This are the images I took from Manila Ocean Park - a nice attraction right on Manila Bay in Philippines.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Album Review: Solarstone - Pure
‘Pure‘ is the third studio album by Richard Mowatt, or better known to many as Solarstone. The multi-talented DJ, producer, singer and songwriter unleashed the power of trance in this 13-track album. This album is a way of him reclaiming what trance is really about.
Solarstone starts things off with the title track of the album, "Pure". The track begins with lovely piano keys before the synths and rhythms blends into the track producing uplifting sounds that is a great way to start things off. "Jewel" follows suit, the first vocal track of the album and the first one with the sultry voice of folk singer Clare Stagg. This tune, filled with melodic synths, will surely put your mind at ease. Such a relaxing and soothing tune.
Another vocal track comes in featuring the voice of Bill McGruddy in "Shake The Demons." McGruddy’s almost deep voice compliments the electronica sounds of this track with the synthesizer in full display. This almost has that new wave sound to it. Blending in the next tune, Solarstone changes things up with "Voyager." This higher BPM track is filled with pulsating melodies that takes you to a journey in outer space. The next track shows the versatility of Solarstone and is one of my favorite tunes. In the track "Where Do We Go From Here", he didn’t only produce the track but even sang a duet with New York based singer Betsie Larkin. This emotional vocal track features melodic strings and break beats with some lyrics that most of us can relate to.
"Fireisland" is the track he collaborated with Egypt’s own Aly & Fila. And with this collaboration, one can only expect a very uplifting trance track and they surely delivered with piano keys and bass guitar opening up to a salvo of melodic synths and beats that would surely lift your mood up. Clare Stagg’s vocals came into play in "Requiem," a mellow track that features lovely strings that compliment well with Stagg’s folksy voice. "Falcons" follows in which Solarstone collaborated with Italian producer Giuseppe Ottaviani. Amazing production on this track filled with melodic beats and haunting female harmony that would surely be part of live DJ sets in the future.
Solarstone does a solo in "Please," a melodramatic track with amazing beats, synths and drops that would surely be a favorite of trance lovers out there. And he did have a guest in this track, the voice of a legendary 60s rock legend. Then came my favorite tune of the album, "The Spell", the last tune in the album which features the voice of Clare Stagg. This track is absolutely gorgeous and has gotten massive airplay in radio shows including A State Of Trance, Global DJ Broadcast and Corsten’s Countdown. Combining melodic bass and uplifting melody with the strong and sultry voice of Stagg, this tune is one of the best tracks of 2012.
Solarstone continues with another solo act in "Lovers." Showing his versatility once more by helming the vocals of this track, "Lovers" is a haunting track with melodic break beats and uplifting strings that would surely melt your heart. This track is almost an ode to someone who is far away especially the lyrics. Then he follows this with another melodramatic trance track in "Present To The Past" which begins with some heavy strings with emphasis on the guitar keys before adding ambient bass and synths that would soothe one’s nerves.
Solarstone closes out the album with the haunting track "Swansong". Another melodramatic track with haunting vocals of Hannah Magenta and a chilled ambience that would surely be ideal for those nights when you just want to relax and meditate.
Solarstone is utterly a genius and stayed true to his roots, combining various melodies into forming a sound that we longed for, that is, pure trance.
10/10
This review can also be found on TranceHub - http://trancehub.com/reviews/albums/solarstone-pure/
Solarstone - website | Beatport | Facebook | iTunes | MixCloud | @RichSolarstone
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Album Review: Digitally Enhanced Volume Five
This is a review I made for the album Digitally Enhanced Volume Five and posted on Trance Hub last month (May 20, 2012)
One of the most anticipated releases every year is the Digitally Enhanced series from Enhanced Recordings. And the wait is over with the release of Digitally Enhanced Vol. 5 mix by none other than the head honcho of Enhanced - Will Holland. The two-disc compilation is composed of 29 unreleased materials ranging from progressive to vocal to uplifting trance.
Disc one opens with an amazing Beat Service remix of the single “Every Heartbeat” from Will Holland and Jeza. This track is pure melodic with a deep bassline complementing the sexy voice of Jeza. Beat Service continues his presence with the track “Mars”, a track with melodic strings and progressive sound that would surely be a hit on the dancefloor. Holland continued with the melodic-progressive flow with Audien’s deep melodic track “The Reach” before bringing back some vocals in Maor Levi Club Mix of “Hold On” by Ignas and Julie Thompson. A great remix by Maor Levi with deep bassline and progressive sounds compliments Thompson’s lovely voice that would surely make you want to hit the dancefloor.
Now this is where I thought something happen with my player during Juventa’s “Nothing But Less Than Three”. He mixed progressive trance sounds with a touch of dubstep that would even surprise Juventa’s die hard fans. That twist was short lived as Holland goes back to progressive trance with with Exostate’s “Easily I Fell” remixed by Norin & Rad, a very upbeat track with the typical Norin & Rad bassline and melodic beats that would surely get you back into the groove of things. As some of you might not know, Exostate is a collaboration between Bissen and Jeza. This was followed by another remix by Maor Levi - Ost & Meyer’s “Safari.” This tune contains a mixture of haunting vocals, melodic bassline and a touch of electro.
Norin & Rad makes their second appearance with Retrograde - a soothing track with melodic synths and piano keys. Things slow down a notch with Madison’s deep melodic and laid back tune “When You” and a melodic progressive track in Parallax by The Falcon containing beats that would surprise you a bit. Holland brings back a trio of vocal tracks with Everafter by Tritonal and Cristina Soto which was beautifully remix by Mike Shiver. Shiver did an awesome job with this track - blending in his melodic beats with Tritonal’s bassline and Soto’s amazing vocals. This was followed by Estiva’s remix of “Love is Strong” by C-Systems & Jo Micali featuring the voice of Hanna Finsen. Estiva did a great job complimenting a soothing track with stunning bassline and melodic piano keys. Estiva continues his presence with “Death of Me,” a track he collaborated with Tania Zygar. This is one of my favorite tunes of the album due to its great bassline and electro synths that blends well with Zygar’s blissful voice. To close out disc one, Holland chose the amazing Rafael Frost remix of “Azzura” by Boom Jinx and Daniel Kandi, a track filled with pounding beats and melodic tones. That’s only disc one!
Will Holland sped things up with Disc Two starting of with Karanda’s remix of the melodic, uplifting tune “Alpha” by Fast Distance. This was followed by the second appearance of an Audien track, “Keep This Memory,” remix by John Malmgren. This tune is filled with melodic riffs and amazing breaks that would surely be a tune for the summer. Alan Morris & Sequentia’s “Blind” follows, bringing in faster beats and melodic tones before a massive drop filled with uplifting strings that would send shivers down your spine. Holland continues with melodic strings and powerful beats in “Oregano” by Store N Forward before ushering in the first vocal track of disc two in Ost & Meyer’s remix of “Hurricane” by Vast Vision and Fisher. This tune mixes in trance beats with a touch of house tones along with the beautiful voice of Fisher.
Daniel Kandi is back the second time around with “Insert Generic Title” with Dennis Pedersen chiming in to create this remix containing massive beats and awesome melodies that would surely bring you to a state of euphoria. C-Systems is back, this time collaborating with Bushi for the uplifting and melodic track “Ari.” Sequentia appears again working with Jaco to produce “Crossfire”, a track filled with melodic strings, haunting vocals and rapid basslines. Following next is Juventa’s mix of his track with Answer 42, “Like These Eyes.” Now this is the Juventa we all know and longed for - bringing in enchanting vibes and uplifting melodies coupled with massive bassline. Holland continues the uplifting vibe with William de Roo’s “Datamoon” followed by the Ost & Meyer track “Argentum”, their third appearance on this album. Another track with melodic uplifts and bassline that would surely garner massive airplays.
Suncatcher’s “Welcome Home” brings in melodic riffs and uptempo bassline and an enchanting drop that you would want to listen to over and over again (like I did) and be WOW’d. In comes a vocal track in “Something To Say”, produced by Stonevalley with the voice of Shannon Hurley. This got the progressive vibe with melodic synths that works well with the beautiful voice of Hurley. Things slow down a notch with the Temple One’s remix of “Lacuna” by Deepwide. Temple One did an outstanding job remixing this great tune emphasizing the melodic synths. Holland closes out disc two with the Suncatcher’s emotionally-filled remix of “Still With Me” by Tritonal and Cristina Soto.
Will Holland did a phenomenal job in not just mixing Digitally Enhanced Vol. 5 but in choosing the right tracks for each disc. This album is surely a must-have for your collection and might be the best Digitally Enhanced compilation yet. 10/10
I'm going to start posting my next reviews here as well. But you can also read it through Trance Hub's website.
Will Holland - website |Facebook | @will_holland
One of the most anticipated releases every year is the Digitally Enhanced series from Enhanced Recordings. And the wait is over with the release of Digitally Enhanced Vol. 5 mix by none other than the head honcho of Enhanced - Will Holland. The two-disc compilation is composed of 29 unreleased materials ranging from progressive to vocal to uplifting trance.
Disc one opens with an amazing Beat Service remix of the single “Every Heartbeat” from Will Holland and Jeza. This track is pure melodic with a deep bassline complementing the sexy voice of Jeza. Beat Service continues his presence with the track “Mars”, a track with melodic strings and progressive sound that would surely be a hit on the dancefloor. Holland continued with the melodic-progressive flow with Audien’s deep melodic track “The Reach” before bringing back some vocals in Maor Levi Club Mix of “Hold On” by Ignas and Julie Thompson. A great remix by Maor Levi with deep bassline and progressive sounds compliments Thompson’s lovely voice that would surely make you want to hit the dancefloor.
Now this is where I thought something happen with my player during Juventa’s “Nothing But Less Than Three”. He mixed progressive trance sounds with a touch of dubstep that would even surprise Juventa’s die hard fans. That twist was short lived as Holland goes back to progressive trance with with Exostate’s “Easily I Fell” remixed by Norin & Rad, a very upbeat track with the typical Norin & Rad bassline and melodic beats that would surely get you back into the groove of things. As some of you might not know, Exostate is a collaboration between Bissen and Jeza. This was followed by another remix by Maor Levi - Ost & Meyer’s “Safari.” This tune contains a mixture of haunting vocals, melodic bassline and a touch of electro.
Norin & Rad makes their second appearance with Retrograde - a soothing track with melodic synths and piano keys. Things slow down a notch with Madison’s deep melodic and laid back tune “When You” and a melodic progressive track in Parallax by The Falcon containing beats that would surprise you a bit. Holland brings back a trio of vocal tracks with Everafter by Tritonal and Cristina Soto which was beautifully remix by Mike Shiver. Shiver did an awesome job with this track - blending in his melodic beats with Tritonal’s bassline and Soto’s amazing vocals. This was followed by Estiva’s remix of “Love is Strong” by C-Systems & Jo Micali featuring the voice of Hanna Finsen. Estiva did a great job complimenting a soothing track with stunning bassline and melodic piano keys. Estiva continues his presence with “Death of Me,” a track he collaborated with Tania Zygar. This is one of my favorite tunes of the album due to its great bassline and electro synths that blends well with Zygar’s blissful voice. To close out disc one, Holland chose the amazing Rafael Frost remix of “Azzura” by Boom Jinx and Daniel Kandi, a track filled with pounding beats and melodic tones. That’s only disc one!
Will Holland sped things up with Disc Two starting of with Karanda’s remix of the melodic, uplifting tune “Alpha” by Fast Distance. This was followed by the second appearance of an Audien track, “Keep This Memory,” remix by John Malmgren. This tune is filled with melodic riffs and amazing breaks that would surely be a tune for the summer. Alan Morris & Sequentia’s “Blind” follows, bringing in faster beats and melodic tones before a massive drop filled with uplifting strings that would send shivers down your spine. Holland continues with melodic strings and powerful beats in “Oregano” by Store N Forward before ushering in the first vocal track of disc two in Ost & Meyer’s remix of “Hurricane” by Vast Vision and Fisher. This tune mixes in trance beats with a touch of house tones along with the beautiful voice of Fisher.
Daniel Kandi is back the second time around with “Insert Generic Title” with Dennis Pedersen chiming in to create this remix containing massive beats and awesome melodies that would surely bring you to a state of euphoria. C-Systems is back, this time collaborating with Bushi for the uplifting and melodic track “Ari.” Sequentia appears again working with Jaco to produce “Crossfire”, a track filled with melodic strings, haunting vocals and rapid basslines. Following next is Juventa’s mix of his track with Answer 42, “Like These Eyes.” Now this is the Juventa we all know and longed for - bringing in enchanting vibes and uplifting melodies coupled with massive bassline. Holland continues the uplifting vibe with William de Roo’s “Datamoon” followed by the Ost & Meyer track “Argentum”, their third appearance on this album. Another track with melodic uplifts and bassline that would surely garner massive airplays.
Suncatcher’s “Welcome Home” brings in melodic riffs and uptempo bassline and an enchanting drop that you would want to listen to over and over again (like I did) and be WOW’d. In comes a vocal track in “Something To Say”, produced by Stonevalley with the voice of Shannon Hurley. This got the progressive vibe with melodic synths that works well with the beautiful voice of Hurley. Things slow down a notch with the Temple One’s remix of “Lacuna” by Deepwide. Temple One did an outstanding job remixing this great tune emphasizing the melodic synths. Holland closes out disc two with the Suncatcher’s emotionally-filled remix of “Still With Me” by Tritonal and Cristina Soto.
Will Holland did a phenomenal job in not just mixing Digitally Enhanced Vol. 5 but in choosing the right tracks for each disc. This album is surely a must-have for your collection and might be the best Digitally Enhanced compilation yet. 10/10
I'm going to start posting my next reviews here as well. But you can also read it through Trance Hub's website.
Will Holland - website |Facebook | @will_holland
Monday, June 4, 2012
Baseball: Santana pitched no-hitter in Mets History
Johan Santana pitched the first no-hitter in Mets 51 year history last June 1, 2012. Santana threw 134 pitches for the no hitter. Congratulations Mets and Santana for this history feat!
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