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Guest Reviews: Alex Wright's March 2017, Top 5 Trance Encounters


The very talented UK based dj and producer Alex Wright, who has  releases on top labels including AVA recordings, Always Alive, Levitated Music, Sundance, Veritas recordings, Blue Soho, Emergent Shores and many more with support from the biggest trance djs in the world including Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and many more every month selects and reviews his Top 5 tracks of each month ahead of his radio show Trance Encounters that is streamed on 1mix radio every 1st Friday of every month with great success and big following. Exclusively for 1mix radio and Flux BPM Online Alex Wright chooses his top 5 trance encounters for March 2017. Alex Wright has studied extensively music production and he holds BSc degree in Audio & Recording Technology from De Montfort University, Leicester (DMU). Enjoy reading what he has to comment on each release with his knowledge as producer and DJ and of course put in your diary a reminder to not miss his radio show on 1mix radio.

Frank Waanders & Maglev - Trazzard (Uplifting Mix) [Always Alive Recordings] 



Alex Wright Review: Featuring some nice ambient pads, chord stabs, and vocal chops, Frank Waanders contuniues with his own style partnering up with progressive talent Maglev for this new Always Alive Recordings release. 'Trazzard' comes in the form of both an Uplifting Mix and a Progressive Mix, which I took to former due to its alignment with my primary taste and style preference. Engineered to perfection, this mix has a great drive with a warm offbeat sub and soft yet punchy kick which would sound great in a club. Some subtle but engaging plucks work their way in as things build into the breakdown, before a very beautiful piano plays on top of a chord progression with a similar mood to Evbointh - One Wish. The main pluck melody is anthemic and perfect for the AA sound, with great voices and tone when it opens up, making the climax very enjoyable and powerful to the ears. Top notch release as usual from this great uplifting Enhanced Music sub label. Overall Mark: 8/10

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Gerome Feat. Cassandra Grey - Memory Lane (Den Rize Vs Levekar Remix) [Emergent Skies]



Alex Wright Review: Starting with a solid, hard groove containing a perfectly punchy kick and thundering, rolling stereo-enhanced bassline, this two largely underrated producers team up to remix Gerome's latest vocal with Cassandra Grey, 'Memory Lane'. With no messing about, the intro gets underway with a fitting, pulsing bassline and acidic FX, making good use of the original vocals by chopping them in a cool way with a nice chorus effect on top. Before long, a nice 7th Anjuna-style pluck hits centre stage increasing the energy and feel-good factor along with a nice chord progression. Subtle piano touches also compliment the melodic picture as the break approches, and as the beat disappears, synth cutoffs climb down to a nice low level for a softer piano. Cassandra's beautiful vocals then sing the main section on top of smooth pads which is then followed by a beautiful, filtered, musical piano melody full of nostalgia which further embellishes the bittersweet theme of the  song. Things fade down to almost silence before a reversed reverb tail of the huge main lead melody introduces itself, making for a dramatic and hard hitting main section. As things build up to the drop, the home chord is held with lots of FX and risers, clearly demonstrating Den Rize's excellent sound design talents. A hard tech drop works very well in this remix and is executed in such a way that it really expands upon the ideas that Gerome originally laid out. A great stereo-spread, call and response gated lead sound adds to the drop before it moves into the full-blown climax featuring the amazing detuned lead and soft piano and then once again drops down one last time to bring the heavenly piano line to centre stage. This remix is one hell of a 7 minute, 46 second journey which features brilliant sound design and ideas, and definitely needs more attention paid to it. Watch out for these two names in the future. Overall Mark: 10/10

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JERZYK Feat. Ariette Florence - Next To You [Extrema Global Music] 



Alex Wright Review:  Over on Manuel Le Saux's Extrema label, young Scot Jerzyk makes a vocal anthem with vocalist Ariette Florence called 'Next To You'. As a person who is quite picky with vocal trance, I have to admit that this track is quite well-written and produced with great contrast between light and dark sections, and a big, epic, club-friendly chord progression to enhanced the chorus. Some nice choirs really add atmosphere to the floaty breakdown and the main melody is a tasty arpeggiated affair which makes for a massive, well-balanced, uplifting sound. I quite like how extra saw layers are added to the main melody during the climax as it progress too, going higher in the scales to add dynamics musically. Not bad at all and well put together in my opinion. Overall Mark: 7/10

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Tom Exo - Take Me Away (R3Dub Dub Remix) [Maraphobia] 9/10



Alex Wright Review: R3Dub is another name I've been hearing of in the past 12 months and his last few productions have brought my attention quite a bit due to their great balance and power, particular in the leads. His Dub remix of 'Take Me Away' is my choice here due to me not really being a fan of the vocals in the original. The kick and sub bass in this mix are perfectly laid out, and accompanied by good acids and backing leads. As the intensity builds with great transitional FX and a tight snare roll, the break emerges with spacious strings, pads and soft piano hits. Afterwards, the huge darting arpeggio lead sounds which opens up in a huge way as the beats and bass are reintroduced in maximum style, giving the climax tonnes of energy which would surely sound huge in a club!
Great work again by R3Dub. Overall Mark: 9/10

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Zack Mia - Connected [Digital Society Recordings] 10/10



Alex Wright Review: With support by Armin van Buuren on his A State Of Trance radio show, Zack Mia's latest tune on Digital Society Recordings has a great psy-influenced edge which includes lots of ear candy and FX. 'Connected' gets rolling quickly with a rumbly bassline and lazer-pointed kick, making this one space-aged in aesthetic and high in energy as the intro progresses. Once things have rolled along for a short period of time, a female vocal out of nowhere explains that "We are all connected". This then gives way to the simple yet beautiful lead which is perfectly designed, amping the excitement levels up close to the 10 mark. As the climax hits, the frequencies are all in full flow with the euphoria oozing out with every beat of the music. The sound bed is nicely set with backing parts and a very upfront lead, and of course the solid groove. Keeping things short and sweet at 5:10, this further shows how trance music is evolving into something more digestible and with more possibilities for creativity. I'm a big fan of this tune and its uniqueness, job very well done by the talented Zack Mia! Overall Mark: 10/10

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Latest Alex Wright releases:

Alex Wright - North West [Midnight Coast]



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Alex Wright & Mike Squillo With Katherine Amy - Touch The Sky (Vocal Mix) [Emergent Music]



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Trance Encounters with Alex Wright #042


**Don't miss Alex's Wright Trance Encounters on 1mix radio every 1st Friday of the month from 20.00-21.00 for the very best in trance and progressive. If you wish Alex to feature your track in his show and reviews or to book him for your next trance event please email him: alex_dj[at]live[dot]co[dot]uk

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