Armada Music
Trance, 2004
2003 and 2004 were not great years for trance music in general; at least that’s my take on it all. Albums from everyone from BT, to Chicane, to Sasha, all the great and serious stars of the trance empire all came crashing down around their misguided heads. Pretty bad when the old guard all up and decide to move in the direction of vocal tance or ruro trance or whatever that category so fraught with cheese that Kraft probably owns most of the recording rights.
Ian Van Dahl are not the sign of the times guys. They were a one hit wonder. OK?
Then recently, desperately searching through the scraps of the latest and HA! greatest singles I started noticing a name suddenly showing up on everything worthwhile checking out. This guy was remixing all the best things I have been listening to lately and doing a damn fine job on every remix, Hell, Gabriel & Dresden between them do not have this great of a track record.
Anyway the name was Markus Schulz, a man you might be familiar with if you happen to be listening to the internet radio site Trance Air Waves.
The album Coldharbour Sessions came out on import (AGAIN with the import! It’s a conspiracy! The RIAA wants my wallet!) early 2004 and on it is really some of the best trance you are going to find on one album. Sweet swooshing satin synths swim silently seaward (huh, oh yeah) and easy yet energetic bass beats abound throughout it’s running time. You have also got the required harbour noises, waves, dripping, drunken sailors in airports, whatever and I just love the name Coldharbour. Nice touch.
It’s a double album and a cut by cut review would be crazy so let me just take you through some of the highlights and, hey, how about a couple of missteps too. No one is perfect.
Christian Rusch – Numb
Pretty choice of music to get things started here. Very much in the Robert Miles (I wanna be Enya but I gotta dance!) type of vein where the tune is awash in melodic flutes and aimless piano notes. I think they were simply throwing things at the keys for a while at the end. This is a fine example of good trance having the ability not only to be great to dance to but also to sit and listen to. Numb is very soothing and fits right into the build on Coldharbour to take us into more energetic pieces.
This was a surprising find (I had heard of Rusch but not anything by him) and I just have to give some respect to Markus in finding yet another tune to give me hope about good trance music still being out there somewhere.
OceanLab – Satellite (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Mix)
Well I’ll be! This here ditty is a recent favorite for me. I fell in love with Oceanlab – Clear Blue Water (Ferry Corsten Remix) back a couple of years ago and was hoping they would come out again with something that would top that single. Here it is and it rocks! Markus’s version here fits in very well with the album and is quite impressive in showing the strengths of his production style built around a steady train like shuffling bass along with interesting fades in and out of the melody, not to mention a real respect for pretty vocals that add to that same melody. Good job!
If this cut catches your ear go grab the single and take a peak at Alex Odden’s Flip Side Vocal Mix which turns Oceanlab’s Satellite upside down keeping the main parts sorta in the background yet throwing constant blips and beeps in to harass the melody line and then a sudden funky overwhelming bass line builds in to take it all over and get you shaking your money maker.
Mark Otten – Tranquility (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Mix)
Buns so tight they were bouncing off the walls packing yet another sweet sounding synth line and not a really bad moment yet on this here album. This is not a stand out track but it is a good one, here again you see him doing that freight train shuffling bass thingy (Can I call it a thingy? Oh sorry, style.) and then adding in all the nifty interesting stuff to keep you interested and dancing along.
Airwave – Ladyblue (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Mix)
Markus Schulz is a GENIUS! I guess I should qualify that right here. Airwave (the group that is) usually makes my head hurt, I mean this is the type of trance that has made me ill the last few years, all epic self important synths and teeth grinding builds going no where fast. For druggies only. YUCK! Markus keeps these guys toned down and actually pulls enough interesting parts from this travesty (I have not heard a good version of this tune except here.) to get a decent long playing cut out of them that even I could see staying around for on a dance floor. Not bad at all, I am impressed.
Elevation – Somewhere (Clear Blue) (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Mix)
Great contrast here for you to listen to. First you get to hear a more typical trance progressive piece called Miro – By Your Side, which is good, but let’s be honest, no great shakes, then in comes one of Markus’s little goodies. Nice haunting vocals and a perfect Markus Schulz recipe … build, break, and build again, then chill a little and voila it’s served! A perfect ending to side 1.
Austin Leeds & Kobbe – Fusing Love (Markus Schulz & Austin Leeds Remix)
Great intro that reminds me of Chicane strings based style of music (Before he started down the path to vocal trance hell hand in hand with Bryan Friggin! Adams) which leads right into this tune. A great one to dance to but it sorta goes no where. Pretty melody line, of course, Markus does have an ear for the melody.
Andain – Beautiful Things (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Mix)
Another recent hit to my ears! Andian – Beautiful Things is more of a soft pop tune than a trance anthem but then I personally would rather listen to this than anything on the recent BT or Chicane albums. Give me more! Markus was made to create wonderful vocal driven mixes like this and he does, one righteous tune.
A Matsumoto & Yoshi – Dreamer (Luke Chable Remix)
Luke Chable is here of course. Now, why am I not surprised? Mr Chable has really hit BIG this last year and he is damn good. Lots of excellent remixes from him remind me of someone crossing Break Beat with Impressionistic Jazz and with not much around these days to surprise me this guy is right now at the top of my list. If this one interests you I fully recommend Trafik – Your Light (Luke Chable Vocal Mix).
Motorcycle – As the Rush Comes (Perry O’Neil Instrumental Mix)
Now hold on here! What the?!? Markus! Why this choice?
Oh sorry! Here is the trance anthem of 2003 all wrapped up in a dub (dub is short for Don’t U Be asking where I stashed the vocals fool); now don’t get me wrong here, this song is excellent… BUT it got way over played. Even if the single only came out this year. You nasty pirates all of you! I would not mind so much but where is Motorcycle – As the Rush Comes (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix)??? Where is it huh? I do not get this selection, but ok. Take my word for it and go looking for Markus’s single of this one. Oh, and don’t forget to also check out the (Gabriel & Dresden Sweeping Strings Remix)
George Hales – Autumn (Alucard vs Markus Schulz Remix)
Just for Coldharbour Sessions Markus decided to create another uplifting moment to provide a excellent final bow for a surprisingly good trance album. (Not available here in the states.)
Markus Schulz is from FLORIDA! See, I told ya it’s a conspiracy!
Summary
All in all an interesting and promising listen to a new and up coming artist that just might have allot more rabbits to pull out of his hat with as many good remixes as he has piled on this year and I was greatly surprised at some of the really beautiful moments on this album. I have not heard anything as impressive since that first Chicane album. Wonderful music that fits right in with the great title the album has. Coldharbour Sessions is honestly worth the price of an import.
