After last year’s interruption, Solarstone’s milestone compilation “Pure Trance” returns for its 9th installment. For this year’s edition Rich has invited Stoneface & Terminal as guests to create the guest mix. Matthias & Henry’s productions, remixes, and stellar sets have helped build the foundation of the scene, going strong for more than 2 decades already. They follow a long list of previous guest mixers like Giuseppe Ottaviani, Bryan Kearney, Sneijder, Factor B, and Activa.
Over the last decade, the albums’ make-up has crystallised around several core paradigms. Feeding into the genre’s future, the discovery and elevation of new talents (of which the ninth volume features many) remain central. As does Richard’s mission to return some much-missed names to its fore, ensuring that the classic feel of the genre is baked in. It also affords Rich the opportunity to – where innate – introduce and trancify some music from outside electronic music’s sphere. Further, both Richard and Stoneface & Terminal (Henri Nix & Matthi Gierth) have taken the opportunity to (exclusively for the album) remix some tracks from the genre’s dawn.
If you’re seeing even more of Solarstone’s own on his latest Pure Trance testament, it’s not hard to imagine why. With double the prep-time to hand, it’s allowed Rich to inject even more of that Solar essence into his mix.
Adding the most personal of touches, Pure Trance 9 is the first in the series where every track featured has either been co-produced, engineered, remixed or Retouched by the man himself.
Through Foxhill’s balm-some ‘Beach’ and Misja Helsloot’s “Bashed” (via his new Hel:sløwed alias), Rich’s introductory minutes bring the album cruise appeal. Holding its own memorable moment for Solarstone this summer (having opened his first post-lockdown set with it), Akkima’s “Moments” follows. One of his “all-time top 5 tracks” meanwhile, Sunscreem’s “Love U More” has been on his remix wish list for over twenty years. In a rework that may yet prove to be his finest, through studio mastery he manages to add yet greater emotional weight to “Love U More”‘s song. At the culmination of his mix – through Robert Nickson’s latest, Solarstone goes all-in on the galactic. A reinterpretation of the Bulgarian folk song that featured on The Golden Record sent on the 1977 Voyager space missions), “Delyo’s Voyage” delivers an (inter!) stellar end to the mix.
Talking about ‘V9’ and its deferred release, Richard says: “Pure Trance 9 was a great joy to work on. The pandemic forced me to postpone it in 2020, as we were unable to bring it that essential live experience element. It did give Stoneface & Terminal and myself the luxury of more time to source brilliant material and work on exclusive remixes and edits though. Matthi & Henri put their heart & soul into making it a true heads-down, club-focused journey, and in that, I thank them most sincerely. The album is a mix of wonderful music from both established producers and exciting new names. I love giving upcoming artists a platform (and occasionally ‘a first break’) for their work on these comps. Whilst searching for the music, I came across some amazing talent, which is something more rewarding than words can convey.”
At the outset of their disc, Stoneface & Terminal also get to scratch a big remix itch. Under their Gundamea guise, they dazzlingly rework Cosmic Baby’s proto-trance classic “Loops Of Infinity”, initially setting the mix-tone trench-deep. Through successive tracks including Basil O’Glue’s “San Giljan” and Pico Boulevard’s “Another Time”, its vibe holds at the spaceier end of the spectrum. From Paul Denton’s “Ricochet” and M.I.K.E. Push & Trintro’s “Endless Balance” on, however, its cooler feel thaws, and indeed takes on a propellant quality. Killer collabs with Robert Nickson on “From The Sun” and Solarstone with (the Irish folk song-based) ‘Mist on the Mountain’ continue to raise its trajectory. The German duo rounds out their mix with “Lateott”, the latest from Lost Witness, and SF&T’s own new creation for “Pure Trance 9”, “Frontlines”.
Speaking ahead of its release, Matthi & Henri said: “When Rich invited us to mix the second disc of “Pure Trance 9″, we felt honoured, yet uncertain if we could completely deliver. After making a plan, reaching out to some of our favourite acts and producing some exclusive original tracks, remixes and collaborations, we are very happy with the result! This mix is a reflection of who we are and what we like when it comes to melodic & driving music. We think it’s a great complement to Solarstone’s mix.”
Pure Trance 9 mixed by Solarstone and Stoneface & Terminal will be out on November 12th, 2021 via Black Hole Recordings!
Get your copy here:
https://blackhole.lnk.to/pt9
Tracklist “Pure Trance 9”:
Disc 1 – mixed by Solarstone
01. Adam Nickey – Reflections
02. ZOYA – Nostalgia (Solarstone Retouch)
03. Foxhill – Beach (DJ Mix)
04. Hoope – Matahari (Balearic Mix, Solarstone Retouch)
05. Hel:sløwed – Bashed
06. Everlight – The Long Road Home (Sinful Biz Remix, Solarstone Edit)
07. Lostly – Violet (Solarstone Edit)
08. Aerium – Something More (Solarstone Retouch)
09. Solarstone – S3000 (island Mix)
10. Lustral – Everytime (Danny Stubbs Remix, Solarstone Edit)
11. Akkima – Moments (Solarstone Retouch)
12. Paul Ryan – Stars
13. Sunscreem – Love U More (Solarstone Pure Mix)
14. Robert Nickson – Delyo’s Voyage (Solarstone Edit)
Disc 2 – Mixed by Stoneface & Terminal
01. Cosmic Baby – Loops Of Infinity (Gundamea Remix, Intro Version)
02. Basil O’Glue & Nomas – San Giljan
03. Pico Boulevard – Another Time
04. Stoneface & Terminal with SinSonic – Spaceglide
05. Martin LeBlanc – Lagom (Activa Rework)
06. Paul Denton – Ricochet (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)
07. M.I.K.E. Push & Trinitro – Endless Balance (Stoneface & Terminal Remix)
08. Corin Bayley presents R3BORN3 – My Kaleidoscope
09. Stoneface & Terminal with Robert Nickson – From The Sun
10. Solarstone with Stoneface & Terminal – Mist on the Hill (Stoneface & Terminal Mix)
11. Lost Witness – Lateott
12. Sam Laxton – Life In Trance
13. Stoneface & Terminal – Frontlines (Book Series Version)
Pure Trance 9 mixed by Solarstone and Stoneface & Terminal
