The New Year’s eve celebrations continue with this performance by Markus Schulz. For this year’s party, he was invited to play at the Metro Theater in Sydney, Australia. Markus headlined the event and spun alongside Thomas Knight, MaRLo, and Nick Arbor as they brought in the new year together. This tracklist is packed with great songs and it paints an impressive picture of the direction Coldharbour Recordings is headed. Numerous productions by Khomha, Beat Service, and of course Dakota show how hot the Global DJ Broadcast has become. Markus’ Universal Hypercombo mashup has been my favorite this past year, so it is the highlight of this mix for me. The ID immediately right after that (Track 11 from Transmission Digital Madness Set) is also massive. At the end of the broadcast there is an extra three-track mix, which includes Johnny Yono’s Fairfax, one my favorites at the moment. What a great start to kick off 2012 for the Global DJ Broadcast, I hope you enjoy this partial recordings of Markus’ set from the night.
Global DJ Broadcast World Tour – Live at The Metro Theater, Sydney (NYE 2011)
01 ID (Track 09 from Escape from Wonderland Set)
02 Khomha – The Sky is Inside You
03 Koen Groeneveld – Slides (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
04 Armin van Buuren – Blue Fear (Orjan Nilsen Remix)
05 Nash & Pepper Present Ostrega – First Scream (Dennis Sheperd Remix)
06 Markus Schulz Presents Dakota – Cape Town (Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano Remix)
07 Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge – Mansion
08 Markus Schulz Presents Dakota – Saints (Beat Service Remix)
09 Birdy Nam Nam – Goin’ In (Bad Dancer Remix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
10 Tiesto vs. Traversable Wormhole – Lethal Traversing (Markus Schulz Mashup)
11 Khomha – Mind Gamer
12 Markus Schulz Presents Dakota – Tears (Protoculture Remix)
13 Radion 6 – B U tiful
14 Pfirter – The Dub Track (Len Faki Remix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
15 PPK – Resurrection (Setrise Remix)
16 Khomha – 507
17 Push vs. Sasha Carassi – Universal Hypercombo (Markus Schulz Mashup)
18 ID (Track 11 from Transmission Digital Madness Set)
19 Markus Schulz Presents Dakota – Terrace 5 a.m. (Klauss Goulart’s Rough Air Remix)
20 Orjan Nilsen – Between the Rays (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
21 Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller – Rotunda
22 Markus Schulz – Digital Madness
Markus Schulz Bonus Set
01 Johnny Yono – Fairfax
02 Re:Locate vs. Robert Nickson – Resource
03 Styller – All That Remains
The Together As One party thrown by GoVentures has become a staple New Year’s eve party here in Southern California. At the end of 2009, on a night that featured music from David Guetta, John Digweed, Dubfire, Marcus Schossow, Kaskade, and Sander Kleinenberg, Markus Schulz’ set was easily one of the better ones. Here is the recording of his performance from Los Angeles, played on a world tour episode of the Global DJ Broadcast. Markus plays plenty of hits from 2009, including some of my favorites like his reconstruction of Stranger to Stability, Brace Yourself, Pong, and Mainstage. Big parties like these usually call for a lot of crowd favorites, and I’m sure many people were pleased to hear the mashups On a Metropolis Day and Lost Vocal Connection. I wasn’t there for that this party, but many of my friends told me Markus played the best set. Check out the official video underneath the music.
Markus Schulz – GBDJB World Tour Together As One NYE (December 31 2009)
01 U2 – New Year’s Day (Markus Schulz Intro Mix)
02 Mr. Sam Featuring T4L – Rydem Koba
03 Tritonal – Suede (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)
04 Ali Wilson – Boombox
05 Paul van Dyk Featuring Hemstock & Jennings – Nothing But You (Super8 & Tab Remix)
06 Gareth Emery vs. OceanLab – On a Metropolis Day (Myon & Shane 54 Mashup)
07 Wippenberg – Pong (Markus Schulz Edit)
08 Dustin Zahn – Stranger To Stability (Len Faki Podium Mix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
09 Jochen Miller – Brace Yourself
10 Skytech – Cardboard Box (Markus Schulz Edit)
11 Dirty South & Sebastian Ingrosso vs. Julie Thompson – Falling Meich (Markus Schulz Mashup)
12 Faithless – Insomnia (Dean Newton & Huggy 2009 Remix)
13 Jochen Miller – Red One
14 Skytech – Comet
15 John O’Callaghan Featuring Sarah Howells – Find Yourself (Cosmic Gate Remix)
16 Dr. Willis Meets David Forbes – Magic Carpet Ride
17 W&W – Mainstage
18 Jochen Miller vs. Armin van Buuren – Lost Vocal Connection (Markus Schulz Mashup)
19 Above & Beyond – No One on Earth (Gabriel & Dresden Remix / Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
20 Midway – Monkey Forest (Original Mix / Jonas Stenberg Remix)
21 Markus Schulz – The New World
22 Marco V vs. Rex Mundi Featuring Susana – Unprepared for Nothing at All (Markus Schulz Mashup)
23 Calvin Harris – I’m Not Alone (Remix)
24 Markus Schulz – Do You Dream (Uplifting Vocal Mix)
It has been an excellent month for the Global DJ Broadcast and there is no better way to end it than with the annual Classics episode. 2011 was a hot year for Markus Schulz, and he concludes it with this special show. In this mix you will find a true collection of throwbacks, with the majority of the songs produced in the 90’s (only 8 songs in here were made after 2000). Jam & Spoon’s Odyssey to Anyoona goes all the way back to 1994, and the intro track Paladian Dawn was produced over 16 years ago in 1995. Similar to the 2005 Classics showcase, this episode contains vintage oldies like Matt Darey’s Game Master, Remember Magnetic North, and Tilt’s Courtyard rework of Robert Miles’ Children. This year’s show also includes Sasha’s Xpander and the Nalin & Kane remix of Lustral’s Everytime, except in the 2005 episode these two were mashed up together splendidly. Of course Probspot’s Blueberry made it into the tracklist again, further cementing it as one of the greatest progressive tunes of all time. My favorite segment is when Markus mixes from First Time into Xpander and then into Blueberry, what an awesome three song combo. Silver Bath and Remember when Oakenfold produced Skin on Skin while he was in the group Grace, or when Ferry Corsten released Galaxia under the Moonman alias? If you do, you will certainly enjoy the following set as Markus skillfully brings us back to the late 90’s.
Global DJ Broadcast – Classics Episode 2011
01 Sunday Club – Paladian Dawn (Markus Schulz Intro Edit)
02 Grace – Skin on Skin (Orange Mix)
03 Dollshead – It’s Over, It’s Under (Brothers in Rhythm Remix)
04 Jam and Spoon – Odyssey to Anyoona
05 Audioholics – External Key
06 Johnny Shaker – Pearl River (Instrumental Mix)
07 Lustral – Everytime (Nalin and Kane Remix)
08 Chicane – Offshore (Disco Citizens Remix)
09 BT vs. Sasha – Remember Magnetic North
10 Markus Schulz – First Time (Funabashi Remix)
11 Sasha – Xpander
12 Probspot – Blueberry
13 Alex Whitcombe and Big C – Ice Rain (Heliotropic’s Epic Vocal)
14 Plastic Boy – Silver Bath
15 B.B.E. – Seven Days and One Week
16 Space Brothers – Shine (Full Vocal Mix)
17 Three Drives – Greece 2000 (Markus Schulz Big Room Remix)
18 Above and Beyond vs. Andy Moor – Air for Life (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
19 Dogzilla – Without You (Dogzilla Dub)
20 AMbassador – The Fade (Fade Mix)
21 Lost Tribe – Gamemaster
22 Ferry Corsten – Galaxia
23 C.M. – Dream Universe
24 Markus Schulz and Departure with Gabriel and Dresden – Without You Near (Coldharbour Mix)
25 Tilt – Children (Tilt’s Courtyard Mix) Download the episode here
The last 2011 party at The Gallery was a big one, as it featured several big names in its lineup. The main room at the Ministry of Sound Christmas party was stacked as it hosted Cosmic Gate, Markus Schulz, Rank 1, Jochen Miller, and Andy Moor. Nic and Bossi are currently on their Wake Your Mind tour, so their set was appropriately filled with songs from the new album. Pretty predictable, but very consistent. Andy Moor’s set was decent, with the track 3 ID and the 2011 rework of Air for Life as the highlights. My favorite set of the night is Markus’ because of the impressive tracklist. The mashups and IDs that he played really stand out as crowd pleasing moments. Closing out the night was a special back to back set featuring Rank 1 and Jochen Miller. Their song selection is great, however the mixing is a bit spotty. Solid planning, average execution. Nevertheless, it’s still pretty amazing to experience these back 2 back sets because you get double the creativity when the styles are compatible. Check out the music from the 2011 closing party from The Gallery at the Ministry of Sound in London below. Download links can be found at the bottom of the post.
Markus Schulz
01 Markus Schulz – Digital Madness (Transmission 2011 Theme)
02 Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Cape Town (Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano Remix)
03 Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Saints (Beat Service Remix)
04 Khomha – Mind Gamer
05 Johnny Yono – Fairfax
06 ReLocate vs Robert Nickson – Resource
07 Sander van Doorn – Slap My Pitch Up
08 Ken plus Ichro vs. Aly & Fila & Jwaydan – We Control the Progression (Markus Schulz Mashup)
09 Radion 6 – B U tiful
10 Moorea Blur – Close Your Eyes
11 Max Freegrant – Olya (KhoMha Remix)
12 Armin van Buuren – Blue Fear (Orjan Nilsen 2012 Remix)
13 PPK – Resurrection (Setrise Remix)
14 Beat Service – Outsider
15 ID (Track 11 from Transmission Czech Republic 2011 )
16 Markus Schulz pres. Dakota vs. Marcel Woods – Advanced Sleepwalkers (Armin van Buuren Mashup)
17 ID (Track 10 from GDJB World Tour Washington DC Nov 2011 Set)
18 Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller – Rotunda
Cosmic Gate
01 Cosmic Gate feat. Arnej – Sometimes They Come Back For More (Intro Mix)
02 Cosmic Gate feat. Jes – Flying Blind
03 Mat Zo – Bipolar
04 Cosmic Gate feat. Emma Hewitt – Be Your Sound
05 Cosmic Gate – The Theme
06 Cosmic Gate – Wake Your Mind
07 Mike Koglin & Genix – Dyno
08 Alex Kunnari feat. Ben Andreas – Taste The Sun (Tom Fall Remix)
09 Cosmic Gate feat. J’something – Over The Rainbow
10 Kyau & Albert – Are You Fine? (Arty Remix)
11 Sander Van Doorn & Adrian Lux – Eagles
12 Delerium feat. Sarah Mclachlan – Silence (W&W vs. Jonas Stenberg Remix)
13 Above & Beyond – Formula Rossa
14 Cosmic Gate – Fire Wire (Cosmic Gate Back 2 The Future Remix)
15 Cosmic Gate feat. Emma Hewitt – Calm Down
Andy Moor
01 Mat Zo & Arty – Mozart
02 Mike vs. Genix – Dyno
03 ID
04 Paul van Dyk feat. Sue McLaren – We Come Together (Arty Remix)
05 Andy Moor feat Carrie Skipper – She Moves vs Rafaël Frost – Smash
06 Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford – Sun & Moon (Marcus Schossow Remix)
07 Gareth Emery – Tokyo (Ben Gold Remix)
08 Andy Moor feat. Sue McLaren – Fight The Fire
09 Cathy Burton – Reach Out To Me (Chris Schweizer Remix)
10 Lange vs Gareth Emery – Another You Another Me (Rafaël Frost Remix)
11 Super8 & Tab Feat Anton Sonin – Black Is The New Yellow (Protoculture Remix)
12 Temple One feat. Neev Kennedy – Love The Fear (Tom Fall Remix)
13 Above & Beyond vs. Andy Moor – Air For Life (Andy Moor’s 2011 Remodel)
Rank 1 b2b Jochen Miller
01 Super8 & Tab feat. Julie Thompson – My Enemy (Rank 1 Remix)
02 Jochen Miller – Bamm
03 Rank 1 – Airwave (Arnej Rework)
04 Jochen Miller – Brace Yourself
05 Rank 1 – L.E.D. There Be Light
06 Jochen Miller vs. Dirty Money feat. Skylar Grey – Humanoid vs. Coming Home (Acapella)
07 Rank 1 and Jochen Miller – And Then
08 Jochen Miller – Troucid
09 Cosmic Gate – Analog Feel (Rank-1′s Digital Re-Harsh)
10 John O’Callaghan vs Rank 1 & Jochen Miller – Find Yourself vs The Great Escape (Simon Lee & Alvin Edit)
11 Jochen Miller – Red One
12 Rank 1 – Airwave
13 Jochen Miller – Face Value
14 Armin Van Buuren & Rank 1 ft. Kush – This World Is Watching Me (Cosmic Gate Remix)
15 Markus Schulz feat. Khaz – Dark Heart Waiting (Jochen Miller Remix)
16 Rank 1 – Top Gear
17 Jochen Miller – Lost Connection
18 Dutch Force – Deadline
19 Cygnus X – Superstring (Rank 1 Remix)
20 Jochen Miller – U & Eye
21 Rank 1 – Awakening
If Markus Schulz keeps throwing it down, I’m gonna keep posting them up. Here is another live mix from Mr. Coldharbour, recorded live last month at Marquee in Las Vegas. This upscale, cozy little club has a limited dance floor, however I’m sure Markus kept everyone in the entire venue on their feet with this set. The tracklist is light on the fluff and heavy on the bangers, which always seems to result in a good night. I love both versions of the Chemical Brothers’ Hey Boy, Hey Girl, and all of the mashups are legit. Other notable tracks include The Plank Effect, Magnetik, and all of the unknown IDs. This night’s music was recorded and broadcasted on last week’s Global DJ Broadcast as this month’s world-tour episode, check it out here.
Markus Schulz – Live from Marquee, Las Vegas (September 24, 2011)
01 Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy, Hey Girl (Khomha Instrumental Mix / Markus Schulz Intro Edit)
02 Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge – Mansion
03 Rafael Frost vs. Rachael Starr – Till There Was Smash (Markus Schulz Mashup)
04 Bart Claessen – Fantomah
05 Aerfoill vs. E&G – The Plank Effect
06 Aaron Camz vs. Chemical Brothers – Superstar Camshaft (Markus Schulz Mashup)
07 Markus Schulz – Digital Madness [Transmission 2011 Theme]
08 Mark Otten – Libertine (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
09 ID
10 ID (Track 08 from Be at Space Ibiza Closing Set)
11 Dan Baseley – Interface (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
12 Calvin Harris – Awooga (Dirty South Remix)
13 Khomha – Magnetik
14 Sander van Doorn vs. Afrojack & R3hab – Koko Prutataa (First State Mashup / Markus Schulz Edit)
15 Dada Life – Happy Violence (Markus Schulz Edit)
16 Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji vs. Matthew Peterson – Squarface Pressure (Markus Schulz Mashup)
17 Markus Schulz Presents Dakota – Saints (Arnej Remix)
18 Why – Lost?!?
19 Green Velvet – Flash (Nicky Romero Remix)
20 Tiesto vs. Traversable Wormhole – Lethal Traversing (Markus Schulz Mashup)
21 ID (Track 28 from Be at Space Ibiza Closing Set)
22 Jordy Lishious – Radiator (Funkagenda & Jordy Lishious Re-Edit)
23 Sander van Doorn – Slap My Pitch Up
24 Mr. Pit – Sky Traffic
25 Kevin Focus – Stuck 7
26 Evol Waves-Everything In Its Right Place
27 Roger Shah & Kosheen – Hide U (Pumpin’ Island Mix)
28 Jonathan Ulysses, Oliver Lang & Steve Haines – It’s Time
29 Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Terrace 5 a.m. (Klauss Goulart’s Rough Air Remix)
This summer has flown by with the quickness, and the corresponding summer season at club Space in Ibiza is now also coming to an end. Here is the music from one of the last nights at Space, mixed together by one of their long-standing residents, Markus Schulz. There are lots of Global DJ Broadcast favorites in here as well as some newer stuff from Markus’ repertoire, including several remixes of his new Dakota tracks. I especially like the last 45 minutes of the set, which just happens to contain one of my favorite Schulz mashups, Universal Hypercombo. The KhoMha remix of Hey Boy, Hey Girl is also a beast of an intro and it sets the tone right. I’m dying to know the ID of track 8, as well as track 16. This performance is pretty typical by Markus Schulz standards, and he keeps the energy high through the entire thing. Of course I always dream of a mix with completely unreleased stuff, but Markus still does a great job regardless. The official closing party takes place on October 2nd this weekend, and that one will feature many performers, including Armin van Buuren, Fedde le Grande, Markus himself, and many more. Check out the last night of Markus’ residency at Space (for this summer) below.
Markus Schulz – Live at Space, Ibiza (September 14, 2011)
01 Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy, Hey Girl (KhoMha Instrumental Mix)
02 Markus Schulz pres. Dakota – Saints (Arnej Remix)
03 KhoMha – Magnetik
04 Mark Otten – Libertine
05 Markus Schulz pres. Dakota – Katowice (Mr. Pit Remix)
06 Markus Schulz – Digital Madness (Transmission 2011 Theme)
07 Tiesto vs. Traversable Wormhole – Lethal Traversing (Markus Schulz Mashup)
08 ID
09 Markus Schulz pres. Dakota – Sinners (Orginal Mix)
10 Ken plus Ichiro – Progression (David Johnson Remix)
11 Markus Schulz pres. Dakota – In a Green Valley (Basil O’Glue Remix)
12 Wippenberg – U R (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
13 Dada Life – Happy Violence
14 Matthew Peterson vs. Nadia Ali, Starkillers and Alesso – Squareface Pressure (Markus Schulz Mashup)
15 ID
16 ID (Track 11 from World Tour Ibiza)
17 3rd Planet – UFO Here
18 Aaron Camz vs. Chemical Brothers – Superstar Camshaft (Markus Schulz Mashup)
19 Klauss Goulart – No Man’s Land
20 Beat Service – Outsider
21 Markus Schulz – 65.4Hz (Mr. Pit Remix)
22 Markus Schulz pres. Dakota – Sleepwalkers (Orginal Mix)
23 Aerofoil – Vortex
24 KhoMha – 507
25 Push vs. Sasha Carassi – Universal Hypercombo (Markus Schulz Mashup)
26 Markus Schulz and Jochen Miller – Rotunda
27 Aerofoil – Caress 2 Impress (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
28 ID
I have many random sets lined up as throwbacks to share, but I couldn’t stop listening to this one earlier in the week so here is this week’s winner. This is an older episode of Markus’ Global DJ Broadcast which was played on June 30, 2005. The actual recording is from an event at club Air, the UK homebase of Godskitchen since 2000. The mix opens up with three nice and deep into tracks by Matthew Dekay vs. The Proluctors and Antidote. The Elevation remix of Language is sweet too, although I still prefer the original by Hammer & Bennett. A couple of more tracks in and Markus plays Air For Life, a track which was a massive hit in 2005, especially in the British Isles where it came from. Things carry on beautifully with Ice Beach, an impressive production by Arcane, or Niklas Harding. Around this time Markus had a few collaborations with Airwave, and one of the new tracks from his Without You Near album was featured in this set, titled Ballymena. Two other songs from that album, First Time and Without You Near, also make their way into this mix, with Gabriel & Dresden and Funabashi on the remixes, respectively. You will also hear a track by Guardians of the Earth, and interesting duo of Los Angeles-based producer Michael Olson and vocalist Jes Brieden. At the end of the mix we get some additional productions by Gabriel & Dresden, Airwave, and Funabashi. I like the first half of the set more than the second; Markus really opened up with some beautiful tunes that I would love to have experienced live.
Markus Schulz – Live Godskitchen At Air in Birmingham (June 25, 2005)
01 Matthew Dekay vs. The Proluctors – Bad
02 Antidote – Come Alive
03 Hammer & Bennett – Language (Elevation Remix)
04 David West – Carrier
05 Above & Beyond vs. Andy Moor – Air For Life
06 Matthew Dekay vs. The Proluctors – The Deep Show
07 Özgür Can – Connected (Santiago Nino Dub Tech Mix)
08 Niklas Harding Presents Arcane – Ice Beach
09 Markus Schulz Featuring Airwave – Ballymena
10 Jaytech – Music 101 (The Flash Brothers Remix)
11 Markus Schulz and Departure with Gabriel & Dresden – Without You Near (Gabriel & Dresden Mix)
12 Markus Schulz – First Time (Funabashi Remix)
13 Guardians Of The Earth – Starchildren (Remix)
14 Marc Marberg – Guarana
15 Airwave – People Just Don’t Care
16 Perasma – Swing 2 Harmony (Gabriel & Dresden Vocal Mix)
17 Funabashi – Daylight
18 ID Download the set here
Holy shit how did I forget to share this one with you guys? My bad, but if you haven’t purchased your own copy already, you should really get on it. This is one of the best production albums to come out this year, and it’s just as comparable to the first Thoughts Become Things album that was released two years ago. The first one was more innovative, but this one definitely brings more energy to the table. I’ll let Markus himself explain the significance of each track below.
Dakota – Thoughts Become Things II
01 Gypsy Room
02 Red Star
03 Sleepwalkers
04 I’m Where it Went Wrong
05 Sinners
06 Terrace 5am
07 Katowice
08 Tears
09 Suggestion No. 5
10 In a Green Valley
11 Miami
12 Cape Town
13 Saints
14 Apollo
Gypsy Room
“The CD starts with a nice gentle pace of 126bpm, and is one that certainly possesses those quintessential Coldharbour qualities. I’m a bit of a geek when it comes to creating soundscape-like intros for my albums and compilations, and it’s no different especially when it comes to Gypsy Room.
Normally my Dakota project emphasises on instrumental material, but after listening through some early versions of the track, I felt that it could do with some harmonies in the background sweeping through themelody and bassline. So I recruited the assistance of a familiar voice from the Do You Dream album, one Angelique Bergere. She delivered some beautiful and lush input into the track and gave the end product another dimension. I debuted the track during the final night of Miami Music Week as my opener in Space, and it hasn’t looked back since. And after reading all the reactions recently, it is already a massive fan favorite on Global DJ Broadcast”.
Red Star
“This was actually the final track I worked on for the album, but it moved up the playing order since it transitions nicely out of Gypsy Room. I was on tour to Russia in March, and before the craziness started I visited the Molino Air Museum to see the M12 helicopter. The country boasts one of the most exciting and blossoming scenes anywhere across the globe, and I’ve been very lucky to have played big festival and arena events in cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg – the latter picking up the most popular GDJB World Tour in 2009. I had an extra day in Moscow before flying back to Miami for Winter Music Conference and couldn’t sleep due to my mind running a million miles after the latest batch of gigs in the country, so I started laying down a new melody. The first few drafts sounded very much like my big room reconstruction of Caress 2 Impress form Prague ’11, so after reassessing a few times I made the lead a bit more melodic and varied the bassline after the break. By the time the second set of Space gigs happened at the end of March, I knew I had gotten it right. Hopefully it’s one the Russian fans in particular will enjoy, I guess you could say it’s my Airwolf theme, only I’m imagining flying in the M12”.
Sleepwalkers
“The track that probably best describes my full-on and ruthless unicorn slayer mode in 2011. Between October and February I continually developed a prototype and studied the reactions of the audience very carefully after testing it out in the clubs, before going back into the studio during the week and making modifications. It took me a long time to get the build of the track right, but in the end I think it was worth the wait. I got the track ready to go around the end of January, but deliberately held it back until the Prague ’11 release party at SaSaZu on February 12th. It was a massive night for me personally since we sold out the venue and continued my very special connection with the Prague fans, but even more special because of the moment Sleepwalkers was debuted. I could not have imagined the reactions and response that it caused, and still get amazed by it in the clubs today. Not even 12 hours had passed after the Prague gig and it went viral on YouTube, with all the clever fans figuring out what it was right away. It’s relentless right up until the hypnotic break, which I’ve described in interviews as the “cigarette after sex” feeling”.
I’m Where it Went Wrong
“Around October last year when the results of the annual DJ Mag Top 100 poll were being published, there was someone out there who decided to make a compilation video to spread on YouTube, entitled “Where Trance Went Wrong”. And strangely enough, the creator of the video decided to cast me in a starring role. I wasn’t in the best of moods after seeing it and taking stock of the state of the trance scene at the time, so I went into the studio with the intention of making something very dark and angry. It’s one of those tracks on the album that you can’t fully appreciate if you only hear it through headphones at home. It’s made to blossom on the big soundsystems in the clubs. There’s no melody involved, just a cool techno vibe going throughout. It went over really well during my set at Bal en Blanc in Montreal. I guess it was about time I used a phrase I hear so often in life for one of my tracks!”
Sinners
“After completing my last Markus Schulz artist album “Do You Dream”; I felt that I still had some creative energy left and needed to get it out of my system. Exclusivity in my livesets is important to me so Iwent into the studio with the intention of producing something banging and anthem-ish for the festival season last summer. Originally Sinners was going to be something I wanted to keep unreleased and for my livesets only, but since debuting it during the World Tour recording in Budapest and becoming a regular on the show since, the demand of the fans twisted my arm and I decided to make it one of the big peak moments of this Dakota project. I’m still playing the track in my livesets today, with some superb remixes done by upcoming talents such as Khomha and Aerofoil”.
Terrace 5 a.m.
“This year very much has my name and the word “Space” used in the same sentence quite often – between the return of my residency at Space in Miami, and the beginning of a new one at Space in Ibiza, after being a resident at Amnesia for 6 years. Even though both clubs aren’t linked to each other, there are lots of similarities with them boasting excellent mainroom and terrace facilities. For Thoughs Become Things II however, I wanted to produce something and dedicate it to both simultaneously. Since hearing it, a lot of my fans have fairly described it as “I Feel Love meets 65.4Hz”, since it has that iconic Moroder-style bassline combined with the energetic break similarly found in the track from the DYD album. The title of the track will hopefully be an apt one, because there are very few better atmospheres in either club when you hit that 5 a.m. mark and everyone is still in full party mode”.
Katowice
“Last November I played my first ever Mayday event in Poland, in the city of Katowice. It’s an important location for me because the Planeta FM affiliate in the city was the first station in Poland to support Global DJ Broadcast on their airwaves every week. On that night in particular however I was blown away by the cool underground techno vibe, despite the event taking place entirely outdoors. Normally when I play outdoors I tend to play high-tempo and banging from the outset, but with this gig I was able to explore the techno sound that I’ve loved incorporating into my sets over the past year in particular. I had a basic idea in the hotel that afternoon andafter I got back after the gig, I stayed up all night and started working on the melody and percussion (I was flying to Hong Kong via Frankfurt the next day so the sleep could wait!). I’ve had many incredible nights playing in Poland and the people there have been so supportive of me over the years, so I dedicate this track to all of them. It will hopefully go down well with thecrowd when I play at Global Gathering in Gdansk in July”.
Tears
“This one has a couple of inspirations to be thankful for, namely the timeless Blade Runner soundtrack by Vangelis and an old track by British band Simple Minds named “Belfast Child”. I was given the honor of playing a 7 hour marathon set at Space in Miami for Winter Music Confernece, and I opened the night by playing this. I debuted it on radio during the World Tour recoding at Avalon in Los Angeles, where I played a 6 hour set (and will be back there for another big night on August 20), and got a ton of emails asking about the track hours later. Then during the most recent World Tour recording at Pacha in New York, it was one of those special moments of being as one with the crowd. It’s one of the tracks I’m most proud of and can see it hanging around in my sets for a while”.
Suggestion No. 5
“I have no idea how I managed to keep this one under wraps for so long, especially in this day and age where pretty much everything that gets played in a club inevitably ends up on YouTube. The great thing about a club residency is that the crowd are more patient and will allow you to change things up a little and debut tracks before any other gigs. I’ve always regarded my Ministry of Sound residency in London that way, and during lastyear’s solo set, I sneakily debuted an early version of Suggestion No. 5 in my set… and seemingly got away with it! I love implanting beautiful and dreamy pads where the listener can just listen and float away on the journey that I try to take them on. This track in particular takes influence from the old Rokysopp and James Holden sounds, and works really well live when playing it in the early parts of a long set”.
In A Green Valley
“If you are a clubber who loves travelling and exploring different venues around the world, then you have to visit Brazil’s amazing Green Valley. Located in the Camboriu municipal, it is undoubtedly one of the powerhouses that defines the very best of South American nightlife. I got booked to play at the venue last October for the very first time, and to be honest I was really nervous before playing, because it’s a venue normally reserved for the biggest names in house music. But even I couldn’t have envisaged how incredible an experience playing there could be. Imagine playing to a huge passionate crowd, and as the sun comes up you can see the beautiful shades of green interspersed with waterfalls in the background. It’s nothing short of breathtaking. After playing there for the second time in January, I took the inspiration of the club and worked on creating a track which had a clubby vibe but a very deep and emotional melody involved – my vision of being “In a Green Valley”. I can’t wait to come back and play there later this year”.
Miami
“I guess having lived in the city for a decade now meant that I should show some love by naming one of my tracks after it! I guess it’s also appropriate given that it’s one of the few tracks on the album where the idea was conceived at home and not somewhere on the road. It envisages the fast-paced life of South Beach, where parties go long into the night and some never end. The track is heavily bassline-drven and gives it plenty of momentum throughout, with the break one of those short-but-sweet moments of euphoria before going back to the grind. It has been doing good damage in my livesets, and the fans in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in particular took to it very well. I guess it’s a nice reminder of home when I’m thousands of miles away!”
Cape Town
“Towards the end of last year and after a long wait, I was finally given the opportunity to play a gig in South Africa for the first time – part of the Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project between Cape Town and Berlin. Normally when I’m on tour it’s not often that I have a spare day to explore where I’m staying, but on Thanksgiving Day I took the opportunity to travel up to Table Mountain in the city. It’s a long way up but when you reach the top, it’s one of those sights where you immediately draw breath and take a moment to reflect on things. In between that trip and the gig at the Belville Velodrome, I spent a few days constructing the idea for a new track, based on the visit to Table Mountain. The first half makes you feel that you are consistently on the rise and travelling upwards, then when the main melody kicks in it presents a gentle descent after reaching your destination”.
Saints
“One of my biggest career highlights happened last year when I had the opportunity to play a 7 hour all-night open to close solo set for my Gallery residency at Ministry of Sound in London. After wrapping up the gigs that weekend, I stayed in my apartment in Berlin for a couple of days and solely concentrated on creating the building blocks of the track that turned out to be Saints. Like its guilty brother Sinners (if you could call it that), it boasts one of those big room leads that work so well on crowds regardless if it’s in a packed club or at an outdoor festival. I started playing the track out in February with roadtests in Budapest and Prague, and with a few tweaks, I finally unveiled it to the world during the huge ASOT 500 event that took place at Club G.E.B.A. in Buenos Aires back in April. It’s guaranteed to be one of my weapons of choice when it comes to festival season this summer”.
Apollo
“The final track of the album is an almost 9 minute long journey, and is one that can only be fully appreciated if you listen to it from start to finish. Naturally when you hear the word Apollo then you think of Space and Space travel, and the track starts with a calm journey before building with extra elements and layers as it grows minute by minute. It’s probably an appropriate way to finish Thoughts Become Things II, since it presents a journey within a journey. Apollo deliberately has an intro and an outro, different sections reflecting different moods, and I guess allows the listener to reflect on the various ups and downs they encounter in day-to-day life. It’s very much in the traditional Coldharbour mold”.
Let’s begin the week with another Ibiza themed compilation album, this time with some house and trance on the program. Last week I shared Carl Cox’ collection of Space tunes, and here we get music from two DJs who play different styles of dance music. The legendary club Space needs no introduction, so let’s dive right into the music. Fedde le Grand has been on the house circuit for the past 10 years, and he is no stranger to summer anthems. His latest progressive productions Autosave and Running can be found on disc 1, as well as the edgier Metrum and Control Room. My favorite is Control Room, which has one of the best basslines of this summer. These tracks are surrounded by the latest in house tunes, many of which are released on Armada. This should not be surprising since the album is published by Armada Music. Disc 2 features mixing by Markus Schulz, and he features primarily artists from his Coldharbour label. New stuff by KhoMha, Klauss Goulart, Mike Foyle, and Rex Mundi highlight the tracklist. Overall this is a decent purchase, although I have considerably more fun listening to either of Fedde or Markus’ radio shows. Both mixes are pretty good for parties, but they don’t have much buildup or drive that you expect from both of these great DJs, especially Markus Schulz. This album is a great marketing tool for Armada, but I would be hard pressed to say this is a complete package.
CD1 – Fedde le Grand
01 John Acquaviva, Alex D’Elia, Nihil Young – Good Music
02 Dj Tonio – Get The Funk
03 Olivier Giacomotto – Zoomanity
04 Fedde le Grand – Metrum (Manuel La Mare Remix)
05 Stefano Noferini – Back
06 Dave Spoon & Patric la Funk – 7.2
07 Deniz Koyu – Grunge
08 Deniz Koyu – Tung!
09 TV ROCK & Hook N Sling feat. Rudy – Diamonds In The Sky
10 Fedde le Grand & Patric la Funk – Autosave
11 Fedde le Grand vs. Sultan & Ned Shepard – Running
12 Fedde le Grand – Control Room
CD2 – Markus Schulz
01 Mr. Pit – Fugu (Intro Mix)
02 KhoMha – 507
03 Klauss Goulart – No Man’s Land
04 Beat Service – Outsider
05 Max Graham – FYC
06 Aerofoil – Vortex
07 Phunk Investigation – DNA Extractor
08 Skytech – Intensity
09 Max Freegrant – Olya (KhoMha Remix)
10 Mike Foyle presents Statica – Shades of Red
11 Rex Mundi – Interstate of Lightning
12 Aerofoil – Caress 2 Impress (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
13 Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller – Rotunda
14 Wippenberg – U R (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction)
15 Who.Is – Cryptanalysis
16 Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Saints
damaBeats presents... 