Artem Stolyarov is one of the new up and coming artists who have surfaced in the year 2009. He's been a favourite with Paul van Dyk, who has played several productions of his. As Paul said in one of his recent shows: "one of the guys who is definitely on the up front of things". Artem is best known for his Arty productions on Enhanced Progressive and Shah-Music Digital but now he is making his debut on the Flashover sub called Aleph.
Review
The Original Mix is the more housier version of the two. You can most definitely draw parallels to productions of the likes of Dinka or Thomas Schwarz and other artists within' that Nu version of "progressive house" which is what this style is usually labeled as on Beatport. Warm melodies with this sort of crisp metallic edge, double clap effect and a soft percussion arrangement. To paint a more interesting picture he adds a few sound effects and a vocal sample which mumbles "to calm me down" (at least it sounds like she is saying that). I think people already know what to expect here given the description. The Club Mix version is, obviously, the heavier version with a more upbeat tempo (132 bpm). Everything seems to have some extra power in this mix. The vocals have a much bigger impact on the track and same goes for the effects. Overall this mix stands out alot more.
Verdict
I have been listening to the Club Mix ever since I was handed the promo. It might not be revolutionary but damnit it does the job, well, and it fits so much better in a trance set. If Artem keeps going at this pace he will be one of the biggest Russian stars in a matter of no time. If you're into stuff from Dinka (Chris Reece), Thomas Schwarz, Inpetto, etc then you should check this out. If you're one of the types who labels everything with an 8th note arrangement as "Deadmau5 crap", then this is probably not for you. Personally this is one of my top records of November!
Previews:
Original Mix: YouTube - Alpha 9 - Bliss (Original Mix)
Club Mix: YouTube - Alpha 9 - Bliss (Alpha 9 Club Mix)
Out Now on Beatport:
https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/200474/bliss
