Driftmoon - Moonstruck (ALBUM) /Streaming/Beatport/CD/VINYL/ - Black Hole Recordings

[miikka@driftmoon]

What happens when two producers — bound by a shared history, yet also significantly parted for fragments of it — rediscover the musical language that first brought them together? And then further, seal it with a 20-track first album as a two-piece? For Driftmoon’s Juraj Klička, and Miikka Leinonen, who in 2023, rejoined, seven years after his departure, the answer’s ‘Moonstruck’—a record born through (not to put too fine a point on it!), reunion.

Featuring a constellation of talented co-producers (Ruben de Ronde, Richard Durand, Robert Nickson, Hel:Sløwed to mention a few) and vocalists like Sue McLaren Sarah Howells and Susie Ledge, ‘Moonstruck’ is Driftmoon’s most ambitious studio work to date. “Opus” may not be too big a word. Divided into four lunar events, each echoing a stage in the duo’s timeline, they, alongside their creative allies, have delivered the most vivid, and indeed, complete Driftmoon LP to date.
For Juraj and Miikka, ‘Moonstruck’ (meaning, quite literally, to be ‘affected by the moon’) is part progression, part homecoming: “a celebration of everything we’ve lived, learned, lost – but far more importantly re-found”, Juraj observes. “At its artistic core is the creative journey we’ve been on over the last decade. It feels like a reflection of the magic of collaboration, nostalgia, and evolution. Simply, the album features some of the best music Driftmoon have ever written, and we’re proud to present it here.”

Structured around four distinct lunar events and phases (New, Full & Crescent Moon, as well as Eclipse) ‘Moonstruck’ doesn’t just borrow its language from the night sky; it maps Driftmoon’s own cycle of distance and return. New Moon signals the spark of rediscovery, its orbit defined by the recent club-homing singles ‘Earth Song’ and ‘Colour Of Your Eyes’. Filled with creative clarity and marking the duo’s renewed flow, Full Moonrises, bringing with it new in-studio team-ups with Hel:Sløwed, Asteroid, and singer Sarah Howells. Crescent Moon curves inward, housing the purest distillation of Juraj and Miikka’s studio dialogue, while Eclipsecompletes the alignment — an end-to-end crossing, bringing Sue McLaren, Susie Ledge, Richard Durand, Robert Nickson, Mirage, and Xijaro & Pitch into its vocal and production frame.

A decade on, ‘Moonstruck’ brings Driftmoon back, near enough, to its origin point — a reunion that bridges past and future, drawn once more by the gravity of their shared sound.

Tracklist:
Phase I: New Moon
01. Driftmoon x DAXC - Earth Song
02. Driftmoon x Ruben de Ronde x 88Birds - Colour Of Your Eyes
03. Driftmoon - Prime Example
04. Driftmoon - Bliss
05. Driftmoon - Falling
Phase II: Full Moon
06. Driftmoon x Hel:Sløwed - Orion
07. Driftmoon - Tribe of the Sun
08. Driftmoon - The Sound
09. Driftmoon x Asteroid - Emotions In Acid
10. Driftmoon x Sarah Howells - Alive
Phase III: Crescent Moon
11. Driftmoon - Number One
12. Driftmoon - Show Me
13. Driftmoon - War of the Valkyrie
14. Driftmoon - NRG Potion
15. Driftmoon - Moonstruck
Phase IV: Eclipse
16. Driftmoon x Mirage - Phantom Sky
17. Driftmoon x Xijaro & Pitch - Rise Again
18. Driftmoon x Sue McLaren & Susie Ledge - Neon Glow
19. Driftmoon x Richard Durand - Avalanche
20. Driftmoon x Robert Nickson - Everlasting


Spotify album link:


Beatport extended mixes:

Driftmoon, DAXC, Ruben De Ronde, 88Birds, Hel:sløwed, Asteroid, Sarah Howells, Mirage (Fr), XiJaro & Pitch, Susie Ledge, Sue McLaren, Richard Durand, Robert Nickson - Moonstruck - Extended Mixes [Black Hole Recordings] | Music & Downloads on Beatport

CD and VINYL:

Spotify shop

shop.spotify.com

4 Vinyl packet includes 8 main tracks as extended mixes

CD's has all full length tracks!

Hope you enjoy the journey we created with heart and soul!!

Miikka

 

[miikka@driftmoon]

All feedback is appreciated! Roast if you want, but we wanted to make a bit different kind of Trance album, with variety of different styles and lots of catchy tracks! Hope you enjoy it! We worked hard for this over 3 years. Hope It resonates to you. No noise fest - pure trance love.

 

[Reptile]

Something for everyone. My favorites were:
Tribe of the Sun
Number One
Neon Glow

 

[Altair]

Honestly I'm just here for your gorgeous melodies Miikka

Avalanche was a particularly nice one

 

[Julian Del Agranda]

Well let's first nuance my post by saying this modern kind of trance usually isn't my taste. But I have liked Driftmoon tracks, as he/they are great melodic talents imo. So let's see...

- A lot of the tracks are way too loud for me. It made me lower the volume a LOT, because it's simply unpleasant.
- Opening track is a failed experiment for me, I think it's one big mess and way too loud.
- Vocal in Rise Again is one of the worst ever, why does she keep screaming like that? Did you consider not using them and ask for refund? Cliché "ASOT Tune Of The Year" contender though. Maybe it's made for that goal in mind.
- The few tracks that have a bit more breathing space in them are nice. I like Bliss, Failing, Show Me, NRG Potion. And Phantom Sky sounds nice too.
- Tribe Of The Sun perhaps the best tune on there, nice atmospheric tune.

 

[Jetflag]

Some hit some miss, tribe of the sun also stands out for me.

nice work chaps

 

[Jetflag]

And lol props on the Pepe avatar @miikka@driftmoon

 

[Freezer]

I appreciate the diversity of this album, but there are only a few tracks that really caught my attention, Number One and Tribe Of The Sun being the best for me Rise Again had a potential but just without the vocals...
Overally only 6/10, sorry way too much bigroom tracks in there

 

[tranceissomewhatalive]

very random, it's not an album I could appreciate, just a bunch of random tracks re-released together.

 

[miikka@driftmoon]

very random, it's not an album I could appreciate, just a bunch of random tracks re-released together.

Im sorry if you feel that way. Here is set of the album tracks, do you find it random? I know the album was actually designed to be af bit different in phases but in pure set it works really well IMO

Thanks for the feedback