Solarstone, Airscape, Super8 & Tab, York, ZOYA and Markus Schulz - In Search of Sunrise 20 [Songbird]

[Jetflag]

thanks for the link, will give this a thorough listen before ripping into it

 

[Unjungle]

I don‘t want to be so strictly. The first half is completely okay when you compare with the Markus era. It‘s modern light trance with a danceable rhythm and balearic style. With Wanrooy and Paraframe as the strongest. It could be worse. I just don‘t like this destroying Albert track. Last third lacks, it’s like a weak plateau, you‘re right. But not as bad as some other contributions, e.g. Dennis Sheperd’s or Kyau & Albert‘s.

The sunrise topic is used so obviously, we do not need wave sounds in every intro, I am sorry. Nor tracks produced especially for isos with a beach/sun title. The form can’t get better than its function. I doubt for the overall impression ISOS 20 left if six artists follow the same formula. Let‘s wait and see.

I look for a passionated selection creating something third and new. But then I have to search somewhere else, I know. To sum up, it‘s okay but nothing special here.

 

[Jetflag]

So: I listened to the Airscape mix so you don't have to, and here's my Yelp review.
@Julian Del Agranda you can hate me after this:



So already after the first 5 tracks on the Gielen mix I'd call for a rebranding like: "Open Top Drive Through Balearic Mountains After Solarstone Found the Sunrise 4 Hours ago" or something along those lines.

Its your typical "fresh", Safe, (so in no way deep or trancy) Balearic feel tracks. (yes, I realize the irony of that coming from me but hey, i'm not asked to mix an ISOs comp. so shut the f*ck up!) Which where nice to listen to in the car today, not gonna lie. Had a good time... Nothing that special, but nothing terrible either.

after that he, without pauze or consideration, he drops 3 weird electro-edgy edm-trance in a row....because reasons.. following up with the kryder version of Pacific melody. Which I dub but way to housey for an ISOS mix imo.

It then drops back to more uptempo balearic trance which I think wasn't all that memorable, exception being Not Going Back and Chicane' esq Piano Del Sol, ending with an omg vox track at the end, presumably in an attempt at copying the Isos 6 ending maybe? dunno.



Overall the whole mix has imo: 0 story, 1 theme which is repeated ad nauseum and is interrupted by what I think are way too edgy and distracting tracks somewhere in the middle. And sounds like a freshed up 2024 version of what a standard 1998 "this is trance" compilation would be along with some nice piano's, guitars and chillstep vocals.

I for one was not put in any state of trance or emersion/ tale.....I'm sure the man put hard work and care in it....but I ain't feeling it purely because of what it (based on the title) is supposed to be 0 search and 0 sunrise to be found on this one. 4/10

Still: if you find yourself on the road in Majorca in a BMW z3 roadster with a scantly dressed model stretching beside you driving from one side of the island to the other (and you skip a track here and there) its a ok mix for that I'd say.

 

[Dyon]

So: I listened to the Airscape mix so you don't have to, and here's my Yelp review.
@Julian Del Agranda you can hate me after this:



So already after the first 5 tracks on the Gielen mix I'd call for a rebranding like: "Open Top Drive Through Balearic Mountains After Solarstone Found the Sunrise 4 Hours ago" or something along those lines.

Its your typical "fresh", Safe, (so in no way deep or trancy) Balearic feel tracks. (yes, I realize the irony of that coming from me but hey, i'm not asked to mix an ISOs comp. so shut the f*ck up!) Which where nice to listen to in the car today, not gonna lie. Had a good time... Nothing that special, but nothing terrible either.

after that he, without pauze or consideration, he drops 3 weird electro-edgy edm-trance in a row....because reasons.. following up with the kryder version of Pacific melody. Which I dub but way to housey for an ISOS mix imo.

It then drops back to more uptempo balearic trance which I think wasn't all that memorable, exception being Not Going Back and Chicane' esq Piano Del Sol, ending with an omg vox track at the end, presumably in an attempt at copying the Isos 6 ending maybe? dunno.



Overall the whole mix has imo: 0 story, 1 theme which is repeated ad nauseum and is interrupted by what I think are way too edgy and distracting tracks somewhere in the middle. And sounds like a freshed up 2024 version of what a standard 1998 "this is trance" compilation would be along with some nice piano's, guitars and chillstep vocals.

I for one was not put in any state of trance or emersion/ tale.....I'm sure the man put hard work and care in it....but I ain't feeling it purely because of what it (based on the title) is supposed to be 0 search and 0 sunrise to be found on this one. 4/10

Still: if you find yourself on the road in Majorca in a BMW z3 roadster with a scantly dressed model stretching beside you driving from one side of the island to the other (and you skip a track here and there) its a ok mix for that I'd say.

PERFECT description of the mix! Those "edgy" tracks in between were idd a weird interruption of the mix as a whole I really like the Airscape tracks though

 

[aSeb]

Still: if you find yourself on the road in Majorca in a BMW z3 roadster with a scantly dressed model stretching beside you driving from one side of the island to the other (and you skip a track here and there) its a ok mix for that I'd say.

I will keep this in mind. I do this every second week.

 

[Jetflag]

PERFECT description of the mix! Those "edgy" tracks in between were idd a weird interruption of the mix as a whole I really like the Airscape tracks though

yeah the airscape tracks themselves I enjoyed for the most part, Wouldn't mind him doing an album with those.

 

[BlueSoho]

sad to see nobody picked up this one for the mix


where does sample come from btw?

 

[Vinylien]

accidentally posted by mistake or fake ?

 

[Z Dobrej Woli]

View attachment 2239

accidentally posted by mistake or fake ?

I guess that by mistake, Torsten gave a few hints recently that he made a mix for ISOS compilation

 

[james864]

In that case it won't be a surprise if the last guy to mix is Paul Oakenfold. He played on the ISOS stage at Luminosity and has never been to ISOS (as a mixing guest) so he's the perfect and last candidate.

 

[erickUO]

accidentally posted by mistake or fake ?

Tracklist from Google cache lol

 

[Dyon]

Tracklist from Google cache lol

View attachment 2241

That's a poor selection of tracks

 

[Unjungle]

In that case it won't be a surprise if the last guy to mix is Paul Oakenfold. He played on the ISOS stage at Luminosity and has never been to ISOS (as a mixing guest) so he's the perfect and last candidate.

Or it‘s…… big surprise……. Mmmarkus!

 

[Peenuts]

Gielen's mix itself is a tad disjointed with a number of beachy and clubby tracks all thrown in together. Nearly missed out on this beautiful track, which is second last on the mix. This track I think certainly has captured the ISOS vibes. Beautiful pads/soundscapes with ethnic vocals, soft drums and a deep bassline.

 

[Unjungle]

Was listening to Super8 & Tab. Absolutely weird mix with no ISOS potential imo. Modern crap with hectic, nasty edm sounds. Only the opening sounds promising, same for the vocal track of Cosmic Gate. Help me, is this what ASOT sounds like today? Has Songbird to think for GenZ festival people?

By reviewing this mix I remember my Technics DJ set romance from back then. I was there for the small amount of Hardtrance and Benelux sounds (we were before easy Internet) and I took into account that DJ Shog (rip!) played German Happy Handsup. Same here with S8&Tab, the weakest so far. But it‘s on ISOS, I think for … reasons? (@Jetflag)

 

[Julian Del Agranda]

you can hate me after this

Well, don't forget I'm into their old sound which is pretty much 100% Svenson responsibility. He was the studio-nerd after all. Not so much the other one.

Then, ISOS by Johan Gielen. He worked with Peetu S for a good while on 'Airscape' tracks. Those were mediocre at best. Now he works with a producer called Arkayne. Never heard of him. Anyway. I like the beginning. Like... it's okay. The first few tracks carry on nicely, although nothing too memorable.

Those 'weird' tracks you mentioned. I actually like those. Mark van Rijswijk - Solaris... yeah I like it. Imo it fits ISOS well. It's a "hot" tune (temperature wise. Haha). I think this is the most interesting track in the whole mix.

Kryders versoin of Pacific Melody... it doens't rape it, so that's nice. But not much else to say about it. I'd start the mix with it though, and not play it halfway through. "In The Dust" is sort of 'oldschool Airscape' ish. Just a little bit. I guess it hints a little bit at those old big Airscape type of synths/melodies. So I appreciate that.

The Piano Del Sol tune... is also... just okay. Sort of exotic Airscape... All other tunes around it are quite mediocre for me.

What bothers me most is the track order though. I don't think it's a very logical set. If you'd use Pacific Melody as 2nd track, Piano Del Sol somewhere halfway through, and work it up till In The Dust as the closure track, with Solaris and High Tide near the end as well. It would make a more logical journey. And some would have to be removed of course, like the final track, which is imo way too ASOT-banging for an ISOS disc.

All in all, there's some enjoyable parts in this mix. Not too bad. I find the quality of the individual tunes a bit better on the Solarstone CD though.

 

[Dyon]

Just finished the S8&T mix. Very very underwhelming, as expected. Always curious who decides to invite certain artists to mix something and then approve to something that, in absolutely NO way represents the soul and spirit of ISOS.

The closing track (Flare) is just awful. No words for it

 

[Pokkryshkin]

Just finished the S8&T mix. Very very underwhelming, as expected. Always curious who decides to invite certain artists to mix something and then approve to something that, in absolutely NO way represents the soul and spirit of ISOS.

The closing track (Flare) is just awful. No words for it

I didn't even listen to them

 

[Daysleeper]

Yeah, the S8&T mix is like the usual a&b generic housey/edm/bigroom/trouse stuff. The first track is good, the rest is pure horseshit (more or less). How the F is this an ISOS mix?? Beyond me.

 

[Mikey]

Some cool tunes in the Airscape mix and the Super8 & Tab mix is nice if I fancy listening to very modern Progressive/Big Room Trance, though as I mentioned earlier no exclusives and I can understand why some may not like it as much as it's not like the old ISOS editions

Thanks Mikey, that's cool to read

The fun thing was that I started making a beat/bass part as very first thing. To make it a bit fresh and unusual, for example, I used a crash cymbal (from 0:43-0:59, 2:27-2:42 for example) as if it was a 'ride' sample. A crash used like this, that's hardly ever done. It's quite soft in the background, so it doesn't appear to be extreme. But these are the details that make it a bit fresh. At least, that's what we tried to do.

That bass sound is indeed a weird bonky one. I actually started with this like a Tiesto - Dallas 4PM clone. With that note placement as well. Just for fun. The first draft I sent to Aerium was like that. Later it was changed into what it is now. But the origin of it was the hunt for that Dallas 4PM kind of sound.

And when Aerium sent me this melody, already in this synth sound, I was also unsure whether it suited the bass sound. But the contrast is what makes it cool. I've learned to love it. It makes the track a little 'less standard'. And that's what we wanted.

In our extended mix there's a small pre-break as well, before the bass/beat is unleashed. That part is missing in this mix. Makes the track more complete though in my eyes. It's always fun working with Aerium, as we can both be completely honest and say "no that's ugly".

Yeah being different was my other thought when I first heard it. It's deffo more fresh, that's for sure, plus it seems you two seem to really enjoy doing different things in the studio. Looking forward to the release anyway, I know there were some tracks that I really liked on last years ISOS which sadly never saw a full release so hopefully not the case here