Damn, it’s been pretty cold in Tokyo this February. Had a couple of days last week with real snow, even.
Because it’s Tokyo, it doesn’t really pile up, but it sure looks cool in the air.
My reseller’s office that I work out of here is in Aoyama (next to Shibuya), on the 11th floor, so I got a great view of the flowing white crystals all day long. Even though Japanese offices usually work long hours, I made sure to stay sane as the picture above shows ^_^.
Another thing that makes me sane is good progressive trance, and we’ve got some epic progressive cuts this month that straddle the line between house and trance but keep it super atmospheric. Got some fresh Japanese prog in there with a totally weird cut from Akugawa-sensei, and some Bay Area love with local favorite SNR.
Aww shiyat. This had to happen sooner or later — we come to Shibuya - the prime jewel of the young generation Tokyo experience for many. From the absolute crazyness of the infamous “scramble” street crossing, to the insane 9 floors of candyrave driven shopping at 109, to the booming beats down in Dogenzaka clubs like Womb, this place is alive.
So for this month’s Sake Flight - a tasting of the whomp - got a selection of stompy, stabby, trance picks culminating in Gareth Emery’s recent hit Tokyo. Let it roll!
Speaking of blurring genre lines - trance is also learning from other genres and morphing accordingly.
Sure you still have alot of big melodics, but those are beginning to be paired with slower tempos and chunky, ass-kicking beats and some searing grungy synth work.
Like this prime cut from Norin & Rad vs. Recurve, for instance. This track was huge this year, and for good reason - it’s at the bleeding edge of the new curve, and slams it home with some of the most squirmy, redonculous bass sounds that the trance world has seen. If you think it sounds cool at first, just wait till the second drop after the break (3:33). wtf! ftw!
Enjoy it in the vid above, and careful to clean those scorch marks off your speakers afterwards.
Along with counting all of my other blessings this year (including the gifts of good health, a loving family and a poverty free life) I wanted to once again take the time to be grateful for all the wonderful, diverse sounds of electronic dance music we’ve been treated to in 2011.
I’m thankful that Electron Dance Music has been liberated from 125-140 beats per minute.
Here are two of my favorite “mid-tempo” tracks this year. Of course one of them features Dillon Frnacis, my new EDM crush. I <3 him so much!
I’m thankful EDM super stars are blurring the lines between genres
With the resurgence of guys like Fedde Le Grand, peak of their prime guys like Afrojack, Deadmau5 and Steve Aoki, and the continued excellence of old-school guys like Tiesto we are in EDM talent boom the likes of which we’ve never experienced. And my favorite part? They are collectively pushing EDM beyond previously established genre boundaries.
House, trance, electro, progressive? No longer relevant on their own. I mean I GUESS you could call these tracks “big room progressive house” but that wouldn’t be doing them justice. Progressive Electro Trance? Probably a more accurate description, but the label isn’t what’s important.
What IS important is that the greatest talent in the game is willing to evolve their sound to such a degree that they are forging typical genera limitations. This takes all of EDM to a better place, and for this I am grateful.
On behalf of all The Beatery writers, DJs and editors I’d like to give all of you thanks for reading, comenting and most of all: listening! We love this music so much it’s our pleasure sharing it with you.
Have a wonderful thanksgiving, there’s so much to be grateful for!!
Contrary to what the usual suits and commutes image brings to mind for Japan, there’s a thriving club culture in the land of the rising tempo.
King of this has got to be Ageha - the largest club in Japan - out in the boonies of Tokyo in a place called Shin-Kiba (in fact, it has it’s own bus to get there).
Ageha is four rooms of madness - the pristine white house room, the dingy warehouse room, a Distrikt-esque pool area, and the massive main room. Huge, and the sound is solid everywhere, the crowd is ready to go, and the drinks are stiff.
Everything is top notch, and full of impact.
In hommage to that great space, this month’s flight features bold, driving, mainroom flavors that tend towards the techy side of trance, with some progressive hints as well. One of the the cuts is a great blogsphere remake of a timeless classic, and two of tunes are from a collaborative project of mine, Aureal, so keep an ear out.
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