Solarstone & Orkidea - Slowmotion III (incl. Remixes) [2014]

Artist(s)
Solarstone, Orkidea
Release title
Slowmotion III + Slowmotion III (The Remixes)
Label name
Black Hole Recordings
Release year
2014

sszecret

Senior Member
Jul 19, 2020
264 Posts
212 Thanked
Although I've had plenty of tracks of the year in each of the individual years, and though I really like the original mix of this, the Orkidea remix is my personal track of the decade. Not only is 13 and half goddamn minutes long, it's just an all-round fantastic track. Thought I'd include all three of the mixes in one thread, for convenience.

Original description
A tradition that’s unofficially linked their last 4 years with a 3-strong arc of ‘Slowmotion’ tracks, each has augured a major new Solarstone or Orkidea release or project. As the first purpose-produced track from his forthcoming, keenly anticipated ‘Electronic Architecture³’compilation, No. ‘III’ in the series is no different. Together the pair deliver another piece of righteously dark, long and supremely strong subterranean-minded trance.

Solarstone & Orkidea are back to strike three for three with the latest in their sequential ‘Slowmotion’ series. The pair’s Original Mix steams from port through coolly undulated bass waves and casually swelled 80s-edged synthesis, tipping a blasé vocal salute to arch synth-masters Yello as it embarks.

Churning those waters ever deeper, female siren-song harmonies heighten its atmosphere, before Richard & Tapio channel the track into the glockenspiel-like orchestral chime of the break. With the tempo’s dial securely locked to trance-progressive, ‘Slowmotion III” proceeds to deliver one laser-lit FX tweak, frisson-filled sequential development and masterfully delivered key change after another.

Pure mood-food for those that like to explore the dark underbelly of trance, the Original Mix of ‘Slowmotion III’ arrives on Beatport on June 30th.

Remixes description
Putting the capital ‘E’ in ‘Epic’, Orkidea’s version-excursion extends to a full 13 and a ½ minutes of imaginatively produced and complexly arranged electronic music. Into his extended high-on-drama intro, the Fin pours dystopian bass & sporadic drums patterns into long, near filmic synth sequences. Throbbing with an atmospherically brooding menace, Orkidea then engages the 4/4 drums, builds up ‘Slowmotion III’s retro-futuristic female vocals and draws it out, seemingly infinitely, into progressive-house submersion.

For his take, Solarstone’s lightens the Original Mix’s netherworld tones by degrees. Increasing the drive shaft behind the production and using a fresh raft of 80s inspired FX, he binds the call of the vocal, the panning shift of the chiming sub-riff and the ethereal sweep of its mainline atmosphere decisively into the mix.

Original Mix


Solarstone Remix


Orkidea Remix

 

dmgtz96

Elite Member
Jul 13, 2020
2,640 Posts
1,499 Thanked
The Orkidea mix is seriously one of the best trance tracks from the past decade. It feels like a well-crafted progressive trancer from the 90s.
 
Aug 3, 2020
155 Posts
56 Thanked
I've never really liked any other track from this saga (or however you call it) apart from the first Slowmotion in the French Renaissance Extended Mix.

These are decent, but I'm yet to hear a version that beats that mix. It's a bit similar to Peter Martin's Perfect Wave, but with a different mood.
 
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Exodom

Guest
Feel good times. Orkidea mix was my go to, love the original as well. The whole release was unique