Eight years on and while that peril’s not passed, its advance has been blunted, with many of its chancers moving on in search of something else to commercialize. As such the movement – forged and spearheaded by Solarstone, and having long since matured to include global club events, a much-loved weekly radio show, and a triple-record label arsenal has, almost imperceptibly, transitioned. Vindicated – a battle largely won, it’s become less ‘mission’ and even more focused on the music itself.
“Factoria has been round for a long time. When we met in Fabric, London I mentioned I was mixing PT8 and he said he had a potential track. After sending it & giving it a bit of a touch up, it was a perfect mixture of energy & melody.”
Discover PT8 here > https://t.co/2oenjYTJZR pic.twitter.com/NSoDpk2OO9
— Pure Trance (@ILikeItPure) December 9, 2019
Solarstone delivers his eighth annual, bringing another fitting close to this P.T. year. Joining him for 2019’s edition is a DJ & producer whose re-emergence is – essentially – a living, breathing result of the movement itself. After almost a decade away, Activa’s reactivation is as sure a sign as any of the scene’s brighter days renaissance. He commits an astonishing second disc of energized trance elevations to complement Solarstone’s assured-as-ever selection of the purest.
Solarstone’s mix initially lies in the hypnotically languid, super-tranquil waters of ‘Beautiful Surface’ by Super-Frog Saves Tokyo. Taking its time to make those cool overtures, it features Solarstone’s own Retouches of Allende’s newie ‘Essence’, ‘This Side of Paradise’ from Romania’s Claudiu Adam and Oliver Imseng’s entrancing ‘New Dawns’.
The bassy throb of ‘Take Me On Your Flight Pt II’ from Solarstone and the Orkidea/Dinny Ward link-up ‘Forward Forever, Out Of The Screws’ start to establish a more floor-seeking heat for it – one that’s further amped by Sam Mitcham’s ‘Amarula’ and gardenstate’s ‘Bloom’. Bringing disc 1 to a head are RNX’s endlessly thrilling rework of Solarstone classic ‘Rain Stars Eternal’, The Blizzard’s gripping ‘Blue Hour’ and the Stripped Mix of Solarstone & Future Disciple’s marvelous ‘Monkey Mia’.
While not missing the chance for a scene-setting sign-in (courtesy of Tony Anderson tellingly-titled ‘Immersion’), Activa’s commences Pure Trance operations further up the tempo & tone dial. He strikes quickly with Solar Movement’s exceptional 4/4 drive of Way Out West’s classic ‘Mindcircus’, as well as S.M.’s own ‘Pure Soul’ and Activa’s killer ‘Midnight’. ‘Journey To The Deep’ from Robert Nickson turns the thermostat up again, while Activa precision places New Ordinance’s ‘Beyond Gravity’ (Factor B’s rework), ‘Novo’ from Dan Stone and others, to ensure that mercury keeps rising. Rob stacks the mix’s third act with much of his own studio fare. Among them is ‘Spirit’ – the new single alongside Solarstone, as well as a retouch of Jaron Inc’s update of G&M Project’s ‘Sunday Afternoon’ and ‘When The Mask Falls’ – his on-approach teaming with Julie Thompson.
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