Terradia feat. Damona - Drowning in Dreams
MPFS Records
Catalogue Number: MPFS003
Once again I’ve been given the duty of performing the reviewing honours for the latest
release from this site’s very own label. Terradia, the third release from the guys has
undoubtedly been a long-time coming, we’re now in February 2005 and the New Year promises
big things. With the underground success of 002 (Alucard Vs Yana Kay – Eyes of a Perfect
Stranger) the label looks to go from strength to strength and cross over to a wider
market with this cross-over vocal monster. Appreciative of the controversy in using
vocals in peak-time trance records the lads have opted for a cross the board genre
sweep of remixes akin to the something for everyone ethos.
1. Original mix
2. Magellan Project remix
3. Özgür Can remix
4. Arksun remix
5. Alucard mix
Original Mix
As with all long stories we shall commence at the beginning, and the Original mix. This
is the one which clinched the deal, it came first and therefore will be the most well
known. Or at least the latter of that description should be the truth the Original mix
in recent months has been somewhat overshadowed by the big-name remixes. As a result
there are a lot of people which know the track but not this particular version. For me
personally that can only be a good thing for the label because it is definitely the
weakest of the package. Vocal trance by numbers will be the instant and most obvious
criticism here. On the plus side it is produced to a high standard in the technical
department. A solid drum track is complimented by warm synth work. The crooks for me is
its lack of originality, bland and obvious until the break the one distinguishing feature
about Drowning in dreams from the plethora of other watered-down trance tracks on the
market is the vocal. As I mentioned earlier vocals in records of this kind will always
be a controversial issue, they do little to enhance the track but are relatively memorable
but possibly for the wrong reasons. To say this bordered on cheese would be a little bit
of an understatement, to say this was bad would be a little harsh. The original mix
lies somewhere in the middle, a kind of trance no-man’s-land destined to be lost amidst
a collection, no doubt, consisting of many more formulaic tracks after a few spins.
Magellan Project remix
Along with the Original mix you will find the Magellan Project remix on the vinyl release.
In chronological terms this is one of the newest versions of a track which has been worked
over more times than Michael Jackson’s face. In terms of the peak-time trance mixes this
one probably wins out in the race to be crowned ‘the best mix’. However, before I delve
into its intricate ins and outs a little word about the Magellan Project. This may be a
name you are already familiar with; on the other hand it may not. The Project consists
of two members, Finnish born Joonas Hahmo and Matti Kotala more famously known as Alt+F4
from the awesome Anjunabeats released debut of the same name. The credentials should now
be starting to speak for themselves, and the quality which is suggested on paper is
transcended into this lovely remix.
Pumping beats and bassline with catchy square synths panning wildly through the early section
takes us on hypnotically to the mid-section. The Anjuna-esque acid lines which ripple
angrily add that little extra bit of energy to the blend. Before long we reach the break
and the vocal begins to rear its ugly head. In all fairness the vocal works quite well
with its new surroundings but I still feel a dub of this would just take it onto the next
level of quality. There are some obvious similarities to the Alt+F4 track which for fans
of that will be a huge bonus, production can’t be faulted and everything sounds great. If
you are buying the vinyl for one reason alone, let it be this remix. Top notch.
Özgür Can remix
Özgür Can hails from Sweden and in the past year or so has really been forging a name for
himself in more progressive/breaksy circles. This remix has been available for a while now
on Audiojelly.com and has been supported by the likes of M.I.K.E. (Push), Perry O’Neil and
of course Özgür himself. The big names which have attached themselves to this version makes
it one of the more high-profile versions of the tune and definitely the most original.
Dark and mysterious, drowning in dreams becomes more like nightmares. The growling prog
b-lines and chunky percussion make this progressive gem a real long player. I’ve been
moaning about the vocal enough in this review already so now it’s time to praise it, or
at least what has been done to it in this particular version. Laid out on the proverbial
operating table this has undergone long intensive surgery under the producers knife,
chopped to pieces, re-moulded, re-shaped and sounding fantastic as a result. Spellbinding
and beguiling it really hits the spot. Prog is often labelled as a little bit boring and
self-indulgent bit more like this would do well to raise a few eyebrows and get a few more
folk interested. If you haven’t already paid your £1.25 for crisp copy of this from any
number of the digital download sites it is featured on waste no more time and invest today.
This is one of the best remixes available of Drowning in dreams that is for sure.
Arksun remix
Arksun is one of the young rising stars in the trance scene to date, already with a number
of remixes and releases under his belt further trance-stardom beckons. Along with the Özgür
Can remix, Arksun’s mix has now been available on all good digital download sites for
sometime now. This mix was originally scheduled for release on the vinyl only to be
relegated due to the pure quality of the Magellan Project remix to download only. Take
nothing away from this version though, worthy of any vinyl release in my opinion, the guys
obviously felt strongly that this wasn’t exactly what they were looking for in terms of
the release. The vinyl junkies loss though is the download worlds gain for a mere £1.25
you too can own a shiny 320kbs high quality mp3 in full legal glory to do as you wish with
it. The preferred method is playing, and that is what plenty have been doing already.
Another peak-time spin was put on this one, full use of the vocal but slightly acceptable
is it fits nicely with the backing track. Its flaw could be in production, it isn’t quite
as sweet sounding as say the MP remix but what it lacks in the technical department it
makes up for in a raw listenability. Standard structure sees a build to the break where
the vocal is unleashed, that quickly makes way for an explosive riff which sounds great
in the main room. The trouble here is, with so much quality to chose from what room is
left for this version? The test will be personal preference, its good but nothing overly
spectacular.
Alucard remix
Finally we come on to my personal favourite mix, Alucard aka Peter M’s interpretation.
This I have to see it a bit of a tease because I am one of the lucky few to get a copy
of this mix, kindly passed on from the MPFS guys. Alucard has been in high demand just
lately, the likeable Canadian has been racking up remixes and solo productions on a
number of different labels and under different guises. It only seems right that a couple
of those have been on MPFS, the place where it kind of all began really! I’ve been
reviewing Alucard’s tunes for what seems like ages now, a number of years at least and
they just keep getting better and better. This is no exception.
Progressive, intelligent beats and the hallmark of many Alucard productions and once again
they are in full effect here. I was intrigued to see what could be done with the vocal
from a man who is non to keen on the kind of out-of-the-box trance embodied in the
original mix. For as long as I can remember Peter has been chopping up vocals like the
prog equivalent of a lumberjack and he wastes no time in slicing Damona into something
rather engaging. Subtle synth stabs place a trancier edge to this one than say the Özgür
Can version, and there is always a hint that this may suddenly explode on a bigger scale.
This happens during the emotive breakdown, filtered stabs combined with a panning vox
for a lush end product. Bliss is probably the best word I can come up with to describe
this remix, my favourite of the bunch. You lot will just have to take my word for it.
The final verdict
A diverse collection of remixes from some of progressive and trance finest young stars.
The root to this is the most least known out of the lot of them, inexperience possibly
shows through a bog-standard original mix. The Magellan Project turn in the best of the
euphoric version, showing they mean some serious business in 2005 and will no doubt only
become bigger. The vinyl is out very soon, so keep an eye out on all good online stores
and the usual places. If you cannot wait, Arksun and Özgür Can remixes are both available
right now from Auidojelly.com, Beatport.com and Trackitdown.net.
If it weren’t for the saving grace remixes I’d have given this 3 stars, as it stands,
definitely worth a 4. I’d imagine this will be the labels biggest release to date,
but even that may be overshadowed by what is to come, the sign of a label on the up.
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Review by Xalno
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