Album Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice

“Hans Zimmer returns for more Batman and                                                                     Superman, this time he brings help.”

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One of the most anticipated films of the year has finally came. Ever since word of the film came about, fans and the film industry as a whole united in “jumping for joy”. For the first time in history, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight would be appearing in the same film together. Not only do we see that for the first time, but why not throw in Wonder Woman as well? Still not satisfied? How about we give you the holy trinity at its finest…for the first time in history.

This film in every way was a HUGE step in DC Comics film properties. However, we won’t be talking about the film itself here. Today, we will dive into the film score.

Hans Zimmer returns once again to help out on the musical aspects of the film. After tackling Superman in “Man of Steel”, he comes back to try a new take on Batman. Hans seems to have put himself into a very tricky spot on this film. Previously he was daunted with the task of renewing Superman after John Williams iconic theme still stuck in many fans heads as THE Superman theme. Then he comes and was able to re-invent the character. To be honest…it worked. Now, here he is again. This time with yet another challenge. Multiple, in fact. First he has to do yet another Batman theme. How do you follow up and create a brand new theme for a character that you have already created a theme for in the past (and to be honest, 10 years of your lifes work) without risking a chance that you copy what you’ve already done? Easy, you have someone else do it.

Hans brought in Junkie XL, who you may know from the Deadpool and the Mad Max scores. He has a very different sound from Hans. While Hans likes to use big drums and booming brasses, Junkie XL likes to incorporate various electronic music styles into his scores. It’s a nice trade off between the two. I won’t be going into detail on every track, but will highlight a few aspects. Let’s dive in.

The score begins with a powerful theme in the track “Beautiful Lie”, hinting at the new Batman theme, right off the…bat. You begin to sense this will indeed be a dark movie. As you progress through the first track you hear hints of some emotional themes that will occur throughout the score. The track “Their War Here” shows the power and energy of the action set pieces that will take place. Fast drums and string lines play throughout with some slower moments to let you breath from the action. Which brings us to our next track.

“The Red Capes Are Coming”. This is, by far, some of the albums better work. This is where you hear Lex Luthors theme. Playing on how the character interacts with others in the film, it’s a suiting theme. Strong piano themes and a quirky yet, classical composition style. Almost chaotic in nature but still with structure.

“Day of the Dead” is where you will hear the inevitable Superman theme we know from “Man of Steel”. Soft piano, bringing in the heroic theme. The theme gradually turns into a more darker version of itself, until it overall brings in a new theme.

There’s also a track that focuses heavily on sound design. “New Rules” brings in many of those elements that will straight up frighten you (similar to the Joker theme from The Dark Knight).

“Do You Bleed?” is the epic fight music between The Last Son of Krypton and The Bat of Gotham. This track has all the action elements you would need in any super hero film.

“This Is My World” calls back to those classical compositions once again, but this screams with heart. There’s so many emotions running through this piece. From soft strings and a solo vocalist. You can almost feel what is happening in the scene, without even seeing the what’s going on onscreen.

“Men Are Still Good (Batman Suite)”. This is pure meat. Everyone wanted to hear it. Everyone was surprised by how powerful it was. The new Batman theme is powerful and dark. It does, however, seem to mimic slightly that of the Nolan Batman films in style. The theme itself is only two chords played in a rhythm. Still, it’s a powerful theme and is worthy of the new direction of the Batman character.

And the last highlight I would like to point out, is probably my favorite of the entire score. It’s actually the Wonder Woman theme. I myself, was very curious as to how they would pull off the WW theme. Would they use more of a tribal type score to accent her Amazonian ways? Would it be drum heavy to help with the warrior aspects? What we in fact got was something of the two. Hans actually began writing a theme. Junkie XL literally picked up a guitar, played a riff and there we have it. From the very first moment you hear the Wonder Woman theme, you know she is someone who can hold her own and let’s be honest, if you’ve seen the film, you know she was one of the BEST parts of it.

As a whole, the score really had to step out and cover a ton of ground. It had to bring back the Superman theme we all now know, but in the same run, it had to introduce new themes for Batman, Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor. That’s a tough challenge to do in one film. Somehow, the combined efforts of Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL pulled it off and what we end up with is a massive score full of action, emotion and a few surprises (a la: wonder woman theme).

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice [2016] (Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL)

Tracklisting:

1. Beautiful Lie
2. Their War Here
3. The Red Capes Are Coming
4. Day Of The Dead
5. Must There Be A Superman?
6. New Rules
7. Do You Bleed?
8. Problems Up Here
9. Black And Blue
10. Tuesday
11. Is She With You? (Wonder Woman Theme)
12. This Is My World
13. Men Are Still Good (Batman Theme)
14. Blood Of My Blood
15. Vigilante
16. May I Help You Mr. Wayne?
17. They Were Hunters
18. Fight Night

Favorite Tracks:
Is She With You? (Wonder Woman Theme)
This Is My World
Men Are Still Good (Batman Theme)
The Red Capes Are Coming

Least Favorite Tracks:
Must There Be A Superman?
Vigilante

Album Rating:
8.5 out of 10. Very good album. Highly recommended. It is your typical Hans Zimmer score, but the new themes and ups and downs will have you excited far beyond the film alone.

The Many Faces Of Dance Music: Psy-Trance

Today, we dive into the world of dance music once again. We will journey into a psychedelic trip. Driving beats, organic sounding leads and pulsing basses. Today’s journey will take you into the mind trip of psy-trance.

Psy-trance can be characterized by it’s arrangements of synthetic rhythms and complex layered melodies with a high tempo drive behind it. Slowly evolving through the track, psy-trance takes you on a ride through the senses (in short, a sonic acid trip).

Psy-trance was mainly recognized in the underground and hardcore scene. In recent years, it has branched out and became more popular in the dance scene. While it has become more popular, it is still on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of dance music diversity. The genre itself has spawned many sub-categories and genres of it’s own including, but not limited to the likes of “full on”, “dark psy-trance”, “progressive psy-trance”, “psy-breaks” and “psybient”.

In most cases, psy-trance and goa trance are included in the same lot due to their main concepts being essentially the same. (Specifically the origins being from a place called Goa and not necessarily due to it’s sound) However, after years of reshaping and reforming, the term “Goa Trance” didn’t seem to fit with the new style that emerged and thus, a new term was coined and psy-trance began spreading.

Psy-trance typically has an energetic sound and fast pace, around the 140 to 150 bpm mark. A sustained feature in the genre is a driving bassline (typically on the up beats) that layers various synth rhythms on top to add to the drive. Modulated and filtered synth work fills in the rest with, usually, haunting sounding pads in the background to help fill in the space. A typical psy-trance track can feature multiple lead sounds [main melody sounds], which can change frequently, even in as little as eight bars of music. Track length is normal for dance music, around 6 – 8 minutes in length but can run longer in some cases. As stated earlier, the main leads and melodies often feature heavy modulation on “cutoff/filter” frequencies, sometimes rapidly and other times slowly and evolving. In the case of vocals, there are usually none. However, in some cases, audio clips from the likes of news programs, movies and TV shows are inserted into the “breakdown” aspect of the track. Usually these clips have heavy effects on them such as reverb and delay. For the drums and percussion aspects of the genre, usually minimal is better. Your basic bass drum is on every down beat and high hats on the up beats. Percussion is used very lightly, if any, and is typically pushed into the background to help accent the rhythms on the main basslines and synth work.

Psy-trance offers a different and albeit, darker form of dance music. Gone from this genre are the highly melodic aspects of popular known dance music and in return, are given repeated sonic rhythms and driving modulated synth leads. The genre does as it should. It takes you on a trip. If music was a space odyssey, psy-trance would take you to the edge of the cosmos and then..push you further into the unknown. It’s all about the journey, not the destination nor the start.

Listed below are some examples of psy-trance.

Astral Projection – The Prophecy

Outside The Universe – Other Dimension

Killerwatts feat. Waio – Wake Up (Symbolic Remix)

 Gaudium – Laws of Nature

Interview Spotlight: Meet Sophia Kounoupias!

Welcome to Interview Spotlight! This is where I will feature interviews or discussions with various musicians and learn more about them, what they do and how music affects them.

This week, I am pleased to showcase the talented and lovely Sophia Kounoupias (aka The Daunting)!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you from, what do you do?
“Hi my name’s Sophia and I’m from London. I’m currently in my last year of training for my acting degree but music is also a significant factor for me.”

How are you involved in the music world? What do you do musically?
“I write and compose music in my spare time and have done so for the past 10 years. I’m not a traditional musician at all. If you asked me to sit at a piano and play a piece of sheet music I honestly wouldn’t know where to start. I compose my music entirely through virtual technology and am influenced by artists such as Massive Attack and Air. I am also a singer who is often referred to artists such as Kate Bush and PJ Harvey in terms of my vocal style. However more recently I have started experimenting more with using opera in my work; more recently my music has taken quite a cinematic feel to it.”

Are there any previous associations or bands you were involved in before?
“I have never been part of a band. I prefer working solo. I have however collaborated with several artists internationally which is a project I enjoy practicing when I have spare time. You can both teach each other something in the process.”

How did you begin your journey into music?
“I got a keyboard when I was 9 years old and I was ecstatic. I suppose I started experimenting with music and song writing from that age and I just started figuring out what sounded good and what didn’t. I spent hours practicing and teaching myself various chords – I suppose this was the basis for my work really. Five years later I  then went on to do a music qualification and then after that I did a higher qualification in music technology where I began to experiment more with virtual instruments. I had acquired some music equipment during this time and composed some songs over the years, teaching myself along the way, but the training really did help. It took my work onto a new level. “

How would you best describe your music?
“This is quite a difficult question to answer. I think there is probably no definite answer for this one. I don’t like to classify my music under a certain ‘genre’. But I would have to describe my music probably as a mix between trip hop, cinematic and ambient genres. Every song is very different – I don’t really stick to a certain ‘feel’. And the exciting thing is that I have no idea what my next track will sound like. It’s always so different and new from anything else I’ve written. “

How has your music evolved over the years?
“Through experience and knowledge the style and feel of my music has changed entirely in the past 6 years I’ve been publishing my work online. I think also the fact I have had time to mature since the age of 14, when I first started posting music online, has determined certain elements in my songs.“

Is there any direction you’d like to explore musically that you haven’t before? If so, why is it you choose that direction?
“I think I have just begun exploring a new genre, so this question is interesting. More recently I have been looking at this new kind of cinematic quality to my work which is something I have always been intrigued in but didn’t really feel I had the experience to look at and explore. “

What’s your creative process like? How do you go from a blank page, to a completed track or album?
“Life events. Seriously. Once something triggers within me so strongly, I just have to write about it. I will sit at my keyboard for hours playing around with sounds until I find the right melody that suits how I’m feeling. Sounds weird, but its how it is. I also like to start working from various loops early on just to experiment with sounds.”

Have you done any type of tours or special venues?
“Never toured, no way. How can I? I’d have to get together a band and transcribe everything electronically to sheet music. Who’s got time for that, seriously? But it would be cool. ”

What’s your studio like (if applicable)? What type of equipment do you often find yourself using to help write and record or inspire you?
“I’m no tech pro. Just got a computer, keyboard, a few wires, microphone, Sony equipment and that’s about it really…”

What song of yours are you most proud of and why?
“Pffft. Okay this one is difficult. Every single song of mine has a different meaning and value to me. I would have to say ‘The Soldier’s Friend’, ‘Beryllium Dreams’ and ‘Cellophane’ all for completely different reasons.”

What music, other than your own, have you been listening to lately? What are some of your favorite artist to listen to in your down time?
“Sparks – they’re playing on the CD player right now and most recently Ryuichi Sakamoto, a Japanese artist, who composes sound designs and soundtracks for films and stuff…his work has a creepy sound…”

If you can remember, what’s the first song you wrote? How does that compare to your current releases?
“The first song I ever wrote I think was called Heaven. I was a curious child!”

If you wasn’t doing music, what would you see yourself trying to pursue?
“Haha being an actor! ”

What would your advice be to someone who is trying to get into the music world? What should they look out for?
“Don’t’ look at me, I’m not even in the music biz. But I can give you some acting advice?”

Final question, what’s your favorite type of food?
“Italian food…it’s in my genes.”

Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/thedaunting
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/The-daunting/102162566246

Thanks to Sophia for the great interview and giving us all a chance to see and hear about herself and how music works in her life. Make sure you guys give some support and check her out!

If you’re a musician, artist, composer, DJ or anything to do with the music world, big or small, I would love to hear from you! If you’d like to be showcased, interviewed or be involved in the blog, please contact me through my website at www.derekpalmermusic.com or connect with me on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/derekpalmermusic

Interview Spotlight: Meet Jason Juarez!

Welcome to Interview Spotlight! This is where I will feature interviews or discussions with various musicians and learn more about them, what they do and how music affects them.

This week, I am pleased to showcase the talented Jason Juarez!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you from, what do you do?
“My name is Jason Juarez, I live in Los Angeles and right now I’m a full time student and work at Staples as a computer tech. I’m studying Audio Engineering at Citrus College in Glendora, CA. I hope to become a full time engineer and continue production full time on the side as well.”

How are you involved in the music world? What do you do musically?
“I’m involved in a group called Blue Fire with my friends Kamron Schrader, and Joe Lyons. I also produce by myself using literally only my computer and headphones. No MIDI controllers or actual hardware or anything. Literally just my PC and my headphones.”

Are there any previous associations or bands you were involved in before?
“I was never really in a band. Just didn’t sit right with me for some reason. I’ve always liked “bassy” music and rock wasn’t my think. (I’m a rebel, huh?)”

How did you begin your journey into music?
“I used to sing in choir in high school and sang in Carnegie Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City in Winter of 2013. I started learning piano at 4 years old, taught myself guitar at 8, trumpet at 10, and then composition at 12. I didn’t start producing till I was about 15 and took it to the next level only a few years ago.”

How would you best describe your music?
“Emotional, and driving. And sometimes even mysterious.”

How has your music evolved over the years?
“I have went from “Soundgoodizer” to basically owning all the iZotope and Waves libraries. In other words, I went from an aspiring noob, to a basically world renowned prodigy soon to make a breakthrough.”

Is there any direction you’d like to explore musically that you haven’t before? If so, why is it you choose that direction?
“I actually have a weird obsession with Festival Trap. It’s just so funky and like, bouncy and fun to just dance like an idiot and get away with!”

What’s your creative process like? How do you go from a blank page, to a completed track or album?
“I usually start with kicks and bass. As long as my bassline is groovy or powerful enough or just right, I structure the track to what fits. I normally make up melodies on the fly and then transpose as I work in case I don’t like the way it sounds in a certain key or what not. Then I just keep adding ideas and adding more ideas and processing at the same time. Eventually it all turns into a finished track.”

Have you done any type of tours or special venues?
“Nope, only my High School’s Prom my Senior Year, which was pretty interesting since nobody knew in High School that I produced EDM or even DJ’ed so needless to say, I impressed a lot of people and even my date ;)”

What’s your studio like (if applicable)? What type of equipment do you often find yourself using to help write and record or inspire you?
“I just have a desk, my PC, trusty pair of headphones (Audio Technica M50x’s) and my Blue Yeti Microphone. And normally I just use my surroundings around me to gather atmospheric ideas, and a lot of the time I find I make melodies humming to myself and then I put it on FL and bam, new track!”

What song of yours are you most proud of and why?
“I’d have to say the track I’m most proud of was “Isla Campana”. I released it on EDM.com as my older alias, Pyromax. It truly defined the style of Trance I wished to create and it gave me all the connections and inspiration I have today for EDM and Trance.”

What music, other than your own, have you been listening to lately? What are some of your favorite artist to listen to in your down time?
“I’ve been starting to listen to more relaxed and soft Uplifting Trance, like stuff found on Always Alive or Pulsar and Adrian & Raz. And every now and then in my downtime, I enjoy smooth jazz to just liven up my thoughts and to cool down. Also hearing Jazz Chords by Paul Hardcastle and Kool & Klean does inspire me for good chord ideas anyway ;)”

If you can remember, what’s the first song you wrote? How does that compare to your current releases?
“Wow, the first song I ever made was actually a remix of Alt+F4. I wish I still had it somewhere to show everyone, but it was SO bad compared to stuff I make now. However, I will admit, I think my originality was way higher back then than it is now though hahahaha.”

If you wasn’t doing music, what would you see yourself trying to pursue?
“Probably film, or theater. I’ve always had a secret desire to do showbiz or something along those lines.”

What would your advice be to someone who is trying to get into the music world? What should they look out for?
“Be careful of trends. They change all the time. And don’t be afraid of the current saturation levels of EDM artists. The more you practice and stick to what you love, the more you will stand out and be recognized for your work. NEVER GIVE UP!”

Final question, what’s your favorite type of food?
“Pizza. Forever and ever and ever.”

Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/jayjuarezmusic
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jayjuarezmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jayjuarezmusic
Instagram: @jayjuarezmusic

Thanks to Jason for the great interview and giving us all a chance to see and hear about himself and how music works in his life. Make sure you guys give some support and check him out!

If you’re a musician, artist, composer, DJ or anything to do with the music work, big or small, I would love to hear from you! If you’d like to be showcased, interviewed or be involved in the blog, please contact me through my website at www.derekpalmermusic.com or connect with me on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/derekpalmermusic

The Many Faces Of Dance Music: Progressive Trance

Today, we dive into the world of dance music once again. This time, we progress into..well progressive trance. That being said, progressive trance is a hard one to nail down exactly. Mainly because in recent years, all the forms of trance have begun to merge and cross paths. To be honest, even a lot of the chart topping releases seem to have a touch of progressive trance in them (much like Anjunabeats as of late).

The main difference of progressive trance that you may find is the lack of over the top melodic content. You usually will not find loud, high pitched synths wailing a melody over huge, energetic buildups. Instead, what you will find is very long and subtle builds and breaks. In terms of cooking, if uplifting and melodic trance are rolling boils, progressive trance is a small simmer.

Progressive trance is still in a good mid-range bpm area. Not too fast and not too slow. The name progressive comes from the feeling of “progressing on a journey” throughout the track. Songs tend to be on the longer side (7-8 mins) and progress much more slowly than typical dance music tracks. The buildups and breakdowns are drawn out much, much longer than other iterations of dance music (trance specifically). You also don’t get that huge sense of energy or excitement with progressive. It’s not so much the destination, but the journey to get to that destination. In the end, the payoff is rewarding, almost like the final battle in an action movie. The building and tension is created slowly but effectively.

Another key aspect of progressive trance is the emphasis on rhythmic elements rather than melodic elements. There is a lot of focus on percussion or background arpeggios and synth work. This rhythmic focus pushes the track forward like a rail car on the tracks. The slowly evolving background synths, pads and minimal melody, help push the track further on its journey.

Many different artists have at least touched their hands into progressive. Most noticeably, the likes of Markus Schulz, Christopher Lawrence, Gabriel and Dresden, James Holden and Sonorous. All dance music in a sense have the same concept, but the journeys and destinations are vastly different.

Christopher Lawrence – The Dark

Sonorous – Second Sun

Gabriel and Dresden – Rise Up

Interview Spotlight: Meet Alexa Borden!

Welcome to Interview Spotlight! This is where I will feature interviews or discussions with various musicians and learn more about them, what they do and how music affects them.

This week, I am pleased to showcase the lovely and beautiful Alexa Borden!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you from, what do you do?
“My name is Alexa Borden and I am singer/songwriter living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.”

How are you involved in the music world? What do you do musically?
“I’m quite involved in many different areas of the industry since I’m completely independent. I’m a producer, promoter, and publisher. But above all I’m a singer and songwriter. Last September I was introduced to these two amazing musicians- Colin MacDonald, who plays bass, and Kurtis Urban on drums. They’re so incredibly intuitive when it comes to what I want. Is it wrong to tie up your band mates in your basement so they never leave?”

Are there any previous associations or bands you were involved in before?
“I’ve always done my work under my own name. There has been a rotation of band members that have come and gone through the years, but this has been my only project so far.”

How did you begin your journey into music?
“I don’t think I could ever put my finger on exactly what led me into creating music. Other than I knew I had a love for being on stage since I started dancing at 5. I always wrote poems and short stories as a kid, which eventually evolved into songs. When I was 10 years old I wanted to be an iconic pop star like Britney Spears. But when I was 14 I discovered the world of indie/alternative music and then I knew that’s the direction I needed to pursue.

How would you best describe your music?
“Imagine you’re being slowly engulfed into a black hole of corruption, drugs and danger and that’s how I would describe the music I’ve been creating lately. I have a hard time filing my music into a genre sometimes… For this record, imagine 60’s influence with a little bit of blues and a little bit of jazz.”

How has your music evolved over the years?
“I feel like it’s constantly evolving. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up but it keeps the creative process exciting. It grows with me, it’s molded by my muses, state of mind, the bands I’m listening to and all of my little phases of obsession with certain things that I go through.”

Is there any direction you’d like to explore musically that you haven’t before? If so, why is it you choose that direction?
“I’ve really been digging blues lately. Devin Townsend has a new project called “Casualties of Cool” and it’s really fucking rad ambient blues. There’s just something so raw and dirty about it that speaks to me like no other genre can right now.”

What’s your creative process like? How do you go from a blank page, to a completed track or album?
“My creative process can be a gong show or like cutting open a vein and everything just flows. I have hundreds of songs that are only half written, and most of them remain untouched. I think sometimes a part of the process is just to get words out onto paper that needs to be released from your head. I’m inspired in so many different ways, but lately something will happen to me, and I’ll write some poetry and then put it to a melody. Which is unusual for me because usually I write melodies and lyrics simultaneously. We haven’t even gotten ourselves into the studio yet, and it’s been really hard to not sit in mine and do everything myself like I did the last two albums. That’s not how I want it to be done though. I want it true and alive with real instruments. I know that Colin and Kurtis will bring so much life to the record with their creative perspective. I honestly haven’t been so excited to make an album in my life.”

Have you done any type of tours or special venues?
“Not really any spectacular venues yet. Lots of awesome bars and clubs though which has been so much fun. We’re working on booking more gigs throughout the city right now. When the album is out I want to apply for a grant to go tour around Canada or maybe take it down to LA for a bit.”

What’s your studio like (if applicable)? What type of equipment do you often find yourself using to help write and record or inspire you?
“The last 6 years I’ve used my home studio which is just Cubase, and my midi keyboard. I don’t really have anything fancy and don’t really need much to get the sound I want. Now we’re looking at recording the album live in a studio which will be inspiring. I’m looking forward to seeing what magic happens in that kind of setting.”

What song of yours are you most proud of and why?
“This record is my baby. I’m so proud to say that I have created it. But one of the songs I’m immensely proud of is called “Crazy Baby” it’s bluesy and slightly neurotic. It just sums up the album perfectly. The title lyric goes “I’m crazy baby, but I ain’t crazy for you” and it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. Everyone goes mad for this song at live shows too, which is amazing.”

What music, other than your own, have you been listening to lately? What are some of your favorite artist to listen to in your down time?
“The Velvet Underground, Eagles, Rolling Stones, The Sheepdogs, Casualties of Cool, and Alt-J have all been playing on an infinite loop. The National will always be one of my favorites though.”

If you can remember, what’s the first song you wrote? How does that compare to your current releases?
“I don’t think I can remember the first song I ever wrote…I can think far enough back to when I must have been 8 or 9 and I wrote and sang a new song for my mom for the first time titled “Snowstorm!” I still have that notebook somewhere. But I look back on my early work that I started producing on my own at 13 and it’s so bad that it’s funny. I’d like to think that I’ve made some progress since then!”

If you wasn’t doing music, what would you see yourself trying to pursue?

“I don’t ever know how to answer this question. Obviously I’ve thought about things that I would enjoy doing if I didn’t have music as a career, for example I’ve always had an interest in becoming an EMT. But I believe you were meant to do something when you were put on this earth and music will always be what I was meant to do. It’s embedded. ”

What would your advice be to someone who is trying to get into the music world? What should they look out for?
“First and foremost it’s so important to stay true to what you believe in. The second you let opinions start shaping something that’s yours, it’s over and will never be the magic that it once was. Work your ass off. When you feel like you’ve been working too hard, too long, work even harder. It pays off. Also people will tell you anything you want to hear to get something that benefits them and does nothing for you, and you have to learn how to weed those people out.”

Final question, what’s your favorite type of food?
“I have a really big thing for fish tacos right now.”

Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/alexa-borden
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alexabordenmusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/alexaborden
Website: www.alexaborden.ca

Thanks to Alexa for the great interview and giving us all a chance to see and hear about herself and how music works in her life. Make sure you guys give some support and check her out!

If you’re a musician, artist, composer, DJ or anything to do with the music work, big or small, I would love to hear from you! If you’d like to be showcased, interviewed or be involved in the blog, please contact me through my website at www.derekpalmermusic.com or connect with me on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/derekpalmermusic

The Many Faces of Dance Music: Uplifting/Melodic Trance

Today, we dive deep into our first sub-genre of music. We will be expanding on Trance music and go into the methods and ideas of Uplifting Trance as well as Melodic Trance. I have grouped these two together because in a sense, they are essentially the same thing, give or take a few differences.

Uplifting Trance can also be referred to as a multitude of other genres (such as, Epic Trance, Emotional Trance, Melodic Trance, Euphoric Trance and Anthem Trance). The main focus of Uplifting Trance is to focus on the melodic aspects of the music, primarily the main melody is in heavy focus. The genre rose to fame while Progressive Trance was making its rounds, back in 1996 in Germany. The name “Uplifting” was given due to the sense that listeners seem to experience as a “rush” or an “emotional pull” type of feeling. Classical music has also had a heavy influence on this type of music with its focus on melodic elements and arrangement aspects.

In the mid to late 2000’s, Uplifting Trance saw an eruption of support from both fans and producers. This helped re-establish the genre within the Trance scene and has been featured greatly since then and remains one of the most popular forms of Trance music. The genre has been, as of late, pioneered by the likes of Above & Beyond, Daniel Kandi, Temple One, Aly & Fila and  Jorn Van Deynhoven just to name a few.

Uplifting Trance is written in a much lighter tone than most other genres of Trance music. The chord progressions used in Uplifting Trance are similar to those in Progressive Trance, however, the chord progressions usually rest on major chords and switch between major and minor chords to help push how “happy or sad” a specific progression will sound. As with most dance music, especially with Trance, the breakdown is a major focus in this genre. The breakdowns however in Uplifting Trance are extended and exaggerated to help build up on the emotional factor that is emphasized in the genre.

Uplifting Trance is typically in the mid to fast range of bpm for dance music (134-142 range). Another focus is the buildup and breakdown effects used. In most cases with dance music, the “wash” effects are pushed into the background to help as filler. In Uplifting Trance, they are typically pushed a bit more forward in the mix making them more prominent and helping build intensity within the track. Another feature used quite frequently is something called side-chaining. A side-chain is usually applied to strings and pad elements and have the volume automated with the kick (bass drum) pattern, giving the strings and pads a “ducking” or “pulsing” type of sound on the upbeats.

Uplifting Trance has a massive following and is considered one of the most well known sub-genres of Trance music. Listed below are some examples of Uplifting Trance music. See if you can spot what makes Uplifting Trance so enjoyable by many. Sound off below if you have any ideas on what else you think makes trance music unique.

Driftmoon – Bittersweet (Temple One Remix)

Dan Stone – Kito (Original Mix)

Above & Beyond feat. Zoe Johnston – Good For Me (Original Mix)

Ana Criado & Adrian&Raz – How Will I Know (Daniel Kandi & Dennis Pederson Remix)

Album Review: Above and Beyond – “We Are All We Need”

Above and Beyond – “We Are All We Need” [2015]

With years in the making, one of dance music’s biggest acts brings in a new album for the new year. The trio; Tony, Paavo and Jono, set out to make an album that you won’t soon forget. This isn’t your normal dance album. This album is deep, emotional and full of breath and life. In one word, this album is fantastic on all merits.

In a very divided music scene, the EDM world has been rocked with a bombardment of progressive house and “festival” styled tunes. In the ideals of pushing what dance music can bring, Above and Beyond are there every step of the way in pushing those limits even further. Not only are these songs full of emotional rides, but they feature even instruments that you normally wouldn’t find in a dance music track. Using instruments such as electric bass, guitars and even orchestral strings, they manage to find a sound that resonates on so many levels to a listener.

You can tell the group took an enormous amount of time perfecting the finest details of every track. They even take more of a back seat than you would normally hear in a dance music track. They allow the featured vocalists to ring through and shine in their own light. Alex Vargas takes over from Richard Bedford on vocal duties on the male side of things. The female vocalists round out with usual collaborator Zoe Johnston and Justine Suissa from Oceanlab fame returns for a track. New to the group collaboration lineup is Gemma Hayes, providing a soft, breathy and ethereal sound, perfect for the uplifting themes they strive to showcase.

“We Are All We Need” is full of amazing music, ranging in various styles mixed into each track. You’ll only find two instrumentals on this track (one of which uses a vocal sample, so it’s technically more of a hybrid than an instrument).

The album begins with “Quieter Is Louder” with the same idea of “Small Moments” from 2014. It’s pure purpose was to be written as an introduction tune, with soft pianos and backing synths, but it does it’s job well as setting up the feel of the rest of the album. That goes into the title track (sort of) with “We’re All We Need”, with a great theme and a grand piano featured. “Blue Sky Action” is one of the staples of the album and became a fan favorite over the last half year when it was debuted. “Blue Sky Action” is Alex Vargas’ first feature on the album and hits it off with a bang. Below I will set up a few of the tunes from the album. There’s sixteen total tracks on the album, so I will only go over a few of them and let you explore the rest.

Next up is one of my favorites, if not THE favorite tune from the album. “Peace of Mind” offers all you could want in an A&B album. Zoe’s job on vocals is perfected and the emotional levels you feel during the breakdown and chorus are astounding. Coming right off the heals of that is my second favorite of the album, “Counting Down The Days” with Gemma Hayes on vocals. Between this and “Peace of Mind”, it’s hard to nail a favorite tune, they are both so well done. “Counting Down The Days” has such a catchy hook and lyric writing. Gemma provides a brilliant vocal that reminds me of a soothing angel singing. Her voice is so soothing, natural and soft. You can’t help but love her vocal style.

“Hello” and “Out of Time” are the only two instrumental tracks. The album version of “Hello” features instruments you normally wouldn’t find on a dance album. It also features a bassline similar to what you could hear in classic 80’s movie soundtracks (I’m looking at you Axel Foley). “Out of Time” is more of your typical club oriented fanfare. Big build ups and gigantic themes and pianos. “Little Something” is also a notable entry. This tune marks the return of Justine Suissa to the group (singer from Oceanlab). She has been much wanted by fans for years to do another project with Tony, Paavo and Jono. Here, they delivered with as much delight as one could expect. It’s a very well rounded track and is perfect for Justine’s vocal style.

“Sticky Fingers” is easily one of the more electro sounding tracks on the album. Hard and harsh basslines mixed with the soothing trance pads and strings as well as Alex’s vocal placements. “Fly To New York” is another tune featuring the great Zoe Johnston. This is another favorite from the album. Her vocal style is perfect for this track. There are so many different elements in this. You’ll hear classic Rhode pianos, guitars and even an electric bass. This is, hands down, one of the highlights of the album.

To sum it up, this album was highly anticipated and hyped and for good cause. Above and Beyond are known for writing music that not only moves your feet, but your heart and your soul. This album has delivered on all counts. Everything you could want from the album, is here. Above and Beyond has taken the time, care and patience to record, what I could call, one of the best dance music albums I’ve heard in the last few years. They had a high bar already set by Group Therapy. What they’ve done here, is take that bar and jumped well over it. If you’re looking for a great dance music album, or even just a great album, look no further. This is as perfect of an album as you can find. Great music, great lyrical writing and exceptional vocalists featured throughout. I would highly recommend this album to anyone who appreciates great music.

Tracklisting:
01. Quieter Is Louder
02. We Are All We Need feat. Zoe Johnston
03. Blue Sky Action feat. Alex Vargas
04. Peace of Mind feat. Zoe Johnston
05. Counting Down The Days feat. Gemma Hayes
06. Sticky Fingers feat. Alex Vargas
07. Hello
08. Little Something feat. Justine Suissa
09. All Over The World feat. Alex Vargas
10. Fly To New York feat. Zoe Johnston
11. Making Plans feat. Alex Vargas
12. Out Of Time
13. Excuses
14. Save Me feat. Zoe Johnston
15. Sink The Lighthouse feat. Alex Vargas
16. Treasure feat. Zoe Johnston

Favorite Tracks:
We’re All We Need
Peace of Mind
Counting Down The Days
Fly To New York
Blue Sky Action
Treasure

Least Favorite Tracks:
Sticky Fingers
Excuses
Save Me

Album Rating:
10 out of 10. Fantastic album. Highly recommended.

Interview Spotlight: Meet Oscar D’vine!

Welcome to Interview Spotlight! This is where I will feature interviews or discussions with various musicians and learn more about them, what they do and how music affects them.

This week, I am pleased to showcase Oscar D’vine!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where you from, what do you do for a living? Are you currently in school or taking any courses?
“My name is Oscar Berglund, and I produce music under the name of Oscar D’vine. I’m from Gothenburg in Sweden, and I’ve lived here all my life. I work as a DJ, music producer and as an audio supervisor at Breaking Motions. Apart from this I also does some night shifts at a local hotel.”

How are you involved in the music world? What do you do musically?
“I produce original work for various artists, but also does music and sound FX for commercials and films as well as doing remixing work and DJ almost every weekend.”

Are there any previous associations or bands you were involved in before? If so, what did you do? Why are you no longer doing that?
“I was in a two-man band called “Gambler’s Club”. We had one release on Phunk It Records and almost had a full album done right before we split. We might pick up from where we left off, but it’s to early to tell right now. We did equal parts in the band, we both wrote, produced, arranged and mixed the music together.”

How did you begin your journey into music? Have you had any formal training or school courses you were in?
“My music interest started really when I was a kid and became a really big fan of Michael Jackson. It all took off from there. [I then] started studying music production for three years and really learned how great music is put together.”

How would you best describe your music?
“A fusion of everything. You can find funk/soul influences, pop, rock, metal, electronic, dubstep, chillout etc. I really just make what I feel like doing at the time, I just want to make great music.”

How has your music evolved over the years?
“In the beginning I mostly made Hiphop and R&B. Listening to my tracks today I mostly make EDM and House. Currently I’m diving deeper and deeper into the Deep House and Nu-disco sound, which I think is some awesome music.”

Is there any direction you’d like to explore musically that you haven’t before? If so, why is it you choose that direction?
“I would really like to record an orchestra or a big choir at some point. I hope I one day will have the budget to do so!”

You say you’d like to record an orchestra someday. Are you thinking of doing something like film score work? Or doing something more classical?
“I would love to do music for film someday. But I don’t have a particular project in mind. I just want to experience working with a orchestra and a big choir”

What’s your creative process like? How do you go from a blank page, to a completed track or album?
“Most of the time, I find a song that I really like and start trying to make something similar. It’s a lot of trial and error and I rarely end up with a song that sounds like the one I tried to copy, but rather something original. But that’s where it often starts. Other times I come up with a chord progression or a melody I really like, and go from there.”

Have you done any type of tours or special venues?
“I haven’t done any tours (yet!) but I’ve played a few parties and also playing regularly on LPF here in Gothenburg, which is awesome.”

What’s your studio like (if applicable)? What type of equipment do you often find yourself using to help write and record or inspire you?
“When recording vocals, I have an amazing vocal chain which I am very proud of and always gives me good results. But Pro Tools, Reaper and Reason are stuff i couldn’t do without, as well as software instruments as the Komplete package, Nexus 2 and the stuff from A.I.R. I’m a big UAD guy when it comes to mixing, and [that] stuff sound great.”

What song of yours are you most proud of and why?
“My latest single “Just Do It” is really special to me. I worked on it for 3 months before it became what it is. I really believed in the song from the start and I had a lot of software problems when making the track, so it was a tough one to make. But I’m really happy with the result.”

What music, other than your own, have you been listening to lately? What are some of your favorite artist to listen to in your down time?
“Recently I’ve listened to a lot of deep house and nu-disco. There is so much good stuff released right now. I’m also vibing to the latest Michael Jackson album “Xscape”. Mostly the original demos though.
In my downtime i would say I listen to a lot of soul and R&B.”

If you can remember, what’s the first song you wrote? How does that compare to your current releases?
“I can’t really remember the first one, but it probably sucked, big time. A lot of my early stuff was REALLY bad lol.”

If you wasn’t doing music, what would you see yourself trying to pursue?
“I would probably dance, cause that’s the other big thing in my life.”

How long have you been dancing? Have you had any training? Have you done anything professionally or contest wise with dance?
“I have been dancing since I was 11 years old, so 14 years now. I’ve had some training when I started breakdancing. Professionally, I’ve worked as a dance teacher and also won some competitions. I don’t teach or compete anymore though. I have realized its not what i want to do.”

What would your advice be to someone who is trying to get into the music world? What should they look out for?
“Get yourself a guy that wants to help you, who is already somewhat in the music biz. When I first started I got a hold of Marcus from Neo Cartoon Lover and he has always helped me in so many ways. Great guy!”

Final question, what’s your favorite type of food?
“Probably pizza or a nice grilled steak.”

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/oscar-dvine
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OscarDvine
Twitter: http://twitter.com/oscardvine
Website: http://oscardvine.wordpress.com/

Thanks to Oscar for the great interview and giving us all a chance to see and hear about himself and how music works in his life. Make sure you guys give him some support and check him out!

If you’re a musician, artist, composer, DJ or anything to do with the music work, big or small, I would love to hear from you! If you’d like to be showcased, interviewed or be involved in the blog, please contact me through my website at www.derekpalmermusic.com or connect with me on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/derekpalmermusic

The Many Faces of Dance Music: Trance

Kicking things off officially for this series is to dive into a genre that I, myself, produce and write. Trance. As with a lot of other genres that we will be diving into, this genre seems to get just as lost as the others in dance music. To someone who doesn’t frequently listen to trance (or anything with a “four-on-the-floor beat pattern), they may just write off the music as being techno. However, there are very many differences between each sub-genre of dance music. One of the more widely known instances of dance music, is in fact, trance.

The word “trance”, in and of itself, refers to a state of mind, or heightened consciousness. Some would even say a hypnotized state of mind, giving you a sort of drifting feeling. It’s this drifting feeling that is portrayed in this genre. Mixing various layers of sounds, rhythms and filters to create a “drifting away” type of feel is what really sets this genre apart from others in the dance music world.

Trance started developing in the 1990’s in Germany. It is mainly characterized by tempos in between 125 – 160 bpm [beats per minute], it’s repeated melodic (and non-melodic) phrases. Trance music typically has a structure that builds up and down throughout a track, bringing tension and release at numerous points. In most cases, trance features one central melody or hook that runs throughout the tune. This genre is also typically at the mid to mid-high tempo range for dance music. Not too slow and not too fast. Classic trance structure features a 4/4 time signature [4 beats per measure] and 16 or 32 beat phrases. A kick drum [bass drum] is placed on every downbeat with a snare/clap sound on every 2nd and 4th beats. A hi-hat sound is typically featured on the exact upbeat as well. The rest of the percussion is filled in with other instruments such as bongos, claves, tambourines and other cymbal elements.

One main aspect of universally all trance music is the mid-song soft section. This is referred to as a “breakdown”. During this breakdown section, only melodic aspects are usually kept. The background melodies, drums and percussion and even bass elements are either faded out via a filter or volume or stopped altogether, leaving the melody and atmospherics to play. During the breakdown, you are presented with various layers of sounds that can consist of strings, synthetic pads and, of course, the main melody of the track. If there were vocals included, they would also be heavily featured during this section. Breakdowns of tracks vary depending on artist and content, but they can typically last anywhere from a few seconds to minutes in length.

During the beginning and end of the tracks, you will hear in most cases, fast arpeggios and simplified melodic elements that build and layer up before going into and leaving the breakdowns and climax sections. In the section before the breakdown you are handed a very simplified or “chopped’ version of the melody or “hook”. This is to give you a taste of what you can expect to come full force in the breakdowns and climaxes. The climax is usually consisted of a culmination of the first part of the track mixed with the main melodic elements.

For major buildups, transitions and climaxes, in most cases, are foreshadowed by lengthy snare rolls [drum rolls] layered with various noise sweeps and whoosh type sounds that build in velocity, frequency and volume into the end of the transition. The main melodic elements are often filtered in during the transitions. Filtering is a way of giving space and “distance” to a sound. (When filtering a melody, think of it as being muffled. Gradually, the sound becomes brighter and clearer as the filter increases or decreases.)

As in the case with most dance music tracks, the original versions are usually mixed with extended intros and outros, designed to help DJ’s use them and mix them into their sets/shows. Trance is featured as a main focus in hundreds of music festivals around the world such as; Tomorrowland, Transmission, Dreamland and Ultra Music Festival.

Trance music has a massive following and is considered one of the biggest music genres celebrated in the world. Listed below are some examples of trance music. Take a listen and see if you can spot anything mentioned in this post. Sound off below if you have any ideas on what else you think makes trance music unique.

Oceanlab – Satellite (Original Above & Beyond Club Mix)

Sasha – Xpander (Original Mix)

Armin Van Buuren feat. Audrey Gallagher – Hold On To Me (Original Mix)

Above & Beyond vs Arty – You Got To Believe (Original Mix)