My favourite DJ dropped his latest studio album last week on Armada Music so of course I'm going to feature a song from it! Arty is in my opinion one of the most underrated trance music DJs of our generation. His music struck a chord in me from early on and ever since then I look forward to almost anything that has his name on it. Even his alias Alpha9 has been ripping through the charts when he introduced it a few years ago. His latest album, "In My Head" dropped last week and we are featuring the title track from it on the blog, it has Norwegian vocalist and song writer Jay Sorrow on it and is the perfect mix of high energy EDM with a hint of trance that is not only catchy but a soulful sound.
Russian trance DJ, ARTY has released his latest EP titled "Jump" and today we featured the title track from it which was relased on Armada Music last week. The EP is a collection of 3 tracks from the Trance maestro who has reverted back to his electronic ways after spending quite some time producing tracks on his more progressive alternate alias Alpha 9. I first fell in love with his music back in 2011 and to see his progress in the industry since, has been nothing short of inspiring. "Jump" Driven by a standout chord progression and a sweet, hopeful vocal presence, the third single of ARTY’s forthcoming second album immediately puts listeners on the edge of their seats. Indicative of ARTY’s change in sound, ‘Jump’ urges all to take a leap of faith every once in a while. It's a track with a meaning that hits home to me very much at this present moment in time so I might just take his advice, you can too, or you can just listen to the track and enjoy it.
Arty has been on a roll with his alias Alpha 9 over the past year but its great to see him return to his original stage name this year with his first release "Lightning Strikes". The Russian DJ has changed up the sound on his ARTY name with this track having a more melodic sound echoing a new direction going forward. Today's featured track see's him team up with American vocalist Jonathan Mendelsohn, a name that isn't a new a one to electronic dance music as he has lent his vocals to tracks from the likes of Dash Berlin, Hardwell and Blasterjaxx to name a few. Johnathan has a "less is more" production style with his hopeful lyrics which he lends to the track and it really is a great fusion which is sure to have many hands in the air when played across the summer.
Artem Stolyarov makes his second feature on the blog in the same number of weeks, this time with a classic that has been given a new lease of life with a remode by Los Angeles based musical duo, Elevven. "The Wall" has been a cult classic from the Russian DJ, Arty which features the vocals of Tania Zygar, it was one of the tracks that made me fall in love with Arty, his trance style was unique and catchy, not too mainstream but at the same time made easy, high energy listening with the BPM at just the right rate to get your blood flowing. Elevven have taken the track and kept in essence what we loved about it but just upped the tempo a bit with a drop that has a serious bass undertone, while the track is toned down in trances, its made up for it with a slight big room sound, one that is deceivingly addictive.
Ever since I heard the sounds of Artem Stolyarov, I immediately took a liking to his style and became a big fan. Whether it is music under his ARTY alias or Alpha 9, its almost as if he can do no wrong. His latest release comes off his debut album 'New Horizons', which has 14 tracks, this particular one "Down To Love" features the vocals of Jonathan Mendelsohn and has been doing constantly well leading up to the official release. Avid listeners to the Anjuna Beats label will recognise Jonathans voice as he has sung for Seven Lions, Jason Ross and many others including Hardwell. To celebrate the launch of his first album, Alpha 9 will be embarking on an album tour in 2023, here's hoping he decides to make a stop in South Africa.
British singer Karen Overton probably didn't realise what a hit song she would be recording back in 1995 when "Your Loving Arms" was released. Since then, the track was remixed in 2007 and released on Armada Music, it caught the attention of many and the vocals sync'd so well to the electronic music genre. Fast-forward to present day, Russian DJ and producer Alpha 9, better known by his other name Arty has decided to dust off this track and give it another lease of life with his own remix. I've always loved Arty, ever since listening to his sets from ASOT 500 I knew this guy was special and his brand of music really struck a chord with me, he has been releasing a lot of music on his alias name Alpha 9 of late and when the music is this good, we can only ask for more. So turn up the volume and enjoy this extremely special song.
We're back to normal programming this week and as ever on a Monday we bring you the latest in Electronic Dance Music, today we have an interesting collaboration from little known DJ's Leonard A of Mexico and Pavel Koreshkov of Russia. In today's exclusive we have an interview with Leonard just to find out more about himself, his music and how he and Pavel hooked up to provide us with such a great track that is Frozen Dream.
Q & A with Leonard A
1. Who is Leonard A?
- Leonard A is a project that I started about 6 years ago, Leonard derived from my name Leonardo and the 'A' comes from my last name 'Anya'.
2. What inspired you to become a DJ/ Producer?
- I was inspired by many artists but I think that without a doubt the greatest influence was the music and talent of DJ Tiesto. At the time of the 2000s when I was just a teenager, I had his in concert 2 DVD and that was when I began to see how wonderful it was to get people on the dance floor.
3. Being from Mexico, what is the dance music scene like there?
- It is good, to tell the truth I have heard that many of the great DJs love to come to festivals in Mexico because of the reception of the Mexican public. It is difficult for new talents to grow unlike in Europe, but believe me people support when they see that you are good at this.
4. Your track Frozen Dream which we have featured today, you teamed up with Pavel from Russia, how did the two of your work together in producing this track track given the current restrictions the world is under?
- Well one day I received an email in my inbox from Sound Cloud and well it was from Pavel, he showed me his new track just finished and he wanted me to place some of my touches on it, although it changed more than 50% of the original structure but I think we achieved a good result and all this thanks to current technology, being able to send steam through the internet is a great advantage and communication thanks to social networks makes work much easier from your studio.
5. What can we expect next from you?
- I have not decided this year but I am thinking of taking my production to another level, more melodic trance, you know the days ago I was listening to the new album of 'Shingo Nakamura' and I was fascinated by how beautiful it sounds. I want to work on something like that and be able to start releasing some of that in Monstercat Silk. At the moment I have some tracks to finish and I hope to be able to sign them before the end of the year. Several remixes and music with great artists are coming.
The track Frozen Dream is amazing and from the first time I heard it on Andrew Rayel's weekly podcast Find Your Harmony, I was itching for it to be released and now that it has, I just wanted to share it with everyone to enjoy for themselves.
Russian producer and DJ BYOR has been on the scene for a while but with his latest offerings including today's featured track, he's showing his versatility as a DJ experimenting with different sounds, the Cure is one that shows this. Its a great mixture of beats with a sequential build up, and the drop with the vocals just adds a different complex to the overall sound of the track. Its a song that has been doing the rounds for a while now with its release being in early March so it's had its fair time out there to gain popularity and that it did.
Russian DJ and producer D-Mad has been around for some time, one of his tracks "she gave me happiness" still remains one of my all time favourite EDM songs so I was very happy to see some new music being released by him of recent. Squeeze which is featured today has been played on many podcast and live set, it's a song that's distinctively D-Mad, his electronic sounds has evolved over the years but his signature synths and drops. It's another banger from the Russian and I hope to hear many more coming from him in the future.
I listen to many podcasts and of recent have really been enjoying Group Therapy by Above & Beyond, not sure if its the type of music they play which appeals for the mature trance fans but either way they have been playing some great stuff of recent. Like today's featured track really caught me, it's by Alpha 9 who I haven't heard of before but there was something about the track that seemed familiar with the tone and flow, and when I did some digging I found out that the man behind Alpha 9 is none other that Russian DJ and producer Arty. This kid has been one of my favourite DJ's since I started listening to ASOT, he sort of went quiet for a few years but is slowly starting to resurface again and honestly loving the work he's doing with this Alpha 9 alias. His sound has definitely matured a lot since when I used to listen to him and it's only for the better. Here is 'Before The Dawn' featuring vocals from Kameron Alexander.
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