Day #26: Trance Troopers

Trance Troopers..

Yep, I came out with that idea about about a year ago or so. Trance Troopers is Aonyx's trance music signature event. The first Trance Troopers was held last year, on February 27, 2010. The event took place at Barcode, Jakarta. Lots of people came and we partied like crazy.

It's been almost a year after that. We finally made the sequel of Trance Troopers. On January 15, 2011, Trance Troopers Chapter II is held. Still at the same place, Barcode, Jakarta. Even though the club area is now known as Lunar Club.

The energy of the crowd was barely down from last year!! That's what I love the most of this event. What I regret is I don't take any photographs from the first event.

With this chance, I'd like to thanks Aonyx's friends from the first event, DJ Noxx (M1/43), DJ Ready (Synan Recordings) and DJ LTN (Spinach). And from the last event, DJ Noxx (M1/43), DJ Resty (M1/43), DJ Ditox (Trance4Life), DJ Bunny and The Cat, MC Giri (Spinach) and Indonesia Trance Community. Also Aonyx and Barcode family that help me realize my idea.

This is the energy from the crowd that feeds me on the deck. Thanks for coming, guys!!! Hope to see you again, soon!!!

Day #18: Julie Thompson

After the post about Amandia Syachridar, Indonesian local vocalist that I've been dying to work with, I've got another one.

Her name is Julie Thompson. A Norwich, UK, born and bred singer. And now she is a singer under Magic Muzik / Black Hole Recordings. I think it was in 2008 when I first her name. It was Allure feat. Julie Thompson - Somewhere Inside (Andy Duguid Remix) that made me fell for her voice for the first time. As a die-hard fan of vocal trance, I really dig her voice.

As a reference, you can hear Allure feat. Julie Thompson (Andy Duguid Remix) here. And also Super8 & Tab feat. Julie Thompson (Rank1 Remix) here or the (Club Mix) here. (All videos are courtesy of Youtube). Listen to them, and you'll know why I made this entry as a tribute for her.

As a member of Astral Escalation, an Indonesian duo that bring trance as our genre, I really do wish that someday we will have the chance to work together with her. Oh, Julie Thompson, how I really love your voice!! See her myspace page here.

#trancefamily

Day #15-a: Destiny is Finished!!!

Crap.. I spent all-yesterday to finish Astral Escalation's remix of Destiny..

So, I forgot (again) to update my journey in #30harimenulis :(

I have to post another entry later this day..

This project was started in November 2010, pardon my memory. I was shamelessly introduce myself to Dina Dellyana and asked her BlackBerry pin. I desperately wanted to have a collaboration with one of my favorite band, Homogenic. But, after chatted a while via BlackBerry Messenger, the collaboration was put on hold due to Homogenic and Dina's tight schedule. (I'm still hoping for this to happen sometimes in the future, though :p) Instead, Dina offered us (Aonyx) to remix one of their song. So I pick one of my favorite song from their latest album (Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom), the song called "Destiny".

Soon after that, Grahadea (one of Homogenic's member) sent me an email. That email consisted of Destiny's song materials. I listened to the materials, I was surprised because all the files were vocal files of Amandia and some backing vocals also. So I guess, we have to create a whole new song for these vocals.

I was really on fire with this project, in total (until now) there were three different approach for the remix. But, the trance version from Astral Escalation was the first one to the finish line. I'll upload the song to Astral Escalation's page on Soundcloud and Myspace, soon. The link can be found in the right panel of this page, labeled "Alter Ego".

Hope you like it. Thank you for this opportunity, Homogenic and Dina Dellyana. :)

Here are the lyrics for "Destiny (Astral Escalation Remix)":

Destiny, here I am

Giving all my days

I never felt so in love before

Forever is not enough

Nothing can tear us apart

To be at your side,

To be in your heart,

To be at your side,

To be in your heart

Nothing can tear us apart

Day #13: Astral Escalation

Let the narcissism begin..

Now , I'm going to talk about my first project in Electronica Dance Music scene, Astral Escalation..

It all begin in Summer 2008, when I started to enroll in Spinach DJ School. Along the way, I figured it out that the only trance-base DJ that enrolled there just me and a guy named Rama (Irsan Ramadhan). Rama's got the first gig before I finished my term. We were joined in 180 Management, a DJ management that was built for the Spinach DJ School's student after they're finished their enrollment.

On the late 2008, I've got my firstgig in Musro, Borobudur Hotel, Central Jakarta. Because Rama and I were the only trance DJs, so we got the last turn in that night's rundown. So, we decided to play back to back. The same taste in music got us decided that it's better for us to be joined forces. At first, we took 'Astral Plane' as our project alias. After a while, we've been informed that 'Astral Plane' is already exist. So we changed our alias to 'Astral Escalation'.

We got pretty steady gigs for a while. Until around February or March in 2009, we were kind of figured out that our vision wasn't the same as our management. So we decided that it's better to be resigned form 180 Management and started to create a new management with our own vision.

It was Rama's idea to took Oscar Erdiansyah as our allies. And briefly, Aonyx was born in April 2009. You can read a brief history about Aonyx in my previous entry here.

Since Aonyx was born, Astral Escalation carries a mission to be the best trance-duo in Indonesia (wishful thinking.. Haha). And also with the help from Oscar and Jaya of Aydra & Oscar, we started to produce our own songs and remixes, which you can check in our myspace page here.

As we get stronger on the internal relations with Aonyx, we started to look for another trance management as our friends and allies. So far, we've got a good relationship with Spinach Records, Synan Recordings, M1/43 and recently, Trance4Life.

With so much going on in EDM scene, we hold a high hope for Astral Escalation to strive forward to reach our dream, to be Indonesia's top trance-duo in International EDM scene.

Wish us luck, guys!! :)

Cheers, Trance Family across the world!!

T R A N C E

I've made this (some-kind) of essay a long time ago. And now, I am republishing it here. The words that is written below is about music, one kind of music that I like. FYI, I like music very much. And TRANCE is one of them. So, here are my reasons why I like TRANCE, and why I pledge myself to TRANCE.

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WHY I PLEDGE MYSELF TO TRANCE?

Why?
I meet some difficulties to answer this question.

I started listen to trance in the early 2002. Back then, I know nothing about any electronic dance music. I thought the electronic music was all the same. And I came out wrong. There are various kinds of EDM in the world. Trance is just one of them.

I try to listen to the other genres, too like: Electro, progressive, house, techno. But, nothing that suits me more than trance.

I listen to quite a few musicians, and some of them become my favorite. Hmm, let's say Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, Kyau & Albert, Super8 & Tab, Aly & Fila, Ronski Speed, Rank-1, Markus Schulz, Andy Moor, Gareth Emery, Tiesto, and some others that will make this list too damn long to be read. =P

Trance is the richest kind of music I've ever heard. The melody, the vocal and the beats really fits my soul. Trance can make my mind wondering on its own. Trance can make me calm and relax when madness cloud up my brain. Trance also can lift me up and bring the energy when I feel sad and down. Trance can bright up some inspirations when I am stuck on something. Trance is a very emotional music for me. Trance knocks on my ear, goes to my brain, touches my heart, and then bursts out through my body.

And the best of all, I don't need any chemical substance to experience 'fly' or 'high'. hahaha

As a DJ and (soon to be) electronic dance music producer, that’s why I love and pledge myself to trance.

Maybe that is just me.

How about you? What is your kind of music?

I made this notes just because of some curiosity inside my head. Cheers.