This is the first EP release of the forthcoming debut album “Zest” from Ignite Digital – the UK based Hard Dance/Hard Trance label run by DJ/Producer Simon Qudos. This EP sees Brisbane based Luke S team up with one of our favourite UK producers, Nick Squires – better known as SQ. After many hours locked in the studio, these two have produced two impressive tunes aimed to devastate the dance floor.

“Relentless” is an out and out solid hard trancer driven by a powerful kick drum and complimenting rolling bassline – plenty of subtle key changes and enough twists and turns to keep you hoping for more!

“Red & Blue” sees the boys take it up a notch and the result is a tune that would easily bridge hard trance and hard house – elements of old skool with a plenty here, with a well used 303, rave FX and a vocal sample from The Matrix that fits the tune perfectly and makes it one to remember long after you’ve left the dance floor!

You can here both of these tracks in my recent Hard Acid Trance Mix, and watch for the Zest album from Ignite Digital to be released on Nov 11, 2010 with digital release following up in December.

Rave Girls at Burning Man in Black Rock Desert.

Today marks the opening of Burning Man 2010 at Black Rock city in Nevada which runs from Aug 30, 2010 through Sep 6, 2010. The enormously popular annual event now draws approximately 50,000 people but started out much smaller in 1986 (possibly even earlier) at Baker Beach in San Francisco. 1990 marked the first year the event was planned in the middle of Black Rock Desert, about 100 miles from Reno. This year’s theme is Metropolis.

Burning Man Temple in Black Rock City

In addition to the burning of the man at the end of the festival, it has become customary to erect and burn a temple. David Best was originally behind the project, which has also been led by Mark Grieve before being turned over to the Burning Man Community.

Burning Man Temple on Fire in Black Rock City

The Burning Man event is governed by 10 principles, which are radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.

Burning Man Mutant Vehicle

Mutant Vehicles are creatively modified cars and trucks, distantly similar to parade floats. Burners who intend to bring a mutant vehicle must submit their plans in advance to the Burning Man DMV (Department of Mutant Vehicles) for approval as well as for physical inspection at the event. Not all designs and proposals are accepted.

Photos by: mdanys and JahFae

Wow! It feels like forever since I started poking away at the new website design for Trancendance! And it’s been even longer since I first thought about investing the time and energy to finally give Trancendance a proper online home.

This is still only phase 1 of the new website with the help of this site https://www.webdesign499.com/quick-web-design-pointers-you-need-right-now/. The podcast area has lots of content, but the blog area is in need of new content, which should start to fill out on a regular basis. I hope to add some DJ profiles and interviews, some top 10 lists and of course, some upcoming events, especially local ones in Vancouver and Canada.

I’ve also started to dabble with producing remixes and mashups, even if they are bootlegs at this point, so watch for those to be posted here in the blog section, starting soon!

In the meantime, there’s lots of music to check out in the podcast section and I’ve also really started to build up some social media components to complement the Trancendance website. In the sidebar you can find links to Trancendance on Facebook, the Soundcloud profile for dj Smiley Mike, a Trancendance group on Soundcloud and the beginnings of a dj Smiley Mike Twitter page (which needs some followers!)

So please help me spread the word, tell your friends, tell all the people you barely know – and lets play some Trance!

Eve Records has been one of my favorite record labels for over a decade. Many of their early releases have a harder, faster sound than many of todays melodic anthems, but trance was harder back then. 

UK record label Eve Records was founded by Stefano Lo Presti and Pablo Gargano in 1995 and quickly became a well-known, well-respected and well-recognized underground trance label. The label was conceived as a means of distributing various works by Pablo Gargano who masterminded many of the earlier releases. However, in keeping the focus on the music and not the name behind the music, early releases where identified only by number and Gargano’s name rarely appeared anywhere on the record until much later. Eve records where known as “Eve 26″ and “Eve “18″.

A highlight of many Eve Tracks is the incorporation of recognizable material (more than just samples) integrated with completely original and underground trance composition. EVE 01 is a perfect example of this. The track ‘Pink Fluyd’ by Pablo Gargano features breakdown elements borrowed from Pink Floyd – an awesome fusion of timeless psychedelic rock with cutting edge electronic music that paved the way for a sound that would soon become next-gen classics. ‘The Secret Spice’ from EVE 03, also by Pablo Gargano, borrows a mind-propelling sample from another classic – Dune.

Eve Records spawned sister-labels like Telica and sub-labels like Eve Nova.

Due to the longevity of tracks released on Eve Records, many are still available. Eve Records is now a part of the RecoverWorld Label Group.

Smiley Mike’s Top 10 Trance Trax by Eve Records

1. EVE 01 – Pablo Gargano – Pink Fluyd
2. EVE 03 – Pablo Gargano – The Secret Spice
3. EVE 06 – Pablo Gargano – The Stranger
4. EVE 11 – David Craig – Lord Of The Universe
5. EVE 17 – Pablo Gargano – The Runner (NRG Mix)
6. EVE 18 – Pablo Gargano – My Noise
7. EVE 25 – Pablo Gargano – Bodytrance
8. EVE 27 – Pablo Gargano – Electro Shock
9. EVE 40 – Michael Thomas – Condemnation
10. EVE 48x – Carissa Mondavi – Solid Ground (Fade Vocal Dub Remix)

Well, after I suggested that I wouldn’t be missing any shows over the Christmas Holidays – here we are with a three week gap. I tried to get out to the studio last night but there’s just too much snow here in Vancouver and we’re not equipped to handle it. 

I have a bag full of new trance records after finding a crazy sale with Trance Records going for $1 each! I have new AKG K181 headphones which I absolutely love – they sound so much better than my old Sony 600 headphones. I have a new iPod full of fresh content for the overnight mix. Now all I need to do is get to the studio! Hopefully next week the weather will be milder. 

This week’s show was planned as a tribute to my good friend Steve Clark. Steve died in the avalanche on Blackcomb mountain on New Years Eve. Steve’s tribute show will air next Sunday Jan 5th provided I can get to the studio. We miss you brother.