Brainchild – Vol. III

Love playing the Eye Q releases pitched -4. They should get more love in the underground, especially with the progressive trance scene on the rise again.

The good old days when trance was fast(er.) The two tracks here clock in around 150 bpm, which i'm sure is just fast enough to make snobby elitists say they sound "dated" since so much modern dance music has taken to slower pastures... bollocks, all of it; these tracks are just the right speed. :)

A-side is relentless stormer that never seems to let up, even though it builds through a multiple-breakdown form. It's structured around a simple but effectively emotional melody and adds emphasis with additional layers driving that melody home. One such layer is the almighty choir stab (sorta - it sounds layered with a synth) - another "dated" element that I wish had never gone away. Pure gold, here. If there's one caveat to add, it's that the track structure feels a little convoluted on this one. Adding a minute or two to build in and out of the track would have helped. Still an absolute joy...

B-side burns a bit slower, starting out as a bit of an acid tune and moving steadily towards a tasteful breakdown and a nice melody. This has all the elements that would go on to define the trance formula but they're played in such a restrained and delicate way that the track never feels like a one trick pony like so much later trance music does.

Really good stuff, here. (At a really good tempo!)