Posted by: Derek

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.

And with that, have at you with some fresh cuts —

Derek Ryan - Sake Flight 10 - Aoyama (right-click and save-as to download)

Tracklist after the break!

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Posted by: Derek

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!

Derek Ryan - Sake Flight 8 - Shibuya (right click and save-as to download)

Tracklist will be added tomorrow when I wake my sorry ass up!

Posted by: Derek

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.

Posted by: Derek

So, I’ve had a melody in my head forever. It’s super simple, but by virtue of that it’s been stuck with me for months now without me having any clue what it was. Now that’s got some hookiness.

The melody, it turns out, is from a song by the venerable 4 Strings (known for “Take Me Away”), and it’s the one in the video up top. Thanks to local DJ and friend Ryan Russell for helping me locate it!

I love the sound of this tune - it’s super effective, emotional, and hooky, yet not cheesy. And once again, simple. Good lord. Way to go 4 Strings for doing it again.

Bonus:

Above&Beyond played a special super secret mashup of this tune with Morgan Page’s “The Longest Road” at Trance Around The World 350 in LA . Apparently you can’t find it anywhere, but thanks to the magic of the internets, you can enjoy it on the tube:

Posted by: Derek

Right along the 246 highway that connects half of western Tokyo together, there’s a little area called Mishuku. It’s a super cute residential neighborhood that’s at once quiet and easily liveable, and also retains some spunk with some killer restaurants and bars.

Though in Mishuku, almost none of the bars are ground level - you either go upstairs, even for music venues, or down into the depths under the street — which feels more natural for vampires like us.

So in tribute to the place I’ve been living for most of my recent sojourns to Japan - here’s some prog flow that’s both comfortably rockin, but got some tech bite and edginess around the sides.

Derek Ryan - Sake Flight 7 - Mishuku (right click and save-as to download)

Tracklist after the break!

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