What’s good, NovelliFans?!?!? I hope that this week has been treating you well.
& if not, and you happen to be struggling, please know that I see you, and I hope that one (or more) of the tracks featured here will shine a bit of light into the darkness, add a little pep to your step, and lift a little bit of the weight from your heart. 💛
We’ve got three fantastic fresh mixes to explore, so lets jump to it shall we?
Keeps On Giving
With all the buzzing about I’ve been doing the past couple weeks re: ‘Say Something’, I somehow managed to blow right past a fresh mix of one of Christina’s previous releases — her breathtaking collab with Alex Kunnari, ‘The Love You Give’, the original trance version of which came out back in September 2020 on Black Hole Recordings.
Interestingly, although the credits for the track, which was co-written with award-winning film & TV composer, songwriter and producer Neil Athale, suggest that the original trance version may have been recorded first, an acoustic version of the song was in fact released almost an entire year earlier, on Christina’s 2019 full-length album, Through My Eyes – The Acoustic Sessions Vol. 1.
This tender yet rousing performance also happens to have been the first version of the song that I ever heard — as the proud owner of a physical copy of Through My Eyes, which I ordered all the way from the Netherlands after discovering Christina’s music earlier this year. #CDgirlieforlife 😍
& now, almost 5 years since that initial acoustic release, a fresh mix of ‘The Love You Give’ has found a home on another full-length album — Alex Kunnari’s Statement [Part I] which dropped on August 9, once again on Black Hole Recordings.
Seeing its first recorded placement in the special August 8 ‘Statement’ guestmix that Kunnari performed for the second hour of episode 1185 of A State of Trance — ‘The Love You Give’ (AK Statment Remix) dials the 2020 version’s tempo up to that impetuous 138 BPM borderline; amping the euphoria of the melodic lines to match.
& all the while Christina’s crystalline vocals ring out over the rhythm, guaranteed to captivate you yet again, whether this makes for your first, second or eighth rendition of the song. (The original trance release came with 5 additional versions, including remixes and extended mixes. 🙌)
While the acoustic version of this track will always hold top spot for me, if you’re looking for something to move your feet AND fill your heart, ‘The Love You Give’ (AK Statement Remix) will def deliver!
Click the link below to give it a spin.
Coincidentally this is a track I’ve been considering for my first in a series of fan edits that pairs songs from Muse Music artists with some of my favourite TV shows.
Rn I’m brainstorming a BtvS edit for this particular song, but I also have a few Dawson’s Creek ideas, as well as some more general aesthetic vids logged away in my Google Keep for future fun. 🤩🤩🤩
Wild & Free
Speaking of fan edits, my Siskin Saturday edit is SUPER close to being finished, and barring any unforeseen delays I hope to have it ready in time to include it alongside my writeup for the upcoming Voyager Radio Episode 200 Celebration!
Which ties in nicely with our next featured release — a fresh Siskin mix of the John Askew & Shelby Merry collab ‘Wild Horse’ that I first heard when Suzanne premiered it on the latest episode of Voyager Radio — number 199(!!!) — a little over three weeks ago now. 🥳🥳🥳
Following just one week after the August 9 release of John & Shelby’s original (and making for the fourth Black Hole Recordings featured release this week), the mix was also included in episode 928 of Paul van Dyk’s VONYC Sessions and received a glowing review from Akshay Bhanawat as part of a recent writeup of the John & Shelby team-up on T.H.E. Music Essentials.
To add my two cents to Bhanawat’s seasoned perspective, Sue and Suzanne’s rendition ramps up the tempo & pares back the lyrics to retain only the barest of essentials, creating what feels like a sonic sequel to the haunting atmosphere of the original — the wild horse now set free.
Both tracks are available now on all major platforms, so feel free to give them a spin and let me know in the comments if you agree.
Breathe Deep
Rounding out our featured tracks for the week is another mix that offers an atmospheric reinterpretation of the original — the Elated Remix of ‘Breathe’ by songwriter, pop-star, and EDM vocalist-on-the-rise, Meggie York and “your girlfriend’s favourite hit-maker”, CPYRGHT. 😏
The original track, which was released back on April 5, is giving solid melodic house vibes — the slow-jam verses underscoring Meggie’s lush vocals with a warm melodic line that builds to a chorus of taut cymbals & some the most uplifting percussive piano you’ll hear all week! (& the snaps, Fam!!! Don’t think I missed the snaps!!!)
For his remix, which dropped on Friday, August 16, Elated has given the track a Trance-tastic twist, trading the piano (and snaps) for snowy synths, subtle sirens and that syncopated percussion he does so well — underlined by swift kicks that push the tempo & drive the song right up to the border of Trance and Melodic Techno.
Where the original creates an atmosphere of anticipated triumph, the heightened intensity of Elated’s remix reflects the sense of urgency that can come alongside the desire for a change that has yet to happen that the lyrics so beautifully express.
Coming to us from Paradise Music, both versions are out now wherever you like to listen — and the Elated Remix single ALSO comes with an acoustic rendition of the track … and that’s all I’m gonna say about that.😁
That’s a wrap for this week, Fam, and for the next couple of weeks as well, as I’m actually heading off on an unexpected and astonishing adventure — one that I’m super excited to share with you upon my return.
I hope to be back on the blog on September 17, but if I can manage it, I may post some real-time updates on Instagram while I’m away, so feel free to follow me over there if I’ve managed to pique your interest. 😉
Wishing you peace and delight in the weeks to come, and thanks as always for stopping by.
Never Miss A Beat
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