Resuming my Trance Mission with “The 138 bpm Drop”
Balearic Trance Journey. Drop both your inhibitions and your gear and let the journey start!
If you do not like real (but frenetic at times) bangin’ trance, I strongly suggest you give this one a miss… yet, you will have foregone quite a journey…
Firstly, I have to thank Lars for giving me the inspiration to put this set together. Lars has been supporting this space for quite a while and has always commented (positively or not) when he sees a new upload.
Recently, Lars contacted me when, in between my hiatus and completely uninterested with the current offering of traditional house, I uploaded the 2 Quanta of Solace. Once again he gave me the will-power to revisit that old love of mine, Trance, Progressive House or what I call Trouse.
In the past, I have always chided from high bpm Trance. Anything over 130 and I would either never get there or prefer not to include it in any set. Partly for I felt it was frenetic and partly for I assumed I (and by extension) you were too old for it.
The algorithm I use to choose a playlist in preparation for my sets is programmed by design to nicely keep tracks, keys, bpm and flavours in a tight range. And since I like to start slow to build up, I very rarely get to reach anything over 130 bpm.
There is vast blog space on the Internet dedicated to the question “ Who is afraid of 138 bpm Trance?” There is even a label called “ Who is afraid of 138 bpm?”…. Well, in many ways, I am!
This being said, in order to continue the Trance Mission and be true to the genre, I always knew I would eventually have to get over that fear.. I worked without the algorithm and here we are. Set is 80% over 132 bpm by DESIGN!
Vielen Danke Herr Lars. This one (good or not) is for YOU! Sorry for all the florish but had all those dits and felt like trying them out..
Another reason to resume the mission, was a request I got a few weeks ago to play for Mardi Gras for a LGBTY party in Sydney. The request was flattering, yet due to not being in the right headspace at all and natural performance jitters, I chose not to consider it. I told the promoter that I would send him a demo of what I thought would be the right journey for such an event for the boys.
Well, here it is!
As a general comment, this set is very ornate. In many ways , it is more a case of Xtian trying to take stock of what he can do and tediously learn new tricks than anything else.
But along the way I am putting out there all the new edits and mashups I have been toiling on, which might just be a bit TOO MUCH in one go considering my modicum of talent but it feels so good to have them out there and await your reaction and so good to have them safely saved and backed up on my HD for a future live set!
As an added bonus (for me): after the mashup of Silence and Missing from a few years back, I have now semi-cracked a mashup and counter-mashup of Finally and Silence.. Yippee, I can finally rest.
Obviously, not every track is fresh and current. For Trance is all about anthems and there are at the most 3 or 4 a year!
I did try my best to include a few I never played before. As I had used a few current great tracks in the two previous Quanta and did not want to repeat myself ad nauseam, I decided to try out all the edits I have been working on in the past and had lost when my library got corrupted. Call it a bulk early release, other would call it premature ej...... but sorry I just had to..
Even more satisfying, almost all tracks are new Xtian Edits of mostly unkown remixes and , for better or for worse, you get the added bonus of a few of mashups I am quite happy with.
Now close your eyes, imagine you bought a ticket for Ibiza, got yourself sorted and you are ready for a genuine balearic Trance journey..
DO NOT GET AFRAID WHEN IT GOES TO 138.. It is meant to!
Playlist:
Highlights:
From 1998, "Who Do You Love" from Jose Padilla, Chicane was a baby and yet was given the honour to remix the Cafe del Mar legend.. great Balearic track, which took me ages to find again..
"Kiss Me Here", old Tritonal fav of mine with a great built up and Christine de Soto amazing vocals.
This year will see a LOT of "Saltwater" remixes as I think it is the 20th anniversary. I can't wait to see what comes as I believe that "Saltwater" is one track that has yet to get THE DEFINITIVE REMIX but in the meantime, I found this 2009 one give this anthem a bit of a kick.
A very recent track from Above and Beyond "Treasure", DO NOT MISS.. Zoe Johnston whose voice you will recognize is just amazing. Great melodic trance.
Then starts a "Silence" extravaganza.. None of those remixes are run of the mill ones, most are bootleg and ALL are my personal private edits and mashups. I obviously have overdone it. But now I have those files secured and backed up and I am ready to drop them any time.. Starts at 38:00, Mashup Silence/Finally (41:19) to end around 46:16.
"Koori" from Vitodito.. Japanese Trance.. Just because it is japanese..
"Second Chance" from Blood , Grooves and Kikkis.. Do not love the track but I actually think I did a fair job with the "Silence" mashup (starts at around 58:32).
A unknow trance remix of You've Got the Love" got the mashup treatment with "How Deep is Your Love" at !:04:54
Could not have a balearic Trance journey without some latin rhythm and hence brought in a new remix of "Pasilda" from Helena Legend.
Followed by another anthem but a completely new take with Kings of Tomorrow "Finally" in a totally different colour courtesy of Frank Caro and a private Xtian Edit, which I can live with and will use in live sets.. Tracks starts at 1:20:20 mashup at 1:22:02)
Onto a Chicane medley, with a "Poppihola" mashup with Dajae's "Everyday My Life", which almost works.. So close but another one I will drop in live sets.. (Mashup starts at 1:29:40)
Do not miss "An Angel's Love" from Alex M.O.R.P.H. ANTHEM... I had missed this absolute gem from 2011.. When Trance meets Classical I am completely in my element.. LOVE IT!
Finishing with "As the Rush Comes" from Motrocycle, another anthem, but presenting my private edit, true to the original but if I may say maybe even more potent.. (Starts at 1:46:45)
A bientôt
I still have a Quantum to post but might take a little while.
Xtian
