A week ago Frederic van Hooft unleashed a new 2 track EP on L8-Night Records, and as the B-side to his new production Bonn Lewis was charged with remixing the previously successful Palolem. Bonn Lewis is the production / DJ pseudonym of Ben Wilson from England. Bonn Lewis doesn’t tie himself down to one specific style, and although grounded in electronic dance music he flirts with uplifting, melodic trance, progressive and big room electro.

This latest rework on L8-Night Records manages to traverse many different styles in just under 8 minutes, and it’s this constant morphing, evolution and symbiosis that makes this a truly endearing track. I had first come across Bonn’s work with his Worlds Apart release a few months back, and I can safely say that his production skills have both matured and improved.

Read on past the break for a slice of heavenly progressive trance that will simply sweep you away!

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Armada’s A&R man Ruben de Ronde returns to MusiCritics.com with a lush progressive trance number that’s already making waves.  It’s seen airplay on Armin van Buuren’s A State of Trance radioshow (ASOT 448) and now it’s gracing our review pages! Clearly, this is the greatest award any release can receive, is it not?

But I digress. The last time Ruben was here he was chartering a deep and groovy sound, not unlike something Klinkenberg might peddle, and this time around he lightens things up slightly and amps up the energy levels with a faster paced tempo. This track is 1 part melodic trance, 2 parts minimal techno and 3 parts groovy ass-shaker.  On remix duties we have a Neuroscience Recordings staple, Paul Rigel, who decides to expand on the original trance elements to create something that is packed full of atmosphere and unique production elements, while remaining firmly planted on the trance tip.

Read on past the break to hear the high quality samples of each version. Also, be sure to vote for your fave!

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Ville Lope has already proven his place as a household name on Subtraxx, not only through his work as an A&R, but also as a producer. He’s also handily proven his worth on our website, as we’ve been following his progression for nearly the last 3 years, if not more!

His debut on Subtraxx, Gratitude and the balearic summer progtrance follow up entitled Sun Will Follow You have both made it into several compilations. Farewell To Forgiven continues in the path of pure progressive goodness. Groovy basslines, detailed background fx’s and beautiful melodies, that’s what Ville’s sound is all about…and he shows it in spades in his latest effort.

The progressive original is getting solid support from another in-house artist Ayleon, whose outstanding remix brings the best parts of good-old-trance in form of modern production. And yes, the sonic quality is something you can expect from these skilled northern producers.  Adding a little variety to the mix are the vocals of Ruusa Kangas and a lovely 8 bit breakdown melody.

Read on past the break for high quality samples and to vote for your favorite version of the two!

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Well, I’m taking a few minutes out of my busy day to highlight this single track which originated from the Watching You, Watching Me release on Finity Global.  The full release includes 5 different mixes, and this remix by Sunquest is by far the tastiest and I just had to single it out in a quick and dirty review.

This is L.A.V.I.’s 3rd release to date with releases on Bonzai and Ice Media, this latest is definitely their finest to date and the inclusion of Penny’s vocals aid in elevating the track.  It isn’t until Sunquest gets his hands on the material that it becomes memorable and worthy of countless replays. The track carries tons of energy and Penny’s voice is used to compliment the high end, and she isn’t singled out which makes everything seem that much more homogeneous.

Read on past the break for a high quality sample of the track, and be sure to support the artists you love!

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Next up on Neuroscience Recordings imprint, we have a great debut release from Italian DJ/producer Fluctor. Having had the chance to play with some of the world’s hottest up and coming DJs, he decided that 2008 was his year to jump into the musical production scene, and Coliseum is the product of his hard work.

With the original mix, Fluctor has opted for a classic progressive trance sound… And he executes it superbly. ‘Coliseum‘ has a very simple and very effective bassline at the foundation. On top of this, Fluctor built layers of lush pads and sweet melodies, instantly casting a spell like mystery on the listener. The result is nothing short of addictive.

On remix duties we have another Italian, by the name of Manuel Le Saux. This is now Manuel’s third remix for Neuroscience, and if he keeps creating gems like this, it won’t be his last. Manuel takes the BPM up a notch and creates a massive uplifting trance track. A great way to complete the package!

Read on past the break for high quality samples and for your chance to vote for your favorite version.

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Eric Fox aka eleven point five is back again, and what a great way to start the middle of the month welcoming spring with this lovely EP, despite the grey color. Grey has a beautiful warmth to it with a touch of sadness along the way. A different sound coming from Eric, but it is very pleasant to listen to and it would certainly fit well in just about any progressive trance set.

Complementing the ep is two remixes from Dangerbox Artist Eric Shaw and Affecto, both did a superb job at delivering these monster remixes. Eric Fox made sure to include a second track to go along with this EP titled “Transparent“, which still has more of the eleven.five sound, yet again beautiful melodies and bass. I’d say this very track belongs int he Anjunadeep collection, but it seems to have been snagged up by the ladies and gents at Dangerbox Recordings.

Make sure to grab a copy, and enjoy the spring season with this EP! If you’re interested in hearing the tracks, head over past the break and be sure to vote for your fave!

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At the beginning of this year, the idea of opening up John Askew’s extensive back catalogue and making it available to some of the world’s best remixers was first discussed. As soon as it was announced there was a rush of producer interest as they all wanted to remix their favourite tracks. Fortunately Discover has managed to accommodate almost everyone and the album many are describing as “the trance release of the year” is almost upon us.

John Askew “Rediscovered” will get its full release at the end of May and includes anticipated remixes from Tyas, Patterson, Activa, O’Callaghan, Colontonio, Datt, Kearney and Downey to name just a few.  In the meantime Discover White are releasing a series of four samplers to give you a selective taste of the delights that are to follow.

On the cover of this first of four samplers are remixes from Activa, Gary Maguire, ReOrder and Haris C.  New and old meet in this four track banger, and each remix is truly unique with a few twists and turns you would not normally expect from Discover. Askew’s catalogue has always been exciting and innovative and it just got even better…….

Read on for high quality samples and for your chance to vote for your favorite!

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Austin’s finest Chad Cisneros and Dave Reed return to Enhanced with another stand out release. Utopia is without a doubt one of those ‘instant’ records that quite literally slaps you about the face repeatedly with its quite brilliant arrangement!

With a bassline worthy of rocking any crowd, and a synth line to die for, we’re pretty certain this is the boys’ best instrumental track yet… and having heard what they have in store for 2010, don’t be surprised if Tritonal is a name on everyone’s lips come the end of the year. It’s been on mine for 2 years now, is it on yours yet?

Remix duties fall to the undeniably brilliant Arty; another fantastic talent to look out for this year, and as with his Trapeze remix, he delivers a brilliantly lush and slick rework of the original. Also featured is Tritonal’s own reworking for early set plays, a lovely progressive take on the uplifting original.

Read on past the break for high quality samples.

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Henrik Kantola, aka ‘Chantola’ journeyed into the world of electronic music at the start of the millennium. Inspired by some of the top jocks and a self driven passion, this young Finnish talent began to produce in 2003. Beginning with Acid Pro and a hardware sequencer, Chantola played with basic loops and short tracks. As the results came, so did his hunger to buy newer equipment and software.

It wasn’t until 2007 that Chantola really found his break. Teaming up with a Helsinki based producer Jussi Vuorivirta, he formed a duo. Spiritus & Asper was born and full tunes began to materialize. In December 2008, their first completed production “Passion” was snapped up by Oulu based Wavedata Records, due out in June this year. As the momentum flowed, so did the label signings. With tunes set for release on Black Hole Recordings and Baroque, this young duo seem to be doing something right.

Today the main man Henrik Kantola presents his newest single Last Train To Mexico under his Chantola guise. A top progressive trance – progressive house – tech house release on the Nemesis label including remixes by Beach X, Wert and Paul Easy. If you like progressive trance, Finnish trance and groove you won’t want to miss this release.  Samples after the break.

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running out of colors gents?

Well, its deep into 2010 and Finity has finally unleashed its first release of the year, and after their hot finish to 2009, it’s no surprise to hear this solid release come from the hands of yet another talented Finnish trance producer. Thomas is no stranger to trance, neither is he a stranger to the Finity camp as this is his 4th release on the imprint.

This latest packs 3 tracks, each original productions, that span progressive soundscapes and plant themselves firmly in euphoric trance.  Imaginary Friends is a catchy little number that pushes the pace some and includes some dreamy female vocals; while Walking Against It is more David West/Joonas Hahmo in style, once again featuring some great cut up and effected vocals. The last track is probably the most likable, with its Niklas Grosswald like sound that would fit perfectly early on in a slamming trance set. Don’t miss The One You Love!

Read on past the break for high quality samples and be sure to keep your ears peeled for this great label in 2010!

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