It would be pointless to go on citing all the year's fine releases, for they are so many that it could easily take me an entire day, if not days even, to compile. But a few artists need to be highlighted, for they are artists that have shaped the 2005 sound and set the standards for the coming post-2005 evolution. Here are some of the artists that had a major impact on 2005, cited in random order, with emphasis on the less-known names rather than your usual suspects:
Arksun - Laurence Rapaccioli was known to some trancers as one among many good producers whose releases are always worth a check, and for the past few years he has been producing quite consistently and delivering good-sounding tunes. But this year constituted a real turning point for Laurence, for he received worldwide exposure with some dazzling remixes that he produced (the likes of P.O.S. ~ Gravity, AR52 ~ Piiska, Terradia ~ Drowning In Dreams, and Factoria ~ Kissed By An Angel), but above all for what is probably the Vocal Trance act of the year, Luminary, whose all three releases vibrated dancefloors all around the world and enraptured trancers across the globe; My World, Wasting, and Amsterdam, all easily fall among the year's finest vocal releases, and at least one of the three masterpieces can be found in any trancer's chart of the year.
Perry O'Neil - The hard-working progmeister has had quite an active year, producing and remixing in the highest standards of quality, all in the honorable name of ProgTrance. He is also quite wise in selecting what to remix, I mean just look at these choices: Audioholics ~ External Key, Elevation ~ Somewhere, Interstate ~ I Found You, Ridgewalkers ~ Find, Vascotia ~ Verano, Super8 & Tab ~ First Aid, Tilt ~ New Day, Arenok ~ Free Yourself, and Rio Addicts ~ Crossroads, all given the O'Neil progressive treatment. Perry is easily one of the remixers of the year...
David West - David Westerlund's name was submerged in Antiloop, but his solo project under the David West name sounded much different than Antiloop; to be more precise it sounded much trancier! He kicked off the year with an outstanding remix of Dominic Plaza ~ Sounds Rushing, which in my opinion is most definetly one of the finest gifts of 2005, but he didn't stop there, and ended up delivering one monstrous remix after the other with the likes of Carrie Skipper ~ Time Goes By and Tilt ~ New Day, not to rule out his equally stunning productions mainly embodied in his collaboration with Andreas Hermansson on Larry Mountains 54. Deliverer of one of the dreamiest progressive sounds of the year, David has truly impressed in 2005.
John O'Callaghan - Probably the busiest man in Trance for 2005, John's relentless releases are too numerous to count. For some they all sound the same, but you can't but stop and admire the guy's dedication to production, and some of his 2005 releases are truly worth more than a few listens, unless you think that Paul van Dyk was idiot by saying "John is a major up and coming talent, and will definately breakthrough soon". A name not only to remember in 2005, but also to look out for in 2006, with scheduled releases including a brand new remix of the classic Agnelli & Nelson ~ Everyday on Xtravaganza, another remix of the fresh Dogzilla ~ Without You on Maelstrom, a new Inertia ~ The System on Discover, a collaboration with Greg Downey on One Way Ticket also for Discover, and two hitherto untitled follow-ups, one to his Kearney collaboration of Restricted Motion, and one to Suberian Sun's Frostbite, both again on Discover!
Hydroid - The young Itay Steinberg is without a single doubt one of the most talented rising talents that emerged in 2005 and that are set for even bigger success in the times to come. Why? Burn Proof, Drawn To Depth, and Blue Tubes to name a few productions, in addition to some unbelievable remixes such as Cloudbrake ~ Difference, Ferry Corsten ~ Star Traveller, Perry O'Neil ~ Myst, Luminary ~ My World, Niklas Harding ~ Butterfly Effect, Ava Mea ~ In The End, and the list goes on... In less than a year he managed to assert his name as one of the most sought-after producers with a distinctive sound that allowed him to stand out among the army of emergin producers, and for that I consider him as one the landmarks of 2005.
Fred Baker - Belgium's and Black Hole's Frédéric De Backer achieved great success in 2005 as well, with his hard-edged sound he greatly contributed to what many people consider "the year of Tech Trance", notably with All Of Us, La Part Des Anges, Beautiful Sunshine, Sweet Moonlight, and above all the club-smashing floor-filling nerve-racking mind-crushing adrenaline-rushing heart-pounding breath-capturing crowd-murdering Electro Shock & System Overload!
Alex Morph - Quite a beloved name on this forum, and quite a reputable name in the Trance scene, all for one reason: fucking great production skills! And with this guy it's not just about quality, but about quantity too, but unlike JoC, each production of his sounds totally different than the next, and with over a dozen tracks and remixes in one year under many different aliases, that's saying something! Alex Mieling always delivers and never disappoints, and his name alone can pretty much summerize 2005's Uplifting Trance.
Andy Moor - Oh dear God, I was hoping I'd never get to this name because I'd just wouldn't stop talking. In my opinion, the name for 2005. Already voted Producer Of The Year in the 2004 Trance Awards, UK's precious Andy Beardmore was the shining star of the year 2005 with his unmatched remixes and productions and his progressively melodic sound that got every trancer (and even some of the most hardcore House allies) on his knees in praise. I will force myself to stop here else I'd have to dedicate an entire topic to this man's genius alone. Simply put, artist of the year for yet another year.
Mike Foyle - With just two releases (Luana & Love Theme Dusk) and a re-release of a 2004 production (Space Guitar), Mike's name has resonated across the Trance sphere; that's a rare achievement that not just anyone is able to pull out, except if that someone has been carved with raw talent, which is Mike's case. One of those names that you just buy their release blindly without even giving it a listen first.
Joni Ljungqvist - Three different guises (Ljungqvist, LNQ, JPL), two different sounds (Progressive & Uplifting), one same name. This very young swedish hit big in 2005 with People I Used To Know, A Place Called Home, Mistakes, Explanations, Society, and Bali, and I'm expecting (and hoping for) a continuity of his generous offerings in 2006.
Niklas Harding - Butterfly Effect, Pagoda, Blue Circles, Red Jewel, Ice Beach, Shadows, all masterpieces of Progressive Trance and all in less than half a year render Niklas one of the jewels of 2005 and a name surely to look out for in 2006... definetly one of my favorite people of the past year!
Kuffdam & Plant - John Steven & Yiannis Roberto broke through the year with style, unleashing one massive production after the other, hailing fans from Berlin to Amsterdam to Ibiza to Beirut, and proving that 2004's Summer Dream wasn't just another one hit wonder.
Ron van den Beuken - "This year in particular has been a great year for Tech-Trance, and RvdB certainly deserves to be on this list: he has provided us with an excellent remix of Ferry Corsten ~ Fire, and also his own production Sunset which has an unforgettable and sweet melody. What about Tibet? I remember seeing it in many THers' top 40 of Rhythm Nation. He might not be a new-comer, but veterans certainly deserve to receive credit. It's not that he's not prodcuing quality anymore; it's that we're forgetting that every year he's producing excellent consistent displays." (JAD)
I'd have to add John Marks ~ Do It Again [Ron van den Beuken remix] and Clokx ~ Feelings!
Filo & Peri - "Elevation, I95, Distance, Closer Now, Luana, Will Holland ~ Timeless [Filo and Peri remix]; need I say more?" (SamEr)
No, you don't!
Aava - "Pasi Korhonen, known as Aava, brought the Trance scene some flavor. Aava ~ Sid, the first release, is loved by many of the TH'ers including myself and played by Amadeus constantly at events giving ceisures to many. Aava ~ Replica, the second release, giving the same style as Sid, making it the next dance-floor thrasher. I guess the term "Quality not Quantity" makes itself useful here. These are not only great releases of the year, but the release of a great producer that will make a difference in the future by providing us teasers of what is to come." (Proof)
Not to leave out Karma and Mesh! It's not always about prog, even if it is at most times...
Jani Kervinen - "Under his alias Mystery Islands, and under two other aliases Dynni and Kaste with Mika Savola, Jani had many massive releases this year, which have also been featured in many Trance compilations, such as Dynni ~ City Of Moving Waters, Kaste ~ Desert Eagle, Mystery Islands ~ Solace, and also K-DE ~ Fourth Floor with Kai Harmaala, not to mention the quality remixes like Faraway Project ~ Radiate [Mystery Islands remix], Arizona & Greg Murray ~ Daylight [Mystery Islands remix], and Duderstadt ~ Mahananda [Mystery Islands remix]. His synths and his uplifting sound are unique and I'm sure he has more to deliver in the future." (Dreamboy)
Not to forget the Mystery Islands solo release Jungle Breeze & Beautiful Dreams!
Jonas Steur - "If one stumbles upon a record with this name or any of his aliases (Estuera, Global Killer, Propylon, Silvertear, Sturgeon, and Switchback), he or she must be sure it's a melodic beauty. Most of his productions are melodic beauties such as the ever-so-loved vinyl Jonas Steur ~ Castamara | Silent Waves, both tracks supported by many DJs and fans. Not only are his own productions are worth listening to, but so are his remixes such as Haylon ~ Starfighter [Jonas Steur remix] and Elles de Graff ~ Show You My World [Jonas Steur remix]. He also obtained huge fame with the alias Estuera when he collaborated with Relocate to produce a track that would stick to everyone's record box: Estuera & Relocate ~ Palma Salone. And soon to be released is the long awaited Estuera ~ Flow | Moon Sugar... 2005 was definitely a great year for Jonas, but he's not stopping now." (Proof)
Nothing much could be added here!
The list could have been longer, much longer, for the quality releases out in 2005 are countless, and the producers behind these releases are too many to name, but I believe that these names characterized 2005 to the largest extent, and played a major role in the evolution of Trance music. Nonetheless, if you believe that a certain name needs to be added to the list, please do not hesitate to say who it is and why it should be among the producers.
Trance is far from dead, at least as long as such musical geniuses are alive, and I strongly believe that 2006 holds even bigger things for us. This topic aimed to target the artists of the year, not the releases of the year, and so I hope I was able to showcase a brief overview of 2005 producers-wise, and I am awaiting your opinions on this matter. But please, stick to the topic by addressings producers not productions, as another topic will be created for the latter purpose.
Cheers mates!
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