen 2 faces of my personal top 5:
Mat Zo and Arty ended up being number 73 and 25. My original top 5 was Arty, Mat Zo, Sander Van Doorn, Axwell and Laidback luke at number one. But I feel that top 5 isn't really accurate to my personal DJ top 100. If I had really voted for my top 5 dj list it would be Luke still at one, but then followed by A-Trak, Sander Van Doorn and 2 blanks. I haven't seen enough dj's play to make an honest top 5 imo.
While that thought in mind, the top 20 finally came on screen and not surprisingly it was my number one:
As predicted, Luke was ranked way lower than he should have been, confirming this list is not based on dj skills but on popularity. The rest of the list:
03.Tiesto
04.Deadmau5
05.Above&Beyond
06.Avicii
07.Afrojack
08.Dash Berlin
09.Markus Schulz
10.Swedish House Mafia
11.Paul van Dyk
12.Axwell
13.Gareth Emery
14.Fedde le Grand
15.ATB
16.Sander van Doorn
17.Headhunterz
18.Ferry Corsten
19.Skrillex
and finally, as expected, a final showdown of the two giants of the EDM scene: Armin and David.
Surprised? I was not. Guetta has worked his ass of and has number one in 46 different countries and plays all around the world in the biggest acclaimed clubs of the scene. Left aside from what you think about his music, the man earns a lot of respect for his effort the last couple of years. In the video you can hear some people booing which really made me sick. I wasn't cheering either but I still felt he earned it.
After the award, I was too exhausted by Armin's set that I felt like going home. I was certainly an experience that I will look back too with joy. My first ever ADE night happened to be one of epic proportions! But even a roll of Dextro and 3 energy drinks couldn't keep my eyes open. Trance events are apparently too much for me at this point. But I'm certain I will visit one again.
For me, this was a very short but thrilling ADE. And next year I will most certainly do the whole week. Until then!
Just one night. But luckily for me it was the biggest of them all! With a line up of Fedde Le Grand, Schulz, Guetta and 4 times dj of the world, Armin van Buuren, you just know it is going to be a night to remember!
Sidney Samson was a last minute add on to the lineup and he happened to open the night. I originally didn't like his presence all too much, but when I entered the colossal main room of The Amsterdam Cruise Terminal, he pleasantly surprised me!
He performed an absolute splendid warm-up set, varying from his signature electro-house to dubstep and even drum&nass! It got the surprisingly tough crowd a little bit loose for one of the many headliners for this evening: Fedde Le Grand!
The last time I saw Fedde do a set, I was 14 years old. He was gaining a lot of international acclaim for the infamous "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" single. It's quite strange to see a highschool-party dj now headline at such a prestigious event. Since it was so long ago, I really had no clue what to expect. Apart from some of his music, I'd never listened to one of his podcast since I just can't listen to Tech House. And although I was partially right about the Tech-House thing, Fedde showed to be an excellent crowd reader. It must have been one of the more tougher sets I've witnessed in my life, but overall he played beastly. Between the heard Techno and progressive stompers, he ocassionally found some time to play real anthems like this killer remix for Insomnia by Faithless!
Meanwhile, the Top 100 list was begin showning on the big screen behind Fedde, and the countdown began! Sooner than I expected, my personal headliner of the evening arrived: Armin Van Buuren!
I've heard so much about him these last couple of years but experienced so little. Due to the anti-trance period in my life, I know nothing of armin or a trance set until he opened. And let me tell you, it was like witnessing a king! People cheered anf followed and imitated his every move. My earlier prejudgments of trance melted away quickly as his dj-set progresses!
The amount of energy in the set was unbelievable! I was utterly drained after it. Trance has to be one of the most exhausting live music out there. Mesmerizing good melodies and roof trembling loud bass was almost destroying the sound system. My iPhone which I used to record the evening with could barely capture the audio. I loved it!
It was clear that the visitors absolutely loved Armin. And I understand why now. He has to be one of the most sympathetic dj's I've seen. He was constantly smiling and interacting with the public. He even made a picture during his set from all of us! A true dj can make a crowd love him, and not only play the biggest tunes. I think 99% of the people I was sharing the Cruise Terminal with felt he should be #1 again!
Meanwhile, I'd seen 2 faces of my personal top 5:
Mat Zo and Arty ended up being number 73 and 25. My original top 5 was Arty, Mat Zo, Sander Van Doorn, Axwell and Laidback luke at number one. But I feel that top 5 isn't really accurate to my personal DJ top 100. If I had really voted for my top 5 dj list it would be Luke still at one, but then followed by A-Trak, Sander Van Doorn and 2 blanks. I haven't seen enough dj's play to make an honest top 5 imo.
While that thought in mind, the top 20 finally came on screen and not surprisingly it was my number one:
As predicted, Luke was ranked way lower than he should have been, confirming this list is not based on dj skills but on popularity. The rest of the list:
03.Tiesto
04.Deadmau5
05.Above&Beyond
06.Avicii
07.Afrojack
08.Dash Berlin
09.Markus Schulz
10.Swedish House Mafia
11.Paul van Dyk
12.Axwell
13.Gareth Emery
14.Fedde le Grand
15.ATB
16.Sander van Doorn
17.Headhunterz
18.Ferry Corsten
19.Skrillex
and finally, as expected, a final showdown of the two giants of the EDM scene: Armin and David.
Surprised? I was not. Guetta has worked his ass of and has number one in 46 different countries and plays all around the world in the biggest acclaimed clubs of the scene. Left aside from what you think about his music, the man earns a lot of respect for his effort the last couple of years. In the video you can hear some people booing which really made me sick. I wasn't cheering either but I still felt he earned it.
After the award, I was too exhausted by Armin's set that I felt like going home. I was certainly an experience that I will look back too with joy. My first ever ADE night happened to be one of epic proportions! But even a roll of Dextro and 3 energy drinks couldn't keep my eyes open. Trance events are apparently too much for me at this point. But I'm certain I will visit one again.
For me, this was a very short but thrilling ADE. And next year I will most certainly do the whole week. Until then!
maandag 24 oktober 2011
ADE 2011: TV Rules The Nation
The DJ Top 100 Awards party is almost beginning, and the tv helps the already vast hype that's been building up for days now! Sander Van Doorn, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and the infamous Afrojack have gathered on the most popular tv show on Dutch broadcasting: DWDD (The Worlds Keeps Spinning).
They guys talk about ADE and especially the DJ Top 100. Sander, Armin and Ferry also mix the main tune of the show into their own productions for a little experiment. All and all pretty fun to see! It's dutch though.
They guys talk about ADE and especially the DJ Top 100. Sander, Armin and Ferry also mix the main tune of the show into their own productions for a little experiment. All and all pretty fun to see! It's dutch though.
maandag 17 oktober 2011
ADE 2011: Kickoff
The Amsterdam music week has finally been launched! To celebrate this, this week will be ADE themed! Thursday, I will go to the DJ Top 100 Awards night and do a report about it!
Until then.