OUT Slipstream & Sonic Element - What Defines Us [Borderline Music]

Artist(s)
Slipstream & Sonic Element
Release title
What Defines Us
Label name
Borderline Music
Release date
Sep 9, 2022
Release type
Single
Link to external store
https://sonicelement.bandcamp.com/album/what-defines-us

Z Dobrej Woli

Senior Member
Mar 5, 2022
685 Posts
824 Thanked
Age
31
Poland
Website
facebook.com
Two legends combine to create a true trance track in What Defines Us.

Sonic Element whose productions are revered among many in the scene, not least by those who have followed Borderline since its inception.

Slipstream, an alias of George Winkworth has had some of the most defining trance tracks of all time; Fiji and Voyager II, which are both on each end of the ‘commercial’ spectrum. Fiji breaking through into the mainstream and Voyager II being a stand out track from Gatecrasher’s DiscoTech compilation and becoming so hard to find that vinyl copies were being exchanged for as much as £45!

As you would expect, What Defines Us is a perfect blend of both producer's sounds and writing styles.

 

Daysleeper

Lost in Trancelation
Jul 13, 2020
2,495 Posts
1,713 Thanked
Sweden
I feel too much of an emphasis on transformers/clinical "motorcycle engine" bassline here, and too much "on-beat" rhythms . I feel a need for softer/subtle rhythms, that dance around the bassline/kick, fading in an out more, creating a more dynamic sound rather than same loud vol throughout. It sounds a bit too rough and chaotic. Its pretty decent though, the execution pf everything. The synth of the mainriff needs a bit more charachter also, its a bit flat sounding and "stock" sounding. The melody progression is a bit ordinary and sorry to say boring to me. It doesnt really reach me or hook me in.

Final conclusion : Decent
 
Last edited:

Trance4Ever

Member
Dec 18, 2021
245 Posts
130 Thanked
This is the most beautiful release sound spectrum-wise on the entire Borderline catalog. Great collab looking forward to hearing the extended mix, I hope it's a full journey knowing Sonic elements stuff usually is pretty tasty from start to finish also since he has been quite vocal about disliking the forced Spotify trend of labeling Radio edit as Original mix so have high expectations from this collab but loving the radio edit already.
 

aSeb

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2020
589 Posts
312 Thanked
Not this time. Borderline releases have been amazing but this is lacking ideas.
 

TwinSilo

Senior Member
Feb 24, 2021
349 Posts
183 Thanked
USA
Solid effort, likely will grow on me as I play it. I would like to just subscribe to the Borderline label on bandcamp and get all their releases purchased automatically but for a cheaper price. I often contemplate if the Patreon model could work for these labels.
 

Hensmon

Admin
TranceFix Crew
Jun 27, 2020
3,109 Posts
2,606 Thanked
UK
Wasnt sure at first but have been playing it more and now really liking it.
 

Exodom

Senior Member
Oct 17, 2020
560 Posts
293 Thanked
The melody feels overly simple and predictable to me, the execution is too basic. It sounds beautiful though overall.
 

Hoahoa

Member
Apr 23, 2021
240 Posts
163 Thanked
A lot of the melodies on the Borderline release have been simple and I remember Rob saying that's something he likes. Have to agree that they could be more interesting, with more happening, without going as dramtic as the uplifting guys. Solid track anyway.
 

Bobby Summa

Senior Member
Sep 7, 2022
907 Posts
682 Thanked
Age
47
Brighton UK
Website
soundcloud.app.goo.gl
For me there is something unique about this record.

For some reason it has the ability to effortlessly greet ones emotional state and grace it with a very comforting feeling of love. Although i understand some of the comments about some aspects being simple, I personally belive that, the balance of this track would not be achieved had there been much more complex melodies which for me would potentially have had a less easy route to ones heart. Its the simplicity of some of the elements that make it un fussy and no challenge for the listener to be opened up and elevated by the beautiful collage of sounds it lays around the listener.

It just has this certain sweetness about it. A sense of warmth that I don’t get that much with some of the trance ive heard recently.