Album Review: Anjunadeep 05 Mixed by James Grant and Jody Wisternoff

Anjunadeep 05 has finally arrived after a few release date push backs!   I have been eagerly anticipating this album for quite some time, and have now had a few weeks to listen, re-listen, and assess this massive compilation. 

For those that don’t know, Anjunadeep 05 is the fifth installment in a series of compilation albums; these are done more or less annually by both Anjunadeep and its parent label, Above & Beyond’s Anjunabeats.  This year, putting together the two mixes are none other than Anjunadeep label boss James Grant and the legendary Jody Wisternoff, who debuts as an Anjunadeep compilation mixer with this beautiful outing.

Since this is a fairly lengthy album, with the two mixes clocking in at a combined two hours and forty minutes, I decided to stick with my usual style of writing -- it is best and most fun if I would just throw on the mixes non-stop and basically commit to writing a running commentary about the music as it progresses over the 29 tracks. 

James Grant's mix officially takes off with this fourth track in the mix called Back To Love from Bekwith feat. Catherine Porter. Porter’s infectious vocal addition on top of an anything but boring melody really ups the tempo of the mix in a traditional deep house way: with a dark yet energetic groove. The mix then goes into a very liquid-groove for a few minutes, with songs blending together to form a musical fusion that lulls your mind into serenity. Dusky's Nobody Else, an absolute favourite on this compilation, is a massive deep house track that is bordering minimal yet still melodic in nature. With several weeks as the #1 song on Beatport’s deep house chart, it is no surprise it has made it’s way onto this compilation. Between this track and the previous Bekwith offering, Anjunadeep 05 is starting to fire on all cylinders. Fifty five minutes through this thing and WYV AUW CHU has become another favorite on the mix. Tom Middleton's catchy track title is an attention-getter and boy, it is worth the time you will give it. The tune is slick, and the vocal usage is interesting when compared to the name of the track (WYV AUW CHU = without you, duh!), and the groove is just intoxicating.

Andrew Bayer, obviously is one of my absolute personal favourite dj/producers. His It’s Cool remix sees Bayer join forces with the man behind this entire mix, label boss James Grant. The song is extraordinary - or it could possibly be that I am just biased. The vocals are infectious and really set the tone of the track, along with those powerful piano chords behind it. The track has been featured on Group Therapy numerous times in the past month, and I have been in love with it ever since hearing it for the first time several weeks ago. 

Suddenly, the first half of the mix concludes. I noticed that I was too zoned out to say much about the Solarity (Dusky is at it again! The duo used to go by the name of Solarity, and they dusted off one of their older tracks specifically for this album) track; all I know is that the mix ended beautifully, and I couldn't wait to get into the second half.

And then suddenly it's time for the second half, on which Jody Wisternoff has reshaped/retouched/edited almost every single track. The only thing I am aware of going into this side is that the reworked Alchemy will be one of my favorite tracks, no exceptions. I know that this is very biased, again. But trust me, you'll listen to what I'll play and you'll love it - that's all you need to believe in. 

As the last tune from the James Grant mix fades out, it's now time for the legendary Jody Wisternoff. I've been a fan of his works - I only follow a few acts on the deep, melodic house sub-genre and Jody's one of them. I am just thrilled he is debuting as a contributor on this slick collection. 

His mix kicks off with his remix of Ich Lass ́Dich Nicht Zurück from The Peacemaker Project act. The opening track is definitely solid! The saxophone melody later on really reminds of mild James Zabiela tracks, which are amazing for just that reason. This Jody Wistermoff edit of Lane 8′s Be Mine is one that fans of Anjunadeep will be quite familiar with, as it was showcased in a minimix preview some time in June. The dubby fun Wisternoff describes as being his edition to the track is indeed wonderful, and is a key highlight to the range of sound that can be found on Anjunadeep.

Once more the mix takes off on an understandable lull, which is in no way a bad thing. Jody is taking us now on a journey with this mix, and part of that is including tracks that perhaps blend a little more into the background of the experience, as opposed to popping out. It’s ridiculous how many layers every song has. This sentence is being typed after a re-listen of the second side.  So many little bits and pieces pop out at me after running through this again.  Small, almost pad like percussions that rattle through This Way went unnoticed during listen one, but now pop out at me and envelope the track in an entire new layer of sensations. We Are Heroes is enticing and infectious. The first time I heard of this track, and Pete Josef commands a soulful and sultry voice that is just slick and polished.  The bassline and drum pattern are dirty. Again, the mix takes off -- some form of Dusky is everywhere on this compilation, and Kuza by Alfred Taylor is just another example of the strong production coming from one or both of that duo (FYI -- Alfie is one half of Dusky).

Finally, here comes Alchemy. I have looked forward to hearing Jody's take on this rather heart wrenching, earth-staggering A&B original. It receives a deep house rework that does the original justice in every way. Jody gives the classic track a darker undertone that still perfectly highlights Zoe Johnston’s beautifully haunting verse. The trancey feel of the original is completely replaced with a deep house vibe that even takes on a dubbish tinge in its synth usage halfway through. It’s glorious and easily one of the crowning tracks of this compilation. 

As it looks, I glazed over some, paid way too much attention to others, zoned out here and there, but in the end, I came up with the conclusion that this is one of the best albums of the year in terms of enjoyability. Whether or not you are into this sort of style/sound of house music, I guarantee you will find the compilation generally pleasing at the very least.  If you dig deep style intertwining with melodic beats and piano chords, this compilation is for you. 

The negatives against this compilation are very  few and far between, and they mostly center around the fact that deep house simply isn’t a genre for everyone. There are lulls in the mix. Some tracks on a 29 track outing are simply going to be less interesting than others.  On the other hand, I am quite confident that music fans from every background can find tunes that they absolutely love here.  And this is the brilliance of Anjunadeep; some variation of the deep house sounds found on this album will resonate with people from all walks of taste.  

Noteworthy tracks include

Track list:

CD 1 / James Grant

1. Croquet Club "Cardigan" 

2. Vincenzo & Aram "Let Go"

3. Andrew Bayer & James Grant "Living"

4. Beckwith feat. Catherine Porter "Back To Love"

5. Universal Solution "Yukon"

6. Universal Solution "Osheen"

7. DAVI "The Time Has Come"

8. Jody Wisternoff & Jonathan Mendelsohn "Out Of Reach" (Alfred Taylor Remix)

9. Dusky "Nobody Else"

10. DAVI "The Bay 6"

11. Tom Middleton "WYV AUW CHU" 

12. Dusky "Mr Man"

13. Matt Lange feat. Tania Zygar "Way You Know"

14. The Presets "It's Cool" (Andrew Bayer & James Grant Remix)

15. Solarity "Symbols" 

CD 2 / Jody Wisternoff

1. The Peacemaker Project "Ich Lass´ Dich Nicht Zurück" (Jody Wisternoff Remix)

2. Lane 8 "Be Mine" (Jody Wisternoff's Deep 05 Reshape)

3. Skanna vs. Jody Wisternoff "This Way"

4. Jody Wisternoff feat. Pete Josef "We Are Heroes" 

5. Alfred Taylor "Kuza"

6. Beckwith "Townsend Sling"

7. Above & Beyond feat. Zoë Johnston "Alchemy" (Jody Wisternoff Remix)

8. Rashid Ajami "Coming For You" (Jody Wisternoff Remix)

9. Kahwe "Driving Me Wild" (Jody Wisternoff's Deep 05 Reshape)

10. Leftwing & Kody "Deep In" (Jody Wisternoffs Deep 05 Reshape)

11. Meramek "Feeling"

12. Jody Wisternoff "Macbeth"

13. Matt Lange "Only You"

14. Andre Sobota "Move Into Tokyo Dawn" (Jody Wisternoff's Deep 05 Blend) 

Comments appreciated....

Album Review: Andrew Bayer - If It Were You We'd Never Leave

April 22, 2013 was when the best album of the year (IMO) so far was released on Anjunabeats. And unless you are an Anjunabeats devotee or trance geek, you probably missed it. 

Andrew Bayer’s If It Were You, We’d Never Leave is a monumental album for electronic music.  With all the recent surge in news regarding the staying power of the dance music scene, the so called 'EDM bubble' and the constant chatter revolving around DJ’s having little to no originality in their Beatport top 10-laden sets, Andrew Bayer’s career-defining album is a breath of fresh air.  Even though it has been released for quite some time, given the current commotion about the necessity for innovation in electronic music, I felt it appropriate to revisit, hype up, and dissect this absolute masterpiece of an album, along with introducing those that are not familiar to the genius that is Andrew Bayer.

A major contributor to the Above & Beyond’s powerhouse label, Anjunabeats, he is perhaps best known (currently) for his massive trance tracks i.e. Anjunabeats favorites Keep Your Secrets featuring Molly Bancroft, In and Out of Phase featuring Kerry Leva, and England have solidified the Washington D.C. native as a major player in the trance world.  Bayer’s tracks have received consistent playtime on the likes of A State of Trance, and of course, Above & Beyond’s Group Therapy radio. Considering this, perhaps the most interesting observation about this phenomenal producer is that his two studio albums, It’s Artificial (2011), and the album headlining this article, If It Were You, We’d Never Leave.

With influences from hip hop, hints of glitch music (glitch-hop), downtempo beats, and ambient music, this album is a step away from everything that has begun to define electronic music. There are no bangers, yet there are tunes that pop out at you with incredible emotion.  There are no pointless tracks that simply take up space for the sake of taking up space.  There are no generic formulas being followed.  If It Were You, We’d Never Leave is a sixteen track experience, a journey through a rocky, post-apocalyptic, yet serene, tranquil landscape on the surface of Andrew Bayer’s mind.  It's good to note this is not an album you play to light up the dance floor, but one you listen to warm your soul with the full range of human emotion.

I won’t be reviewing and describing every track in great detail in this piece, as that would be doing the album an injustice. It is not meant to be listened as sixteen separate pieces of music. But rather I can try and take you on a journey, get you to places, imagine lucid elements as how this masterpiece did to me. While tracks such as Lose Sight, You Are, Need Your Love, and Echo are phenomenal as stand alone tracks, they are exponentially more impressive as pieces of an intricate journey that spans the entire album. 

Andrew Bayer has mastered the art of sequencing his music in order to achieve a roughly one hour long electronic symphony. The slow, fairly mellow yet dark glitched synths, coupled with a piano melody found in Opening Act meld into the even darker, urgency building, glitch-hop-esque Doomsday. The track oozes of true feeling. One can almost reach out and touch the sense of doubt, anger, and uncertainty that’s wrapped tightly around the track, like an enshrouding veil. All of a sudden, the veil is every so slightly lifted; the urgent build up dissipates, and a slight reassurance builds as female voice quietly begins to echo over a still foreboding piano on It’s Going To Be Fine.  The feelings of doom and urgency, so carefully crafted in Doomsday, are slowly swept aside, as Bayer conveys a sense of reassurance to the listener.  His progression of emotion can really be seen in this track. The beginning still carries the feelings that were created in Doomsday; however, by its end, as it progresses into Let’s Hear That B Section Again! (one of the noteworthy tracks and a personal favourite), there is almost none of it remaining. The grittiness of the opening two tracks are completely swept away. B Section is completely devoid of a drum beat. Instead, it conveys its message of calm with inorganic sounds and scratchy, oscillating, harp-like synths.  The listener is finally brought to the first true single of the album, Lose Sight featuring Ane Brun. An R&Bish (Andrew Bayer’s twist), poppy, uplifting track with a catchy drum beat, acoustic guitar chords, and an absolutely ingenious, yet simple, piano melody that can’t help but stick with you.

As Lose Sight wraps up, one can only smile that the journey is only a third over, and another eleven tracks remain. I don’t want to ruin the experience of forming your own little world with the building blocks that compromise this one hour long masterpiece, so I will leave it up to you, to listen to the rest of it. It is incredibly difficult to describe with words exactly what  Bayer is employing throughout this album, in terms of a specific sound or synthesizer. The organic chimes in tracks deeper in the album, such as All This Will Happen Again, transport the listener to an open field on a sunny afternoon, somewhere in the world that Bayer has so carefully constructed.  The harshness and dance floor-geared themes that are all the rage in EDM production these days are nowhere to be found, yet their influence can still ever so slightly be felt, thanks to Bayer’s mastery of blending his entire range of ability.  It is an experimental, unique, album that illustrates the abilities of a true master of audio at work, as he tries to tell a story through a never before heard combination of sound, melody, and composition.  

As I mentioned in some of my blog work, this unique blend of genres/styles that are often unheard on the mainstream is not for everyone. However, if you decide to keep an open mind and expand the boundaries of your musical palette, then please listen away. What I've written above will start to make more sense when you listen to the album and read my blurb at the same time. You will not be disappointed. One simply doesn't get the same experience as listening to every minute of this Album-of-the-Year worthy piece of music. Get out your favorite pair of headphones (preferably hi-def), sit back, and relax.  Let the music wash over you until you never want to leave. Welcome to the world of Andrew Bayer.

Some snaps from Andrew's Facebook page prior to release of this album. I included these snapshots as they were true to testament about the album. He wasn't just hyping it up or what, he was just telling the simple truth:

Album Review: Above & Beyond - Anjunabeats Volume 10

Mental is probably the best word to describe Anjunabeats Volume 10. It was mixed by Above & Beyond features 30 exclusive tracks from Arty, Andrew Bayer, Norin & Rad, Jaytech, Super8 & Tab, Maor Levi, and many more, as well as the brand new instrumental anthem from the trio - Walter White.

As we all know, Anjunabeats is one of the strongest dance music labels in the world today and all their compilations can be taken as proofs why is it so, that they belong to one of the most respected music companies. We probably wouldn’t find too many similarities between the original Anjunabeats Volume 1 and this year’s Volume 10, but how could we? Music has changed so much during the last 10 years, yet Above & Beyond still keep up the pace and may it be them as DJs/producers or the whole Anjuna label, it’s really something to bow to!

Disc one kicks off in a more emotional way with A&B’s own Small Moments, beautiful instrumental track which takes you completely off this world, especially when you combine it with a deep video or those visualizers on Windows Media Player. What comes next, is a favorite of mine for 2013 so far and I’m talking about Audien and his Wayfarer. It is something that puts a smile on your face from the first beats, throwing your hands up in the air spontaneously and of course a bass line that will get you up from your chair. What surprised me at first but insured me when I looked at the track list was track 7. Jaytech comes in with a new banger Inception. Usually a contributor for the Anjuna's deep house sister recording company, it's refreshing for this artist to finally break through the trance side of his genre.

Above & Beyond came up with a new track for this compilation as well. Walter White shows us how a deep and emotional breakdown should look like. However, the rest of the track is a bit strange. I understand that everyone is changing thanks to the scene, but I don’t think this is the right way for A&B. However if there is someone who definitely goes hand in hand with the scene today, I believe that Maor Levi is having the best time of his career. Having a track on this compilation is a great honor for any producer, but Maor has three tracks on this disc and that definitely proves that he delivers! ALWAYS! May it be in the calmer sounds of ethereal progressive or a bit rougher league of bass lines, this guy produces only the best - all these are worth listening: his collab with Boom Jinx and my fave female trance vocalist Ashley Tomberlin When You Loved Me; the remix on Liquid Love which is a great rework from the Tri-state album; and the ever-emotional Holding On. If someone asked me what I liked the best about disc 1, I would have to say that it is this track along with Ronski Speed and Syntrobic's tune called Pink Skye where it features the haunting voice of Renee Stahl.

  

Disc 2 and the half second half of the compilation is picked up by Andrew Bayer with his new tune called England. I’m not really sure how to feel about this one, though it sounds very housey yet even a bit commercial it still brings originality with itself and many other good factors as well. Knowing that Bayer has two sides of his artistry - the more commercial ones we hear on the Anjunabeats collection and the more artistic side which is what his artist album is about. L.A. by Super8 & Tab could be my favorite track off of tdisc 2.  It sounds a lot like their older more progressive stuff like Helsinki Scorchin.  The use of the small vocal synth in this track is mesmerizing.  It accompanies the bass lines and uplifting melodies perfectly.  Then after building for over two minutes the main bass lines kicks and L.A. is taken to new heights.  Aldo by Norin & Rad is another new track we are able to listen to.  It is a more up tempo trance track featuring some heavy bass lines with euphoric drops. Sinai by Ilan Bluestone is another great track.  While not completely new, this track really stands out to me on this album.  Ilan Bluestone is still an artist on the rise globally and this track is what I think can break him through to the next level.  Sinai is an amazing euphoric track with an incredible use of percussion along with vocals. May it be the exotic vocals, melodic synths or the piano parts.  is a beauty that deserves to be heard more than one time.

Nitrous Oxide teams up with 7 Skies to create something very magical together. “Right On“ is a perfect combination of strong synths we all wish to hear on a good party and a pure melody created on a piano. The instant changes in this track between the heavy parts of great beats, strong synths, and the emotional piano parts, emotions backed up by a massive drive, yes, definitely a great tune!

Next up is a track that is truly beautiful in it’s album mix, but on the contrary gets a completely different coat in the club mix. Black Room Boy from A&B is the track I’m talking about. While repetitively listening to it, I somehow discovered that the bass line is a complete floor killer and started singing along with the track in a matter of seconds. I always thought of myself as a Black Room Boy - if you get my drift.

I would like to say that Anjunabeats Volume 10 is one of those compilations that shouldn’t be thrown away by trance crowd for not being a clear trance album. My opinion is that this compilation is a very special piece that has to be heard with a calm mind, good mood, and most of all, if you want to listen to it and feel happy, you should forget about the never-ending 'war' of styles which is going on in the scene. Just sit back, press play and enjoy the music.

What do you think????

Album Review: Jaytech - Multiverse

Hailing from the Anjunadeep stable of international DJs and producers, Australian-born Jaytech (James Cayzer) is redefining what can be done with the building blocks of trance music. He has taken the reigns as A&R co-director at Anjunadeep, continually deconstructing founding band Above & Beyond’s uplifting vocal trances and rebuilding them with a jolt of emotive , melodic European House, and a total disregard for genre-defining boundaries. 

Jaytech delivers the freshest tracks on his weekly podcast, and now he challenges producers worldwide with the grooves of Multiverse - his second artist album.

The male vocals on Labour of Love feat. Nathan Grainger and Stranger feat. Steve Smith, and the all-encompassing synth scales of New Vibe and title-track Multiverse would fit nicely within Above & Beyond’s world-renowned DJ sets. Rabbit Raiders and Epsilon flirt with these soundscapes, then turn up the pace and electro filters to highlight Jaytech’s subtle bad-boy charm. This electo-edge is the focal point of Through The Maze” feat. Serenade, which for full effect should be performed live with a retro instrument

Jaytech attempts to reinvent the mousetrap with Innovation feat. Nathan Grainger. The 21st century sounds have to work around the bouncy boy-band melody and half-spoken lyrics: These feelings I have are so true/ just want to share this day with you. This miscue is soon alleviated with the dense Rossa Corsa-esque dreamwave on Diode. A classically trained pianist, Jaytech layers complex run of synths with psychedelic whispers that vibrate through your eardrums.

Multiverse lets the listener down easily, with both of the last two tracks hitting at a seemingly below 100bpm. Ample space between notes allows for total appreciation of Melody Gough’s soft vocal pleas on Blue Ocean, escaping the speakers with a delicate trip-hop touch.

At a relatively lengthy 13 tracks and over 70 minutes, I had the urge to skip back to the most pleasing tracks. But Multiverse is a cross-genre adventure that is best explored in full.

Noteworthy tracks include Diode, Blue Ocean, Multiverse, Coda

Track list:

1. Everglade (feat. Serenade)

2. New Vibe (Album Version)


3. Rabbit Raiders


4. Labour Of Love (feat. Nathan Grainger)


5. Epsilon 

6. Innovation (feat. Nathan Grainger)


7. Through The Maze (feat. Serenade)

8. Diode


9. Dr Device

10. Stranger (feat. Steve Smith)

11. Multiverse


12. Blue Ocean (feat. Melody Gough)

13. Coda

Your thoughts???