Empirical Labs - Turtle Beach

[Yaz]

Label Website: http://www.armadamusic.nl

 

Catalogue Number: ASOT010

 

Release Date: Out Now

 

Another week and another release on Armin's A State Of Trance label. This time it's Turtle Beach and you get the following mixes on the vinyl:

 

A1) Turtle Beach (Original Mix)

B1) Turtle Beach (Outback Mix)

 

Kicking off with the original mix, the first thing you notice is that this is a pacey little number - around the mid-140s if you're wondering which is a lot faster than most ASOT releases. It begins with some echoing percussion and a quiet bassline then a driving beat kicks in to start things off as they mean to go on - proper nice stompy trance! Production is crisp with layers of synths and strings over the bassline as we begin to lift the mood of this track - this is a fookin beauty! We drop to one of the nicest synth riffs I've heard this year - this is serious hairs on end time as the synth filters in and out. It's joined by lush powerful synth stabs and then the beat kicks back in with a vengeance. This is seriously brilliant pacey yet VERY emotional bit of trance music! The tune drops a 2nd time to a differnent powerful synth riff which kicks back in with the beats then drops AGAIN to the haunting synth riff from the 1st break - just bloody brilliant is all I can say. You have to imagine hearing this in a club - I so can't wait to drop this out and watch the reaction - pure quality.

 

Onto the B side and we've got the mix from the Outback boys. I loved their Minds In Motion track, also released on the ASOT label a couple of months ago and one which still lingers in the back of my box. If you like that sound then you're gonna love this as it's got their typical stompy bassline-driven sound all over it. I dropped this mix out at Baby Passion last Friday and two people came up asking for the name of the tune - always a good sign. It's quite slow (especially compared to the A side!) but pitched up to about +5 or 6 it's a right stompy little number. I love the way Outback layer loads of little noises and bleeps which drift in and out of the mix which always keeps up the momentum. Over the driving bassline the riff from the original mix drops in along with some lush strings to liift the emotion in the track. Dropping to the break strings and choir chords bring the hands in the air moment as the riff drops in using a nice synth then we have another one of those Outback moments. Dark filtering bass sounds echo in and out (as in the middle of Minds In Motion) then BOOOOM - the bassline drops back in and it's head-down stomping all the way.

 

In conclusion - another phenomenal release. Whether you want emotional and pacey or darker and stomping trance you're bound to find one of the two mixes which you love. Essential music for tranceheads - who said that trance music isn't as good as it used to be?? Check this and believe.