Andy Blueman opened 2009 with his chart topping EP called Sea Tides. These days the shelf life of trance records usually are a few weeks to 2 months but top jocks like Armin van Buuren and Tiësto are still playing out Blueman's Sea Tides. I'm quite certain that people will remember Andy Blueman when they look back on 2009. So far Andy has remixed for artists like Waterspark, Robert Nickson and Ferry Tayle & Static Blue and forthcoming remixes are for Motionchild & Will Holland and Armin van Buuren. I did a short interview with Blueman back in January where he told me he was slow at composing but now the remix jobs are rolling in, and this collaboration with Reconceal is here. Andy Blueman isn't a stranger to the Perceptive Recordings where he so far has had all his singles released. Reconceal also is no stranger with this being his second single on Perceptive. Right now fans are patiently awaiting the next from Andy and the hype around this tune had already begun before the tune was even revealed. Let's take a closer look at this release which has two original mixes; one from Andy Blueman and one from Reconceal. Remixes comes from Onova and Alex Pich.
Andy Blueman:
"Expect a very epic break again, similar to Neverland."
"To be honest, it's better, there is much more going on in this song and the break is even stronger and more emotional."
The first mix is the Reconceal Mix and this mix is in your face from first bar. The graduate percussion build-up has pretty much been skipped. From 3rd phrase the bassline is being thrown at you and the melody starts to get going. Sadly I feel that this mix is simply too aggressive and messy and the things get slightly corny with the choirs used. Big big pay-off but nothing that gets me excited. The Andy Blueman Mix feels alot more cleaner compared to the other version but still very energetic if you compare it to his other productions. Punchy bassline, rolling aggressive percussion and a well-structured build-up - you are definitely being taken on a ride here. And as promissed, a nothing short of grand and epic breakdown with a bit of that moviescore theme, as heard in Neverland. The fans will love this without a doubt. On to the Onova Remix; as usual we're dealing with an energetic stormer. I'm feeling a bit of better mastering around this one - the sounds feel much more clean and you really get to taste the individual elements he's thrown in there. Brilliant sizzling synth lines, shots and a good rolling bassline. The breakdown isn't far from the style in the originals and it really does not fall behind. The last remix is from Russian producer Alex Pich. It's a slice of deep, slightly groovy, hypnotic progressive trance. The whole track mainly relies on the arp/lead, the bass and the kick drum - it's not a super exciting remix but I'm sure this will please some of the prog lovers out there - perhaps some of those who enjoy the sound of Arthur Deep.
Verdict
You can't win them all; I'm saying this cause I was only really feeling 25 % of this release. It's important for me to mention that I have followed the Perceptive boys from the very beginning and their success-rate has been phenomenal. However, I think Andy stayed true to his words and he took that breakdown even further compared to Neverland. Onova is the one to go for however, and this just might be one of his finest remixes ever, so make sure you check that out.
Beatport: 10/08/2009
Perceptive Recordings
