Armin van Buuren ft. Sharon Den Adel - In and Out of Love vs John O Callaghan - Raw Deal (AVB Mash Up)

Artist: Armin van Buuren ft. Sharon Den Adel vs. vs John O Callaghan
Track: In and Out of Love vs. Raw Deal (AVB Mash Up)
Label: bootleg - future Armada release

So you start listening to this track and you're like "Oh, it's just another random mash up of tracks that happen to fit well together." There a huge build up and break and your like alright fine, here comes in the JOC track to end it. But no. It's like two completely different tracks. This song becomes an absolute MONSTER around the 2:55 minute mark. Vocal edits as the main hook? Yep. Distored electro low end? OK. Second breakdown? OKKKK, I'm not mad at ya. Armin, while he does rely on cheese, always has has amazing production work. Kudos.

Alex Metric - Raveageddon + Alex Metric - Head Straight + Alex Metric - In Your Machine

Artist: Alex Metric
Track: Raveageddon
Label: Positiva/Virgin

New electro monster from Alex Metric, crossing genres and kicking asses. Being released on his new album "End of the World" 8/28/11, each song is shaping up to be phenomenal, and I can't wait for the full version of the tracks to finally be released. I've included some of his previous releases from 2008 and 2009 so you can get an idea of what to expect, some real feel good stuff with high musicality. Welcome to the weekend.


Artist: Alex Metric
Track: Head Straight
Label: Marine Parade


Artist: Alex Metric
Track: In Your Machine
Label: Marine Parade

Joop - Rocket Double + Joop - Choices + Joop - The Future

Artist: Joop
Track: Rocket Double
Label: High Contract

Joop. Besides being a very bad cologne from the early 90's, is a Dutch trance DJ who recently came back out of nowhere to start producing some pretty damn good trance again. I remember I had one JOOP mp3 about 14 years ago that I thought was okay, nothing too great, sounded kinda euro-tranceish. Then he released a harder edge track called "The Future" (below)around 2007 which of course garnered all kinds of praise from the German trance folks, and was the Trance Energy 2007 Theme song. However on the US scene he has been quiet for a little while, and probably for good reason. While most other trance artists are elevating their craft and creating lusher, more textured soundscapes, Jopp has stayed with the same tried and true method of the 2000's trance style. If your a purist and miss the old school stuff, the Joop sound is definitely for you. If you looking for something a bit more complex and dance floor friendly, look elsewhere friends.


Artist: Joop
Track: Choices
Label: High Contrast


Artist: Joop
Track: The Future (Trance Energy 2007 Theme)
Label: ID&T

Max Graham - F.Y.C + Max Graham ft. Ana Criado - Nothing Else Matters (Aly & Fila Remix)

Artist: Max Graham
Track: F.Y.C.
Label: Re*Brand

Max Graham has very quietly become an absolute juggernaut. I previously posted (very easily the trance song of the year) "So Caught Up (Joint Operations Centre Remix)" featuring Neev Kennedy back in May, and his collaboration with Protoculture to remix Grace's "Not Over Yet" in July. His new track "F.Y.C" is an absolute techy stormer, incorporating all the head nodding elements you might expect from him by now. However, there's is one track that may have slipped through the cracks for me, and it's "Nothing Else Matters" with Aly and Fila on the remix work. Ana Criado's unmistakable voice is something you can't easily pass up.


Artist: Max Graham ft. Ana Criado
Track: Nothing Else Matters (Aly & Fila Remix)
Label: Armada

Nari & Milani vs. Hard-Fi & Axwell - Kendo Is Hard To Beat (Jonas Stenberg Mashup)

Nari & Milani vs. Hard-Fi & Axwell- Kendo Is Hard To Beat (Jonas Stenberg Mashup) by dleitz1
Artist: Nari & Milani vs. Hard-Fi & Axwell
Track: Kendo Is Hard To Beat (Jonas Stenberg Mashup)
Label: Bootleg

Amazing mashup by Swedish producer Jonas Stenberg of Nari & Milani's "Kendo" (below) and Hard-Fi & Axwell's "Hard to Beat". Sick, energetic beat mixed with big room chords and build up make for one massive track and party rocker. Straight head nodder all the way through with an epic buiild up that doesn't go as far to say cheese.

Steve Forte Rio ft. Lindsey Rey - Slumber

Artist: Steve Forte Rio ft. Lindsey Rey
TRack: Slumber
Label: Musical Freedom

Phenomenal track from the illusive Steve Forte Rio (who I wrote about before), but it really starts to get going around the 4 minute mark with some heavy energy. My one issue with streaming off of youtube is the complete lack of EQ controls and essentially bass. Without the low end of this song you cant really get the some effect. The bass line distortion adds an nice edge to this track, so if you can find a high quality source.

Skrillex - First Of The Year (Equinox) + Aphex Twin - Come to Daddy

Artist: Skrillex
Track: First Of The Year (Equinox)
Label: Big Beat

I think this is the first time I have posted something based solely on the video, but after one watch of Skrillex's new video you will understand. Never before has an EDM video, let alone a dubstep video, been so perfectly synced to the song. I do like the song, it's his standard sound, but the premise and visual effects of the video are outstanding. The director may have borrowed slightly from Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy" (below) but I still think it's amazing. Welcome to the weekend.


Artist: Aphex Twin
Track: Come to Daddy
Label: Warp Records

Afrojack, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Nervo - The Way We See The World (Tomorrowland Anthem) (Afrojack's Vocal Edit)

Artist: Afrojack, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Nervo
Track: The Way We See The World (Tomorrowland Anthem) (Afrojack's Vocal Edit)
Label: Wall

Besides being the longest title of all time, this track has some real serious energy, no wonder it's the anthem for the Tomorrowland EDM Festival in Belgium. I think it's also safe to say that everyone is really starting to like the sound of the Nervo twins voices. There's not a whole lot that can go wrong when you combine dance music titans like Afrojack and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike with the current "it" girls of the genre. This definitely isn't a middle of the set filler track by any means, it is definitely a peak of the set, strobes blasting, go out on top song; and the over the top build ups certainly do their job getting you in that mood. The break at 5:22 is almost guaranteed to have a couple thousand people all jumping up and down in unison at a festival.

Electric Tango - Sax Story (Dino's Club Mix)

Artist: Electric Tango
Track: Sax Story (Dino's Club Mix)
Label: Z Records

Now thissssss is what I'm talking about. Straight house sounds of the summer. Great upbeat, straight up house music with a catchy piano riff and a sax breakdown. This song might as be called Gucci Sunglasses in Miami because that's all I think of when I hear it. Feel good jam to get you through the rest of the week. Enjoy your head nod.

Tiesto feat. Kay - Work Hard Play Hard

Artist: Tiesto ft. Kay
Track: Work Hard Play Hard
Label: Musical Freedom

Shit. It's official. Creativity in music is dead. It's gone. I've been searching high and low for new music that is actually......good. Different. A new sound. Any new sound. Out of the box. Something, Jesus, give me something. And then I hear this.......

fucking Tiesto.....

Now I've been a fan of Tiesto forever, the man is the essentially the reason I started listening to trance and EDM close to 15 years ago. But this bullshit. I can't stand it. It's like everyone realized that Swedish House Mafia figured out the formula a year or two ago and every single fucking producer is making the same bullshit. I set aside my feelings for a while, but it all sounds the fucking same. And this song isn't even a song, it's like a shitty, shitty formula that was haphazardly thrown together in an airport lounge somewhere.

Shame on you Tiesto......shame on you.....

Goodwill & Hook N Sling - Take You Higher (Club Mix) + Angus and Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane

Artist: Goodwill & Hook N Sling
Track: Take You Higher (Club Mix)
Label: Ministry of Sound Australia

Hook N Sling transform a sample from the Australian Song of Year "Big Jet Plane" by brother and sister duo Angus & Julia Stone (below) in a track that I think just about everybody can get into. Sweeping synths and catchy piano hooks make this track infectious. The simplicity of the lyrics coincide perfectly with the repetition of the song. This is the shit that Guetta would produce if he had any artistically ability that he doesn't leave in his Bentley on the way to the studio.


Artist: Angus and Julia Stone
Track: Big Jet Plane
Label: Nettwerk

Che Jose ft. Sharon Muscat - Leave Me Lonely (Robbie Riveras Juicy Ibiza Mix)

Artist: Che Jose ft. Sharon Muscat
Track: Leave Me Lonely (Robbie Riveras Juicy Ibiza Mix)
Label: Juicy

Australian producer Che Jose gets the Juicy treatment with a piano riff heavy remix from Mr. Robbie Rivera. There's a couple remixes floating around of this song but this one by far is my favorite

Shogun - Skyfire (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix) + Original

Artist: Shogun
Track: Skyfire (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix)
Label: Armind

American born Taiwanese DJ and Producer, Andrew Chen aka Shogun, has been gaining major credit (mainly from Armin van Buuren) for his DJ skills and productions for some time now. Even though he's a young guy, he's a former resident DJ of Ministry of Sound Nightclub, playing alongside the world's top DJ’s from Tiesto to Paul Oakenfold and BT. "Skyfire" was essentially the anthem to Armin's ASOT 500 special. Alex M.O.R.P.H. came through with some nice remix word to put an edge on a trance song that's slowly going anthem status. This is your stereotypical trance song with its' melodic chords, vocal break and big build up; but still a solid production.



Artist: Skyfire
Track: Skyfire
Label: Armind

Cosmic Gate - The Theme + Jurgen Vries - The Theme

Artist: Cosmic Gate
Track: The Theme
Label: Black Hole

Onnceeee again, another excellent remake of a classic. Cosmic Gate coming out of left field to release a new version of Jurger Vries "The Theme" (below). It's one of those samples that everyone knows and I personally listened to for months on end in the summer of 2002, with the only MP3 I could find pulled from a random live set. The piano with the synth backing and the distorted wahh sample; if you were into EDM a decade ago you heard this played at once place or another. Nothing too monumental here, just Cosmic Gate putting their stamp on a classic by Darren Tate and making it their own.


Artist: Jurgen Vries
Track: The Theme
Label: Mondo Records

Erick Morillo & Eddie Thoneick ft. Shawnee Taylor - Stronger (Tristan Garner Remix)

Artist: Erick Morillo & Eddie Thoneick ft. Shawnee Taylor
Track: Stronger (Tristan Garner Remix)
Label: Subliminal

Jammmmm of a remix of a banger I've posted about previously. Tristan Garner has been doing some serious work on remix duties lately, throwing serious beats down on the Armin remix I posted a few weeks ago. Is this remix better than the original? I dunno, you be the judge. Welcome to the weekend.

Eddie Halliwell - Neon + other songs that sound exactly the same

Artist: Eddie Halliwell
Track: Neon
Label: Fiur
Let me start off by saying I am a huge fan of Eddie Halliwell as a DJ, I think his sets are better that 99% of any DJ out there. Now with regards to this song, one user on Youtube summed it up better than I can:

"this track is just an average copy of the recent sound, nothing unique.. probably made under the pressure of his management to get more gigs!!! just wondering why he waits 15 years to finally release a track and then its a poor copy of hardwell, tiesto, micheal woods or pryda... I was proud of him to be the only pure dj , who stayed in business for so long without releasing anything! ... now it is disappointing to see a desperate try to gain more success..he doesn't need that..."

For your own reference, please see below:

Artist: Arno Cost
Track: Lise


Artist: Funkagenda
Track: Splinter

Baskerville - Leecher (Devil's Town EP)

Baskerville - Devil's Town Remix EP (SEC022) by SecureRecordings

Artist: Baskerville
Track: Leecher
Label: Secure Recordings

Absolutely massive smasher titled Leecher by newcomers Baskerville out on Secure Recordings. I always had a thing for glitch vocal samples and these guys use them to their fullest. Gaining support from Tiesto on his recent radio show, be sure I'll post the full version as soon as it's released on August 8th. The rest of the EP is solid, with my second favorite being the Bart B More remix of Devil's Town.

Justice & DJ DLG vs. Gabriel & Dresden - Tracking Civilization Down

Artist: Justice & DJ DLG vs. Gabriel & Dresden
Track: Tracking Civilization Down
Label: Bootleg

This is literally the only video of this song I can find that's clear enough to actually listen to. Brand new Gabriel and Dresden mash up they have been playing during sets recently, and it's phenomenal. Take a classic G&B song and lay it over a Justice banger, summer anthem status. There's going to have to be an actually CDQ mp3 floating around somewhere, and when I find it you better believe it's going up/

W&W ft Ana Criado - Three O'Clock (Marcus Maison & Will Dragen Remix) + Original

Artist: W&W ft. Ana Criado
Track: Three O'Clock (Marcus Maison & Will Dragen Remix)
Label: Captivating Sounds

This really is one of the most interesting songs I have heard in a while, not only by song structure but by production work. First, Ana Criado's voice is amazing; shes been on every big hitter's tracks from Alex M.O.R.P.H to Ronski Speed for a couple of years now. Secondly, the remix, which is amazing, sounds absolutely nothing like the original. Lastly, the chord progression is nothing like I've ever heard in another EDM track. I don't want to dance to this song, I want to sit here and listen closely to each individual aspect because I'm not sure where it's going to go next. The glitch sampling and chord progressions is so off the norm it' almost off putting. I've had to listen to this three or four times to really appreciate the the elements of the song I've never heard in another dance music song. And I guess that's the point of electronic dance music, to hear a new sound you've never heard before and that no other type of music is capable of making. For that, I say job well done.




Artist: W&W ft. Ana Criado
Track: Three O'Clock
Label: Captivating Sounds