Album Review
2. VA - In Search of Sunrise 9: India (Mixed by Richard Durand)
Label: Songbird (Black Hole Recordings)
Genre: Trance
Another year, and another entry in the legendary ISOS mix series. This marks the second year since Richard Durand took over the duties of mixing this compilation, and while I can't say India is as impressive as last year's effort, it's still a solid compilation that earned it's spot in my top 5 albums of the year.
The album opens with a nice intro from Indian producers Lost Stories before transitioning into a soothing laid-back vocal track from Ad Brown and Mango with vocals from Kerry Leva. Just as with their tracks on ISOS 8, Ad Brown sets the tone for the rest of the disc, as the first hour of this mix is decidedly chill and low energy. There are definitely some gems in the form the equally soothing and emotional “Craters of the Moon” by Alex O'Rion, as well as the progressive monster in sheep's clothing, “Ice Coffee” by Moonpax. The first disc is solid throughout, although Durand really kicks it up a notch with the penultimate track on the disc, his own production “Run to You” featuring Hadley.
Taking a couple cues from his artist album also released this year, Run To You is a tech infused trance anthem that does a great job in signalling the change of direction that Durand has planned for disc 2. I usually don't talk about tracks in which I only like one specific part... but the climax of this song deserves it. Although Hadley's performance on vocals is merely adequate, the way Durand builds the production with her repeated lyrics is enough to make this track the high point of the first disc for me.
The second disc opens up on the techier side with a pleasantly creepy tune from Jorg Zimmer and Eva Kade titled “Fire In My Head” before softening up a bit with “Seven” from Silence Groove and my previously mentioned vocal track of the year “Still I Wait” from Jonas Steur and Jennifer Rene. Although this disc has slightly more of an edge than the first, it remains quite “fluffy” and melodic until about 2/3 of the way through, with the introduction of the second Alex O'Rion track on the compilation, and my personal favourite from the young producer.
Dark bass, light melodies, rain and thunder... this song has everything I love. This track really surprised the hell out of me on my first listen, and it was the moment that cemented The Bigger Room as one of the top albums of the year for me. The impossibly beautiful melody really comes out of nowhere around the 2 and a half minute mark, and while it's simple I know that for me personally, it evokes more emotion than anything I have heard elsewhere this year. The sounds of thunder and rain create a perfect compliment to the melody as they remind me of the pleasant melancholy I feel whenever it rains. I'm not sure if this is truly one of the greatest tracks ever produced, or if it just hits all the notes for me personally, but either way, easily one of my top tracks of the year.
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