Mark Sherry – ‘Confirm Humanity’ (Album)
Two years back Mark Sherry had his humanity questioned. Nobody — least of all he — could have known it’d trip off his first artist album. Clicking a captcha to ‘confirm’ his ‘humanity’ was an innocuous, seemingly fleeting moment. Everything that followed that, well, markedly less so. Over the following minutes, hours, days and weeks he returned to the question with ever-increasing interest.
As an album began to crystallise around the ‘Confirm Humanity’ question, its significance appeared to take on numerous other forms, not least social, cultural and existential ones. Throughout its studio development, Mark sourced a litany of elements that chimed with ‘Confirm Reality’s central theme. Some overt, some nuanced and others Easter egged and for the sharpest ears only, within its fabric they make for an album which transmits both music and meaning. Through tracks like ‘The End Is The Beginning’, ‘Triquetra’, ‘Method To My Madness’ and ‘I’m Not A Robot’, Mark Sherry even poses some questions of his own.
In this debut album quest, Mark’s been flanked by a cadre of co-producers from his Outburst Records universe and beyond. Richard Durand, David Forbes, Tempo Giusto, Vlind, Mallorca Lee and others joined him in the studio, ultimately assisting in the serving of 18 desk-fresh tracks.
Tomorrow, you can confront the question on your own, if you dare. ‘Confirm Reality’ within yourself with this awe-inspiring new album.
Aly and Fila w/ Kyau and Albert – Come Home
After the already-blazing success of both ‘It’s All About The Melody’ and Beatport #1 ‘Gravity’, Aly and Fila, the formidable trance duo now return with yet another stage-dominating anthem; ‘Come Home’ featuring stalwarts of the genre Kyau and Albert.
From the vocal-led to the skin-tingling atmospheric, Aly and Fila leave no stone unturned within trance and do so with finesse and originality on ‘Come Home’. Industrial whirrs meld with an elusive, excitable melody that will surely have hands-in-the-air before the brooding vocals courtesy of Kyau and Albert project through with a gritty uniqueness. The boys really put the pedal to the metal with robust kicks, staccato synths and a rising energy that merges the two artists styles in perfect unison whilst retaining individuality for a concoction of epic proportions.
Another trance masterpiece at its finest, this one will be played out a ton this festival season with the intent to uplift its listeners.
All Hail The Silence – The Alarm (Vince Clarke Remix)
Produce a track that’s as fond a homage to one of the most revered pioneers of electronic music as is modern-day achievable? Check. On release get approving nods and noises on the track from said pioneer? Check. Have pioneer subsequently develop such a love for the track that he ultimately wants to remix it? Annnnd check!
Safe to say that Brian ‘BT’ Transeau and Christian Burns found themselves in Dream Factory’s Wish Fulfilment zone when Vince Clarke’s (of Depeche Mode) team dropped them a note. The tune that’d resonated was ‘The Alarm’.
Vince’s outreach came at a timely juncture, just as ‘The Alarm’ had sparked renewed interest through its inclusion on the pair’s debut studio album.
Naturally following All Hail The Silence prescribed studio operandi (using analogue-only synthesizers and without computer sequencing assistance, echoing techniques Clarke himself originally advanced), Vince set to work. Hooked around Roland-ish synths and pads and the emotional highs of its chord progressions, he has given ‘The Alarm’ an almost impossibly cool remapping. Fashioning a neo-classic analogue style, he brilliantly picks out the pathos of Christian’s verses and accentuates the nascent optimism of his chorus. This remix fits a puzzle piece in the ongoing history of electronic music with its retro-futuristic feel.
*Featured image via Mark Sherry, Aly and Fila, Kyau and Albert and All Hail The Silence*
