#quantumvalleyshowcase

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 732 (2 Years, 2 Days): https://youtu.be/K2pF4R6xzLM…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 27/27

EDC Day 3

Day 40/40: Paul Van Dyk - Day 3: Quantum Valley

Artist: Paul Van Dyk Song: Touched By Heaven

Genre: Progressive Trance Label: Vandit Records

(Sunday) Day 3 has finally arrived and our last day of EDC has come. My Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017 has come to a close, ending with one of the most loved trance DJ of all time and is a fitting closer to my Quantum Valley Showcase. Please welcome Paul van Dyk!

Paul van Dyk is one of the trance artist that stuck with his sound throughout his whole career. He amount of dedication and love to his music makes him stand high above many others. Last year, he fell from the ASOT stage and was barely alive. At EDC 2016, he made his very first return since that incident and trance fans around the globe watched him give a set that touched all our hearts. One year later, Paul van Dyk makes his return as this will be his second anniversary since his recovery.

"Touched By Heaven" is probably the most intimate and personal song Dyk has ever written. The title of the track is quite literal in that it explains his humility; it was a miracle that he survived that fall, and he owes his life to that miracle. From his return set at EDC, he vowed to put all his energy into his sets because it was his fans and family that encouraged him and helped him through the healing process. He wouldn't have done it without us. "Touched By Heaven" is his way to give thanks to everyone who believed in him.

I will not be discussing "Touched By Heaven" because I firmly believe that the music speaks for itself. It is a very powerful piece and knowing the background, this song really touches your heart.

Paul van Dyk will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 3 from 1:00 - 2:00, headlining spot. He comes after Aly & Fila and so these two hours will be one of the most euphoric and magical part of the night. He is one the most loved and respected trance DJ out there, and there is no chance that I'll be missing his set. I'm going to be at Quantum Valley for his set, and I hope that you come and share this moment with me because a PvD set is simply heavenly.

Day 3 is the final day of EDC, and I hope everyone has a fun time and make the best of this festival. As always look out for and help each other out, and HAVE FUN!!

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 731 (2 Years, 1 Days): https://youtu.be/qkt_Cik5JmY…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 26/27

EDC Day 2

Day 39/40: Ferry Corsten - Day 2: Quantum Valley

Artist: Ferry Corsten pres. Gouryella Song: Venera (Vee's Theme)

Genre: Uplifting Trance Label: Flashover Recordings

(Saturday) It is Day 2 of EDC, and what better way than to showcase my favorite artist for Day 2! My #2 of top 10 most anticipated acts of EDC is Ferry Corsten! He has a huge discography of aliases and amazing uplifting trance tracks. He was half of Gouryella, until Tiesto left and Corsten decided to continue on that name; Corsten released "Anahera" under Gouryella which became Trance Tune of the Year 2015. Following that he released "Neba" and then a full length album, with narration that provided a lot of depth to the songs and was basically read like a movie.

"Venera" is his third release under the revived Gouryella project and beautifully captures the uplifting style. I personally think it doesn't beat "Anahera" but is really well produced, beautiful, and works well in the sequence: Anahera to Venera to Neba. The climax at 2:40 is uplifting and has a medium degree of energy, and there is a melody change for the second build up at 3:55. I won't discuss this track in too much depth because it is simply better to just listen to it and let the music guide you.

Ferry Corsten will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 2 from 11:30 - 12:30 am - one of the headlining spots. Although this set is not a Gouryella set, he will definitely play "Anahera" and showcase songs from his new album. I will be here at Quantum Valley for his set and then going straight to see Porter Robinson and then to Above & Beyond. Corsten's music is pretty life changing, and I encourage anyone who wants to listen to uplifting trance to check him out!

I hope to see you there and as always, look out for and help each other out and HAVE FUN!!

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 730 (2 Years): https://youtu.be/dchVmzol_9g…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 25/27

EDC Day 1

Day 38/40: VII Takeover: Astrix - Day 1: Quantum Valley

Artist: Astrix Song: Sapana

Genre: Progressive PsyTrance Label: HOMmega (Official)

(Friday) It has finally come! Day 1 of EDC has officially started! Coincidentally enough, today marks my official 2 Year Anniversary of my A Song A Day, a daily blog in which I showcase new EDM songs that I find good and to explore the realm of trance and psytrance. My technical 2 year was back in April, but I had a couple of months when I stopped it, thus leading to my 2 year to today.

And it would be the highest honor of presenting my all time favorite psytrance artist, who will be playing the headlining psytrance spot on Day 1 and #3 of my top 10 most anticipated acts and #1 on the VII artist reveal as well as closing out the VII Takeover is the one and only Astrix!

Astrix has also become a staple psytrance artist to DJ at Dreamstate, but all his sets are just mind blowing. He does repeat a lot of his current hits, but the atmosphere he creates and the psychedelic soundscape surpasses the vast majority of psytrance artists. He is one half of Alpha Portal, a full-on psytrance project with Ace Ventura, and he has collaborated with Avalon for full-on and numerous prog psy artists. Astrix's worldwide fame has even gained the respects from the hardstyle community. He played at EDC 2016 as a b2b with Ace, and melted brains with the insane lineup of Ace Ventura into Astrix into Alpha Portal.

Even though I have covered my favorite track of his "Deep Jungle Walk," Astrix's 'He.art' album is unlike any other and really one of a kind. Many have considered this to be the psytrance album of 2016, and even saying that "Deep Jungle Walk" is "the pinnacle of tribal prog psy."

Today, I will be discussing "Sapana." The word sapana means dream, and throughout the track, the psychedelic soundscape emphasizes that dream-like sound. At 1:19, "this is a 30 seconds into a trip," is said depicting the effects of an acid trip. At 2:15, "and they never stop," is said explaining that the acid trip keeps on going and it doesn't stop. At 3:20, those synths seem to be full-on influenced as they carry a lot of energy, and at 3:35 is one of my favorite sections.

5:20 starts a new section of ethnic vocalizations and an excerpt speech of Charlie Chaplin saying "We think too much and feel too little." The favorite section of the track is the full-on section with those squelches at 6:25, which honestly is super psychedelic and energy pumping. The vocal line "and they never stop" is repeated at 6:55, bringing back to the notion of dreams and being on a trip.

Now enough explanation, go listen to this amazing track from Astrix. I definitely has some full-on moments and makes sense as to why this track leads into "Awake the Snake," a full-on collab with Tristan.

Astrix will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 1 with the rest of the VII crew from 1:00 - 2:30 am, bringing in the full force of psychedelic trance. He will carry the psy-tech energy from Simon Patterson and totally melt the dance floor. Astrix would then pass the torch to Freedom Fighters to bring in the darkness to our psy rabbit hole. He is my all time favorite psytrance DJ, and there is a reason why so many call him "King Astrix." I will be at Quantum Valley for his set, and I hope you find me and say hi! I would love to have our brains melt together!

Day 1 is here so please look out for and help each other out, and HAVE FUN!!

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 729 (1 Year, 364 Days): https://youtu.be/WQrAcld03Bk…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 24/27

EDC Week

Day 37/40: VII Takeover: Simon Patterson - Day 1: Quantum Valley

Artist: Simon Patterson Song: Opulence

Genre: Psy-Tech Trance Label: VII

(Thursday) I may not have time to cover these artists since I'm leaving tomorrow morning so I'm doing them now. Coming in at #5 of my top 10 anticipated acts and #2 on the VII artist reveal is the one and only Simon "PSYmon" Patterson! He closed The Vision, the tech trance stage, on Day 2 of Dreamstate SoCal 2016, and I missed it. But I was able to see him at Beyond Wonderland 2017, and man is he a beast! He played after Vini Vici, and brought the atmosphere into the underground with limited lighting.

"Opulence" is Patterson's third release on the VII record label and continues to be high quality and high energy psy-tech trance. There is a slight breakdown at 1:20, in which there is a speech. At 1:50, the build up starts and we can hear some psytrance techniques at 1:48 with that reverberated vocal chops. There is a clock timer tick right after the vocal line at 2:40 that signals into the climax, and I think it's the funniest thing to listen to, ding!

Simon Patterson will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 1 with the rest of the VII crew from 11:30 - 1:00 am. He is playing a headlining spot and will carry the hard tech trance energy from John Askew and start mixing in the psytrance and prepping for Astrix, our headlining psytrance artist. I most likely will be camping out at Quantum Valley for Day 1, so come find me and say hi!

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 728 (1 Year, 363 Days): https://youtu.be/BLpYoHDc6pE…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 23/27

EDC Week

Day 36/40: VII Takeover: John Askew - Day 1: Quantum Valley

Artist: John Askew Song: Raven

Genre: Tech Trance Label: VII

(Wednesday) The next master of high energy tech trance who is my #5 top anticipated act and #3 on the VII artist reveal, is John Askew! He is one of the co-founders of the VII record label. I saw him play at EDC last year, and he played an amazing set despite having such an early time slot. He has also just released his third single "Black Coffee" on the label.

"Raven" is Askew's second release on the VII label. The main highlight of this track, and is botched up by the radio edit, is the climax at 2:30. The acid synths take the spotlight; if this section were to be played live, the laser show would be really intense. The radio edit is missing the second half of the climax, so I encourage listening to the full version as well!

John Askew will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 1 with the rest of the VII crew from 10:00 - 11:30 pm. He will carry on the energy started by Will Atkinson and transition into harder tech trance. I expect the laser show to be in full force for this set. I will be camped at the Quantum Valley stage so come find me and say hi!

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 727 (1 Year, 362 Days): https://youtu.be/6G-0ZVBQC90…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 22/27

EDC Week

Day 35/40: VII Takeover: Sean Tyas - Day 1: Quantum Valley

Artist: Sean Tyas Song: Black & White

Genre: Psy-Tech Trance Label: VII

(Tuesday) Pumping up the energy are 3 masters of high energy tech trance. As #6 on my top 10 anticipated acts and #4 on the VII artist reveal, Sean Tyas will take the stage! He has an impressive discography, taking the sounds of tech trance and blending it with uplifting such as his collab with Darren Porter on "The Potion" or with psy such as his collab with Liquid Soul as his alias, Neodyne, on "Cherub."

I saw him for the first time at Beyond Wonderland 2017, and he doesn't joke around. I was dancing to the point where I had to chill and rest because I was dancing way too much. His sets hit hard and have a lot of energy; he shows you that trance is not only of beautiful melodies and tears.

His newest release "The Potion," is straight fire, and I will cover it later on. But for now, here is "Black & White," his Tyas' second release on the VII label. This song showcases both sides of trance, the uplifting and the hard hitting energy. The breakdown at 2:20 is the uplifting section with its lush and calm melody at 2:50. The climax at 3:40 takes the other side, releasing the energy into a banger. As far as psytrance crossover, Tyas uses the rolling bassline for the foundation of this track.

Sean Tyas will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 1 with the rest of the VII crew from 4:00 - 5:30 am - he will be closing Day 1. He will carry the energy from Freedom Fighters and close out by tiring the crowd from nonstop dancing. I will most likely be camped at Quantum Valley on Day 1 so come find me!

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 726 (1 Year, 361 Days): https://youtu.be/rq9iaqCOH-E…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 21/27

EDC Week

Day 34/40: VII Takeover: Freedom Fighters - Day 1: Quantum Valley

Artist: Animato & Freedom Fighters Song: Nocturnal

Genre: Progressive PsyTrance Label: HOMmega (Official)

(Monday) It is officially EDC Week! Set times have also been released so the hype is real! Bringing the darker sounds of psytrance is, #7 on my top 10 anticipated acts and #5 on the VII artist reveal, Freedom Fighters! I did not see his Dreamstate SoCal 2016 set but I saw his Dreamstate pres. Avalon & Liquid Soul set, and I loved every minute of it. I have already covered his release, "Clockwork," on the VII label so today's song is his collab with Animato in Animato's debut album.

"Nocturnal" take a more ambient route, having that horn layer as an anchor to the progressive sound. From the start at 0:15, the tone of the song is already quite ominous. The kicks come in at 1:50 and gives it the psytrance sound. Acid synths are used periodically throughout the piece such as at 4:05 and gives it energy but each section always resets into that horn layer. "Nocturnal" has the weird effect of giving energy and then taking it back.

I personally love "Clockwork" for its energy, but "Nocturnal" is something different. By having this constant build up and release of energy, the song has variety and makes you feel safe knowing that you have moments to rest.

Freedom Fighters will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 1 with the rest of the VII crew from 2:30 - 4:00 am. He comes after Astrix and will definitely carry the energy into the dark depths of psytrance.

[musicisheartandsoul-blog]

Day 725 (1 Year, 360 Days): https://youtu.be/NQuM7eJTYsY…

Road To EDC Las Vegas 2017: Quantum Valley Showcase - 20/27

Day 33/40: VII Takeover: Will Atkinson - Day 1: Quantum Valley

Artist: Will Atkinson Song: Awake

Genre: Tech Trance Label: VII

(Sunday) The next artist up in the VII Takeover is, the youngest in the group, Will Atkinson! He mainly produces in the uplifting-tech style, with his most notable songs "Numb The Pain" and its successor "Subconscious." His remix of JOC's "Lies Cost Nothing" blew up and was played in many of JOC's sets.

"Awake" is Atkinson's second release on the record label and doesn't shy away from unleashing that energy. The song builds up energy from the beginning with its euphoric backgrounded layers and kicks, as opposed to Key4050's dark tech sound. To be honest, "Awake" is a straight banger; the main section and the part that's stressed the most is the climax at 4:15. Unlike most uplifting-tech songs where there is a breakdown and melodic section before the climax, "Awake" has little to none and focuses more on ramping up the energy for the climax.

This production blew me away because the climax is on Sean Tyas' level of tech trance, and Sean Tyas was the only DJ that got me dancing to the point where I had to take a break.

Will Atkinson will be playing at Quantum Valley on Day 1 with the rest of the VII crew. If they wanted Askew and Patterson to hold the headlining slots, I would place Atkinson to close Day 1. His uplifting-tech is a good transition of out the high energy psy-tech from Askew or Patterson and perfect for a sunrise set. With this amount of talent, I most likely won't leave this stage. Find me at Quantum Valley on Day 1!